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Saatchi Gallery, LondonThere's more than meets the eye and much that doesn't add up about Charles Saatchi's recent public disclosure that he is "is gifting over 200 works [from his collection], and the Saatchi Gallery [the former adman's art facility in Chelsea], to create a Museum of Contemporary Art for London." The core permanent collection is said to be "worth more than £25 … [Read more...] about Adman Saatchi’s “London MOCA”: Real Deal or Sales Job?

1970 cartoon by Barney Tobey for the New Yorker magazine (featuring a famous Metropolitan Museum Rembrandt), on display in the Met's current exhibition, "Italian Old Master Drawings from the Tobey Collection" (Cartoon caption: "Hey, look! That jigsaw puzzle you gave me last Christmas!")Our first CultureChat was great fun. Let's do it again, shall we? This Thursday, July 8, at … [Read more...] about Upcoming CultureChat: Single-Collector Museum Shows

Before I power down for a lon-g-g-g-g holiday weekend, here are my responses to the updated AAMD Policy on Deaccessioning, which we've all now had the chance to read:The 12-page document fleshes things out, particularly with regard to fractional deaccessioning (with an appendix of six hypotheticals that resembles a hair-splitting law-school assignment, but doesn't add up to … [Read more...] about What’s Wrong with the New AAMD Deaccession Guidelines?

It's not posted to the association's website yet, but you can read the 12-page document along with me, here.At least I got that news out before Journalist X! … [Read more...] about News Flash: AAMD Releases Updated Deaccession Guidelines

Kaywin Feldman, AAMD's presidentI have often railed against a "Times-first" policy---that exasperating practice of spoonfeeding a cultural-news story of general interest and importance to a NY Times writer before the rest of the scribe tribe is allowed to get a taste of it. (My recent food-fight response to this was ketchup journalism.)I don't know whether it's the NY Times or … [Read more...] about Playing Favorites: Kaywin Feldman Off to Bad Start as AAMD President

Other iconic drums now on view in the Met's galleries: Kettle Drums, Franz Peter Bunsen, 1779, Hanover, GermanyI have a confession to make that will make me seem even more dorky than you already think I am: Ringo was my favorite Beatle. That's probably because he was no one else's favorite Beatle. (I'm a contrarian to the core.) Still, I had to rub my eyes in disbelief when the … [Read more...] about Beatlemania at the Met: Ringo’s “Iconic” Golden Drum Rocks the House

The BP Grand Entrance at the Los Angeles County Museum of ArtCultural institutions in Great Britain and the U.S., which had until now relied on BP, the British oil company, as a benevolent, generous patron, are now faced with decisions about how to deal with the public-relations dilemmas posed by accepting support from a company that has been demonized, due to the horrific Gulf … [Read more...] about To BP or Not to BP? Should Art Museums Accept Polluted Sponsorship?

"Apollo Sauroktonos" (Lizard-Slayer), ca. 350-275 B.C., attributed to Praxiteles, featured in newly renovated galleries at the Cleveland Museum of Art In his June 8 article about the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority's plan (now realized) to issue $75 million in tax-exempt bonds to help finance the Cleveland Museum of Art's expansion, Steve Litt of the Cleveland Plain … [Read more...] about Cleveland Museum’s Bonds for Expansion Backed by Art Acquisition Funds

Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the ArtsIf you liked the first Rocco Show---the online webcast of the meeting of the National Council on the Arts (advisory body for the National Endowment for the Arts)---you won't want to miss the return engagement, tomorrow (Friday) from 9-11 a.m., viewable here. On the agenda: a report on how technology influences … [Read more...] about NEA Online: Live Webcast of Council Meeting Tomorrow Morning

UPDATE 3: It worked! You can replay the chat below!UPDATE 2: Wait a minute! I think it's working! (Oh no, maybe not!) It was working for a moment.UPDATE: Curses! Foiled by technology again! I''ve done everything right (I think), and even see the proper dialogue box in my posting platform's "preview" view, but it does't post to CultureGrrl. All you can see is that useless box … [Read more...] about CultureChat: State of the Blog

Are you back from Art Basel yet? Are you still in London for the big auctions? What if I throw a party and nobody comes? Readers' questions and comments on "The State of the Blog" (both CultureGrrl and art blogs in general) are invited at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. I've got it all set up. I've practiced with the software. But there will be a big moment of technological suspense … [Read more...] about CultureChat Reminder: Today’s Live Online Chat, 3:30 p.m.

Today was a good-news day for me, personally and professionally. I accompanied my close friend, who had lung cancer, for her post-chemotherapy scan, and her doctor pronounced her cancer-free, predicting she'd live to be 100. (The latter declaration may be slightly exaggerated, but the former was sufficient to make our summer.) I returned home to this e-mail from the J. Paul … [Read more...] about Art Bibliography Saved! ProQuest Takes Over the Dormant Research Database

National Academy's spiral staircase The National Academy, New York, which famously ran afoul of the Association of Art Museum Directors because of its stealth deaccessions to pay for capital expenses and operations, has just announced that its exhibition galleries and lobby (including its shop) will be closed next month and remain so until September 2011. The stated reason … [Read more...] about National Academy Closes Beleaguered Museum’s Galleries for Renovations

How meaningful is this blog's two million-hit milestone, which has just been attained this morning? Not very: Due to the vagaries of Internet searching, a great many people arrive at CultureGrrl by sheer accident, Googling things like "museum of murder and mayhem" (having to do with some TV show episode) or "rose image" (wildly popular around Mothers Day), they arrive at the … [Read more...] about CultureGrrl’s Two-Millionth Hit and Our Upcoming Live Chat

Withdrawn Lot: Chuck Close, "'5 C' (Self Portrait)," 1979, estimated at $50,000-70,000An 11th-hour agreement has been reached between the seller---PBE Corporation---and some of the photographers whose images are being offered at Sotheby's four-session auction of works from the Polaroid Collection. The disposals begin today at 5 p.m. As part of the agreement (which former … [Read more...] about Polaroid Auction Agreement: A Chuck Close Is Among 9 Works Removed from Sale UPDATED