Archives for September 2007

Is it possible to do justice to the monumental 228-work exhibition, The Age of Rembrandt: Dutch Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in a New York minute (or maybe four)? Hear me gamely try on tomorrow's "Morning Edition," 6-9 a.m. on NY Public Radio, WNYC, 93.9 FM and 820 AM. Or you can listen live on the station's website, or, later, on the podcast, which I'll post as … [Read more...] about The Met’s “Age of Rembrandt”: Lee’s Four-Minute Golden Age on NY Public Radio

If the name Michael Mukasey (above), tapped today by President Bush to be the next U.S. Attorney General, rings a bell in art circles, it's because the former chief judge of U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York presided over this never-ending case . We can only hope that he'll resolve federal matters more expeditiously, should the Senate confirm his … [Read more...] about The Famous Art Case of Bush’s Nominee for Attorney General

---Jerry Saltz in New York magazine urges the Guggenheim's trustees to "take back the rotunda and get rid of [Tom] Krens." He appends a list of four women (Donna De Salvo, Ann Philbin, Kathy Halbreich and Thelma Golden) whom he thinks should be considered to succeed Lisa Dennison, the recently appointed Sotheby's rainmaker. Saltz asserts that the new director must "defang … [Read more...] about Slink These Links: Saltz Disses Krens, Yale’s Peruvian Givebacks, Rostropovich’s Un-Auction, More on the Met Succession

Joe Thompson Unlike Roberta Smith, who excoriated MASS MoCA in the "Arts & Leisure" section of yesterday's NY Times, I still have some sympathy for the North Adams' cutting-edge contemporary art institution and for Joe Thompson (above), its now embattled, longtime director, who, until this unfortunate episode, has had an admirable track record of working creatively and … [Read more...] about Under the Wraps: Is It Christoph Büchel’s Compromised Artwork, Or Just MASS MoCA’s Stuff?

Coinciding with the second day of Rosh Hashanah, the film adaptation of Lynn Nicholas' groundbreaking book about Nazi art loot, The Rape of Europa (above), will have its commercial premiere this Friday in New York. (Subsequent openings around the country are listed at the above link.) It has been screened since last December at film festivals and art museums. The film, narrated … [Read more...] about “Rape of Europa,” the Movie, Premieres

---Montgomery County will be filing its court brief today opposing the Barnes' move to Philadelphia and will hold a press conference on the steps of Orphan's Court in Norristown, PA, at 2:00 p.m. Lawyers representing the Barnes and the opponents to the move are expected in court on Oct. 5. Barnes attorneys are likely to challenge the standing of the petitioners to bring … [Read more...] about Legal Updates: Barnes, Maier

The Chonicle of Philanthropy yesterday summarized my critique of NY Times reporter Stephanie Strom's front-page hatchet job on tax deductible donations. At the end, the Chronicle asked: Do you think donors should get a tax break for gifts to arts groups? Share your thoughts by clicking on the comment link below. As of this writing, they've received one comment---from Stephanie … [Read more...] about Debate Over Tax Deductible Charitable Contributions Heats Up

I guess the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, having read Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle's homage to Alice Walton, has seen the writing on the wall: It filed today in Tennessee Chancery Court, Davidson County, a "notice of voluntary dismissal of its pending counterclaims" against Fisk, in connection with the university's Stieglitz Collection. In other words, it's dropping the case. As for … [Read more...] about O’Keeffe Museum Drops Lawsuit Against Fisk

Callen Bair's Figure Painting blog beat me to this, but we have to wonder if Christie's specialist and Bloomberg's reporter, in separate analyses of Christie's first auction of the fall season, attended the same contemporary art sale. This from Jonathan Laib of Christie's (go here and click Sept. 10): Today's First Open sale...performed superbly, catching the energy and … [Read more...] about A Tale of Two Art Markets: Christie’s and Bloomberg’s

Eleven "intervenors" have filed suit today in State Circuit Court to prevent Randolph College, Lynchburg, VA, from selling works from its Maier Museum. The college last month sought an opinion from the court to determine whether it can sell works purchased with funds from its Louise Jordan Smith bequest, to augment its endowment. The 11 filing suit include two women believed to … [Read more...] about Suit Filed to Prevent Maier Museum Art Sales

In a decision that appears to look with great favor on the offer made by Alice Walton on behalf of her Crystal Bridges Museum, Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle of the State Chancery Court of Davidson County, Tennessee, this afternoon rejected a tentative settlement agreement whereby Fisk University would have handed over to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe, its "Radiator … [Read more...] about News Flash: Alice Walton Grins As Court Nixes Fisk-O’Keeffe Museum Agreement

The legal Battle of the Barnes continues. The ball was in the court of Judge Stanley Ott, and he's just swung back. In a citation from Montgomery County Orphans' Court, dated Sept. 5 and addressed individually to all the board members of the Barnes Foundation, Judge Ott issued the following decree: We command you, that, laying aside all business and excuses whatsoever, you be … [Read more...] about Judge Ott Will Again Hear Arguments in the Barnes Case

They've named their architects. Now all they need is the site, an end to the legal challenges, an architectural design (which has not yet been completed), and the ability to get it done at $100 million (or, failing that, more funds to augment the wishful-thinking construction budget). But Barnes Foundation officials should discreetly abandon their unconvincing, sanctimonious … [Read more...] about Barnes Chooses Tod Williams and Billie Tsien

It seems absurd, at this late date, to have to defend the obvious merits of of tax deductions for charitable donations, which have provided important incentives for individuals to support institutions and organizations that enrich our quality of life in myriad ways. But NY Times reporter Stephanie Strom apparently doesn't get it, despite her years of covering the nonprofit … [Read more...] about Why We Need Tax Deductions for Charitable Donations

Stephanie Strom's astonishingly wrongheaded front-page hatchet job on tax deductible donations demands a pointed counterattack. CultureGrrl takes up arms, aiming squarely at the fallacies in her assumptions and the holes in her reporting. COMING EARLY TOMORROW: Why We Need Tax Deductions for Charitable Donations (That's a headline which, at this late date, I never thought I'd … [Read more...] about Rebutting the NY Times’ Charitable-Deduction Attack