Italian Judge Giacomo Gasparini's June 8 decision giving the laurel wreath to Team Italy in the Olympian legal contest over the Getty Bronze seems to me persuasively well-reasoned (although awkwardly worded in the Getty's 46-page translation). Americans who (like me) have ogled the Getty Museum's celebrated nude would be loath to lose one of the world's few surviving … [Read more...] about Antiquities Ambiguities: Parsing the Legal Arguments in the Battle of the Getty Bronze
Never-Ending Saga of “The Getty Bronze”: Italian Criminal Judge Rules It Belongs to Italy
In the latest development in a tangled legal dispute that will probably outlive us all, the J. Paul Getty Trust announced that it plans to file an appeal with Italy's Court of Cassation of a June 8 Italian criminal court decision calling for the California museum to relinquish its celebrated statue, "The Victorious Youth" (aka "the Getty Bronze"). For now, it's the … [Read more...] about Never-Ending Saga of “The Getty Bronze”: Italian Criminal Judge Rules It Belongs to Italy
Infernal “Heavenly Bodies”: How the Directorless Metropolitan Museum Went Astray
Where's Max Hollein when we really need him? Several "what-were-they-thinking?" moments jolted me recently at the Metropolitan Museum, reaffirming my belief in a bedrock principle of museum management: An art museum, particularly a complicated operation like the Met, needs a director who has had substantial curatorial experience and also, preferably, has served elsewhere as … [Read more...] about Infernal “Heavenly Bodies”: How the Directorless Metropolitan Museum Went Astray
Deaccession Deception: Baltimore Museum’s Castoffs Leave Holes in Its Collection
Christopher Bedford, director of the Baltimore Museum of Art, said all the right things in explaining his decision to deaccession seven of the museum's works in order to purchase works "created from 1943 or later, allowing the museum to strengthen and fill gaps within its collection [emphasis added]." In the recent press release announcing the planned disposals, Bedford … [Read more...] about Deaccession Deception: Baltimore Museum’s Castoffs Leave Holes in Its Collection
Berkshire Museum’s Murky “Transparency”: Parsing the Half-Truths in Its “Open Letter”
If this is transparency, we can only wonder what opacity looks like. The Berkshire Museum today posted an open letter to its community that is intended to show its "commitment to transparency, cooperation, outreach," according to an email from its spokesperson that hit my inbox late this afternoon. But the "open letter" was less than transparent in describing what … [Read more...] about Berkshire Museum’s Murky “Transparency”: Parsing the Half-Truths in Its “Open Letter”
AAMD Sanctions Berkshire Museum and La Salle University Art Museum (& what it should do next)
We knew this was coming (for what it's worth). The Association of Art Museum Directors today issued this statement: The Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) announced today that its Board of Trustees has voted to impose sanctions on the Berkshire Museum and the La Salle University Art Museum. This follows the decision made by each institution to use the proceeds from … [Read more...] about AAMD Sanctions Berkshire Museum and La Salle University Art Museum (& what it should do next)
“Shaftsbury” Shafted; Church Besmirched: The Berkshire Museum’s Lose-Lose Auctions
The Berkshire Museum's deplorable disposals have not gone well. Even its board president, in a statement issued yesterday (see below), conceded that the museum was "disappointed" with the results for the 13 works offered at Sotheby's auctions this month. The museum's board and administrators should consider holding onto their remaining chips from this bad gamble, rather than … [Read more...] about “Shaftsbury” Shafted; Church Besmirched: The Berkshire Museum’s Lose-Lose Auctions
Gloom at the Top: Why Megabucks Auctions Are Broken (and how to fix them)
The thrill is gone. For several of the highest-estimated properties in the recent series of Impressionist, modern and contemporary sales at Sotheby's and Christie's, the "auction fever" of yesteryear has given way to single-bid transfers of artworks (after a few feigned "chandelier" bids, lobbed by the auctioneers). Bargains are struck in advance with third-party … [Read more...] about Gloom at the Top: Why Megabucks Auctions Are Broken (and how to fix them)
Picasso Fiasco: CultureGrrl Q&A with Mike Kosnitzky, Lawyer for Steve Wynn’s New Company UPDATED & CORRECTED
In my previous post about the astonishing news that unspecified damage was done at Christie's on Friday to Picasso's “Le Marin,” 1943 (which had been estimated to bring around $70 million in Tuesday's Impressionist/Modern Art auction), I had suggested that the auction house's reticence might have been related to the situation's being "in the hands of the lawyers (as happened … [Read more...] about Picasso Fiasco: CultureGrrl Q&A with Mike Kosnitzky, Lawyer for Steve Wynn’s New Company UPDATED & CORRECTED
Barker Lark: Oliver Makes Auctions Fun Again at Sotheby’s Revival Meeting (aka Contemporary Sale)
At last, someone knows how to play this game: It's Oliver Barker, the Sotheby's auctioneer who succeeded in whipping up a spirited $284.54-million Contemporary Art sale tonight (preceded by the Mandel Collection's $107.8-million opening act), playing the crowd with cheery exhortations, while moving things briskly along. The hammer total for the Contemporary sale was … [Read more...] about Barker Lark: Oliver Makes Auctions Fun Again at Sotheby’s Revival Meeting (aka Contemporary Sale)
Ballyhooed Nude, Picasso Fiasco: Misadventures at Impressionist/Modern Sales at Sotheby’s & Christie’s
How did Sotheby's manage to be deprecated on Monday for achieving a price of $157.2-million for a Modigliani reclining nude---the highest amount ever paid at that firm for a single artwork? The auction house was seen as under-achieving, because this indolent lady's $139-million hammer price was on the backside of her presale estimate---"in excess of $150 million." As … [Read more...] about Ballyhooed Nude, Picasso Fiasco: Misadventures at Impressionist/Modern Sales at Sotheby’s & Christie’s
American Success Story: Rockefeller’s & George Washington’s Conquest of Christie’s
For the second night in a row, bidding on the Rockefeller Collection at Christie's handily outstripped the low presale estimate. In a livelier session (thanks to the verve of auctioneer Tash Perrin, said to be taking her first evening sale), 41 lots of David Rockefeller's American art fetched a hammer total of $90.5m, doubling the low estimate of hammer total. Is there … [Read more...] about American Success Story: Rockefeller’s & George Washington’s Conquest of Christie’s
“Are We All Done?” Christie’s Delivers a Dull (but effective) “Sale of the Century” Debut
Maybe I'm getting jaded, but tonight's first installment of the "Sale of the Century"---the David Rockefeller estate disposals at Christie's---seemed to me as exciting as a wet blanket. (I suppose that would be me.) I have to admit, though, that I was probably wrong in believing that the billion-dollar sales predictions for the entire Rockefeller series were merely wishful … [Read more...] about “Are We All Done?” Christie’s Delivers a Dull (but effective) “Sale of the Century” Debut
Rocky Rockefeller Predictions: Estimated “in Excess of $500,000,” But Hyped as “a Billion-Dollar Sale”
With a lot riding on this week's results of the David Rockefeller estate's purported "Sale(s) of the Century," several news publications have upped the ante, impetuously recasting the series of auctions, estimated by Christie's to bring "in excess of $500,000," as potentially a "billion-dollar sale." That's a whole lot of "excess" over the $500,000, and a high hurdle to … [Read more...] about Rocky Rockefeller Predictions: Estimated “in Excess of $500,000,” But Hyped as “a Billion-Dollar Sale”
Two Takes on How Christie’s Won the Rockefeller Consignment (plus: CultureGrrl’s Video Tour)
How did Christie's manage to best Sotheby's in landing the hotly contested, monumental David Rockefeller consignment? That trove goes on the block next week, led by this waif, who carries the sales' heftiest presale estimate on her fragile shoulders. Ask why she's gone to Christie's, and you'll get two different answers, depending on which auction house you speak … [Read more...] about Two Takes on How Christie’s Won the Rockefeller Consignment (plus: CultureGrrl’s Video Tour)