Category: visual

“Very few people leave college these days with the kind of well-developed reverence for high culture that would make it easy to know how to behave in a museum. Most students go to college to learn technological, financial, or managerial skills, and can acquire culture capital outside the traditional ensemble of highbrow pursuits. And those few who do end up majoring in English or art history will likely learn that reverence toward high culture is no longer so fashionable.”

“An extensive redesign of its Great Hall has transformed it into an imposing space, defined by a dense grid of classical columns and 24-foot-high ceilings.”

“This extraordinary cathedral made from salvaged materials has steadily risen over the past 50 years in a quiet Madrid neighborhood. Justo Martinez … has been working on the massive undertaking nearly single-handedly ever since he had to leave an order of monks due to illness.”

“Worryingly for investors, the difficulty of analyzing the criteria of success extends to the whole span of contemporary art. One reason is that it is often impossible to define the style of the artist.”

“[M]iniature golf – that kitschy trope of suburban life – has become a medium of choice for [some] contemporary artists. … Curators say the chance to play with art brings visitors who would never dream of going to a typical museum exhibit. Artists see an opportunity, too; many never imagined showing their work to such large – or enthusiastic – audiences.”

“The idea to force the University of Iowa to sell its $150 million Jackson Pollock painting has officially died in the legislature. The reason: The issue has become so cumbersomely emotional that reaching consensus is unlikely, the legislator pushing for the sale said today.”

“Over the past three years, the group’s installations and performances have included organising the mock execution of migrant workers in a Moscow supermarket, an impromptu expletive-filled punk rock performance in a courtroom, throwing live cats at McDonald’s cashiers and painting an enormous penis on a bridge in St Petersburg.”

“Mona Lisa has been securely identified by Vasari as Lisa Gherardini, wife of the Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo … There is therefore no call for further speculation about who the original of the Mona Lisa might be, and yet it goes on.”

“According to the Mei/Moses All Art Index, a measure of fine art’s long-term price performance, works of art posted a return of 16.6 per cent last year, outpacing the 15.1 per cent total return for the S&P 500 stock index.”

“On Sunday, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which is just off Tahrir Square and which served as an embattled backdrop during the protests, opened its doors again, and museum workers handed roses to the few visitors who came to see its treasures. The galleries of the museum, which are usually bustling, were nearly empty throughout the day.”