My path crossed Martin Sullivan's three times. On each occasion, this consummate museum director, who died on Tuesday at 70, revealed himself as a man of conscience and integrity, with powers of persuasion and empathy that helped him navigate deftly through tangled controversies. The first time I encountered him, he spoke on a cultural-property panel where, as … [Read more...] about Martin Sullivan, 70, Dies: Museum Director of Integrity, Grace Under Pressure (with video)
Archives for February 2014
Corcoran Confusion: Bungled Rollout of Its “Wonderful News”
Rarely have far-reaching, potentially disruptive changes to a venerable cultural organization been presented to its stakeholders as misleadingly and confusingly as the proposed alliance among the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art and Design, the National Gallery of Art and George Washington University. The bumbled attempt to explain this tentative arrangement is … [Read more...] about Corcoran Confusion: Bungled Rollout of Its “Wonderful News”
Unfair Advantage? New Artists Royalties Bill Still Exempts Dealers
The new American Royalties Too [ART] Act of 2014, introduced today by U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Ed Markey (D-MA), tweaks a number of provisions that were contained in the dead-in-the-water Equity for Visual Artists Act of 2011. It takes into account some recommendations in Resale Royalties: An Updated Analysis---a report … [Read more...] about Unfair Advantage? New Artists Royalties Bill Still Exempts Dealers
Emergency Manager Favors Detroit Institute’s “Grand Bargain” (plus: more controversies)
I'm juggling three stories of major interest, but can't do justice to all of them at once: ---The Corcoran Gallery's likely dismemberment, for which that Washington, DC, institution on Saturday issued a detailed list of FAQs, answering some important questions but raising others. ---The raucous surprise protest demonstration Saturday evening inside the Guggenheim Museum, … [Read more...] about Emergency Manager Favors Detroit Institute’s “Grand Bargain” (plus: more controversies)
Washington City Paper: University of Maryland Blindsided by Corcoran’s Surprise Deal
In an astonishing article posted online yesterday by the Washington City Paper, Kriston Capps and Jonathan Fischer reported that the University of Maryland was among those who were blindsided by the Corcoran's surprise decision to drop its discussions with the University of Maryland in favor of an arrangement with the National Gallery and George Washington … [Read more...] about Washington City Paper: University of Maryland Blindsided by Corcoran’s Surprise Deal
Dismemberment of the Corcoran: Whither the Collection? UPDATED
UPDATE: More on this here. I wasn't the only one blindsided by the Corcoran Gallery and College's announcement yesterday that (if details can be hammered out) it will essentially be divvied up by George Washington University and the National Gallery of Art, with a token "Corcoran Legacy" gallery remaining behind. It will display "a selection of works from the collection that … [Read more...] about Dismemberment of the Corcoran: Whither the Collection? UPDATED
More on Joseph Lewis Antiquities Case: Dealer Got More Than Wrist-Slap
Thanks to Cultural Heritage Lawyer blogger Ricardo St. Hilaire, I now have more complete information about the court sentence for dealer Mousa Khouli, one of the three co-defendants of collector Joseph Lewis (against whom charges were dismissed) in a federal criminal case involving Egyptian antiquities. In my previous post on this case, I wrote: The one who got the worst of … [Read more...] about More on Joseph Lewis Antiquities Case: Dealer Got More Than Wrist-Slap
“Fight of My Life”: Antiquities Collector Joseph Lewis Wins Dismissal of Charges UPDATED
In a case that will undoubtedly be Topic A at the Apr. 10 cultural-property symposium in New York organized by the collector-friendly Committee for Cultural Policy, Joseph Lewis, a Chesterfield County, VA, collector of Egyptian antiquities (whose objects were displayed at several American museums) recently won dismissal of all federal charges involving alleged antiquities … [Read more...] about “Fight of My Life”: Antiquities Collector Joseph Lewis Wins Dismissal of Charges UPDATED
Bellowing about Bellows: Randolph College’s Maier Museum is “Not a Museum”
In reporter Amy Trent's Feb. 7 article in the Lynchburg, VA, News and Advance, she quoted President Bradley Bateman of Randolph College proudly touting the “fiduciary responsibility” evinced by his institution's deplorable deaccession of its Maier Museum's signature Bellows painting. That $25.5-million sale to the National Gallery, London, was arranged through dealer Rachel … [Read more...] about Bellowing about Bellows: Randolph College’s Maier Museum is “Not a Museum”
Why Now? Federal Debt Limit Lifted, Obama Chooses Chu for NEA Chair
I've been tweeting up a storm about President Obama's choice of Jane Chu to chair the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) since shortly after the White House announcement hit my inbox at 6:50 p.m. yesterday. The initial buzz about the president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City, has been generally favorable (Kansas City Star, Washington … [Read more...] about Why Now? Federal Debt Limit Lifted, Obama Chooses Chu for NEA Chair
Under the Influence: Pawel Althamer’s States of Consciousness at New Museum (with video)
Pawel Althamer: The Neighbors, which opened today (to Apr. 13) at the New Museum, is the latest in that uninstitutional institution's distinguished list of visually and intellectually stimulating presentations of artists whose work I don't know well but undoubtedly should. Born in 1967, Althamer still has no gallery representation in New York. (This show could change that.) … [Read more...] about Under the Influence: Pawel Althamer’s States of Consciousness at New Museum (with video)
Spinning the Bad News: Randolph College Puffs Discarded Bellows With Hot Air
More on this here, including identification of the dealer who helped arranged the Bellows' sale. Too often, local newspapers cross the line from journalism to boosterism when covering dubious doings at institutions in their hometowns. In this not-so-grand tradition, Amy Trent, writing for the Lynchburg, VA, News and Advance, seemed to buy Randolph College's win-win spin of … [Read more...] about Spinning the Bad News: Randolph College Puffs Discarded Bellows With Hot Air
Deplorable Deaccession: Randolph College’s Signature Bellows Sold to London’s National Gallery
Just as Brandeis University, after a change of presidents, abandoned its plan to sell works from its Rose Art Museum to help address the university's financial needs, one might have hoped that when Bradley Bateman assumed the presidency of Randolph College last year, he would have reconsidered the ill-conceived, long-standing but not yet realized plan to dispose of George … [Read more...] about Deplorable Deaccession: Randolph College’s Signature Bellows Sold to London’s National Gallery
Detroit Detritus: Critics of Detroit Institute’s “Grand Bargain” Dig for Dirt (and unearth some)
In an off-base article that purports to report on the objections of "critics" regarding the Detroit Institute of Arts' handling of executive compensation, Robert Snell of the Detroit News quotes only one such critic---Republican state Rep. Kurt Heise. The state legislator fumes that “at a time when we are asking for so much from people in Detroit---pensioners, firefighters … [Read more...] about Detroit Detritus: Critics of Detroit Institute’s “Grand Bargain” Dig for Dirt (and unearth some)
See It Now: Video of Architect’s Presentation and Panel Discussion on MoMA’s Expansion
You've read what I had to say last week about Elizabeth Diller's "bravura performance" at the recent presentation and panel discussion in New York on the Museum of Modern Art's controversial planned expansion. Now, courtesy of the Architectural League of New York, you can see and hear the full two-hour discussion for yourself, including comments by MoMA's director, Glenn … [Read more...] about See It Now: Video of Architect’s Presentation and Panel Discussion on MoMA’s Expansion