Veteran art critic Holland Cotter, in his end-of-year art museum round-up in Sunday's NY Times "Arts & Leisure" section, showed symptoms of what I call "exhibition ennui"---a malady that often afflicts those of us who have viewed a lifetime's worth of museum displays. What we crave is (in Cotter's words) "stimulation, to find what you didn't already know" and also (in my … [Read more...] about Burnishing Bernini: Model of Scholarship at Metropolitan Museum (with video)
Newtown Massacre and the Power of Images: Macabre Echo of “Snap the Whip”
Am I alone in having Winslow Homer's iconic image of innocent, idyllic childhood come to mind, wrenchingly, when I encountered (on the front page of all three newspapers that I receive) the sickening Newtown Bee photo of children being evacuated from Sandy Hook Elementary School, after the horrific massacre that occurred there on Friday? This painting, a framed … [Read more...] about Newtown Massacre and the Power of Images: Macabre Echo of “Snap the Whip”
Gagosian Commotion: Cracks in the ÜberDealer’s Fortress?
I've long wondered whether the Gagosian Empire---now expanded to 12 galleries in seven countries, with 304 names on its roster of exhibited artists---was over-extended. Now, with the news (in Georgina Adam's Financial Times scoop) that Gagosian art star Damien Hirst has abruptly left the gallery after 17 years, it's time to wonder if the mega-dealer's formidable, … [Read more...] about Gagosian Commotion: Cracks in the ÜberDealer’s Fortress?
Whitney Curator: Benton Mural, Donated to Metropolitan Museum, Had Been “Shopped Around” (plus: Met’s loss of Rauschenberg’s “Canyon”)
Upon hearing yesterday that Thomas Hart Benton's jaw-dropping magnum opus, America Today, was being donated to the Metropolitan Museum, I enthusiastically tweeted: Kudos to AXA Equitable for donating TH Benton's magnum opus to @metmuseum. But Met should display it sooner than 2015! Upon my further investigation, it seems that those "kudos" need to be qualified. Responding … [Read more...] about Whitney Curator: Benton Mural, Donated to Metropolitan Museum, Had Been “Shopped Around” (plus: Met’s loss of Rauschenberg’s “Canyon”)
Good News: Corcoran Will Remain in Its Washington Home
The Washington Post's David Montgomery has the story, quoting Fred Bollerer, president of the Corcoran Gallery and College: A number of individuals, corporations, foundations, other organizations [perhaps these?] have understood the severity of the problem and have engaged in a way to allow us to continue to stay in this building and to assure the future. The Corcoran … [Read more...] about Good News: Corcoran Will Remain in Its Washington Home
Art Basel Frazzle: Curmudgeons’ High Dudgeon on High-Priced Art
Memo to disgruntled critics, ranting about the recent "obscene" prices for "trophy art": Highly coveted artworks cost big bucks---today and always. Art writers whose bank accounts don't rise to the level of their exquisite taste can't afford a square inch of an Andy Warhol silkscreen or of any other blue-chip art. So what else is new? Warhol, "Statue of Liberty," $43.76 … [Read more...] about Art Basel Frazzle: Curmudgeons’ High Dudgeon on High-Priced Art
The Met’s Stealth Attribution: A Michelangelo in Our Midst?
The putative "Michelangelo of Fifth Avenue" has gotten an upgrade. With Italian Renaissance scholars James Beck, Leo Steinberg and, above all, the great Michelangelo expert Creighton Gilbert no longer with us to cast doubt on his controversial, ambitious attribution, James Draper, curator at the Metropolitan Museum, has quietly removed the "attributed to" from the label for … [Read more...] about The Met’s Stealth Attribution: A Michelangelo in Our Midst?
Architecture Critic Paul Goldberger vs. Dallas’ Museum Tower
Yesterday, in the interest of fairness, I aired the response of Museum Tower to my post on the harm that the glare of its highly reflective skin is causing the Nasher Sculpture Center.Just so I don't leave you with the mistaken impression that I agree with the condo's take on this contretemps, here's my Twitter exchange this morning with Vanity Fair's distinguished architecture … [Read more...] about Architecture Critic Paul Goldberger vs. Dallas’ Museum Tower
BlogBack by Museum Tower Spokesperson: Nasher’s Louver Solution Won’t Mitigate Glare
Here's the other side of the story regarding the Nasher clash over the glowering tower. Rebecca Shaw, executive vice president for Spaeth Communications, responds to Reflective Invective: Nasher's Jeremy Strick Glares Back at Condo Tower's Glare, Reacts to DMA's Free Admission: A feasibility report for a retractable louver system to remediate the reflected light [from the new … [Read more...] about BlogBack by Museum Tower Spokesperson: Nasher’s Louver Solution Won’t Mitigate Glare
Reflective Invective: Nasher’s Jeremy Strick Glares Back at Condo Tower’s Glare, Reacts to DMA’s Free Admission
Picasso in Plaid: "Nude Man and Woman," 1971All photos courtesy of Nasher Sculpture CenterContacted by me yesterday (in light of this CultureGrrl post) for an update on his standoff with the highly reflective (and, to the Nasher, highly pernicious) Museum Tower, Jeremy Strick, director of the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, gave me this detailed reply (and sent me photos … [Read more...] about Reflective Invective: Nasher’s Jeremy Strick Glares Back at Condo Tower’s Glare, Reacts to DMA’s Free Admission
Dallas Fallacy: Should Museums’ Admission Be Free? (Should Nasher Sculpture Center be glare-free?) CORRECTED
If this works for the Dallas Museum of Art, fine. Maxwell Anderson, the DMA's director, has thrown down the populist gauntlet by trumpeting his museum's decision (effective Jan. 21) to offer not only free admission (eliminating the current $10 adult fee) but also "free membership" (which won't offer the same benefits as paid membership, such as the soon-to-be obsolete perk … [Read more...] about Dallas Fallacy: Should Museums’ Admission Be Free? (Should Nasher Sculpture Center be glare-free?) CORRECTED
“A Long Way to Go”: Washingtonian‘s Investigation of the Corcoran Gallery’s Woes
Crumbling infrastructure: A skylight in poor condition at the Corcoran Gallery last September Photo by Lee Rosenbaum If you care at all about the precarious condition and uncertain fate of the venerable Corcoran Gallery, Washington, DC, drop everything and read Luke Mullins in-depth Crisis at the Corcoran in the December issue of Washingtonian magazine. It will leave you … [Read more...] about “A Long Way to Go”: Washingtonian‘s Investigation of the Corcoran Gallery’s Woes
Barnes Foundation’s Visitor (Dis)Satisfaction Survey (plus: Kelly Preempts Glackens)
The drop-off entrance at the new Barnes Foundation (Ellsworth Kelly's "BarnesTotem" juts out above the canopy, to the right of the museum building)Photo by Lee RosenbaumBecause I didn't only go to the Philly Barnes's press preview in May, but also went Back to the Barnes in June (plunking down $18 for my ticket, as normal visitors do), I found myself on the receiving end … [Read more...] about Barnes Foundation’s Visitor (Dis)Satisfaction Survey (plus: Kelly Preempts Glackens)
The CultureGrrl Curriculum: My Middlebury College Talk on Reviewers’ Influence (or lack thereof)
Middlebury College Museum of Art Those of you who follow my @CultureGrrl Twitter feed know that one of the reasons I'll be posting sparsely this week is that I'm preparing to lecture at Middlebury College, Vermont, on the thorny topic of How Critics Influence Museums (and vice versa). DO we, in fact, influence museums? Only under certain circumstances, which I'll attempt … [Read more...] about The CultureGrrl Curriculum: My Middlebury College Talk on Reviewers’ Influence (or lack thereof)
Mea Culpa: I Fell for Crystal Bridges Hoax
Can I attribute this to my continued post-Israel jet lag?Falling for a hoax e-mail about Alice Walton's and Crystal Bridges' supposed solidarity with protests by Walmart workers, I posted her "statement" (which I've now taken down). What was I thinking? This falls into the same category as the Whitney hoax, which I saw for what it was. My deepest apologies for this major gaffe. … [Read more...] about Mea Culpa: I Fell for Crystal Bridges Hoax