While many eyes watching Tuesday's auction at Sotheby's will be waiting to see what Modigliani's stunning Nude Sitting on a Divan fetches -- the presale estimate "on request" is said to be $40 million, or more -- Real Clear Arts readers may want to focus on what two other works bring: Modigliani's Jeanne Hebuterne (est: $9- to $12 million), below right, and Monet's Le Bassin aux Nymphaes (est: $20- to $30 million), below left. That's because of the seller, the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, which I … [Read more...]

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has just published an article, and list, of the most influential non-profit organizations on Twitter -- defined as those with the most followers. I immediately wanted to see which, if any, arts groups made the cut. Turns out, none. Here's the list, with the number of followers: Charity: Water (@charitywater) 1,308,128 Room to Read (@RoomtoRead) 457,158 ONE (@ONECampaign) 452,002 The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (@gatesfoundation) 430,549 DoSomething.org (@dosomething) 366,737 Water.org (@Water) … [Read more...]

Recent news from Scotland's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum amazes me, and maybe says something positive about the public and museums. Located in Glasgow, Kelvingrove underwent a remake a few years ago and turned itself into Scotland's most popular "attraction," now luring more visitors every year than even Edinburgh Castle. But at what price? This is a combination art and natural history museum, and among its treasures are works by Titian, Rembrandt, Botticelli and van Gogh. Unfortunately, they are not what … [Read more...]

The Parrish Art Museum in Southhampton is out with a very cool publicity initiative: It's wrapping the Hampton Jitney -- the buses that take Manhattanites back and forth to the Hamptons -- in works from its collection. The display begins today, with William Merritt Chase's 1895 painting The Bayberry Bush (Chase Homestead in Shinnecock Hills). This is an audience development initiative, as the Parrish -- about to expand -- is trying to promote awareness of its collection and exhibitions to Manhattanites. Good idea … [Read more...]

This is a blatant commercial. On Thursday, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, along with Heritage Preservation, is offering a webinar called "Telling the Story of Your Collections to the Press," and I'm part of it. Not the big part, though: Anne Edgar, an arts publicist with her own firm, is the presenter. I'll be commenting on her presentation and answering questions from attendees. The session starts at 11:30 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m. The webinar is the first in a series of six, part of a national initiative: … [Read more...]

The Los Angeles Times carried an article in Saturday's paper that begs comment. It was about Michael Govan, whose contract as director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art had quietly been re-upped for six more years in July. The news was disclosed when LACMA posted its audited financial statements for FY 2009-10 online, and the Times rightly dissected them.It found that news, plus several gossipy, telling tidbits, like the $1-million bonus Govan received for completing his initial contract and the dispute he is having with … [Read more...]

At the risk of being repetitive, I am returning to the exhibition of Thomas Moran's Shoshone Falls, a one-painting show at the Portland Art Museum that opened yesterday. I wrote about it, and sang the praises of these small shows, in September, when PAM announced the loan from the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa (here). I like them because a focus on one painting seems special to me -- just what single painting merits a show of its own? -- and it almost forces visitors to look, really look. Probable cost savings, versus large … [Read more...]

If art (frequently) explores social issues, and the economy is an issue on so many people's minds lately, is it a wonder that there haven't been more art exhibitions about money in the last few years? I suppose that is what drew me to the idea behind Taxing Visions: Financial Episodes in Late Nineteenth-Century American Art, which is on view at the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State University (and will later travel to the Huntington Library near Pasadena, Calif.). It's a small show that showcases the … [Read more...]

Looking for something else on the web today, I came across a 6-minute interview with Museum of Modern Art director Glenn Lowry at the Stadel Museum in Frankfurt. It was posted last spring, but what Lowry said about museums and contemporary art is evergreen, and worth both sharing and a few comments. First on museums: "For any museum to thrive," he said, "it needs to grow and change and constantly rethink itself," whether it's a history museum or a museum of contemporary art. They should not be afraid to become a different institution, he … [Read more...]

A post on the American Theater Wing's blog, by Howard Sherman (hat tip to You've Cott Mail for pointing it out), got me thinking about a parallel -- and possible solution -- for museums. Sherman wrote, lamentingly, about the common desire for a short running time. If you are a regular theatergoer, you are undoubtedly in the habit of ascertaining, before you see a production, what the running time will be....undoubtedly you have found yourself cheered, more than once, when your inquiry results in the answer, "90 minute, no … [Read more...]