Archives for 2010

Steven Pleshette Murphy, Christie's new President and CEOVeteran auction watchers are scratching their heads at yesterday's unexpected news that Christie's has tapped Steve Murphy, an American with no art-related background or auction-related experience, to be the London-based auction house's chief executive officer, "effective immediately." The official announcement was issued … [Read more...] about Whither Christie’s? Steve Murphy, Auction Newbie, Takes the Helm

Left: Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper Right: New York State Regent James DawsonIn a motion filed in Davidson County Chancery Court on Friday, Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper echoed CultureGrrl's critique from Wednesday of the muddled logic in Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle's Memorandum and Order. In an astonishing turnaround from her previous pronouncement in … [Read more...] about Fisk Judge’s and NYS Regents’ Reversals: Blindsided AG and Regent Speak Out

Ford Bell, AAM's presidentThis just in from Ford Bell, president of the American Association of Museums:AAM finds the decision of the NY State Board of Regents to permit museums to sell objects in their collections to cover operating costs [see my comment, below] disturbing, holding possibly severe ramifications for the museum field. Museums are all about public service, … [Read more...] about Deaccession Obsession: AAM’s Statement on Regents’ Reneging on Regs

Roger Tilles, chairman of the NY State Board of Regents' Cultural Education Committee, discussing the deaccession decision at Monday's board meetingIn reversing its course on enacting strong safeguards against desperation deaccessions, the NY State Board of Regents at least owes the public a better explanation than it got for its sudden and unexpected flip-flop. Here's what … [Read more...] about Expediency Trumps Policy: More on NYS Regents’ Deaccessions Flip-Flop UPDATED

Regent James Dawson ducks the vote.Back in August, when it appeared that the bill introduced in the New York State Legislature to regulate museum deaccessions was dead, its chief sponsor, Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, told me:The Regents' regulations [my link, not his], warts and all, will provide significant protections for 98% of cultural institutions [those chartered after … [Read more...] about NYS Regents Back Down on Deaccession Regulations

Fisk's Monday prayer vigil for Alice Walton's millionsIn a 31-page Memorandum and Order issued late yesterday afternoon, Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle handed a complete defeat to Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper, who had proposed a temporary arrangement to keep Fisk University's Stieglitz Collection full-time in Nashville, rather than half-time in … [Read more...] about AG Defeat: Judge Nixes Frist/Fisk, Smiles on Crystal Bridges

Abdi Farah, the artist formerly known as "Next"Oh no. It's ba-a-a-a-ck!Yesterday I was asked by e-mail if I'd "be up for posting some information" about the casting call for the next installment(s) of Bravo's The Next Great Artist, "perhaps even chatting with one of our casting executives (i.e. what they are looking for in applicants, what to expect from a casting call, … [Read more...] about Are You the Next “Next Great Artist”?

Fisk History Department Chair Reavis Mitchell says Stieglitz Collection is part of university's "educational mission"The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, officially breaking its silence, has agreed to participate in a Nashville-only proposal, championed by the State Attorney General's office, for the maintenance and display of Fisk University's Stieglitz Collection at the … [Read more...] about Fisk at Frist: AG Proposes “Temporary Arrrangement” for Stieglitz Collection

Saatchi Gallery, LondonThis is an "I told you so" post.When I skeptically inquired last July whether MOCA London---Charles Saatchi's announced gift to Great Britain of more than 200 artworks from his collection (as well as his Saatchi Gallery building}---would definitely happen, Rachel Duffield, the megacollector's spokesperson, replied: The gift has definitely been made.Maybe … [Read more...] about London MoCA Poker: Saatchi’s “Gift to the Nation” Folds UPDATED

I wanted to acknowledge publicly (as I have in private messages) how very grateful I've been for all your expressions of support during this difficult time for me. I'm still discombobulated by the loss of my father and the aftermath, but I've got another post in mind (although not yet in type) that I may manage to get up tomorrow, before the Jewish High Holidays put CultureGrrl … [Read more...] about “Body and Soul”: A Note of Thanks to My Readers

Derrick Cartwright, Seattle Art Museum's new director, inheritor of its expansion-related financial problemsThe story of the Seattle Art Museum's expansion-related financial shortfalls---largely the result of the collapse of Washington Mutual Bank (WaMu), its development partner in the mixed-use building project---keeps getting worse. On Aug. 30, the museum filed a 27-page … [Read more...] about WaMu Whammy: Seattle Museum May Tap One-Third of General Operating Endowment

There are various figures with artworld connections on Vanity Fair's annual list of the world's 100 most influential people (to be published in the October issue, but online now). Only two, however, were selected expressly for their visual art creds. This VIP roster is peopled by moguls and mega-celebrities. Influential visual artists, museum officials, scholars and critics … [Read more...] about Artworld Luminaries Make Vanity Fair’s “100 Most Influential”

Alexander Flasterstein at the piano, entertaining the WW II troops If you've been wondering where I've been for the last week, here's the reason for my absence: My father, 96, died peacefully on Friday at the apartment he shared with my mother. I'm their only child. Until now, the only writing I've done since last Wednesday was his eulogy. It was from Dad, a Harvard-trained … [Read more...] about “Body and Soul”: Music and Grieving

Michael Kimmelman: Tennis, anyone?Is the peripatetic Michael Kimmelman here in New York to review some art? No, he's actually here to cover tennis---the U.S. Open, to be exact. This is not a first: We've seen him cover that sport before.This time, the NY Times' chief art critic-in-absentia will be double-teaming Federer, Nadal and the women's first-seed, Caroline [Who's That?] … [Read more...] about Michael Kimmelman, NY Times’ Chief Art Critic, Returns to NYC!

Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs LyleIn its well-meaning Statement Regarding Stieglitz Collection at Fisk University, issued today, the Association of Art Museum Directors (like several journalistic commentators) has misconstrued last week's ruling by the Davidson County Chancery Court regarding the university's $30-million collection sharing deal with Alice Walton's … [Read more...] about Decision Confusion: AAMD’s Statement on Fisk/Stieglitz