Archives for June 2008

Edward Sozanski (above), art critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, has taken off the kid gloves and put on the boxing gloves, pummeling the proponents of moving the Barnes Foundation from Merion to Philadelphia. In doing so, he is battling his own newspaper's MegaBarnes-friendly news coverage, as well its editorial page's campaign in strong support of the Barnes move.Desperate … [Read more...] about Gloves Off: Sozanski Socks the Barnes Move

Not only is the Art Newspaper's recent report (scroll down) of the contents of the contract between France and Abu Dhabi a rather stale "scoop," but Didier Rykner has just sent me his link to the entire 23-page, French-language text of the contract, which he had posted on his Paris-based La Tribune de l'Art blog back on Oct. 14. So get out your Larousse and peruse the Accord … [Read more...] about Full Text of Governmental Accord for Louvre Abu Dhabi

Malcolm Rogers, director of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, signing a 2006 accord to relinquish to Italy 13 antiquities from his museum's collection(Part I, where I call on the Association of Art Museum Directors to establish guidelines for repatriating certain antiquities, is here.)American museums cannot be expected to empty themselves of all antiquities with uncertain pasts. … [Read more...] about Towards a Ceasefire in the Antiquities Wars: The Next Step (Part II)

Tadao Ando's first slide for Clark Art Institute lectureI was in Williamstown, MA, last weekend for the Wall Street Journal, to cover the Clark Art Institute's new Stone Hill Center, designed by Tadao Ando. I attended his pre-opening lecture---an hour-long illustrated tour of his various projects around the world. His first slide (above) related to his commission in Abu Dhabi … [Read more...] about Tadao Ando: Dubious in Abu Dhabi

Cult Statue of a Goddess, 425-400 B.C., to be returned to Italy in 2010 by J. Paul Getty Museum Earlier this month, the Association of Art Museum Directors took an important first step towards deescalating the protracted antiquities wars that have roiled the Getty Museum, Metropolitan Museum and Boston Museum of Fine Arts, among others. The association at long last … [Read more...] about Towards a Ceasefire in the Antiquities Wars: The Next Step (Part I)

Marcia Vetrocq, new editor of Art in AmericaThis just in---a press release from Art in America (not online at this writing), announcing the changes in leadership. Betsy Baker, who has resigned her long-time position as editor, will be editor-at-large "in charge of special projects, which will include book publishing and website development." Website development? Betsy? If there … [Read more...] about News Flash: Official Annoucement of Changes at Art in America Magazine

Philadelphia Museum senior curator Joseph Rishel meets the press in NYCYesterday's Philadelphia Museum press lunch in New York was notable both for who wasn't there---Gail Harrity, interim CEO and Alice Beamesderfer, interim head of curatorial affairs (whose appointments were announced Friday by the museum here) and also for who was---Joe Rishel, husband of the museum's late … [Read more...] about Philly Press Lunch: Rishel Rises to the Occasion

Philippe VergnePhoto: Cameron WittigFrench-born Philippe Vergne, deputy director and chief curator at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, will become director of the Dia Art Foundation, effective Sept. 15. He succeeds Jeffrey Weiss, who left the Dia in March, after only nine months, having become disenchanted with the administrative side of the job.Vergne is best know to New … [Read more...] about News Flash: Philippe Vergne Named Director of Dia Art Foundation

This is truly the end of an era. Betsy Baker, editor of Art in America magazine since 1974, has resigned. Marcia Vetrocq, one of five senior editors, has become the new editor. According to my source at AiA, where I am a contributing editor, Betsy will continue working on projects for the magazine and will remain on the masthead (possibly as editor-at-large). There is no … [Read more...] about News Flash: Elizabeth Baker Resigns as Editor of Art in America

Sandro BondiJust when you thought the remaining antiquities in your museum's permanent collection might be safe, along comes this announcement from the Italian Ministry of Culture. (The date on the ministry's website, June 19, 2007, is a misprint; Bondi was named culture minister only last month.)Here's the translated announcement: The minister of culture, Sandro Bondi [above], … [Read more...] about Italy’s New Culture Minister Signals Desire for More Antiquity Repatriations

Here's the account in today's Philadelphia Inquirer of yesterday's Anne d'Harnoncourt tribute. And here's the newspaper's online photo slideshow of the event. … [Read more...] about Philadelphia Inquirer Report on Yesterday’s d’Harnoncourt Tribute

The reattributed, renamed self-portrait, "Rembrandt Laughing" Okay, so I'm not a Rembrandt expert. Last October, I looked at the photo of the above painting and imprudently wrote: My gut reaction, from a lifetime of gazing at Rembrandts, is "not" [as in, "not a Rembrandt"] but I'm certainly no specialist. There's always that time-honored category for new … [Read more...] about “Rembrandt Laughing”…and So Is Its Anonymous Buyer

Today at 6 p.m. is the special program on the East Terrace of the Philadelphia Museum in tribute to its late, great director, Anne d'Harnoncourt. If her widower, Joe Rishel, who is listed on the program, does decide to speak (as stated in this Philadelphia Inquirer item), there had better be lots of tissues on hand. I'd be there, if I didn't have to leave here early tomorrow … [Read more...] about Anne d’Harnoncourt Day: A Reminder

Damien Hirst with "The Golden Calf"© Damien Hirst. Photo: Prudence CummingLess powerful, less high-profile artists might not get away with it, but Damien Hirst has just dealt a body blow to the gallery system. What's more, his New York and London galleries (Gagosian, White Cube) are going along with it, even to the extent of supplying supportive comments for Sotheby's press … [Read more...] about Hirst First: Bypassing Dealers with Direct-to-Sotheby’s Sale of New Work

Okay, all you newshounds who are clicking on CultureGrrl today because of this post on mediabistro's blog, UnBeige. I didn't (as suggested by Steve Delahoyde) "predict" that Maxwell Anderson, Michael Conforti or Timothy Potts WILL become the next director of the Metropolitan Museum. What I did say in Who Should Succeed Philippe at the Met? is that they are MY OWN picks of who … [Read more...] about Succession Obsession: Mediabistro Misconstrues CultureGrrl’s Met Picks