Old (awkwardly) meets new at the partly expanded Cleveland MuseumThis just in from the Association of Art Museum Directors, regarding the Cleveland Museum of Art's court-approved plan to divert up to $75 million of the income from acquisition funds to defray building costs for its partially completed Rafael Viñoly-designed expansion:The Association of Art Museum Directors … [Read more...] about AAMD and Deborah Gribbon on Cleveland’s Deviation from Donor Intent
Cleveland Gets Court Approval to Circumvent Donor Intent
Deborah Gribbon, Cleveland Museum's new interim director With no one to argue for the dead donors in court (since the Attorney General had declined to do so), the Cleveland Museum of Art today got its wish: It received court approval to beef up its capital campaign with up to $75 million from the income of two bequests and two trust funds that the donors had designated for … [Read more...] about Cleveland Gets Court Approval to Circumvent Donor Intent
News Flash: Hawass Cuts Off Egyptian Cooperation with the Louvre
Zahi Hawass and mummy he believes is Queen HatshepsutHe's threatened to do something like this numerous times. Now Zahi Hawass, the combative head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, has apparently done it---severed ties with a major museum, the Louvre, over an antiquities ownership dispute. Paul Schemm of the Associated Press reports:Egypt said Wednesday its antiquities … [Read more...] about News Flash: Hawass Cuts Off Egyptian Cooperation with the Louvre
News Flash: Philadelphia Art Commission Approves Barnes Design
Aerial rendering of Tod Williams' and Billie Tsien's design for the Philly BarnesStephan Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports:Many opponents of relocating the [Barnes Foundation's] collection attended the [Philadelphia Art Commission's] hearing, chaired by artist Moe Brooker of Moore College of Art and Design. Brooker kept a tight rein on public comment, seeking to … [Read more...] about News Flash: Philadelphia Art Commission Approves Barnes Design
News Flash: Bob Workman from Crystal Bridges to…Flint Hills Discovery Center?
Bob Workman at his previous postWhat's the Flint Hills Discovery Center, we all wonder.According to its website, it will be "a focal point of the South End Redevelopment [that] will offer a unique tourism experience that celebrates the history, culture and heritage of the Flint Hills and Tallgrass Prairie." It's in Manhattan. (That would be Manhattan, Kansas.)Although Bob … [Read more...] about News Flash: Bob Workman from Crystal Bridges to…Flint Hills Discovery Center?
Venturi, Who Blasted Barnes’ Planned Move, Was Architect for Its 1995 Renovation UPDATED
Williams and Tsien describe their Barnes design in video posted by the Philadelphia InquirerArchitect Robert Venturi's letter (e-mailed to me by the Friends of the Barnes early this morning), opposing the planned move of the Barnes Foundation to Philadelphia, states:The current building in Merion was designed specifically for the Barnes collection by Paul Cret, in collaboration … [Read more...] about Venturi, Who Blasted Barnes’ Planned Move, Was Architect for Its 1995 Renovation UPDATED
MoMA Monster Refuses to Shrink: NY City Council Committee Hearing
At the hearing, left to right: Architect Jean Nouvel, David Penick of Hines, MoMA's Glenn Lowry, project attorney Michael SillermanI'm going to leave the story of the Barnes' design plans to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Inga Saffron for now. (Her expanded report is here.)That's because I've got to bring you the news from the hearing I attended today on the MoMA/Hines tower. As … [Read more...] about MoMA Monster Refuses to Shrink: NY City Council Committee Hearing
Met Debt: Museum Expects $8.4 Million Deficit for Fiscal 2009
"Jamie Houghton"---Met Chairman's Signature In a letter e-mailed last night to its members, the Metropolitan Museum's board chairman, James Houghton, revealed that final audit results are expected to show an operating deficit that totals a whopping $8.4 million for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2009. This compares with a deficit of $3.2 million in fiscal 2008 and a … [Read more...] about Met Debt: Museum Expects $8.4 Million Deficit for Fiscal 2009
Right-to-Know Prevails: Philly Barnes Plans Released
Yesterday I questioned why the Barnes Foundation's plans for its Philadelphia facility, filed Friday with the city's Art Commission, were being withheld from the public in apparent violation of the state's Right-to-Know Law.I guess someone had a look at the law and agreed with my interpretation.This hit my inbox late this afternoon from William Burke of the Art Commission:The … [Read more...] about Right-to-Know Prevails: Philly Barnes Plans Released
The Latest in “Visitor-Friendly”: “The Onion” Spoofs the Met
Hey, I didn't start this: Highlighted as "the latest museum 'interactive'" on both the Getty Museum's twitter page and the twitter page of Max Anderson, director of the Indianapolis Museum, is the purported museum initiative described in a tongue-in-cheek send-up today by The Onion, a spoof publication where every day is April Fools.Struggling Museum Now Allowing Patrons To … [Read more...] about The Latest in “Visitor-Friendly”: “The Onion” Spoofs the Met
Pennsylvania Mania: Philly Barnes Plans to Be Revealed; Proposed Arts Sales Tax Challenged
Two big Pennsylvania arts-and-government stories are unfolding simultaneously, so I'm going to mash them together in one post:First, the Philadelphia Museum's architecture critic, Inga Saffron, reports that the Barnes Foundation for the first time will make public architectural plans for its planned Philadelphia facility. This will occur on Wednesday morning, when the Barnes … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania Mania: Philly Barnes Plans to Be Revealed; Proposed Arts Sales Tax Challenged
MeTube on “Lucy’s Legacy”: Is This Any Way to Treat a 3.2-Million-Year-Old Lady? UPDATED
Here's my second video from the new CultureGrrl YouTube Channel. It's not appealing (like Glenn Lowry's star turn), but appalling. It's the most inane moment in the insipid installation of the "Lucy's Legacy" show is at New York's new schlockbuster venue, the Discovery Times Square Exhibition Center. You enter a stygian tunnel to get to the famous (and truly impressive) … [Read more...] about MeTube on “Lucy’s Legacy”: Is This Any Way to Treat a 3.2-Million-Year-Old Lady? UPDATED
BlogBack: Reader Rues NY Times’ Performing Arts Emphasis
Ted Gallagher, an attorney with a self-described "strong amateur art historic streak," responds to my two posts (here and here) critiquing the NY Times' cultural coverage:There is a marked preference on the part of the Times' editors for coverage of performing arts over fine arts in the cultural pages. My dream for a new NY Times is that editors nurture long-form art criticism … [Read more...] about BlogBack: Reader Rues NY Times’ Performing Arts Emphasis
MeTube: Glenn Lowry Captured by CultureGrrl at MoMA’s Press Breakfast
I'm not blogging this week. Glenn Lowry is! I've got a new tech toy and (with MoMA's permission) I'm posting a video in which I captured some interesting comments made by the director of the Museum of Modern Art at the conclusion of Tuesday's press breakfast. (Next time, I'll even try to hold the camera steady!) … [Read more...] about MeTube: Glenn Lowry Captured by CultureGrrl at MoMA’s Press Breakfast
Non-Blogging Report: What I’m Not Posting About
If you're curious what I've been doing and thinking about this week (during my blog freeze), you can follow me on my Twitter page. If you miss me (as I do you), you might give a second thought to supporting this blog. … [Read more...] about Non-Blogging Report: What I’m Not Posting About