The long multifarious careers celebrated in the two felicitously concurrent monumental retrospectives that are now electrifying New York---Picasso Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art and Frank Stella at the Whitney Museum (both closing on Feb. 7)---invite critical comparison, which, to my knowledge, they have not yet received. Both shows cover a roughly 60-year span, but … [Read more...] about Picasso at MoMA, Stella at Whitney: One Grand Retrospective Informs Another
“Mission Accomplished”? Izabela Depczyk Out as Publisher of In-Flux ARTnews
Arriving last week, my December issue of ARTnews magazine included an inserted letter, signed by Izabela Depczyk, publisher and CEO of Artnews S.A., informing subscribers that "ARTnews will be a quarterly publication, publishing four issues a year," beginning this February: Today Artnews S.A. announced that Depczyk has resigned her positions for the usual cryptic … [Read more...] about “Mission Accomplished”? Izabela Depczyk Out as Publisher of In-Flux ARTnews
Scrapping of Maurer Show Revealed As National Academy Finally Announces Director’s Resignation
The National Academy's very belated official statement announcing the resignation of director Carmine Branagan and the appointment of Maura Reilly has just hit my inbox, in the same form that I reported to you last Tuesday. Meanwhile, revelations sent to me by Brian Allen, who directed the Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, for nearly 10 years … [Read more...] about Scrapping of Maurer Show Revealed As National Academy Finally Announces Director’s Resignation
Leaked Release: National Academy’s Feel-Good Statement on Carmine Branagan’s Departure
The chaotic, unprofessional rollout of the National Academy's leadership transition (which I chronicled in the above-linked posts) continues with today's anonymous leak to me of the very overdue, nearly finalized press release, to be issued on Monday (subject to approval by key board members). In it, the Academy's president, Bruce Fowle, expresses the institution's … [Read more...] about Leaked Release: National Academy’s Feel-Good Statement on Carmine Branagan’s Departure
Sugarcoating Gonzalez-Torres’ Candy: Crystal Bridges Updates from NW Arkansas Business Journal & Me
What has Alice Walton's generously endowed startup, which just celebrated its fourth anniversary, been up to lately? In Richard Massey's lead article in today's Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, he reports on upcoming programs and exhibitions at Bentonville's Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and briefly touches upon future acquisitions, relying on a quote from me … [Read more...] about Sugarcoating Gonzalez-Torres’ Candy: Crystal Bridges Updates from NW Arkansas Business Journal & Me
Carnage and Kentridge: Metropolitan Opera’s “Lulu,” Then and Now
Enriched by more than four decades of avid museum- and performance-going, I'm both blessed and cursed with having seen so many definitive exhibitions and performances that I'm hard to impress. I was knocked out and drained by the Metropolitan Opera's presentation of Alban Berg's savage "Lulu"---the one in 1980, with the emotionally intense Teresa Stratas in the title role and … [Read more...] about Carnage and Kentridge: Metropolitan Opera’s “Lulu,” Then and Now
Whitney Museum’s Adam Weinberg Movingly Mourns Paris Massacre’s Impact on Creative Community (with video)
Addressing the press on Tuesday, the Metropolitan Museum's director, Tom Campbell, had reacted to the Paris massacre forcefully but formally, detailing how his institution had mentored colleagues from countries in crisis. Yesterday, the Whitney Museum's director, Adam Weinberg, showed how to make it personal and heartfelt. At a press preview of an exhibition … [Read more...] about Whitney Museum’s Adam Weinberg Movingly Mourns Paris Massacre’s Impact on Creative Community (with video)
Another Rough Night: Sotheby’s Underperforming Sale of Alfred Taubman’s American Art
With a total of $13.04 million (including the buyer's premium), the auction at Sotheby's tonight of 31 works from A. Alfred Taubman's American art collection (eight of which failed to sell) will be of little help in reducing the formidable $95-million gap between the $420 million that two previous sales from his collection have brought and the $515 million that the auction … [Read more...] about Another Rough Night: Sotheby’s Underperforming Sale of Alfred Taubman’s American Art
Tom Campbell of Metropolitan Museum Responds to L’Horreur in Paris (with video)
It wasn't as scary as the sight of heavily armed police in a bullet-proof vests Saturday night at Lincoln Center (where I attended the hyperactive William Kentridge production of Alban Berg's "Lulu" at the Metropolitan Opera). But (without giving away the details) it was clear to me, when I entered the garage of the Metropolitan Museum to attend its press lunch today, … [Read more...] about Tom Campbell of Metropolitan Museum Responds to L’Horreur in Paris (with video)
Sotheby’s Buyout Bombshell: Turning Towards the “Less-Tenured”
Maybe the Sotheby's buyout bombshell (first reported Friday by Bloomberg's Katya Kazakina) shouldn't have come as a shock: This purge was foreshadowed by CEO Tad Smith's cryptic comments in last Monday's quarterly conference call with stock analysts: One of the most delightful surprises of the year has been how many excellent, less-tenured staff appeared on our initial list … [Read more...] about Sotheby’s Buyout Bombshell: Turning Towards the “Less-Tenured”
Taubman’s Revenge? Sotheby’s Gavel-Busting $515-Million Guarantee
My misgivings about how Sotheby's success in winning the A. Alfred Taubman consignment might backfire, which I voiced early last month in an interview with a British reporter, now appear to be on the money. At the end of his Oct. 10 London Times article---Sotheby's Gambles on $500m Art Sale (paywalled)---investigative reporter Alexi Mostrous gave me the last word: The art … [Read more...] about Taubman’s Revenge? Sotheby’s Gavel-Busting $515-Million Guarantee
Camp GoPro: Acoustics Theatrics from Dr. CultureDaughter (with video)
WARNING: PROUD MOM ALERT! Dr. CultureDaughter, an acoustic design engineer at GoPro, goes to camp, Silicon-Valley Style. You'll see her wielding the HERO4 Session video camera (which she worked on), released last July, and using a Slinky to illustrate sound waves to enthusiastic young attendees at Curiosity Camp. I became more interested in getting a GoPro for myself … [Read more...] about Camp GoPro: Acoustics Theatrics from Dr. CultureDaughter (with video)
Twombly Blackboard Helps Sotheby’s Chalk Up a Solid Contemporary Sale
Christie's, the recent market leader in major contemporary art sales, has less to crow about this week: Its uneven sale last night (during which I was on flights back home from Hawaii) made Sotheby's contemporary sale tonight look good. (For my report on Christie's erratic "Artist's Muse" sale Monday, headlined by the immodest Modigliani, go here.) As you'll learn in my … [Read more...] about Twombly Blackboard Helps Sotheby’s Chalk Up a Solid Contemporary Sale
“The Artist’s Muse”: $170.4-Million Modigliani Doesn’t Float All Boats at Christie’s
While the rest of the scribe tribe has moved on to parsing tonight's contemporary auction at Christie's, here's my recap of the same auction house's attempt last night to repeat the breakout success of its similarly eclectic Looking Forward to the Past sale last season. No such luck. While the $170.4-million price for the star lot of "Muse"---Modigliani's 1917-18 … [Read more...] about “The Artist’s Muse”: $170.4-Million Modigliani Doesn’t Float All Boats at Christie’s
Taubman Was No Havemeyer: Sotheby’s Rough Night (My Live Tweets)
A lot was riding on Sotheby's "Masterworks" sale from the Taubman Collection tonight, and it was a rough ride. Luckily, I'll be traveling starting tomorrow, which means that I'm unlikely to post on the other big auctions until after my return. As you'll see below, not only was the bidding erratic, but so was the sale's souped-up technology. And what was CEO Tad Smith … [Read more...] about Taubman Was No Havemeyer: Sotheby’s Rough Night (My Live Tweets)