“But after a rocky start as a contemporary art and education center when it moved into its new building by architect Steven Holl—a willful building easily blamed for everything that was wrong with BAM, despite more intractable difficulties with the Eastside institution’s identity and philanthropy—BAM went on to become artistically unique, creative, and surprising.”
Category: visual
Roy Lichtenstein Sure Loved L.A. (Or So Angelenos Claim)
“The New York art world, while burgeoning and exciting, was also pretty insular. Lichtenstein came out here, and he felt free.”
The Mysterious And Winding Path To Publishing, In English, Writing By Magritte
“Weirdly, a fully translated (albeit rough and typewritten) manuscript of Magritte’s Selected Writings by the now-dead translator Jo Levy had been languishing in an archive in Caen, France for close to 30 years, unbeknownst to just about anyone.”
The Met Gets Sued For One Of Its Best Picassos
“The estate of a German Jewish businessman sued the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Friday in an effort to claim one of its most valuable Picassos, ‘The Actor,’ asserting in court papers that the museum does not hold good title to the painting because the businessman was forced to sell it at a low price after fleeing the Nazis.”
Is It Ethical For A Museum To Mount A Show Where The ‘Guest Curator’ Owns Most Of The Art?
“A solo private collection show is difficult for a museum to justify, because it restricts curatorial independence in telling art’s story. However, in my experience, crediting the collector as co-curator is almost unprecedented for a major museum.”
The Rise Of The New, Spiritual Museum
“Today’s shift from particular religions to a generalised spirituality is a global trend noted by architects as well as theologians—Daniel Libeskind has spoken about it since his design for Berlin’s Jewish Museum in the 1990s. It is most evident in the way the iconic museum employs connotations to nature and the cosmos.”
The Holocaust Survivor, And The Museum, Using Art To Teach Schoolkids In Los Angeles
“For students, it can be hard to express their emotions and thoughts. … For these talks, we don’t ask them to write an essay. In this way, they can express themselves more fully without fear of judgment.”
Will Our Phones Be Essential Tools When We Visit The Museum?
“Museum directors are grappling with how technology has changed the ways people engage with exhibits. But instead of fighting it, some institutions are using technology to convince the public that, far from becoming obsolete, museums are more vital than ever before. Here’s what those efforts look like.”
Designers Rank The Best Album Covers Of All Time
So what makes a good album cover design? It should make a statement and convey something of the character of the band and the music inside…
Petra, The Ancient City Carved From Desert Rock, Had Gardens, Fountains, And A Swimming Pool, Archaeologists Find
“Recent excavations at Petra have revealed a startlingly advanced irrigation system and water storage system that enabled the desert city’s people to survive – and to maintain a magnificent garden featuring fountains, ponds and a huge swimming pool. The engineering feats and other luxuries attest to the ancient Nabatean capital’s former splendor and wealth some 2,000 years ago.”