Archives for April 2008

The Dance of the MAD Veils, as observed last JulyBy Martin Filler, Guest BloggerI smiled when I read the juicy NY Times obituary of Sherry Britton, the burlesque queen of prewar renown, who died on April 1 at age 89. After her stripping days were done, she became a summer stock trouper during the 1950s, when I saw her perform at New Jersey's Camden County Music Circus in some … [Read more...] about MAD’s Striptease: Cloepfil Shows New York What He’s Got

Arkon Art MuseumBy Martin Filler, Guest BloggerAfter yesterday's accolades, here are my selections (by no means comprehensive) of the worst new museum architecture completed last year. Consider these as stand-ins for similar examples that share the same basic problem epitomized by each of these three.---John S. and James L. Knight Building, Akron Art Museum, by Coop … [Read more...] about Rating the New Museums: The Best (and Worst) of 2007—Part II

Top of the Heap: The New Museum on the Block By Martin Filler, Guest BloggerLast year marked both the 10th anniversary of Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the 30th of Renzo Piano's and Richard Rogers' Centre Georges Pompidou--the two most influential cultural buildings of our time. As the worldwide construction boom spurred by those watershed projects continued … [Read more...] about Rating the New Museums: The Best (and Worst) of 2007—Part I

By Martin Filler, Guest BloggerEvery spring I vow to remain silent about the new winner of the Pritzker Prize, having dismissed the so-called Nobel of Architecture in a 1999 New Republic piece as no more than a redundant, self-regarding publicity stunt that promotes architects already rich and famous. Try telling that to an architect, though. I've yet to meet one who doesn't … [Read more...] about Nouvel Riches: Pritzker Gold, Tower of Glass

John RichardsonBy Martin Filler, Guest BloggerA few night ago, I was one of several speakers at a tribute to John Richardson given by the National Arts Club, which awarded the art historian its Gold Medal, several months after publication of A Life of Picasso: The Triumphant Years, 1917-1932, volume three of his acclaimed biography. I followed a daunting roster of … [Read more...] about John Richardson Tribute: The Case of the Missing Medals

Leonard Lauder at the WhitneyPhoto by Christopher London, ©Manhattan Society.com 2007 By Martin Filler, Guest BloggerIt's long been assumed that the donor of a new museum building or addition will play a central role in selecting its architect (as Paul Mellon did with I.M. Pei's East Building at the National Gallery of Art), or will reserve that right for himself (as Eli Broad … [Read more...] about Lauder to the Whitney: There’s No Place Like Home

Model of "Flower House," Suiza, Switzerland (2006 - ), Courtesy SANAABy Martin Filler, Guest BloggerThe trouble with most architecture exhibitions is that, unlike shows on other, readily transportable art forms, it's almost impossible to display actual examples of this immovable medium within a conventional gallery context. Models, photographs, videos, drawings, plans, and … [Read more...] about Sejima and Nishizawa at the New Museum

Nicolai OuroussoffBy Martin Filler, Guest BloggerAmong the root causes of the mess America now finds itself in, one of the least discussed is the seemingly extinct notion of conflict of interest. Not so long ago, even the appearance of impropriety was enough to prevent the double-dealing now commonplace in every sector of public life. In 2004, when Supreme Court Justice Anthony … [Read more...] about Ouroussoff on Atlantic Yards and Hudson Yards: The Gray Lady’s Guide to Contemporary Civics

Wait! Hold that airplane!This just in: Fisk University yesterday filed its expected appeal of Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle's decision regarding its Stieglitz Collection. Unmentioned in the press release but previously mentioned to me by C. Michael Norton, Fisk's lawyer, is the prime reason for the appeal---the university's continuing desire to accept Alice … [Read more...] about News Flash: Fisk Files Appeal of Stieglitz Collection Decision

Attentive readers will remember that I mentioned I was going to be visiting three continents within three months: first it was Los Angeles, to cover the opening of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum; then, Athens, to speak at the International Conference on Return of Cultural Property.Now, having redefined CultureGrrl as "all-Murakami, all the time," I've decided to go see for … [Read more...] about Where in the World Is Lee Going? And Who Is “Filler-ing” In (again)?

"Tongari-kun" (aka "Mr. Pointy), installation in progress at the Brooklyn Museum. Murakami-esque suspended black balloons were decor for the benefit gala.Viewing the Murakami retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum after having first encountered it at its original (and originating) venue, the Geffen Contemporary facility of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, was like … [Read more...] about Murakami/Murakami: LA/Brooklyn Installation Transformations

I'll get serious about the installation transformations of the LA-to-Brooklyn Murakami show in a bit. But first, art-lings, this report from last night's Kanye West Fest.From today's Gothamist blog comes the following news flash: "Murakami Gala at Brooklyn Museum Eclipsed by [Bruce] Ratner Protest." The real estate developer, now faltering in his attempt to install a collection … [Read more...] about Protesters Demonstrate Outside Brooklyn Museum’s Kanye West Fest

My WNYC podcast on Murakami is now online here, or you can click it below. I never know for sure how it will be edited, so I'm glad they kept my comment that I have no objection to Brooklyn's displaying the Vuitton products (or even, for that matter, replicating a store). I only object to its being a FUNCTIONAL store---an external commercial enterprise inappropriately … [Read more...] about Murakami Musings: My WNYC Podcast

If all goes according to plan, you can hear me tomorrow commenting about the Murakami show at the Brooklyn Museum on New York Public Radio's Morning Edition, WNYC: 93.9 FM or 820 AM.  Or you can listen live here. They tell me it should be aired at one or more of the following times: 6:35, 7:35, 8:35 a.m. I will, of course, post the podcast on CultureGrrl, when available. … [Read more...] about My Murakami Musings: Tomorrow on New York Public Radio

Leonardo da Vinci, "La Belle Ferronière," Musée du LouvreDidier Rykner, whose La Tribune de l'Art had spearheaded the unsuccessful petition against the Louvre's deal to create a satellite museum in Abu Dhabi, now reports (in English) that the Paris museum intends to send to Verona, Italy, an exhibition of some 140 works, including such masterpieces as Leonardo's "La Belle … [Read more...] about Louvre Reportedly Sending Masterpieces to Italy for a Steep Fee