Archives for May 2010

Ford Bell, president of the American Association of Museums, responds to New AAM Standards Defend Collections-at-Risk in University Museums:Many thanks for your piece about AAM's new guidelines for museums with parent organizations. I think it is an important step, given the turmoil we have seen in recent years. However, I want to stress that I had very little to do with these … [Read more...] about BlogBack: Ford Bell on AAM’s New Policy Defending University Museums

Ford Bell, president of the American Association of MuseumsWhen it comes to museum-governance issues of utmost importance, the American Association of Museums, under its proactive president, Ford Bell, doesn't merely issue suggested guidelines (the usual course taken by the more decorous Association of Art Museum Directors, with one notable exception).AAM shows it means … [Read more...] about New AAM Standards Defend Collections-at-Risk in University Museums

Laurie Norton Moffatt, executive director, Norman Rockwell MuseumWhile nosing around the Association of Art Museum Directors' website yesterday, I came upon this under-the-radar testimony by AAMD and the American Association of Museums to Congress in opposition to the ballyhooed Our Town initiative of Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.During a … [Read more...] about AAM, AAMD vs. Landesman’s “Our Town” Initiative (unless NEA funding increased) UPDATED

Museum of Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Xi'anI've been looking forward to traveling to China this October, but now I'm looking forward to it so much more!China Daily reports on an exciting new archaeological find in Xi'an, which, thanks to the famous (and much toured) terracotta warriors discovered there in the 1970s, is a city on every tourist's itinerary … [Read more...] about New Terracotta Warriors Discovered “in Rich Colors”!

Fright Night: Warhol's "Self Portrait," 1986, the top lot at Sotheby'sSotheby's turned in a solid performance at tonight's contemporary auction (which I watched from home, via live feed), with only three of the 53 works failing to find buyers. Bidders on the much touted red Rothko (displayed directly behind auctioneer Tobias Meyer during the entire course of the sale) were … [Read more...] about Violet Warhol Trumps Red Rothko at Sotheby’s Solid Contemporary Sale

Rothko, "Untitled," 1961, scheduled for auction tonight at Sotheby'sMark Rothko's 1961 untitled red abstraction, the highest-estimated lot in Sotheby's big contemporary sale tonight (at $18 million to $25 million), has suddenly become the subject of a lawsuit on the brink of the auction.Lindsay Pollock of Bloomberg reports:Marguerite Hoffman, a prominent Dallas art collector, … [Read more...] about Rothko Rumblings: Last-Minute Lawsuit by Prior Owner (not the consignor) of Sotheby’s Star Offering

Now you can! Here's a CultureGrrl audio podcast from the scene of the rapid-fire bidding on Jasper Johns' record-breaking "Flag" last night at Christie's (followed by the segue into the next lot, a Gursky priced in the hundred-thousands, not millions).Just click the left arrow: … [Read more...] about Wanna Hear Christopher Burge Auctioning the Johns “Flag”?

"The Three Graces," Roman, Imperial period, 2nd century A.D., copy of Greek work from 2nd century B.C., displayed in the Metropolitan Museum's Greek and Roman sculpture courtThe Metropolitan Museum months ago finalized a major antiquities acquisition, but you wouldn't know it from the museum's press announcements, nor from the marble sculpture's label in the … [Read more...] about “The Three Graces”: Metropolitan Museum’s Unannounced Acquisition UPDATED

Jasper Johns, "Flag," 1960-66, proudly hailed (and slightly blurry) at the postsale press conference at Christie's"Great night at Christie's tonight. Can't say more, but it was a thrill," tweeted Richard Rossello, managing director of Avery Galleries, Bryn Mawr, PA, at about 10:30 p.m. last night.The dealer, who does not include Jasper Johns in his inventory of pre-contemporary … [Read more...] about Michael Crichton’s Last Best Seller: An Auction House Page-Turner

Four devoted art-lings have now risen to the challenge. One particularly sympathetic patron has bestowed upon me the largest donation in CultureGrrl History! I'm starting to feel much less under-appreciated.My warm thanks to out to Repeat CultureGrrl Donors 127, 128 and 129 from Boston, Los Angeles and NYC; and new CultureGrrl Donor 130 from San Jose, CA.Who will be magic … [Read more...] about The CultureGrrl Challenge: An Update

In connection with yesterday's rattling of the tin cup, I should mention that I've lately been told that there are a number of arts professionals in my core audience who would love to support the blog, but would want to do so anonymously, so as not to appear to be trying to buy favorable coverage by clicking my "Donate" button. It's conflict-of-interest in reverse.You KNOW that … [Read more...] about Blogger Accounting: How to Donate Anonymously

With all my recent posts about the art market's high finance, I'm feeling more disconsolate than usual about CultureGrrl's low finance.So, arithmetic art-lings, here's a bit of Blogger Algebra:No Ads + No Donations = Zero PostsAny sum of CultureGrrl Classifieds or Donations that totals up to at least 5 shows of support (in any amount) breaks my silence. You KNOW that I've got a … [Read more...] about Blogger Accounting: Millions for Picasso, Zero for CultureGrrl

Workers adding pieces to "Big Bambú," a continuing work-in-progress I was looking forward to today's press luncheon at the Metropolitan Museum with more than my usual breathless anticipation, because the pre-chicken reception was located on the Roof Garden, where Doug + Mike Starn's scaleable bamboo forest, Big Bambú, is installed (and will continue rising to more complex … [Read more...] about Bamboozled by Bamboo: No Climbing for the Scribe Tribe on Met’s “Big Bambú”

I was in listen-only mode for Sotheby's conference call with stock analysts late Thursday to see if Bill Ruprecht, the firm's president and chief executive, would venture to repeat his misleading claim about Wednesday evening's Impressionist/modern sale results.He didn't.While he twice boasted that Sotheby's Impressionist/modern total was three times what it had been last year, … [Read more...] about Truth-in-Accounting: Bill Ruprecht Gets the Message

Final Hammer: The $95-million (plus buyer's premium) PicassoIt's so easy to be cynical about moguls who lavish incredible sums of money on works of art, especially if you happen to be an impecunious art critic who can't afford a square inch of a 1932 Picasso. (I surely fall into that category.)If you read Holland Cotter's jaded commentary in today's NY Times about the … [Read more...] about Megabucks Collectors: Are They Trophy-Hunting Philistines?