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Warren Olney, moderator, "Which Way, L.A.?" on Los Angeles Public RadioI'll be sharing my thoughts about James Cuno, the incoming president of the J. Paul Getty Trust, on Warren Olney's Which Way LA?, broadcast over public radio station KCRW at 7 p.m. LA time (10 p.m. on the East Coast). My segment is supposed to air at about 7:12 p.m., Western. You'll be able to listen live … [Read more...] about My “Which Way, L.A.?” Conversation on James Cuno (also with the Getty’s Ron Hartwig) UPDATED with Podcast

James Cuno, speaking at the May 2009 inaugural ceremony for the Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago While most of the New York art press was gathered at the Metropolitan Museum yesterday to ingest the highly anticipated chicken and salad at that museum's spring press lunch, Los Angeles' J. Paul Getty Trust lobbed this bombshell into our inboxes: James Cuno, … [Read more...] about Archaeologists’ Red Flag: James Cuno Named Getty Trust President

[UPDATE: Audio's now online, and embedded at the end of this post.]If all goes according to plan, I'll be accorded a (probably brief) soundbite later today on the subject of Alice Walton's $800-million museum (and that's just the endowment). It will be part of Marketplace, an American Public Media business show that is heard on National Public Radio.In the NYC area, this should … [Read more...] about Coming Soon: My NPR Crystal Bridges Soundbite UPDATED

HELP! Let me down!!!On Wednesday, you viewed my CultureGrrl Video overview of the exteriors of the monumentally proportioned, copper-topped pavilions that will open on Nov. 11 as the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, founded and munificently funded by Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton.Now, come inside with me as we watch the paint dry. To add a little suspense to this … [Read more...] about MeTube at Crystal Bridges: My Precarious Hardhat Tour with Its Project Manager

Did Don Bacigalupi just say $800 MILLION???At a press luncheon today at the in-construction Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, its director announced that the Walton Family Foundation would be donating $350 million towards the institution's operating endowment (defraying $14 million of the $16-20 million annual operating budget at a 4% fixed draw-down … [Read more...] about Crystal Bridges Museum Announces $800-Million Walton Endowment; My Sneak-Peak Video at Construction Site

Tent for the Costume Institute's gala tonight at the Metropolitan Museum of Art While I was no fan of the catalogue, I was wowed by the coup de théâtre that is Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum (May 4-July 31). The installation was more inventive and inspired than almost anything I've seen pulled off at this venerable institution. (You'll get some … [Read more...] about Necromancy at the Met: Disturbing Allure of Alexander McQueen’s Dark Art

Bronze animal heads created by Ai Weiwei for his outdoor exhibition, "Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads," Grand Army Plaza, New YorkToday was to have been the official launch of Ai Weiwei's Circle of Animals installation at the Pulitzer Fountain in New York. But the end of Osama bin Laden has put an end to that, for today, because it was to have been a ceremonial New York City … [Read more...] about Ai Weiwei “Circle of Animals” Launch in NYC Delayed by Osama Drama UPDATED

Photo: British Monarchy Photostream on FlickrThe Metropolitan Museum has assured me that this isn't going to happen. But when I came upon tomorrow's article for the Scotsman (online tonight), I couldn't help but wonder whether The Dress might yet show up as a late addition to the soon-to-open Alexander McQueen show at the Met. (After all, the director, Tom Campbell, speaks the … [Read more...] about Dept. of Knockoffs: A Spate of Kates (Original dress to be displayed.)

Yes to the Dress: Kate Middleton rules the runway Photo: British Monarchy Photostream, Flickr The anticipatory buzz surrounding the Metropolitan Museum's "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty," May 4-July 31, has just become supersonic, thanks to a certain high-profile client of the British fashion house (above). The Met's website for its Costume Institute's exhibition, at this … [Read more...] about Alexander McQueen, the Royal Wedding and the Met: Fashion House Reigns, Scholarship Abdicates

Michael Posner, assistant secretary, U.S. State DepartmentThe two-day Human Rights Dialogue between China and the U.S., attended by Michael Posner, the State Department's assistant secretary for democracy, human rights and labor, appears to have gotten nowhere, as reflected in Posner's statements today after the conclusion of the talks in Beijing.Kathleen McLaughlin of the … [Read more...] about Weiwei Watch: No Help for Ai at U.S.-China Talks in Beijing

Final panel at the Smithsonian's Flashpoints and Faultlines public forumLeft to right: Martin Sullivan, director, National Portrait Gallery; Lonnie Bunch, director, National Museum of African American History and Culture; Richard Kurin, the Smithsonian's under secretary for history, art and cultureA number of surprising did-they-really-say-that moments enlivened the afternoon … [Read more...] about Surprising Revelation at “Hide/Seek” Conference: Smithsonian’s Conservative Congressional Hero

Last night, at the commencement of the Smithsonian Institution's two-day "HIde/Seek" marathon, the scene at the Freer Gallery's Meyer Auditorium appeared (from the webcast) to be standing-room-only. Here's what it looked liked for the last of this morning's panels (which, to my mind, was the most interesting, because it covered some new ground):That's a pensive Martin Sullivan, … [Read more...] about Where’s Clough? Smithsonian Secretary a No-Show for Morning “Hide/Seek” Panels

Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne CloughThe most dramatic moment of last night's kickoff panels for the otherwise tame, predictable "Hide/Seek"-related conference, hosted by the Smithsonian Institution, came at the very end of the evening: In a confrontation reminiscent of the famous Martin Sullivan moment at December's "Hide/Seek" discussion at the New York Public Library, a … [Read more...] about Clough Gets Testy at “Hide/Seek” Conference (Call Martin Sullivan!)

Anthony Caro in the Metropolitan Museum's Roof Garden yesterday at midday with "Midday," 1960 (sometimes shown in the Sculpture Garden of its owner, the Museum of Modern Art)While our thoughts are straying to British royalty, a member of England's art royalty, Sir Anthony Caro, today concluded an official visit to New York's artworld, during which he viewed several exhibitions, … [Read more...] about Anthony Caro in New York: Installation at the Met, Planned Park Avenue Project

I have lots of followers on Twitter---1,882 and counting. But the e-mailed notification I received about a new acolyte, arriving very soon after my recent Hillary Clinton/Ai Weiwei post, gave me pause: "Speak kindly, OR ELSE"??? Should I "follow Chinese Authorities"? This sounded like it could be a spoof---"Snooping in Your Business"---but I wasn't entirely sure. With some … [Read more...] about Dept. of Paranoia: Chinese Authorities Are Watching Me—“Speak Kindly Or Else!”