Archives for June 2008

Arshile Gorky, "The Artist and His Mother," 1926-36, Whitney MuseumIt's a generous but highly unusual gesture---a masterpiece-for-a-day loan to the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), on the occasion of the 40th-anniversary celebration of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, New York. Tomorrow, the Whitney Museum's iconic Arshile Gorky painting, "The Artist and His … [Read more...] about Masterpiece-for-a-Day: The Whitney’s Speedy Loan of Timeless Gorky

Roman Sarcophagus representing a Dionysiac village festival, 290-300 A.D. J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu As I previously mentioned here, the Getty Museum's recent announcement that it had acquired a 3rd century A.D. Roman sarcophagus (above) reminded me of the shock I felt last February in perusing the two-year old reinstallation of the renovated Getty Villa … [Read more...] about Another Getty Antiquities Scandal: Villa’s Dumbed-Down Installation

In my June 4 post announcing the new antiquities acquisition rules promulgated by the Association of Art Museum Directors, I noted that it would be interesting to see whether the Metropolitan Museum changed its policies to conform with the new guidelines. Its director, Philippe de Montebello, had been an outspoken advocate of AAMD's previous "10-year rolling rule," which said … [Read more...] about Met Gives Up Its 10-Year Rolling Rule for Antiquities Acquisitions

Back row, left to right: Montgomery County Commissioners Joseph Hoeffel, James Matthews and Bruce Castor Jr.Montgomery County will not appeal Judge Stanley Ott's recent reaffirmation of his previous permission for the Barnes Foundation to move from Merion, PA, the county's communications director, John Corcoran, just informed me. And a spokesperson for the Friends of the … [Read more...] about News Flash: No Barnes Decision Appeal by Montgomery County UPDATED TWICE

Planned museum in Vilnius, LithuaniaPhoto: Zaha Hadid ArchitectsYesterday, in announcing that the planned Zaha Hadid-designed museum in Vilnius (above) had just gotten a green light from the Lithuanian government, many news organizations were reporting something similar to what the NY Times published, drawing upon a report from Agence France-Presse: The museum will build its … [Read more...] about Guggenheim in Vilnius? Maybe Not.

As promised in its new antiquities acquisition guidelines, the Association of Art Museum Directors has now created on its website what it calls an Object Registry. You need to read the description below the title to find out that this page has something to do with antiquities:The AAMD Object Registry provides access to all relevant information known about our members' … [Read more...] about AAMD’s New Antiquities Acquisitions Registry Now Online (but not the objects)

The Philadelphia Museum today announced that June 19 will be "A Day of Appreciation for Anne d'Harnoncourt," the museum's late director. The day will feature free museum admission, free Director's Delights audio tours (scroll down to the third on the list of "Art Tours"), and a 6 p.m. public gathering on the Museum's East Terrace for a tribute that will include a performance by … [Read more...] about More D’Harnoncourt Tributes: A Day of Appreciation; Official Memorial Service

Philippe will soon Exit. Who will hear the trustees say (above): "Welcome to the Met. Enter here"? My next post on this subject will probably be "Who WILL Succeed Philippe at the Met." But before that fateful choice is made, let me give the trustees my unsolicited and probably undesired opinion. I've been procrastinating on this post too long, but Kate Taylor, in … [Read more...] about Who Should Succeed Philippe at the Met? My Last Word (maybe)

Soutine catalogue raisonnée, co-authored by Klaus PerlsKlaus Perls, who died last week at the age of 96, was that rare art dealer whose knowledge of art and the art market was both scholarly and worldly. What's more, as I often had occasion to discover during my early days as an art-market reporter, he was generous, friendly and articulate in sharing all he knew. A former … [Read more...] about Perls of Wisdom: Nuggets from Late NYC Dealer Klaus Perls, 96

The results are now in:In its 8K-Report just filed with the SEC, Sotheby's reported that its operating income for the quarter ending June 30 with include "a non-recurring income statement benefit of approximately $18 million." That amount represents Sotheby's half-share of the value of unused antitrust settlement coupons (issued to compensate clients who were hurt by illegal … [Read more...] about Auction Houses’ $36-Million Antitrust Settlement Coupon Windfall

Anne d'Harnoncourt, the last time I saw her---at the Philadelphia Museum's celebration, January 2007, for "The Gross Clinic" donorsHere's my piece that appeared in the Sunday "Currents" section of the Philadelphia Inquirer---Her Art Came First: Anne d'Harnoncourt's Labor of Love. I felt ambivalent about doing it, only because there are many people who knew her much better than … [Read more...] about My Anne d’Harnoncourt Tribute in the Philadelphia Inquirer UPDATED

Drawing of the proposed Downtown WhitneyCourtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop in collaboration with Cooper, Robertson & PartnersIs Jonathan Borofsky's "Hammering Man" (in orange, above) the perfect accessory for any museum entrance?Entrance to Seattle Art MuseumBy Guest Blogger Martin FillerRenzo Piano breaks out of the box with his latest Whitney encore, but will it … [Read more...] about Martin Filler Strikes Again: Report from Whitney Downtown’s Press Luncheon

I guess Christie's lawyers were right in opining that the auction of the Maier Museum's Tamayo would not be impeded by the then pending lawsuit by plaintiffs who opposed Randolph College's decision to admit men and to sell four important artworks from its museum's collection.The Virginia Supreme Court today affirmed the previous decision by the Lynchburg, VA, Circuit Court, … [Read more...] about News Flash: Randolph College Wins in Court; Maier Museum’s Collection Loses

Linda Wolk-Simon, curator of drawings and prints at the Metropolitan MuseumAt Metropolitan Museum press lunches, I always manage to find someone at my table who's interesting to talk to. That's because everyone who works at the Met is, by definition, interesting. On Monday, I had the good fortune to enjoy an animated conversation with a feisty provocateur whom I'd never … [Read more...] about Sex and the Metropolitan: Linda Wolk-Simon Reveals All

"Restoration Rocks: Fragments of the Guggenheim"Have you always wanted to wear a piece of the Guggenheim? Now you can! Construction debris from the restoration of the New York flagship has been recycled into (among other things) a $395 necklace (above). The architectural artifacts are encased in "hand-crafted acrylic."Hey, it worked for Fallingwater: Go to the very end of my … [Read more...] about New Guggenheim Fundraiser: Construction Debris as Jewelry