Lee Rosenbaum's cultural commentary

Gustave Caillebotte, "Man at His Bath," 1884 Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (which has acquired it)[Part I is here.]The Boston Museum of Fine Arts is not alone in succumbing to the temptation of "trading up" by liquidating museum-quality works to buy other works deemed more important to the collection. Many have done it; the Museum of Modern Art has done it … [Read more...] about Part II: Boston MFA Purchases Caillebotte’s Male Nude, Denudes its Permanent Collection

Currently on display at American Folk Art Museum: "Star of Bethlehem with Satellite Stars Quilt," artist unidentified, possibly Pennsylvania,1930-1950In my post earlier today on the rescue of the American Folk Art Museum (with an update on the Ford Foundation's support here), I stated that its administration's "first order of business" should be updating the museum's website … [Read more...] about Homepage Update: Folk Art Museum’s Detailed Report on Its Good-News Day

This just in (in response to my query) from the Ford Foundation:The Ford Foundation is making a one-year, $500,000 grant to the American Folk Art Museum to help secure a strong and vibrant future for this vital New York cultural institution. Our grant will provide support for museum operations, strategic planning, and innovative efforts to ensure that new and diverse audiences … [Read more...] about American Folk Art Museum Rescue: Ford Foundation Details Its Support

Kinder, Gentler Cuno: James Cuno [left], President and CEO, J. Paul Getty Trust, striking a deal with Pavlos Yeroulanos, Greece's Minister of Culture and Tourism © J. Paul Getty Trust In 2006, when the Getty Trust announced its agreement to return a funerary wreath and a statue  to Greece, it also announced "plans for future collaboration" with that country's Ministry of … [Read more...] about Getty Gives Back Two More Objects to Greece; New Cooperation Agreement Signed UPDATED

[UPDATE: More details, here.]While there was serious talk of its folding, the American Folk Art Museum couldn't reasonably expect donors who care about its survival to step up to the plate.Now it can.Robin Pogrebin of the NY Times reports:The American Folk Art Museum on Wednesday evening decided to continue operating at its current location at Lincoln Square in Manhattan with … [Read more...] about Time to Donate: American Folk Art Museum Rescued (for now)

Gustave Caillebotte, "Man at His Bath," 1884, private collection Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (which has acquired it)[Part II is here.]The Boston Museum of Fine Arts this week announced its problematic plan to sell eight works (images below) at Sotheby's this November to fund the purchase of Caillebotte's "Man at His Bath" (above), a rare, nearly life-size … [Read more...] about Boston MFA Purchases Caillebotte’s Male Nude, Denudes its Permanent Collection—Part I

Why am I not surprised? This just hit my inbox from Sotheby's:Sotheby's is delighted to announce that four masterworks by the celebrated American Abstract Expressionist Clyfford Still will headline the Contemporary Art Evening Auction on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011. The paintings come from the Estate of Patricia Still and are being sold by the City and County of Denver. They are … [Read more...] about Donor Intent Violation: Sotheby’s to Auction Denver’s Four Clyfford Stills on Nov. 9

A visitor making a rubbing last week at the 9/11 Memorial All photos, unless otherwise noted, by Lee Rosenbaum The 9/11 Memorial, on the site of the Twin Towers catastrophe, had a big buildup. But my visit there last week (as shown in the video at the end of this post) was a big letdown. A sense of "spiritual uplift" may be too much to ask of any 9/11 memorial. It was that … [Read more...] about 9/11 Memorial Photo Essay: Dispiriting Design, Stark Ambiance

Photo © by Jill KrementzSomehow, gremlins (or hackers?) have caused the original version of this post, published early yesterday, to vanish. So, for the record, I'll summarize what I then wrote.The headline refers to the de Kooning painting behind me ("Seated Woman," c. 1940, Philadelphia Museum of Art), a portrait of Elaine Fried, to become Mrs. de Kooning three years … [Read more...] about Changes at CultureGrrl (again): Elaine de Kooning and Me (and blogroll additions)

Roberta Smith, NY Times art critic Better late than never. NY Times art critic Roberta Smith has officially joined the Save the American Folk Art Museum campaign, with a powerful opinion piece (not in today's paper but online now)---As Folk Art Museum Teeters, a Grave Loss Looms. Roberta ends her piece this way: The transfer and dispersal of the collection should be … [Read more...] about Roberta Smith Throws Weight Behind Rescuing the American Folk Art Museum

LEFT: A Polaroid from the files of convicted antiquities trafficker Giacomo Medici of a dirt-encrusted Athenian red-figure volute krater, attributed to the Methyse Painter, 460-450 B.C.RIGHT: Photo of the same krater, restored, at the Minneapolis Institute of ArtsWhat took Minneapolis so long?The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which since 2005 has known and publicly … [Read more...] about Minneapolis Finally Agrees to Return Hot Pot to Italy (plus the Getty’s new Greek vase)

Shattered Legacy: The Barnes Foundation's fragmented new logo, unveiled on its new websiteAt a press conference yesterday, the Barnes Foundation announced that it would open its new Philadelphia facility to the public on May 19. It has also launched a new website. Advance reservations to visit the museum will be accepted beginning Mar. 1. Members can reserve beginning Feb. 1 … [Read more...] about Barnes Foundation Sets Opening Date in Philadelphia

Rear view of Cornell University's I.M. Pei-designed Johnson Museum of Art, with its new, mostly underground addition (still in construction), at left Photo by Lee Rosenbaum When I told you yesterday about the new addition to Cornell University's Johnson Museum of Art (designed by the I.M. Pei firm and opening Oct. 15), I didn't mention that it's been without a permanent … [Read more...] about A Bent for Rentals? Stephanie Wiles, New Director of Cornell’s Johnson Museum

Cornell University's new Milstein Hall for architecture studies, designed by Rem Koolhaas All photos (unless otherwise noted) by Lee Rosenbaum It's not entirely finished yet and it's been under the radar in terms of press coverage. But Rem Koolhaas' new Milstein Hall, tucked behind the Arts Quad at Cornell University, has opened for the new school year, providing much … [Read more...] about First Look: Rem Koolhaas’ Architecture for Architects at Cornell University (with video)

I wouldn't have expected this of the New Yorker.There's been a lot of talk about how to properly commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11, without improperly exploiting it commercially. To my mind, this promotion from the New Yorker, usually an arbiter of good taste, crossed the line into skin-crawl territory: At least they're designating a token 10% of net proceeds from this … [Read more...] about Dept. of Crass 9/11 Promotions: New Yorker Magazine’s Commercial Exploitation