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You're not too late! Come throw some hard questions at Martin Sullivan, director of the National Portrait Gallery, and me at our panel discussion tomorrow (Saturday) morning at Rutgers University, Newark, NJ: "Hide/Seek": Museums, Ethics and the Press. I might even venture to lob some questions at Martin myself, even though Daniel Okrent (author, editor, chairman of the … [Read more...] about Reminder: Meet NPG’s Martin Sullivan (and me) Tomorrow at Rutgers Panel on “Hide/Seek”

The newly released officially authorized "news" from China (as reported by Agence France-Presse) is that "Ai Weiwei is under investigation on suspicion of economic crimes. It has nothing to do with human rights or freedom of expression. Other countries have no right to interfere." Those were the words of China's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei, in a statement to … [Read more...] about Bob Dylan’s Shanghai Challenge; ChinaForbiddenNews’ Hard-Hitting “Art of Enlightenment” Video

Alas, my post of late last night, in which I called for the artworld to unite in demanding the immediate release from government custody of the Chinese artist-activist Ai Weiwei, has not been "overtaken by events," as I had hoped. On the contrary, this human rights emergency has grown even more alarming and even more urgently in need of a global response.An official Chinese … [Read more...] about Weiwei Watch: Ominous Editorial in China’s Official “Global Times”

Bronze animal heads created by Ai Weiwei for his upcoming outdoor exhibition, Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, May 2-July 15, Grand Army Plaza, New York[More on this story, here.]I hope that by the time your read this, Ai Weiwei may have been released and the message of this post will be overtaken by events.But as I write this late Tuesday night, the detention of the … [Read more...] about Weiwei Watch: The Artworld Must Respond

Mike Simpson (R, ID), chairman, House Subcommittee for Interior, Environment and Related AgenciesAttention Art-lings! If you've already booked flights, trains and limos to Washington for Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough's Thursday morning hearing before the House Subcommittee for Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, cancel those plans!As I had warned in my post … [Read more...] about Clough’s Appropriations Hearing Before House Subcommittee Is Postponed

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle with Liu Yandong, State Councillor of Culture for the People's Republic of China, at Friday's opening of "The Art of the Enlightenment," the major German loan show at the National Museum of China, BeijingPhoto: Frank Barbian © Staatliche Museen, Berlin[More on this story, here and here.]Guido Westerwelle has done the right thing.Last … [Read more...] about Weiwei Watch: Ai Still Missing; Germany’s Foreign Minister Demands His Release UPDATED TWICE

Taken into Custody: Ai Weiwei [UPDATE on this story, here.] Over the last few weeks, Chinese authorities have seemed determined not to let the viral popular uprisings that have transformed politics in the Middle East spread to China. As I read recent reports of actions taken against Chinese dissidents, it seemed to me chillingly likely that the crackdown might eventually … [Read more...] about Chinese Crackdown: Ai Weiwei Detained, Studio Raided

Sendai City MuseumPerforming arts groups, most notably the Metropolitan Opera, may be having second thoughts about their scheduled trips to Japan (as Robin Pogrebin reported in yesterday's NY Times). But the Boston Museum of Fine Arts is a trooper and the Sendai City Museum is a survivor: The BMFA's The Golden Age of Color Prints: Ukiyo-e from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston … [Read more...] about Unshaken by the Quake: BMFA’s Ukiyo-e Prints to Sendai

Martin Sullivan, director of National Portrait Gallery, sitting next to me at NY Public Library's Dec. 15 discussion on "Hide/Seek"Martin Sullivan, the admirable director of the National Portrait Gallery, is going to get stuck sitting with me once again.He's the headliner of an Apr. 9 panel discussion at Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, in which I will be one of his … [Read more...] about NPG’s Martin Sullivan and Me: “Hide/Seek: Museums, Ethics and the Press”

Architect's rendering of Clyfford Still Museum, Denver The Clyfford Still Museum, now under construction in Denver, is getting off on the wrong foot, before it even opens, by monetizing four works by the eponymous artist that would otherwise have been part of its collection. They are being sold, against the express wishes of the artist and his widow, due to a failure of … [Read more...] about Clyfford Still Museum Circumvents Donor Intent (CultureGrrl Circumnavigates Construction Site)

Zahi Hawass meeting at the end of Februrary with young archaeologists representing the protestersWhen I commented on Monday that Zahi Hawass was "still issuing statements on his website as if he were in charge," maybe he knew something that I didn't: He essentially WAS in charge (or was about to be).No word on his own website yet, but the Middle East News Agency (MENA), owned … [Read more...] about News Flash: Hawass Reappointed as Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities

Head of UNESCO's delegation to Egypt: Christian Manhart, chief of the Museums and Cultural Objects SectionThe recoveries of some of the 54 objects reported missing from the Egyptian Museum as of Mar. 15 continue.Nevine El-Aref of Al-Ahram reports that five more objects were recovered yesterday, "with the help of Egypt's armed forces and the tourism and antiquities police." (No … [Read more...] about Egyptian Museum Recoveries: Five More Missing Objects Reclaimed

Damaged by earthquake: Ōsaki Hachiman Shrine, a designated Japanese National Treasure, SendaiThe Japanese Agency of Cultural Affairs' previous list of damage to cultural properties caused by the recent earthquake has now been updated. The total number of known instances of damage has risen from 246 to 353. For the first time, some of the affected sites have been specifically … [Read more...] about Japan Watch: Damage Toll Rises for Cultural Sites

Fabergé Miniatures of the Imperial Coronation Regalia, St. Petersburg, C. Fabergé's Company. 1900, State Hermitage Museum As reported last month by the NY Times' Carol Vogel and Clifford Levy, the attempt by an international organization of Orthodox Jews to reclaim books, manuscripts and archival materials held by two Russian public libraries has led to the refusal of Russian … [Read more...] about Cessation of Russian Loans: Piotrovski’s Diatribe and Houston’s Big Hermitage Show

I've had the sad task this week of escorting a close friend to her radiation treatments at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Forever CultureGrrl, I can't help looking at the pictures on the walls as I trudge through these corridors of anxiety. I did a double-take when we got to the radiation oncology reception desk and saw the poster installed behind the … [Read more...] about Dept. of Black Humor: Salander-O’Reilly at Sloan-Kettering