Category: visual

“On Thursday, the Egyptian government said it is downgrading the antiquities department from a ministry to an office reporting to the prime minister, reversing a decision by former president Hosni Mubarak in the last days of his rule to elevate its status. Mr. Hawass was pushed out, along with several other cabinet members, as part of an effort by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to appease protesters who had returned to Tahrir Square to demand further changes in the government.”

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum will close for nine weeks, starting Nov. 15, as the museum readies its new wing for a January opening.

“Egypt’s antiquities department has been downgraded from a ministry to a cabinet-affiliated office … [The country’s] antiquities agency had been elevated to a ministry by the former president, Hosni Mubarak, in the last days of his rule; previously it had been under the Ministry of Culture.”

The Pendleton woolen mill in Oregon, founded in 1893, “played a huge role – perhaps more than any one Indian tribe – in creating these distinctive patterns. Pendleton’s early designers were instrumental in shaping modern conceptions of what Native American designs look like.” (And Pendleton blankets were hugely popular among Native Americans themselves.)

“If you visit the British Museum this summer the sheer crowd numbers startle. How about turning that popularity into money? We can’t let recent progress in our galleries and museums be destroyed by a cost-cutting mentality that first freezes, then rolls back, everything that has been achieved.”

“The museum’s director has departed, its board no longer meets, its offices are abandoned, and the museum’s state license to solicit donations has lapsed. Some people who donated artifacts to the museum years ago have demanded them back.”

“In March, international teams of experts and Afghan officials at a Unesco meeting in Paris announced that a total reconstruction of either sculpture is not being considered. And while participants agreed to leave the larger niche empty to highlight the Buddhas’ violent destruction, a feasibility study may be conducted at a future date regarding a partial reconstruction of the smaller Buddha.”

“The biggest news Mr. Prince’s collectors have to absorb now, though, may be that the paintings they bought from Gagosian Gallery not only can’t be displayed; it’s also likely they can’t be resold except, conceivably, on the black market (unless the court’s decision is overruled on appeal, a process that could take years).”

Christie’s president Edward Dolman is resigning from his post after 27 years of service to become the managing director of the Qatar Museums Authority.

“Some 58% of those surveyed said they had suffered cuts in some form. Of those hit by cuts in excess of a quarter of their overall budget, 86% said they had cut staff, while half had reduced their opening hours. Nearly half of all respondents also believed the quality of their service will worsen over the next year.”