Lee Rosenbaum's cultural commentary

The celebrated Matisse "Dance" mural in the Barnes Foundation's main gallery, obscured by modern lighting fixtures. (A better view can be had from the balcony on the upper level.) [More on the Barnes, here, here and here.] I'm coming to terms with the fact that mine is a minority view regarding the new Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. My downbeat mourning is out of step … [Read more...] about Critical Reverence for the New Barnes Foundation, Plus My Irreverent Photo Essay (and video)

Dark night of the BarnesPhoto by Lee RosenbaumI've already touched on some aspects of my reaction to the new Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, here and here. But I've saved my lead piece---Bogus Barnes Foundation: Fake Galleries, Phony Populism---for the more widely read Huffington Post. It's just gone up this evening on the site.So take an early look at my exploration of how … [Read more...] about My Huffington Post Piece: “Bogus Barnes Foundation: Fake Galleries, Phony Populism”

For those who have been following the fracas over Opera News' decision to stop reviewing Metropolitan Opera productions, this just in from the Met's press office:Opera News Will Continue to Review Metropolitan Opera Productions In view of the outpouring of reaction [my links, not theirs] from opera fans about the recent decision to discontinue Met performance reviews in Opera … [Read more...] about “Opera News” Kerfuffle: Reviews Will Continue (but are there strictures?)

Kimerly Rorschach, incoming president of the Association of Art Museum DirectorsThere's going to be no honeymoon period for the new president of the Association of Art Museum Directors. Kim Rorschach, the director of the Nasher Museum, Duke University, takes the reigns from Peabody Essex Museum director Dan Monroe at the association's annual meeting, now in progress in Chicago. … [Read more...] about Rorschach Test: New AAMD President Takes Office Amidst Foreign-Loan Controversy

Overthrowing Royalty: Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen The U.S. District Court, Central District of California, struck down the California Resale Royalties Act (CRRA) on Thursday, saying that it violated the U.S. Constitution's Interstate Commerce Clause. This handed a victory to Sotheby's and Christie's, which had sought dismissal of lawsuits brought against them by several … [Read more...] about Federal Court Finds California Resale Royalties Act Unconstitutional

I'll be en route back home today from my sojourn at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. It was, for me, a sad journey from the moment that I arrived at the new home for Albert Barnes' superlative collection of Impressionist, post-Impressionist and early modern art (among many more objects from world cultures).As you'll see in the video, below, access to an institution that … [Read more...] about MeTube: The Long, Winding Road to the New Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia

Part of the newly re-lit Orozco mural, "The Epic of American Civilization," at Dartmouth's Baker Library Very belatedly (and in haste, because I'm preparing for my imminent trip to see the new Philly Barnes), I wanted to fulfill my promise (scroll down) to elaborate on my Wall Street Journal piece of earlier this month---Becoming Jackson Pollock---by providing some related … [Read more...] about MeTube with Helen Harrison: More on the Pollock-Orozco Show at Dartmouth

The Paul Rudolph-designed Orange County Government Center, now closed All photos by Lee Rosenbaum Having attended the Orange County Legislators' meeting last week, I now have a better understanding of the arguments on the pro-demolition side in the controversy over the Paul Rudolph-designed Orange County Government Center (OCGC) in Goshen, NY. At the end of lengthy … [Read more...] about Goshen’s Rudolph Building Gets Reprieve (plus my video from the legislative debate)

CultureGrrl awaiting remarks at the Metropolitan Museum's Prada/Schiaparelli preview Photo © Jill Krementz I admit it. I love it when roving photographer Jill Krementz takes my photo. (She is also responsible for my blog logo-photo at the upper right, taken at the Museum of Modern's Art's de Kooning retrospective.) This time, I'm in her New York Social Diary piece on … [Read more...] about Photo Op: My Jill Krementz Moment at Met’s Schiaparelli/Prada Preview (plus Philadelphia Museum news)

Lichtenstein, "Sleeping Girl," 1964, sold at Sotheby's tonight for $44.88 million, an auction record for the artistAs I had predicted (at the end of this post), the balance of power between the Big Two auction houses shifted at the contemporary sales this week (compared with last week's Impressionist/modern sales). It was all a matter of who had the best … [Read more...] about Bacon and Record Lichtenstein Top Sotheby’s Solid but Stolid Contemporary Sale

Christopher Burge, Christie's honorary chairman, as seen in the webcast of last night's auction It seems that Christie's won't have the services of last night's triumphant veteran auctioneer, Christopher Burge, at next fall's big evening sales of Impressionist/modern and contemporary art. In response to my request for further clarification about what Burge last night had … [Read more...] about Semi-Retirement of Christopher Burge (plus museum-related news from Christie’s sale) CORRECTED

New Champion: Rothko, "Orange, Red, Yellow," 1961, $86.88 million, sold at Christie's Photo by Lee Rosenbaum, taken at the presale exhibition Forget about the Rockefeller Rothko. Now it's the Pincus Rothko (from the estate of collector David Pincus, the late Philadelphia menswear mogul) that holds the auction record not only for a Rothko but also for any work of … [Read more...] about Christie’s Manic Night: Rockefeller Rothko Supplanted by Pincus Rothko as Record-Holder

Miuccia Prada (in yellow cap) chats with Metropolitan Museum director Tom Campbell (left), while the model for the title character of "The Devil Wears Prada," Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour (wearing Prada, of course), looks on (at right), at today's press preview"My salvation was stumbling into fashion," says fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, resurrected from the grave … [Read more...] about Perils of Prada: Met’s Accident-Prone House-of-Mirrors Installation

You've seen me on Finnish TV (here and here). Now how about Norwegian TV? This clip, seen on an afternoon news program of Norway's TV2, was taken at Sotheby's on Apr. 27, at the press preview for the auction of Munch's "The Scream." My 16-seconds-of-fame (wherein I presciently predicted that "The Scream" would break the auction record for any work of art) begins at about … [Read more...] about My “Scream” Soundbite on Norwegian TV