Archives for 2009

I'm getting sore.How come Tom Campbell has time to speak [via] to Ed Pilkington of the Guardian, but not to Lee Rosenbaum of CultureGrrl (and occasionally even of the Wall Street Journal)? Believe me, I've asked. How come those Brits have all the fun?I know why: because it looks like Pilk got bilked---another of those bleeping beeper-timed interviews, with little of substance … [Read more...] about The Pendulum Swings: Met’s Tom Campbell Gets Punked

Yet another county heard from: The Association of Art Museum Curators says this about the possible dissolution of the Rose Art Museum: The decision to regard the collection of the museum as an asset rather than as a wealth of ideas in physical form was made without consultation of all the most important parties. The professional staff of the Rose Art Museum and its student … [Read more...] about A Rose is a Rose is a…: Association of Art Museum Curators Weighs In Against Brandeis Decision

Marsden Hartley's "Musical Theme (Oriental Symphony)," 1912-13, Rose Art Museum, seen at today's Guggenheim Museum's New York press preview of The Third Mind (Can we keep it?) The College Art Association has added its voice to the chorus of condemnation against the possible dissolution of the Rose Art Museum. Here is its statement: CAA Protests Rose Art Museum's Closing and … [Read more...] about Rose Museum Outrage, from CAA and Contemporary Museums; More Brandeis Self-Justifications

In punishing the National Academy for its desperation deaccessions, the Association of Art Museum Directors went too far. The unfortunate byproduct of that has been to galvanize certain art lawyers and museum consultants, who think that some institutions (perhaps those to which they provide counsel) would benefit by a loosening of deaccession standards. If it's okay for museums … [Read more...] about Deaccession Revisions: AAMD Needs to Tighten Its Own Standards

The late Olga RaggioOlga Raggio, 82 [via], was, during her time at the Metropolitan Museum, one of the relatively rare high-ranking female museum professionals in this country. Seriously considered for the directorship that was ultimately won by Philippe de Montebello, she was at that time chairman of the Met's Western European arts department. She was praised by Thomas Hoving, … [Read more...] about Olga Raggio, Met’s Former Chairman of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, Dies

In its written statement Monday announcing its plan to close the Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University said that "the university will publicly sell the art collection." Let me repeat that: It said "THE art collection." It didn't say "SOME of the art collection."But now Fred Thys of Boston's public radio station, WBUR, reports that Brandeis President Jehuda Reinharz informed him … [Read more...] about The Spectre of the Rose: Brandeis Flip-Flops Again

Malcolm RogersIn my diatribe yesterday against the decision by the board of the Association of Art Museum Directors that its member museums should deny loans to or collaboration with the National Academy, I noted that six museums listed on the Academy's website as lending art to an upcoming Academy show have now been deleted from the online description of that show. The only … [Read more...] about Malcolm Rogers: Promised Loans May Still Go to National Academy Show

[NOTE: I originally intended to post this yesterday, until the Rose Art Museum situation preempted it. But recent developments make this recommendation more relevant than ever, as I will argue below.] I'm second to no one in deploring the National Academy Museum's desperation deaccessions, but I think the Association of Art Museum Directors' reaction to that watershed event … [Read more...] about Deaccession Aggression: One Decision that AAMD Should Rescind

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley Sometimes, it seems, we can't trust what Brandeis University's publicity machine would have us believe. As I reported here, a university spokesman told the Boston Globe's Geoff Edgers that the Massachusetts Attorney General had been informed of university's plan to sell the Rose Museum's entire collection. The university … [Read more...] about NY Times Reports That Massachusetts AG Will Review Brandeis Art-Sale Plans UPDATED

David Robertson, President, ACUMG and director, Mary and Leigh Block Museum, Northwestern University The Association of College and University Museums and Galleries (ACUMG), the leading professional organization for such institutions, has issued this statement lamenting Brandeis University's plan to close its Rose Art Museum and sell off its collection: Speaking on behalf … [Read more...] about ACUMG and AAMD Issue Statements Deploring Rose Museum’s Dissolution UPDATED

Thumbs down on Brandeis University President Jehuda ReinharzForget the Quincy Jones Petition. If you want to sign an important artworld action document, go to the petition by Concerned Alumni of Brandeis University---In Opposition to the Closing of the Rose Art Museum.The petition says it all:The Brandeis University Board of Trustees in a closed meeting and without any … [Read more...] about More on the Closing of the Rose: Sign the Petition; Stop the Auction UPDATED

Michael Conforti's WSJ Portrait, by Ismael RoldanYou can read me now: He's a Museum Leader for These Troubled Times, my Wall Street Journal profile of Michael Conforti, director of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA, and president of the Association of Art Museum Directors.Of course when I wrote this piece for today's (Tuesday's) WSJ "Leisure & … [Read more...] about My WSJ “Cultural Conversation” with AAMD President Michael Conforti

Michael Rush, director of Brandeis University's withering Rose Art Museum[More CultureGrrl coverage of the Rose: here, here, here, here, here and here.]Forget about the National Academy's selling a couple of major paintings---mere chicken feed. How about selling your museum's ENTIRE collection? After you rub your eyes in disbelief, read it and weep---Geoff Edgers' and Peter … [Read more...] about Brandeis to “Deaccession” Its Entire Rose Art Museum

Janet Landay, newly appointed AAMD executive directorAs you wing your way tomorrow to the midwinter membership meeting of the Association of Art Museum Directors in San Diego (Jan. 28-30), all you artworld luminaries should fasten your seatbelts, make sure you've found your flotation devices, and then turn to the "Leisure & Arts" page of your copy of tomorrow's Wall Street … [Read more...] about Required Museum-Director Reading for the AAMD Meeting: My WSJ Profile Tomorrow of Michael Conforti UPDATED

David Smith, teacher, author and overthrower of culture czarsAs you might have expected, CultureGrrl readers are engaged by the question of whether there should be a cabinet-level Secretary of Culture in the Obama administration. (My thumbs-down is here and here.) At the end of this post, you can read what Bill Ivey, who was appointed by President Obama to lead the national … [Read more...] about BlogBacks: Culture Czar Sparring, Pro and Con (and Bill Ivey’s position) UPDATED