Usually, the most noteworthy collectors–aside from those, like J. Paul Getty, with the wherewithal to buy anything they want–are the ones that go their own way, that collect a field that’s out-of-fashion but full of worthy artworks. Usually, they both self-educate and they seek expert advice. One such person is Walter O. Evans (at right), a […]
Miles To Go: The Met Breuer’s Unspoken Task
February 1, 2016 by
The Metropolitan Museum* put on a show for the press last week at a briefing on the Met Breuer. It took place, oddly (for the Met) in a black gallery in the main museum building and over cocktails at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Tom Campbell, Sheena Wagstaff, Jeff Rosenheim (photography) and Limor Tomor (performances) spoke. I […]
No So Fast: Private Art Museum Under Scrutiny
January 11, 2015 by
“I’m not against it being done, but it’s got to be done well,” [Rob] Storr [dean of the Yale School of Art], said. “If there’s to be a public forgiveness for taxes there should be a clear public benefit, and it should not be entirely at the discretion of the person running the museum or foundation.” […]
Detroit: Time To Put Artists On The Spot?
November 13, 2014 by
Supporters of the Detroit Institute of Arts have been celebrating for almost a week now–it was last Friday that the court ruled in favor of the Grand Bargain, which buys freedom for the DIA. But with a catch: the museum still has to raise more than $10 million to reach its $100 million mandated contribution […]
Five Questions For Leonard Lauder As The Met Reveals His Cubist Collection
October 15, 2014 by
So this week the art world and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s* members are getting a first look at the Leonard Lauder Cubist collection–assembled over the past 40 years. The masterpieces and seminal works he has purchased amount to the best private Cubist collection in existence, by design: He always has a museum gift in […]
Tate’s Coming Show: Is There A U.S. Counterpart?
May 13, 2014 by
Next week, Tate Britain will open what could be an excellent exhibition built around the career and influence of Kenneth Clark (pictured). It makes me wonder if anyone here in the U.S. could qualify for such treatment. The exhibition, titled Kenneth Clark – Looking for Civilisation, …explores the impact of art historian, public servant and broadcaster […]
Collector Jonathan Demme Joins The Sellers
March 10, 2014 by
In the late 1990s, I was pleased to meet director Jonathan Demme, maker of Silence of the Lambs, Married to the Mob and Philadelphia, among other movies, and to listen to him talk about his collecting of Haitian art. He preparing for an exhibition of more than 100 works drawn from his collection at the gallery […]
Denver Makes Three: Are More Coming?
January 13, 2014 by
Today the Denver Art Museum announced the bequest of 22 Impressionist paintings from Frederick C. Hamilton, its long-time chairman of the board (though he stepped down from the position last year). The press release (which is not yet up on its website) said it would elevate the museum’s Impressionist collection to one of the best in […]
Herb And Dorothy, The Sequel
September 11, 2013 by
Remember Herb and Dorothy Vogel? Of course you do. They are the New York couple, the postal clerk and the school librarian, who collected art using only his salary for years — and eventually gave most of it away to the National Gallery in Washington and then to 50 museums, one each in every state. […]
Cupid Strikes, And Worcester Gets A Great Gift
August 14, 2013 by
Hester Diamond, well-known as a collector of Old Masters, has made a nice gift to the Worcester Museum of Art — it’s a tale that shows both her and Matthias Waschek, the museum’s director, to be pretty crafty. First the gift: it’s a painting by Veronese titled Venus Disarming Cupid, circa 1560, and according to […]
