Archives for January 2008

Roger Sant, recently elected to the new position of chairman of the Smithsonian Institution's board, told a press briefing Monday that 10 candidates were being interviewed for the top spot there, held by acting secretary Cristián Samper, since the resignation of Lawrence Small. The board hopes to announce its choice in March. The executive search firm employed by the … [Read more...] about New Smithsonian Secretary Expected to be Named in March: Down to 10 Finalists

Did you all catch that cheery curatorial class picture, in yesterday's NY Times, of the inaugural fellows of the Center for Curatorial Leadership, which was established last June to train art curators for museum directorships? Let me provide what was missing from the NY Times article, by identifying those fine faces in the photo: Back row, left to right: Raymond Horton, … [Read more...] about Curatorial Directors-in-Training Matched with Museum Superstars

Does Robert Olson, the alleged "smuggler" named in the search warrant affidavits for the recent federal raids on Southern California museums, have a press agent instead of a lawyer? His string of incautious and potentially damaging comments to journalists continues with dueling detailed profiles in today's LA Times and the NY Times. The more prudent response came from Jonathan … [Read more...] about Robert Olson: Call Your Lawyer

I'm really getting knocked lately. But I don't mind when it's a thoughtful, detailed, intelligent and passionate response. Kwame Opoku takes issue with my recent LA Times Op-Ed piece on the Afrikanet.info website: Many of the stolen cultural objects cannot simply be left where they are even if the owners agree finally to donate or, lend some of them....These are not just art … [Read more...] about A Thoughtful, Detailed Rebuttal to My “Make Art Loans, Not War” Op-Ed

Paul Werner, in the widely read Daily Kos, today takes me to task for having "never seen a scam she wasn't blind to" (so unfair!), because I questioned why the feds needed to stage a dramatic, highly publicized raid on museums to get the information they sought. Werner goes on to assert that "the Feds were looking for records of a less official nature, like a couple of written … [Read more...] about Clueless on the Kos: Museums and Donors’ Appraisals

Wall text in the Brooklyn Museum's Egyptian gallery At a time when officials at several Southern California museums have been sounding vague and clueless about current professional guidelines for antiquities acquisitions, how refreshing it is to see it all clearly laid out for visitors to read and understand, right near the entrance to the galleries devoted to the Brooklyn … [Read more...] about Brooklyn’s In-Your-Face Antiquities Policy UPDATED

I've been focusing on a couple of major stories, but there are lots of others that deserve mention. Let's do a rapid rundown: ---The Felch-Feds story in the LA Times keeps getting worse (or better, from a journalistic standpoint). Today Jason Felch and Mike Boehm write about a big collector of Asian art caught in the investigators' net---Barry MacLean, a trustee of the Art … [Read more...] about Links for Your Mink: More Thai Travails, Artful Forgers, Dubious Fisk Solution, Possible Theft-to-Order, Preemptive Loot Suits, Claims on Exhibition Proceeds

Given the Smithsonian Institution's admission, contained in yesterday's 70-page task force report on its revenue-generating activities, that the details of its 2006 deal with Showtime Networks should have been fully disclosed from the start to avoid controversy, the nine cultural institutions that have just signed on with Ovation TV should take care to spell out the parameters … [Read more...] about Museums on TV: New Ovation Deal; Smithsonian’s Report about Showtime Controversy

My invitation to a Metropolitan Museum's press preview Do you think that NYC museums just might be courting the hedge fund mogul and mega-collector, Steve Cohen? His shark-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum will soon be joined by another Cohen Loan, to which the Met gave pride-of-place on the invitation (above) that I recently received to the imminent press preview for … [Read more...] about Another Steve Cohen Loan at the Met

"Don" Mary Beard It's not just because she said such nice things about CultureGrrl for the BBC, or even because her blog's title includes my husband's first name. Anyone who can write such a learned, lively post about the recent exhibition, Gods in Color: Painted Sculpture of Classical Antiquity at Harvard's Sackler Museum, and then attract no less than 48 incredibly erudite … [Read more...] about “A Don’s Life” Lives on My Blogroll

After almost two years of influential but unremunerative blogging, CultureGrrl is going commercial. Beginning within the next two weeks, you can run your ads on the site that has become required daily reading for the most important museum directors and curators, art dealers and auctioneers, collectors, art scholars, art critics and journalists, and just plain art lovers … [Read more...] about Advertise on CultureGrrl: Reach the Artworld’s Finest

There are possible changes brewing at Art in America magazine (where I am contributing editor), now that Peter Brant, who last spring had announced his intention to sell his half-share in Brant Publications, has done an about-face and decided to buy out the half-share of his ex-wife, Sandra Brant. In an emotional meeting with staffers on Thursday, Sandy indicated to longtime … [Read more...] about Art in America Magazine’s State of Uncertainty

Given the indications in public affidavits, revealed last week in the LA Times, that the feds are probably building a case for criminal indictments and charges of tax fraud related to last week's four-museum early morning raid by federal agents, recent comments made to reporters by the Bowers Museum's director, Peter Keller, and by alleged artifacts smuggler Robert Olson seem … [Read more...] about Federal Case: Californians’ Comments Make Bad Situation Worse

Imagine my surprise to find CultureGrrl touted on BBC Radio 4's website yesterday, in a podcast by Mary Beard, a professor of classics at Cambridge, who has long had me on the blogroll of her own blog for the London Times Literary Supplement, A Don's Life. In her BBC comments, she singled out CultureGrrl and two other blogs for special praise. I could quote what she said, but … [Read more...] about Cambridge Loves CultureGrrl: “Don’s Life” Classics Professor on a BBC Podcast

Jason Felch of the LA Times today has published an updated report of his shocking revelations yesterday about the long-term federal sting operation and the sudden four-museum early morning raid by federal agents. They were seeking evidence in connection with their five-year investigation of transactions and possible tax fraud involving allegedly looted objects. Before I get to … [Read more...] about More on the Raiders of the Los (Angeles) Art