Much as I try, I can't muster great enthusiasm for the appointment of Klaus Biesenbach to the directorship of MOCA, Los Angeles, mostly because the shows he organized in Manhattan, with the exception of this one (for me, a nostalgia trip), were not among my MoMA favorites. I've seen too few shows at MoMA's Queens outpost (an inconvenient drive for me from New Jersey) for … [Read more...] about Grousing about Klaus: Is Biesenbach Right for MOCA?
Archives for 2018
Jewish Simcha: Acquisition of Early, Rare Hebrew Bible Celebrated by the Getty
With Christianity predominant in religious works owned by this country's preeminent museums, two recently announced acquisitions (by the Getty Museum and the Metropolitan Museum) of splendid Hebrew manuscripts are cause for celebration by the museums' visitors in general and Jewish audiences in particular. In last month's announcement of its recently purchased "Rothschild … [Read more...] about Jewish Simcha: Acquisition of Early, Rare Hebrew Bible Celebrated by the Getty
New Slick Frick: Improved Circulation, Bigger Gallery Space, More Concert Seats (Banished Library Books)
I had a sense of déjà vu when I heard that the Frick Collection's expansion plan grew out of the necessity of repeatedly de-installing portions of the its renowned permanent collection to accommodate major temporary exhibitions, such as... "We had to take down two permanent-collection galleries to make our current Canova exhibition happen," noted Ian Wardropper, the Frick's … [Read more...] about New Slick Frick: Improved Circulation, Bigger Gallery Space, More Concert Seats (Banished Library Books)
Jaw-Dropper from Wardropper: Expansion to Temporarily Expel Frick Collection’s Collection
More on this here. It was bad enough when we learned that the Frick Collection might need to close its New York home for about two years to accommodate the construction for its latest (downsized) expansion plan, designed by Selldorf Architects. But until Monday, when director Ian Wardropper extensively briefed me on the project, I hadn't understood that the entire collection … [Read more...] about Jaw-Dropper from Wardropper: Expansion to Temporarily Expel Frick Collection’s Collection
Second Thoughts: Two High-Profile Hires Depart Sotheby’s Advisory Service
In rapid succession, two ballyhooed recruits to Sotheby's Fine Art Division (the firm's art advisory service) have left their posts: ---Eric Shiner, whose departure was reported today by Anny Shaw in The Art Newspaper, will be artistic director of the London-based White Cube gallery's new office in New York. He had come to Sotheby's from the directorship of the Andy Warhol … [Read more...] about Second Thoughts: Two High-Profile Hires Depart Sotheby’s Advisory Service
Go with the Bowie Flow? Fans Usurp the Brooklyn Museum’s American Art Galleries (with video)
Ground Control to Major Anne (Pasternak): Why have you allowed the your museum's American art galleries to be commandeered by throngs of David Bowie fans? Just a month ago, I had taken the Metropolitan Museum to task for allowing its Medieval and Byzantine art galleries to be invaded and upstaged by the crowded "Heavenly Bodies" exhibition of contemporary … [Read more...] about Go with the Bowie Flow? Fans Usurp the Brooklyn Museum’s American Art Galleries (with video)
Wanna Direct the National Gallery of Art? (Job Description Below)
When Earl (Rusty) Powell III announced his intention to retire in early 2019 from the directorship of the National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, I wrote that our country's "two preeminent [art] institutions could be going head-to-head for top candidates." With the vacant Metropolitan Museum directorship's chair soon to be occupied by Max Hollein (after what turned … [Read more...] about Wanna Direct the National Gallery of Art? (Job Description Below)
Trend Bender: Baltimore Museum’s “Canon Correction” Needs Correction
In the interests of "canon correction" (as he calls it), Christopher Bedford, the Baltimore Museum of Art's director, is doing the wrong things for the right reasons: He has acquired seven recent works (five of which were created within the last two years) with some of the proceeds of sales from the BMA's collection of seven older contemporary works by artists who have stood … [Read more...] about Trend Bender: Baltimore Museum’s “Canon Correction” Needs Correction
What’d I Miss? News Flashes from the Berkshire Museum & Frick Collection
I leave town for a five-day vacation and news breaks out on several important art-museum stories that we've been following (not to mention on several much more important national news stories that we've been roiled by). Here's what my family (including my three little grandchildren) gazed upon while I took my eyes off the ball: And here's the first of my catch-up … [Read more...] about What’d I Miss? News Flashes from the Berkshire Museum & Frick Collection
BlogBacks: Cultural Property Lawyer Rick St. Hilaire & Getty Spokesperson Ron Hartwig on the Getty Bronze
Cultural property lawyer (and blogger) Ricardo St. Hilaire responds to Antiquities Ambiguities: Parsing the Legal Arguments in the Battle of the Getty Bronze. I'm glad you are covering this case. Cases in Italy can be dragged out for years, as you know. But if the Italians ultimately win, there next big challenge will be to enforce the judgment in the U.S. It's one thing to … [Read more...] about BlogBacks: Cultural Property Lawyer Rick St. Hilaire & Getty Spokesperson Ron Hartwig on the Getty Bronze
Antiquities Ambiguities: Parsing the Legal Arguments in the Battle of the Getty Bronze
Italian Judge Giacomo Gasparini's June 8 decision giving the laurel wreath to Team Italy in the Olympian legal contest over the Getty Bronze seems to me persuasively well-reasoned (although awkwardly worded in the Getty's 46-page translation). Americans who (like me) have ogled the Getty Museum's celebrated nude would be loath to lose one of the world's few surviving … [Read more...] about Antiquities Ambiguities: Parsing the Legal Arguments in the Battle of the Getty Bronze
Never-Ending Saga of “The Getty Bronze”: Italian Criminal Judge Rules It Belongs to Italy
In the latest development in a tangled legal dispute that will probably outlive us all, the J. Paul Getty Trust announced that it plans to file an appeal with Italy's Court of Cassation of a June 8 Italian criminal court decision calling for the California museum to relinquish its celebrated statue, "The Victorious Youth" (aka "the Getty Bronze"). For now, it's the … [Read more...] about Never-Ending Saga of “The Getty Bronze”: Italian Criminal Judge Rules It Belongs to Italy
Infernal “Heavenly Bodies”: How the Directorless Metropolitan Museum Went Astray
Where's Max Hollein when we really need him? Several "what-were-they-thinking?" moments jolted me recently at the Metropolitan Museum, reaffirming my belief in a bedrock principle of museum management: An art museum, particularly a complicated operation like the Met, needs a director who has had substantial curatorial experience and also, preferably, has served elsewhere as … [Read more...] about Infernal “Heavenly Bodies”: How the Directorless Metropolitan Museum Went Astray
Deaccession Deception: Baltimore Museum’s Castoffs Leave Holes in Its Collection
Christopher Bedford, director of the Baltimore Museum of Art, said all the right things in explaining his decision to deaccession seven of the museum's works in order to purchase works "created from 1943 or later, allowing the museum to strengthen and fill gaps within its collection [emphasis added]." In the recent press release announcing the planned disposals, Bedford … [Read more...] about Deaccession Deception: Baltimore Museum’s Castoffs Leave Holes in Its Collection
Berkshire Museum’s Murky “Transparency”: Parsing the Half-Truths in Its “Open Letter”
If this is transparency, we can only wonder what opacity looks like. The Berkshire Museum today posted an open letter to its community that is intended to show its "commitment to transparency, cooperation, outreach," according to an email from its spokesperson that hit my inbox late this afternoon. But the "open letter" was less than transparent in describing what … [Read more...] about Berkshire Museum’s Murky “Transparency”: Parsing the Half-Truths in Its “Open Letter”