Events from the year 1979 in art.
Events
*
October 25
Events Pre-1600
* 285 (or 286) – Execution of Saints Crispin and Crispinian during the reign of Diocletian, now the patron saints of leather workers, curriers, and shoemakers.
* 473 – Emperor Leo I acclaims his grandson Leo II a ...
–
Frederic Edwin Church
Frederic Edwin Church (May 4, 1826 – April 7, 1900) was an American landscape painter born in Hartford, Connecticut. He was a central figure in the Hudson River School of American landscape painters, best known for painting large landscapes, ...
's 1861 painting ''
The Icebergs
''The Icebergs'' is an 1861 oil painting by the American landscape artist Frederic Edwin Church. It was inspired by his 1859 voyage to the North Atlantic around Newfoundland and Labrador. Considered one of Church's "Great Pictures"—measuring ...
'' sells for US$2.5 million at
Sotheby's
Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...
New York, the third-highest amount paid for any painting at auction at this date.
*
November 15
Events Pre-1600
* 655 – Battle of the Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria.
*1315 – Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy: The Schweizer Eidgenossenschaft ambushes the army of Leopold I in the Battle of Morg ...
– Art historian and former
Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures
The office of the Surveyor of the King's/Queen's Pictures, in the Royal Collection Department of the Royal Household of the Monarch, Sovereign of the United Kingdom, is responsible for the care and maintenance of the royal collection of pictures ...
Anthony Blunt
Anthony Frederick Blunt (26 September 1907 – 26 March 1983), styled Sir Anthony Blunt KCVO from 1956 to November 1979, was a leading British art historian and Soviet spy.
Blunt was professor of art history at the University of London, dire ...
's role as one of the 'Cambridge Five' double agents for the Soviet Union, Soviet NKVD during World War II is revealed by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.
* The ''Xing xing'' ("The Stars Group") of 20 avant-garde Chinese artists (including Ma Desheng, Wang Keping, Huang Rui, Li Shuang (artist), Li Shuang, Qu Leilei, Ah Cheng and Ai Weiwei) stage an illegal exhibition outside the National Art Museum of China in Beijing.
* The Bauhaus Archive, designed by Alexander Cvijanović with Hans Bandel after Walter Gropius, is completed in West Berlin, Germany.
* Edward Delaney's statue of Wolfe Tone in Dublin is destroyed by terrorists.
Awards
* Archibald Prize: Wes Walters – ''Portrait of Phillip Adams (writer), Phillip Adams''
Works
* Michael Andrews (artist), Michael Andrews –
Melanie and Me Swimming'
* Judy Chicago – ''The Dinner Party'' (collaborative installation, completed)
* Paul Delvaux – ''The Road to Rome (painting), The Road to Rome'' (painting)
* Jenny Holzer – ''Truisms''
* Lee Kelly – sculptures (Portland, Oregon)
** ''Elkhorn (sculpture), Elkhorn''
** ''Nash (sculpture), Nash''
* Jack Mackie and Charles Greening – ''Dancer's Series: Steps'' (bronze, Seattle)
* Joan Mitchell
** ''La Vie en Rose (painting), La Vie en Rose''
**''Salut Tom''
* Andrzej Pitynski – ''The Partisans (sculpture), The Partisans'' (aluminum sculpture)
* Enzo Plazzotta – ''Attitude II (Margot Fonteyn)''
* John Rogers – ''118 Modules'' (sculpture, Portland, Oregon)
* Michael Snow – ''Flight Stop'' (sculpture, Toronto Eaton Centre)
* Don Wilson – ''Holon (sculpture), Holon'' (sculpture, Portland, Oregon)
Exhibitions
*April 22 to June 10 – ''Special Projects (Scott Belville. John Boone. Andrea Callard. Katherine Carter. Ian Crofts, Lauren Ewing, Heide Fasnicht, Betty Goodwin, Norman Hasselriis, Alan Herman, Jeff (Jeff Russell), and Elaine Reichek)'' at MoMA PS1, PS1 in Queens, New York.
Births
* July 25 – Ahmed Mater, Saudi artist
* ''date unknown''
** Aideen Barry, Irish multimedia and performance artist
** Éric Bourdon, French painter and writer
** Elise Fouin, French designer
Deaths
* January 11 – Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, German-born French Art dealer (born 1884 in art, 1884)
* February 3 – Aaron Douglas (artist), Aaron Douglas, American Painting, painter (born 1898 in art, 1898)
* February 7 – Charles Tunnicliffe, British wildlife painter (born 1901 in art, 1901)
* March 20 – Jean Charlot, French people, French painter and illustrator (born 1898)
* April 5 – Eugène Gabritschevsky, Russian biologist and artist (born 1893 in art, 1893)
* June 23 – Reynolds Stone, English people, English wood engraver (born 1909 in art, 1909)
* June 25
** Dave Fleischer, Austrian American animator, film director, and film producer (born 1894 in art, 1894)
** Philippe Halsman, Latvian American portrait photographer (born 1906 in art, 1906)
* July 13 – Ludwig Merwart, Austrians, Austrian painter and graphic artist (born 1913 in art, 1913)
* August 20 – Christian Dotremont, Belgian painter and poet (born 1922 in art, 1922)
* August 29 – Ivon Hitchens, English painter (born 1893)
* September 17 – Paul Maze, French-born English Post-Impressionist painter (born 1887 in art, 1887)
* November 8 – Edward Ardizzone, British writer and illustrator (born 1900 in art, 1900)
* November 20 – Tyra Lundgren, Swedish painter, ceramist, glass and textile designer and writer on art (born 1897 in art, 1897)
* December 5 – Sonia Delaunay, Ukraine, Ukrainian-French artist (born 1885 in art, 1885)
* December 23 – Peggy Guggenheim, American-born art collector (born 1898)
* December 26 – Karl Hubbuch, German painter, printmaker and draughtsman (born 1891 in art, 1891)
* ''date unknown''
** Russell Brockbank, Canadian-born cartoonist (born 1913 in art, 1913)
** Sheila Fell, English painter (born 1931 in art, 1931)
Awards
See also
* 1979 in fine arts of the Soviet Union
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1979 In Art
1979 in art,
Years of the 20th century in art
1970s in art