Category: visual

“Israel has demanded the removal of a ‘horrifying’ exhibit at the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam that includes caricatures comparing Ariel Sharon to Adolf Hitler.”

The Barnes Foundation could raise $50 million by selling off some of its art. Though some of the artworld establishment would frown on the idea, selling some assets might allow the Barnes to stay where it is without moving to Philadelphia. The judge hearing a motion to relocate said last week: “If it appears that adequate capital can be produced [through a sale], the ethical problems presented thereby may have to yield to the donor’s expressed wishes.”

In 1860, Western powers pillaged the Summer Palace outside Beijing and carted off some of its treasures. A hundred-and-forty-something years later, wealthy Chinese are buying back the bronzes looted from the palace. “Among the Chinese people, it’s a crowd-pleasing campaign. They still feel bitter resentment at the thuggery of the invading Western powers that exploited China’s weakness in the 19th century.”

Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization has told the United Nations it is ready to help restore Iraq’s cultural heritage. “Iraqi historical heritage is considered part of the cultural and civilization sphere of Iran. That’s why their restoration and preservation is important for Iranian culture and religion.”

A Greek museum has refused a request from London’s National Gallery for the loan of an el Greco painting, because Greek officials are worried the work might be confiscated. A Swiss man has claimed ownership of he painting, which he says was stolen by the Nazis.

An artist trying to depict Christ faces a series of challenges, writes Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The challenges have evolved over time, but “all in all, it is no surprise the contemporary depiction of Christ is so complex a task.”

Where is the line between photo-journalism and art? “On the aesthetic side, many photographers are going through a soul-searching similar to that of painters in the late 1800s when, for some at least, photography made figurative, naturalistic work redundant. Now photographers are questioning their own realistic conventions and, above all, reacting against the new digital technology.”

There’s at least one Ground Zero project that appears as though it will be done right – the new PATH train terminal. “Here is how it happened: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, acting on its own, invited qualified professionals to apply for the job and selected Mr. Calatrava, the presiding master builder of bridges, airports and rail stations. No jury. No pandering to populism. No public performances. Alternate proposals were not displayed and debated. The result was presented, and the reaction has been appropriately ecstatic.”

For the first time, the Smithsonian has put control of its five art museums under the control of one person. The new director is Ned Rifkin, director of the Hirshhorn Museum. “The Smithsonian’s art museums have previously been overseen by two under-secretaries, and the science museums by a third. Now, for the first time in its 168-year history, the Smithsonian’s vast art collections, research, public and outreach programmes have been brought together under one manager, and art has gained a measure of parity with science and history, the Smithsonian’s traditional areas of focus.”

The Art Newspaper is out with its annual survey of museum attendance. “Our survey of exhibition attendance in 2003 reveals a decline in the number of visitors to museum shows on both sides of the Atlantic. Only 190 exhibitions in this survey pulled in more than 1,000 visitors a day in 2003, compared with 215 in 2002. In 2002, over 320 shows attracted more than 760 visitors a day while in 2003, only 259 exhibitions hit the same target. The reasons for this fall can be found in the global economic slump and the decline in international tourism which followed the war in Iraq.”