Archives for January 2008

When Director Philippe de Montebello speaks, Chairman James Houghton listens: Today's Metropolitan Museum press conference I've just returned from the poignant press conference at the Metropolitan Museum and the taping of my thoughts about Philippe and his retirement at the studios of New York Public Radio. That should air, if all goes according to plan (which it rarely does) … [Read more...] about Coming Today on WNYC: My De Montebello Assessment

Walker Evans, "Three Director's Chairs," ink and gouache on paper © Walker Evans Archive, Metropolitan Museum of Art Is it pure coincidence that the above work is featured on the Metropolitan Museum's homepage today as "Today's Featured Work of Art from the Permanent Collection"? For my posts on the Met director's retirement, go here and here.) … [Read more...] about Metropolitan Imagery: The Empty Directors’ Chairs

The time has finally come for Metropolitan Museum chairman James Houghton to take out his little list. Although the Met's soon-to-be-former director has said he does not want to pick his own successor, Philippe de Montebello has (as reported first in CultureGrrl and later in the NY Times) provided Houghton with a periodically updated list of people he believes are well … [Read more...] about More on Philippe de Montebello’s Departure

Philippe has decided it's almost time to take his last walk. Carol Vogel of the NY Times reports: Philippe de Montebello, who has led the Metropolitan Museum of Art for 30 years and has virtually become synonymous with its monumental profile, announced on Tuesday that he planned to retire at the end of the year. More on this tomorrow. For now, just this from me: He was, … [Read more...] about De Montebello Ends His Reign

The Unfortunate Image on LACMA's Homepage: Jeff Koons, "Cracked Egg (Red)," Broad Art Foundation © Jeff Koons The Feb. 16 public opening of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's new Broad Contemporary Art Museum will now be almost as hollow and broken as the Koons egg, above, that serves as BCAM's homepage logo. And while we're musing on the irony of images, we must also … [Read more...] about LACMA Lays an Egg: Broad Reneges

With Senators Charles Grassley and Dianne Feinstein pushing for investigations of the travel expenses of W. Richard West Jr., former director of the National Museum of the American Indian, the newly redesigned Form 990 tax return for nonprofits, released by the IRS on Dec. 20, seems more relevant than ever. It will require more details about finances, in general, and personnel … [Read more...] about New IRS Form 990: More Reporting Requirements, More Transparency

I'm hoping that when the NY Times reports tomorrow that "Artemis and the Stag" is on view at the Metropolitan Museum (as I expect that it will), it will follow its own journalistic guidelines and say that the story "was first reported by art writer Lee Rosenbaum on her blog, CultureGrrl." But I won't hold my breath. Already Buffalo News reporter Colin Dabkowski (whom I've … [Read more...] about Stag Scoop: Will CultureGrrl Get Credit?

George Bellows, "Men of the Docks," 1912, Maier Museum Shades of "Portrait of Wally." The four paintings from Randolph College's Maier Museum that are tied up in legal limbo, due to an ongoing lawsuit seeking to prevent their sale at auction, are now being sequestered in storage by the would-be auctioneer, Christie's, New York, according to the Lynchburg, VA, News & Advance. In … [Read more...] about Free “Men of the Docks”!

Detail from Franz-Xaver Winterhalter's "Girl from the Sabiner Mountains" A recent U.S. District Court decision ordering the return of a Winterhalter to the heirs of Jewish art dealer and collector Max Stern, who had owned it before fleeing Nazi Germany, "effectively expands the definition of 'looted art,'" asserts arts writer Marilyn Henry, who frequently explores … [Read more...] about Landmark Nazi-Loot Court Decision Says “Forced Sale” Equals Theft

Now Showing at the Met: "Artemis and the Stag," Hellenistic/early Roman Imperial, formerly of the Albright-Knox Gallery [UPDATE: The Met's press office has now confirmed that "Artemis and the Stag" is indeed ensconced in its galleries.] I'm going out on a bit of a limb for this one, but a tipster has informed me that the Metropolitan Museum has quietly put on view, near the … [Read more...] about Met Antiquities Shuffle: Win One, Lose One UPDATED

---James Snyder, director of the Israel Museum, had this to say about my post, Israel Museum Mounts Exhibitions Seeking Rightful Owners of Nazi Loot: Our JRSO project [an upcoming exhibition of heirless works that came to the Jerusalem museum from the Jewish Restitution Successor Organization] has been in the works for a long time---unrelated to [the recent claims made by] the … [Read more...] about James Snyder and a Prominent Curator on Nazi-Loot Issues

Commissioned Portrait of W. Richard West Jr. by Burton Silverman, 2005 The Rick West story gets worse: It now has an iconic symbol of self-aggrandizing profligacy. James Grimaldi reveals in today's Washington Post: W. Richard West Jr., the founding director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, spent $48,500 in museum funds to commission a portrait of … [Read more...] about Bonfire of the Vanities: Indian Museum Chief’s $48,500 Portrait UPDATED

"The $12 Million Stuffed Shark" a book to be published this month by Aurum Press, reportedly asserts that Damien Hirst's share in the diamond skull, said to have been acquired for $100 million by an investment syndicate, was 24 percent. Andrew Johnson of the London Independent reports: Don Thompson, an economist, writes in his book...that Hirst retained a 24 per cent stake. … [Read more...] about Diamond Damien’s Share in $100-Million Skull Is Reportedly 24 Percent

Having belatedly posted information last summer about the art and Judaica in its possession that was looted during World War II, the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, will mount two Nazi-loot related exhibitions, Feb. 19 through June 3. Orphaned Art: Looted Art from the Holocaust in the Israel Museum will display more than 50 paintings, drawings, prints, and books, as well as selected … [Read more...] about Israel Museum Mounts Exhibitions Seeking Rightful Owners of Nazi Loot UPDATED

If they want to prepare for their trip to North Korea by listening to a government-certified classic, the NY Philharmonic players could start here. Don't miss the rousing subtitles, extolling beloved Comrade Kim Jong-Il: Who needs the "Star-Spangled Banner?" (I HOPE you know I'm just kidding!) … [Read more...] about What the Korean-Bound NY Philharmonic Will Have on Its iPods