Category: visual

“It was the first national museum in the world but had nothing nationalist in its purpose, and it remains one of the great achievements of the Enlightenment, an enduring statement that the public realm is intellectual and spiritual as well as physical and economic, and excludes nobody. In 18th-century Europe, this was a uniquely British contribution. Indeed, it still is today.”

“Neil MacGregor, its director, said that, like any object in its collection, a loan would be possible if the Greek Government acknowledged the museum’s ownership of the sculptures. The Greek authorities hailed his comments as unprecedented. One source told The Times: ‘This is the first time they’ve ever said they’d let them out of the museum. We’ve said we’re not disputing the ownership’.”

The Barnes Foundation, which is in the planning stages of a controversial move from Lower Merion, PA to central Philadelphia, has received a $5 million challenge grant to help it build “a permanent endowment for scholarly studies…[The Barnes] has already raised $150 million toward a new building in Philadelphia, programs and endowment. An additional $50 million is being sought to further bolster the endowment.”

“No one wants to gather rosebuds, it seems. For the second time in five years, the Canadian owners of Sir John William Waterhouse’s Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May have withdrawn their large and luscious Pre-Raphaelite oil painting from auction. The painting, an oil-on-canvas allegory of the transience of youth and beauty, failed to reach what its vendors regarded as its minimum value at a Sotheby’s bidding room in New York yesterday afternoon. Sotheby’s catalogue had listed an expected price range of $1.75-million to $2.5-million.”

Portland Oregon has a new tram connecting up two parts of the city. That it is a beautiful example of urban design is due in no small measure to The Oregonian’s architecture critic Randy Gragg, who has prodded those responsible for building it to make it great.

“A medieval gilt-copper and enamel relief of Christ, thought to have come from a Spanish cathedral, and a 19th century portrait of a lady in her pink velvet dressing gown by French artist James Jacques Joseph Tissot have joined the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum. The new acquisitions — purchased privately for undisclosed sums in an ongoing effort to build the relatively young institution’s art holdings — will go on view in May.”

It was more than a half century ago when New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art turned its Greek and Roman art wing into a restaurant. Now, after a staggering 15-year, $220 million renovation, the wing is once again ready to house the museum’s 5,300-piece Greek and Roman collection. The original architecture itself pays tribute to its Roman roots, and that made new architect Kevin Roche’s job a particular challenge.

Last year Chicago’s Merchandise Mart bought the Chicago Art Fair. Now the fair is being relaunched. “According to Chris Kennedy, the president of MMP, the Mart decided to rebuild Art Chicago as a public-private partnership similar to Art Basel. He said that since the best galleries won’t come to an art fair unless great collectors attend, the Mart has created a host committee of cultural leaders and a VIP programme to entice top buyers.”

“What is changing is the nature of the market. It is now global, and dealers and auction houses need to source inventory and service customers from all over the world, particularly the new rich economies such as Russia, China and India. This, as well as the soaring price of art, means that much larger investment is necessary: all the players need solid financial muscle to be able to buy inventory, compete in obtaining consignments and look after their artists.”