Considered a giant in the museum field, Lonnie Bunch, 66, becomes the 14th secretary of the quasi-federal institution, responsible for a $1.5 billion annual budget that supports 19 museums, nine research centers and the National Zoo. He is the first Smithsonian director to ascend to the secretary’s post in 74 years and starts his new job June 16. – Washington Post
Category: visual
Oh, Forget It, It’s Probably Fake Anyway: Louvre Gives Up On Borrowing ‘Salvator Mundi’ For Its Leonardo 500 Show, Says Author
Ben Lewis, who wrote a recent book on the history of Salvator Mundi, says curators at the Louvre don’t believe the $450 million painting is entirely Leonardo’s work and wouldn’t exhibit it as such. – The Guardian
The Prado Is Developing An Emergency Evacuation Plan For Its Art
“[The expert engaged for the project] has 22 months to identify potential risks to the world-famous museum, such as fires, theft or terrorist attacks, and to come up with ‘a massive evacuation plan’ for the artwork” — including a list of the 250 “most important” items to be secured first. – El País (Spain)
Desperate Front-Line Staff At Louvre Declare One-Day Strike
“The Sud Culture Solidaires trade union said in a statement that the Louvre was ‘suffocating’ and staff were being overwhelmed by the number of visitors. … ‘More than 10 million people visited the Louvre in 2018. Although visitor numbers have grown by more than 20 percent since 2009 … staff numbers are falling.'” – Yahoo! (AFP)
Louvre Will Offer Off-Hours Tours At €30 A Head
The stated idea behind the tours is to attract Parisians who avoid the museum because of the massive crowds of tourists. If that’s the case, though, why are the tours being offered through Airbnb? – Hyperallergic
Boston’s Museum Of Fine Arts Forced To Apologize After Middle School Students Were Racially Profiled
The students were at the museum as a reward, but were subjected to racist comments and scrutinized by guards. – Washington Post
Banksy Shows Up In Venice Anyway…
Never invited to be the part of Venice Biennale, undeterred, Banksy once again invited himself to showcase his work. Using the pop-up stand that typically sells tacky paintings and souvenirs, he assembled a selection of 9 works that collectively built the image of a massive cruise ship blocking the city. – Juxtapoz
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unbuilt Projects Turned Into 3D Images
Spanish architect David Romero, has been using advanced techniques of 3-D representation over the last few years to transform those visions into images so detailed they almost look like contemporary photographs. – CityLab
Paris Announces A Major New Park At The Eiffel Tower
Anchored by the Eiffel Tower, the park will connect the Place du Trocadéro, the Palais de Chaillot, the Pont d’Iéna, the Champ-de-Mars, and the École Militaire. – Architectural Digest
Artist Creates Stamp To Convert $20-Bills Into Harriet Tubmans
“I was inspired by the news that Harriet Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, and subsequently saddened by the news that the Trump administration was walking back that plan. So I created a stamp to convert Jacksons into Tubmans myself. I have been stamping $20 bills and entering them into circulation for the last year, and gifting stamps to friends to do the same.” – Hyperallergic