Archives for March 2007

UPDATE: The Buffalo News reported later today that Albright-Knox members opposed a motion to stop the planned sale of some of the museum's art by a vote of 1,224-428 (including proxies). A meeting last night of about 600 members of the Albright-Knox Gallery to discuss its planned deaccession of 207 non-contemporary objects was "fairly evenly divided," according to today's … [Read more...] about Albright-Knox Members Debate the Sales

We are all well accustomed to tacky museum gift shop items, but "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," now at the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia (to Sept. 30), takes schlock to a whole new level of outrageous tastelessness. Here are a couple of choice items to add to your Museum of Kitsch: "Ancient Egyptian Dog Collar": $85 Tut Tissue Box Cover: … [Read more...] about Sales from the Crypt: Tut Shop Must-Haves

I'm off today to the land of the Boy King. That could be one of two places: Cairo, or the city where they hand out these ancient artifacts: Some art scribes go to Maastricht, "on a press trip funded by the Dutch." I'm going dutch treat (on my own dime) to do some digging in Philly, where I'm bound to get myself in dutch. If all goes according to plan, you can hear me briefly … [Read more...] about Where in the World Is Lee Going? And Why is She Yapping on WHYY-FM Again?

The moral quandary posed in yesterday's The Ethicist column in the NY Times Sunday Magazine was the flip side of my own recent experience as an interviewer of applicants to my alma mater, Cornell University. Cornell's been good to my entire family, so I felt I owed it some small service. Interviewing seemed like a natural, since it's something that I know more than a little … [Read more...] about Some Interviewers Google College Applicants; This Cornell Interviewer Gets Googled

In yesterday's post for his ArtsJournal blog, On the Record, Henry Fogel commented critically on the taboo against applauding between movements at a classical concert. I disagree with him...up to a point. I've recently had two experiences at the NY Philharmonic where a group of people sitting in the back of the orchestra broke the taboo. I wrote about the first one in my post, … [Read more...] about Riffing on “The Applause Issue”

Latest Design for Parrish Art Museum, View from Montauk Highway © Herzog & de Meuron 2007 As a cost-cutting measure, the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton, NY, intends to opt for less expensive building materials (i.e., concrete floors, rather than wood) than initially planned for its new facility designed by Herzog & de Meuron. Construction estimates had risen to "close to … [Read more...] about Parrish’s Herzog & de Meuron Building Plans Face Economic Detours

Maybe the Getty's appointment of Malcolm Bell III to its panel assessing Italy's claim to the museum's so-called "Aphrodite" or "Morgantina Venus" is not as gutsy as it appeared to me when I wrote yesterday's post. According to a Nov. 9, 2006 article in the NY Times, "Malcolm Bell III, an archaeologist who has directed a dig at Morgantina for many years, says there is no … [Read more...] about More on the Getty’s “Aphrodite” Acolytes

If they have enough disposable income to buy a few things, how can they not? If you love art, you need to gaze at some of it on your own walls. But kudos to Jen Graves of the Seattle's alternative newspaper, The Stranger, for having the courage to explore in depth an ethical quagmire that may discomfit some writing colleagues, but that needs to be discussed. She got into the … [Read more...] about Should Art Critics Collect?

They must have done this just to prove they're serious about doing the right thing: The Getty Museum has bravely put one of the most outspoken critics of museums' antiquities-collecting practices, Malcolm Bell III, on its just-announced panel of scientists, archaeologists and art historians who will "research the origins of the Cult Statue of a Goddess, an object in the … [Read more...] about Getty Appoints Panel to Determine Whether Italy Should Get “Goddess”

The I. Lewis Libby verdict and Anthony Lewis' Op-Ed piece about it in yesterday's NY Times brought to mind my own uneasy relationships with confidential sources. Clearly, no national security is at risk in the course of my non-earthshattering artworld investigations: The only WMDs I write about are White Male Dominance in museum and gallery shows. (No, wait a minute. That's … [Read more...] about Lewis Libby, Anthony Lewis and CultureGrrl

Dubai's Fair Venue Abu Dhabi may have its Louvre, but rival city Dubai has its Gulf Art Fair, billed as the first major international contemporary fair in the Middle East and opening tomorrow (to Mar. 10). According to a description: The event will add to the cultural profile of a city that aspires to become a major center for the global art market, and bring world-class art … [Read more...] about Dubai’s Contemporary Art Fair: Education, Sotheby’s-Style

The Barnes Foundation has officially begun its search for an architect to design its planned new facility in Philadelphia. It appointed Martha Thorne, executive director of the $100,000 Pritzker Prize, the world's most prestigious architectural award, to advise in the selection process for the 120,000-square-foot megaBarnes. Thorne was previously associate curator and acting … [Read more...] about Barnes Begins Architect Search, Advised by Pritzker’s Executive Director

The agreement to create the Louvre Abu Dhabi has been signed today, as expected. And today's Financial Times adds more details to what had been reported Saturday by Le Monde (translated by CultureGrrl). The total value of the agreement for France will be about $1.3 billion (more than Le Monde had reported), according to French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres. (Le … [Read more...] about Abu Dhabi Deal: Louvre’s “Brand” Worth $520 Million

Antoni Gaudí, "Palau Güell, Dressing Table," Güell Family Collection, Barcelona, Spain. Photo © Ramon Manent Who doesn't feel more footloose and festive when sojourning in Barcelona? If you've ever been there, you'll recapture some of the exuberance of Catalan élan at the Metropolitan Museum's latest megashow, Barcelona and Modernity: Gaudí to Dalí, opening tomorrow. The city … [Read more...] about If You Love Barcelona, You’ll Like “Barcelona”

The London Guardian's art and architecture blog today has an entry written by architect Frank Gehry himself, discussing his plans for the new Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Who knew that candid blogging was among his many talents? Some tasty quotes: We've done the designs and now we're waiting for the final go ahead, any time soon. This really is like nothing we've done before.... Abu … [Read more...] about Gehry Blogs on the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi