Something very strange has happened. The NY Times includes articles on its Art & Design webpage going back to Nov. 22, but it has deleted the link to yesterday's story by Randy Kennedy that followed (and referenced) my Friday post about the National Academy's secret art sales. (Kennedy's piece is likewise missing from the Times' general Arts webpage.)You can still read the … [Read more...] about NY Times Erases National Academy Deaccession Story
Archives for December 2008
“Lee Rosenbaum” (not alter ego, “CultureGrrl”) in NY Times Today
One small step for newspapers, one giant step for the NY Times.The last time that the Times cited me and my blog (more than two years ago), its online editors refused to link to CultureGrrl, informing me that the Times then linked exclusively to its own web pages, not to external sites.Today, in Randy Kennedy's catch-up article on the National Academy's secret art sales, I am … [Read more...] about “Lee Rosenbaum” (not alter ego, “CultureGrrl”) in NY Times Today
Auction House Privately Handled the National Academy Sales; Two More Possible Disposals Identified
I now have it from two sources who requested anonymity---one of whom is 100% unimpeachable---that Sotheby's brokered the private sale of the National Academy's Frederic Church and Sanford Gifford, and that the following are the two other Academy works whose sale is being considered (assuming that its officials haven't thought better of it, in light of the Association of Art … [Read more...] about Auction House Privately Handled the National Academy Sales; Two More Possible Disposals Identified
AAMD Censures National Academy, Calls on Members to End Loans and Collaboration on Exhibitions
[More on this story here.] This statement just in from the Association of Art Museum Directors, regarding the news, first reported by CultureGrrl, that the National Academy Museum had sold two masterworks to fund operations: Art museums collect works of art for the benefit of present and future generations. The conservation, exhibition, and study of the collection are the … [Read more...] about AAMD Censures National Academy, Calls on Members to End Loans and Collaboration on Exhibitions
Third Annual Art Basel Miami Sour Grapes Soufflé
That's right, art-lings. I'm not there again. But neither are a lot of other people. I was just ahead of my time:In today's Wall Street Journal, Kelly Crow gives a comprehensive bad-news report on the scene at Art Basel Miami, where "crowds and sales have dropped off."Alexandra Peers and Erica Orden in NY Magazine give us the then-and-now comparison of a hot art fair in a cold … [Read more...] about Third Annual Art Basel Miami Sour Grapes Soufflé
Stealth Deaccessions: National Academy Sells Major Works by Church and Gifford UPDATED
Frederic Edwin Church, "Scene on the Magdalene," 1854Sanford Robinson Gifford, "Mt. Mansfield," 1859[More developments on this story here and here.]It's been the subject of rumor among American art dealers and experts but, as far as I know, this news has not yet hit the press: In a troubling development that may become more common in these financially trying times, the National … [Read more...] about Stealth Deaccessions: National Academy Sells Major Works by Church and Gifford UPDATED
Obama Arts and Humanities Appointments: Chairmanships Open at NEA and NEH
Country Singer Lee Greenwood, President Bush's recent appointee to the National Council on the Arts With Hillary named to become Secretary of State and the arts candidate, Bill Richardson, just named as Commerce Secretary, clearly the most important posts left for President-Elect Barack Obama to fill are the chairmanships of the National Endowment for the Arts and the … [Read more...] about Obama Arts and Humanities Appointments: Chairmanships Open at NEA and NEH
Attention Met Museumologists: Fiscal 2008 Report Now Online
Albert Bierstadt, "Rocky Mountain Goats," ca. 1885, sold by the Met for $481,000 As I mentioned in passing here, the latest installment of Metropolitan Museum annual reports, always a must-read for museum wonks, is now online.I've already told you about the operating deficit of $3.22 million for the year ended June 30, compared to the surplus of $2.63 million the previous … [Read more...] about Attention Met Museumologists: Fiscal 2008 Report Now Online
NY Times Antiquities Op-Ed: Waxman Waxes Indignantly Over Museum “Sins of Omission”
The Euphronios krater in its last days at the Met Yesterday was apparently Tom Campbell's day to be bombarded with advice neither solicited nor desired. It wasn't just my Ten Suggestions, presumptuously instructing the Met's director-elect on how he should run the show. It was also Sharon Waxman's NY Times piece on yesterday's Op-Ed page---How Did That Vase Wind Up in the … [Read more...] about NY Times Antiquities Op-Ed: Waxman Waxes Indignantly Over Museum “Sins of Omission”
Ten Suggestions for Tom Campbell, Incoming Director at the Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Here's hoping that the Metropolitan Museum's new director, Tom Campbell, will hit the ground running when he assumes his prestigious post one month from today. He's been at the institution for 13 years, knows the players, and will have had the benefit of four months of intensive on-site training. There's no reason for him to be tentative or … [Read more...] about Ten Suggestions for Tom Campbell, Incoming Director at the Met