Robert M. Edsel's second book about World War II looting, The Monuments Men, came out in September, and as someone who in years past has written much about the subject myself (here, here, and here, to name a few), I wanted to see what Edsel has to say.  Yesterday, as I was about to start reading, I decided to look first at other coverage of the book so far. I found something more interesting than reviews. Just last week, the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art (Edsel's non-profit), announced … [Read more...]

While everyone's been getting worked up about the exhibition of art, curated by Jeff Koons, from Dakis Joannou's collection at the New Museum, something that looks far worse is going on at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Starting today, it's showing Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from The Walt Disney Studio. The timing couldn't be better -- for Disney. According to NOMA, the show also will include artwork from the upcoming Walt Disney Animation Studios musical, The Princess and The Frog, an animated comedy from the … [Read more...]

The Whitney Museum debuted its newly redesigned website today, with new technology and new features, like a background that changes from white to black as day changes to night, plus a series of commissioned internet art projects. I'm not tech-knowledgeable enough to pronounce on those advancements, but I do like several features, including: Each day, the museum's hours are posted on the home page -- they change with the day, so I don't have to click "visit" to find that basic information. Events of the day are on the home page. The … [Read more...]

One speech does does not a policy make, but some people are wondering about President Obama's commitment to arts education after hearing his speech on education last week. Delivered in Madison, Wisc., on Nov. 4, the president's speech to Wright Middle School discussed his plans for overhauling the educational system on a national level. As one reader of Real Clear Arts pointed out to me, it contained not a single word about art or creativity. Read it for yourself; here's the link, from Madison.com. A key passage: It means … [Read more...]

As it goes with art prizes, so apparently does it go with art museums: you (meaning, I) just get finished writing about one, or two, and another pops up. Today, the New Museum, possibly trying to change the subject, announced the six finalists for its Ordway Prize, which makes two $100,000 awards -- one each to an artist and a curator or arts writer. (My take on "the subject" -- single-collector exhibits -- is here.) The artist finalists are Tania Bruguera, from Cuba; William Pope.L, from the United States; and Artur Zmijewski, … [Read more...]

On the new museum front, last week brought news that the Dia Art Foundation was planning to build a home in Chelsea, on the footprint of its old premises. Good news when it happens, if it happens. Dia's turbulent history doesn't exactly instill confidence. Nonetheless, two new museums have moved ahead in recent days. In Denver, the Clyfford Still Museum, which had been stalled by the recession, has started up again, setting groundbreaking for Dec. 14. According to the Denver Post, the $29 million museum will now open in … [Read more...]

How would you go about updating, reinterpreting, a Hudson River School painting? We'll soon see one answer, from artist Valerie Hegarty. On Wednesday, Hegarty will install a site-specific work on the High Line, the elevated park built on a disused rail corridor along the Hudson River, which is turning out to have a snug connection with contemporary art even before the Whitney Museum branch is built there (if it is). Her "artwork often poses as artifacts of art history gone awry," and this installation … [Read more...]

I know how this looks: it looks as if I am fixated on prizes in the arts. Really, I'm not -- it just happens that I've either run across or been told about some noteworthy ones lately. And I am, if not fixated, certainly interested in strategies and tactics that encourage people to appreciate the arts. So here's a prize I like: The Saatchi Gallery-Sunday Telegraph Art Prize for Schools -- which just announced its shortlist of finalists. The London newspaper launched the prize last May, with these words: Whether traditional … [Read more...]

Rocco Landesman didn't take Peoria, but he did seem to refrain from dismissing the city and its arts community again. The new National Endowment for the Arts chairman yesterday started the whistle-stop tour of U.S. arts communities that he promised a few weeks ago. The first stop was a must because he'd insulted Peorians back in August. On his visit, Landesman avoided another direct hit, saying he would not compare the production of "Rent" that he saw at the Eastlight Theatre Friday Night to a production … [Read more...]

Art thievery usually boggles the mind -- you can't resell a truly valuable piece -- and yet it flourishes. Do you know where it thrives, and where it's rising? The Art Loss Register, which tracks reported thefts, sent out a notice at the end of October about the theft of three paintings by Pierre Gavreau in Toronto (coincidentally, I just mentioned Gavreau the other day in my post about the Automatistes): The window of the gallery was smashed and the paintings removed during an early morning burglary. The paintings … [Read more...]