Category: visual

The museum said it had hoped to create an “interactive experience,” helping museum goers appreciate the rich details, embroidery and fine materials of the garments. It said similar events took place when the painting, depicting a woman in a kimono, travelled throughout Japan for an exhibition. But protesters have held signs at the Boston museum’s events, calling them “racist” and “imperialist.”

“About 2,000 kilometers, or 30%, of the ancient fortification built in the Ming Dynasty era has disappeared due to natural erosion and human damage … And the situation could worsen, experts are warning, as not enough is being done to preserve what remains.”

Since his notorious 2011 arrest, China’s most internationally famous artist couldn’t show his work at home and couldn’t travel abroad. Galkleries and the press weren’t even supposed to mention his name. Now he has four solo shows going in the capital. Is the government rehabilitating him?

The plan was to sell four works – including a Calder, a Wyeth, and a Winslow Homer – for $30 million or so, using the money to retire the debt from a 2005 expansion and add $10 million to the endowment. But that isn’t quite how it worked out.

“In a market where getting the best material for a sale is essential, the formula has obvious attractions: it is a new story to tell clients, and the inclusion of some masterpieces in a sale can persuade other consignors to give up their treasures.”

“The world went into shock earlier this year after Islamic State released videos of its bearded operatives smashing ancient artworks with sledgehammers and drills. But after U.S.-led airstrikes on refineries and tankers reduced the group’s $1 million daily oil revenue by nearly two-thirds, the razing gave way to looting for sale via eBay, Facebook and Whatsapp.”

“About half of the Broad’s 2,000 artworks have made their way from warehouses around the city, where they had been stored by museum founders Eli and Edythe Broad. Now all this postwar and contemporary art, by some of the most recognizable names of the last 40 years, is heading to a single place for the first time. An inaugural exhibition will consist of 200 pieces, and the remainder of the collection will be stored in a museum vault that was constructed so that visitors can peer inside.”

“No more droning air-conditioners in the galleries. Or children sitting on the floor for educational programs. Or total shutdowns of the museum three times a year because the current process of changing exhibitions is so disruptive to its operations.”

“Here’s the old artist model: Sit in your studio and make paintings or sculptures and wait to be discovered. Jennie Jieun Lee represents the new artist model: designing clothing and accessories for Rachel Corney, vases and tableware sold at several New York stores, and creating fine art for shows at Martos Gallery downtown and galleries around the world this year.”

A photo essay of old Tehran shows just what’s endangered right now.