It's not very often that the departure of a museum's education director merits an article in a city's newspaper. But that is what happened last week, when Williams College announced that it had picked Christina Olsen to head its museum of art. Olsen is leaving the Portland Art Museum, and the Oregonian acknowledged her work there, and before at the Getty, as well as her ambition, in a meaty article. The writer, D.K. Row, had also featured Olsen in an article in 2010. Then, he called Olsen one of the most important people at the museum and … [Read more...]

Alexander McQueen isn't the only guy capable of drawing crowds so big that hours must be extended at a museum. Or Leonardo, for that matter. I'm happy to report that the Detroit Institute of Art recently added hours to accommodate visitors to its Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus exhibition. On Jan. 4, the DIA announced that the Rembrandt exhibit "broke attendance records for recent exhibitions at the museum, with more than 15,000 visitors during the week between Christmas and New Year's. The number is around three times the typical weekly … [Read more...]

This is Old Masters week in New York, and to mark it I have written a short article about an ivory, estimated by Sotheby's in January, 2010, at $120,000 to $150,000.It sold, after much bidding from the trade, for more than $1.2 million. Now, it's for sale at a New York gallery for $3.8 million. Much of the general public probably thinks that's a ripoff, which is one reason I wanted to write about this piece. I leave it you to decide if it's worth that high amount, but the story of how it gained value, going from a piece attributed to … [Read more...]

In case you missed it, even the Colbert Nation is interested in the new American paintings galleries at the Metropolitan Museum.* Stephen Colbert yesterday (?) interviewed Carrie Rebora Barrett, an associate director of the Met and an Americanist, and it has been posted (here). They talk mostly about Emanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware. In it, among other things, we learn: That he likes The Met because "it's a great place to go in and not pay." That Colbert has never been to the Met, alas. That Barrett defends … [Read more...]

The subject line in the email was deceptive: "Nelson-Atkins Hires Esteemed African Art Curator," it said. I almost archived it without reading. The substance turned out to be more interesting. The N-A is indeed hiring the expertise of Nii Quarcoopome (below), the head of the Department of Africa, Oceania & the Indigenous Americas at the Detroit Institute of Arts -- but only 25% of his time. The two museums are curator-sharing. I think we'll see more of this, and it may mean that curators will see their careers developing along a … [Read more...]