Art Collection

The letter writer who objects to the Sun Magazine noting that Vic Carter has collected more than 300 works by black artists, poses the rhetorical question of whether it would be noted if someone had a collection of works by white artists ("A double standard in reporting on race in the arts," Sept. 13). Apparently the writer has not had much contact with collectors, because as someone who works in an antiques business, I can tell you that the type of person who amasses a collection of 300 objects invariably has a specialty.

Richard M. Lansburgh, a retired clothier, philanthropist and patron of the arts, died of multiple organ failure Tuesday at the Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center, one day before his 92nd birthday. He lived in North Baltimore. He was born during a record-setting blizzard in 1922 at his parents' Park Heights Avenue home, Terremont. His father, Sidney Lansburgh, was an official of American General Corp., and his mother, Marian Epstein, was the daughter of Jacob Epstein, who created a flourishing wholesale merchandise business, the Baltimore Bargain House.

Like so many skeletons of Baltimore's industrial past, the brick and steel bones of sturdy buildings — devoid of innards — are found all along the harbor. Or maybe it should be said they were found along the harbor, since more and more of these previous eyesores have been redeveloped into unique opportunities for city living. Such is the case at the eastern end of the Inner Harbor, in Little Italy. The Canal Street Malt House, a large condominium complex, is so named as a nod to its previous existence, when, in 1866, it was filled with malt, a vital ingredient to the city's burgeoning brewing industry.

Behind the gates of a community in Green Spring Valley is an enclave of estate homes, including the European-style mansion that is home to Alan Klatsky, president of Prestige Development, Inc. and Klatsky Homes. The soft-spoken land developer, designer and builder welcomes guests at his door, then steps aside to reveal an open interior reminiscent of an embassy or art gallery. Light from windows on the landing of a wrought-iron staircase floods the interior, the sunshine highlighting the richness of silk-brocaded draperies.

The Maryland Institute, College of Art shocked Baltimore's cultural community yesterday by announcing plans to sell a major art collection now on loan to the city's two largest museums.Robert Shelton, chairman of the institute's board of trustees, said that after years of study the college had reluctantly decided it must boost its "modest" endowment by selling the collection, which includes a group of 19th-century French prints considered among the finest in the United States."We believe it is our fiduciary responsibility to use this -- and every other asset -- to further the educational mission of the institute," he said.

NEW YORK -- To get a handle on the extraordinary story of Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, let's begin with a list.It appeared in the January 1994 issue of a respected magazine called ARTnews and is, to be precise, a list of the world's 200 top art collectors. Not surprisingly, the list contains names like Rothschild, Getty, Mellon, Rockefeller and Baltimore's own Robert and Jane Meyerhoff; names associated with fortunes made in banking and industry and, quite often, inherited wealth.But the "ARTnews 200" list also includes two names that rank among the world's most unlikely candidates: Herbert and Dorothy Vogel.

A state audit faults Morgan State University for not keeping tabs on its multimillion-dollar art collection, saying the institution lacks sufficient documentation on the location of its artwork.The university's James E. Lewis Museum of Art, renowned for an extensive African-American collection, closed abruptly for two weeks last year while university officials investigated allegations of security and management problems there.The facility has since reopened. Its director, Gabriel S. Tenabe, who was reassigned for several weeks during the internal inquiry, has returned to his duties, according to university officials.

At Haussner's, art is the house specialty.So it's an understatement to say that Frances Wilkes Haussner is happy to have one of her 19th century paintings from the restaurant on display at the Walters Art Gallery."

Open the front door of this traditional brick house in Ruxton, and the interior will come as a total surprise. When the owners moved from Pennsylvania they bought the house for the location and the space (it has six bedrooms), but they knew they wanted to redo it from top to bottom."It's as interesting for what's been removed as for what's here," says the interior designer, Robert Berman of Johnson-Berman. Mr. Berman worked with the architects, Schamu, Machowski, Doo and Associates, almost from the beginning, as they took down walls, replaced the curving staircase and balcony railing in the foyer and removed moldings, chair rails, window mullions, chandeliers and fireplace surrounds.

NEW YORK -- Dealers and collectors gobbled up sculptures, busts of Roman emperors and porcelains yesterday on the second day of the Haussner's restaurant auction, pushing the receipts from the sale to more than $11 million.Two hours of vigorous bidding at Sotheby's auction rooms netted $1.2 million for the 114 lots sold -- on top of $10.1 million spent Tuesday for paintings from the landmark Highlandtown restaurant.Pre-sale estimates had placed the value of the collection at around $7 million.

Howard Community College's Arts Collective will host a musical revue by former HCC student Jason Downs and other alums this weekend. The show, "Why Am I Not Famous?" is a comical exploration of fame and celebrity by Downs, who in his 30-year show-business career has performed on Saturday Night Live, acted in movies next to Whoopi Goldberg and Neil Patrick Harris, attended the Oscars and snagged a record deal. There will only be two performances of the revue, on Oct. 11 and 12 at 8 p.m. in HCC's Horowitze Center Studio Theatre.

The State Archives had inadequate procedures to prevent loss or employee theft of its $31.4 million art collection, and outdated software left its computers vulnerable to attack, an audit released Tuesday found. The Department of Legislative Services audit did not find evidence that computers had been hacked or art lost or stolen, but recommended the State Archives improve its oversight. State Archives officials agreed with the auditors' findings and said they have put into place the recommendations or will soon do so. The State Archives, with a $8.7 million annual budget, keep historically significant documents and art, as well as certain government and private records.

The rotunda at Towson Commons, at Pennsylvania Avenue and York Road, will be the site of the annual Towson Arts Collective "Off the Mall" holiday arts gift sale, held Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 15-16, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. A preview silent auction will kick off the event, Friday, Dec. 14, 5 to 8 p.m., at the TAC Gallery, 40 W. Chesapeake Ave. The event features arts and crafts in various media, donated by professional artists and Towson...

Tom Stoner made his fortune owning AM radio stations, where the weekly Top 40 was eagerly anticipated by devoted listeners. Would their favorite artists move up this week? Would that new release make it? "I remember how easy it was to decide who came on the list," recalls the Annapolis businessman and philanthropist, "but how hard it was to decide who went off the list. That was the part of the process that fascinated me. " At the Severn River home of Stoner and his wife, Kitty, "Top 40" takes on a new meaning.

The letter writer who objects to the Sun Magazine noting that Vic Carter has collected more than 300 works by black artists, poses the rhetorical question of whether it would be noted if someone had a collection of works by white artists ("A double standard in reporting on race in the arts," Sept. 13). Apparently the writer has not had much contact with collectors, because as someone who works in an antiques business, I can tell you that the type of person who amasses a collection of 300 objects invariably has a specialty.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The Maryland State Archives collection is among the largest in the country with nearly 400 years of history, including Colonial-era paintings, keepsakes of the state's governors, and thousands of land, court and genealogy records. With all that history, the Archives has run out of space. The agency first filled its Annapolis headquarters to capacity in 2000, then leased and filled a warehouse. It leased a second warehouse and a third before brokering a deal to store some of its property at the Baltimore City Archives.

The woman in the painting is not pretty. She is blue, in fact, and is struggling to rise from the ground where she lies, her body contorted with the effort, her limbs twisted and seemingly mismatched. Called the "Blue Nude," the painting was considered shocking when it was completed in 1907 by French artist Henri Matisse. Parisian critics who saw the work that year reviled it, calling the painting ugly and unfinished. Six years later, when it was displayed in America, students at the Art Institute of Chicago burned it in effigy.

When Johns Hopkins Hospital officially opens its new, $1.1 billion building Tuesday, sick children will find a cobalt cow with legs the color of grass and a butter-colored head floating above their heads, poised to jump over a fanciful "moon. " The new hospital won't just provide state-of-the-art health care. It will also provide state-of-the-art art. The 500 original paintings, sculptures and murals, created by more than 70 artists from around the U.S., are on display throughout both the children and adult towers in the new facility.