The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Soutine, Cezanne to star at New York auctions Posted: 07 May 2013 04:14 AM PDT NEW YORK, May 7 — Works by Soutine, Cezanne, Picasso and Modigliani were expected to shine this week at red-hot spring auctions of Impressionist and Modern art in New York.
Last year, Sotheby's Modern and Impressionist auction notched up a record-setting US$119.9 million (RM60 million) sale of a version of Edvard Munch's "The Scream." This time, the main stars are expected to be Paul Cezanne's "Les Pommes," along with Amedeo Modigliani's "L'Amazone," and sculptures by Rodin and Picasso. A total of 70 works are up for sale today, with an estimated value of US$165 million. "Les Pommes," a landmark still life of apples on a table, is estimated to fetch between US$25-35 million. "Les Pommes is one of Cezanne's most perfect still lifes" said Charles Moffett, vice chairman of Sotheby's Impressionist and Modern Art. "These moving compositions, which explore the paradoxes of forms in space, inspired the Cubism of Picasso and Braque and signal the birth of modern art." Modigliani's "L'Amazone," estimated at US$20-30 million, was painted early in his career in 1909 and shows the glamorous Baroness Marguerite de Hasse de Villers. The works are from the collection of philanthropists Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt and will fund a foundation set up in their honor, with a focus on animal welfare and others of their favored causes. Picasso's statue "Sylvette," estimated at US$12-18 million, is expected to get attention, given what Simon Shaw, head of the Impressionist and Modern department, called the "increasing sophistication of sculptures buyers." It's Picasso's interpretation of his young neighbor in Vallauris, in the south of France, in 1954 and is made of metal. Sotheby's will also be selling three Rodin bronzes, including a version of "Le Penseur," or "The Thinker," estimated at US$8-12 million. The Christie's sale tomorrow will be led by Soutine's "Le Petit Patissier," ("The Little Pastry Chef"), estimated at US$16-22 million, and Andre Derain's 1905 "Portrait de Madame Matisse au kimono," estimated at US$15-20 million. Christie's says it hopes Soutine's pastry chef, the sixth of a renowned series, will set an auction record for the Russian-born French artist. Derain's painting of Matisse's wife is "the most important portrait" ever auctioned by the co-founder of Fauvism, said Brooke Lampley, head of the Impressionist and Modern department at Christie's. "To have a large-scale portrait of this exceptional caliber and with such a celebrated muse as its subject makes this an unparalleled collecting opportunity for fine art connoisseurs worldwide," she said. Christie's will feature some 50 works, including 11 Picassos, and Chagall's unusual "Three Acrobats." — AFP/Relaxnews |
| Stress study offers clues for new antidepressant drugs Posted: 07 May 2013 03:50 AM PDT LONDON, May 7 — Scientists have worked out the way in which stress hormones reduce the number of new brain cells a process linked to depression — and say their work should help researchers develop more effective antidepressants. The scientists identified a protein largely responsible for the long-term detrimental effect of stress on cells.
Treatment for depression involves either medication or counselling — and often a combination of both. But while there are many antidepressants on the market, including top sellers such as Prozac and Seroxat, it is widely accepted that many antidepressants work in only half of patients half of the time, and drugmakers are struggling to come up with a new generation of drugs. Depression is linked to changes in a process called neurogenesis - the ability of the adult brain to continue producing new brain cells. At a molecular level, stress is known to increase levels of a hormone called cortisol, which in turn acts on a receptor called the glucocorticoid receptor. But the exact mechanism behind this process has been unclear. A team under Carmine Pariante of King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, who led the research, studied human hippocampal stem cells - source of new cells in the human brain. They gave the cells cortisol to measure the effect on neurogenesis and found that a protein called SGK1 was important in mediating the effects. By measuring the effect of cortisol over time, they found that increased levels of SGK1 prolong the damaging impact of stress hormones on neurogenesis. Next, the researchers used an experimental drug compound known to inhibit SGK1 and found it blocked the negative effects of stress hormones, leading to an increase in new brain cells. The team confirmed the results by studying levels of SGK1 in animals and then in blood samples from people with depression. — AFP/Relaxsnews |
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