NewsInauguration
At US Capitol, a new president and vice president greet 1859 painting with a rainbow theme
Painting by Black artist was chosen under Jill Biden’s guidance for a gift-giving ceremony
NewsExhibitions
On eve of US inauguration, a chance to visit the president's office
Oval Office replica is a popular element of New-York Historical Society exhibition about the presidency
NewsAppointments
Guggenheim appoints Naomi Beckwith as deputy director and senior curator
Appointment of MCA, Chicago curator is seen as a step toward more inclusiveness after accusations of institutional racism
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Smithsonian downsizes $2bn expansion of its south campus in Washington
The institution unveils planned changes to its historic Castle and Arts and Industries Building
NewsUS Capitol riot
‘Shameful vandalism and desecration’ : Met leaders condemn right-wing crowd's assault on US Capitol
Museum joins other institutions in assailing protestors' rampage and hate-inspiring imagery as a threat to democracy and equality
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Hirshhorn Museum is under pressure to reconsider redesign of its sculpture garden
Critics and city planners question changes to a historic reflecting pool and addition of stacked stone walls in a Modernist environment, while the artist Hiroshi Sugimoto defends his designs but says he is open to negotiating
NewsProtests
US Capitol’s works of art survive amid right-wing rampage in Washington
The authorities say that cleaning and conservation will be needed, however, after art was damaged by tear gas, pepper spray and fire extinguishers
NewsConservation & Preservation
From lockdowns to looting: how Covid-19 has taken a toll on world's threatened heritage sites
Sites of major importance—many in regions already ravaged by conflict—are contending with security problems and funding shortfalls
Newsreopenings
Five Philadelphia museums jointly announce that they are reopening this month
Institutions act on go-ahead from the city after their second closing in November
PreviewThe Year Ahead 2021
Major museum openings and expansions in 2021
From the much-anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum to the Frick’s move to a Brutalist landmark, here are the building projects aiming to change cultural landscapes around the world
NewsMuseums
Acquisitions round-up—Fondation Beyeler gets a frosty Fischli/Weiss snowman
Our pick of the latest gifts and purchases to enter international museum collections
NewsMuseums & Heritage
'Long overdue': US will build national museums for American Latinos and women's history after Congress approves historic bill
Bipartisan effort, decades in the making, permits Smithsonian Institution to move ahead with plans
NewsOpenings
Amid Covid-19 adjustments, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles delays opening by five months
The museum’s debut, repeatedly postponed, is now anticipated in September of next year
NewsAppointments & departures
Peabody Essex Museum director is resigning after just 17 months
Brian P. Kennedy says he will seek a “new challenge” but offers no further details
NewsEmergency grants
Grants multiply as government agencies and foundations seek to rescue US cultural organisations amid pandemic
Latest allocations include $32.8m from the National Endowment for the Humanities and $47.1m from New York’s Department of Cultural Affairs
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Peace offering: how museums help in troubled times
Amid the turmoil of the pandemic and the recent elections, US institutions with Tibetan Buddhist holdings respond with mindfulness events
NewsUnions
Employees at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh vote decisively to form a union
Goals include better pay and benefits, Covid-19 safety and a role in the institutions’ decision-making
NewsAppointments
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art appoints former nonprofit executive as its new director
Alyssa Nitchun hopes to advance New York museum’s role as a queer sanctuary and “provocateur”
NewsPublic art
Noguchi lobby installation is carted away from its high-rise New York home, across the street from MoMA
Museum sought to keep the site-specific work in place at 666 Fifth Avenue, but developer decided it had to go during renovation
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Lone senator blocks US bills creating museums that would celebrate American Latinos and women
Utah Republican says that such museums would “divide an already divided nation”
NewsAcquisitions
Ronald Lauder presents major gift of European arms and armour to the Met
Describing the donation as the most significant to the department in nearly 80 years, museum will rename galleries after Lauder
NewsArtists
Artist sues Los Angeles and the Chinese American Museum for junking his work
Lawsuit demands that court issue an injunction to prevent future dismantling of works of art without artists’ supervision
NewsAntiquities trafficking
After outcry from antiquities trade, Unesco further adjusts ad campaign on looted artefacts
Dealers association challenged the campaign’s claims that two newly pictured objects were stolen
NewsDia Art Foundation
Dia Chelsea plans to reopen in April after connecting three buildings in a $20m project
Inaugural exhibition in New York will feature a film and light sculptures by Lucy Raven
NewsAppointments
Norton Museum of Art appoints Ghislain d’Humières, former director at the Speed, as its new leader
Director assumes the mantle after an expansion and long coronavirus shutdown
AnalysisThe Year in Review 2020
Museums 2020: the year of crashing revenues and anti-racism disputes
Turbulent year draws to a close with sector wracked by pandemic lockdowns and Black Lives Matter challenges
NewsResignations
After controversy over her leadership, Stanford says director of its Cantor Arts Center has resigned
Museum undertook an investigation of Susan Dackerman’s allegedly “toxic” leadership style and departures of many staff members
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Smithsonian and National Gallery of Art will shut down again amid spike in coronavirus cases
Move by Washington, DC museums comes amid a wave of new US closures
NewsArchitecture
Architect Emilio Ambasz’s foundation donates $10m to MoMA to create a green architecture institute
New entity will spur research on the relationship between architecture and nature and work toward “environmental justice”, the New York museum says
NewsMuseums & Heritage
‘From bad to worse’: over half of US museums have laid off or furloughed staff, survey shows
Museums expect to lose an average of 35% of budgeted income this year, plus an additional 28% in 2021
NewsNagorno-Karabakh
Metropolitan Museum of Art appeals for protection of cultural heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh
Plea comes as Azerbaijan moves to take control of swaths of territory under a Russian-brokered peace deal
NewsOpenings
Challenges overcome as Houston's Museum of Fine Arts completes $450m campus expansion
Delayed by just three weeks amid the pandemic, new Kinder Building will dramatically increase space for Modern and contemporary art
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Unesco under fire for using Met objects in anti-trafficking campaign
Advertisements said that the works were looted in recent years, but Met documentation shows that they have a much longer provenance
PreviewExhibitions
When Boston fell head-over-heels in love with Monet
A new show at the Museum of Fine Arts recalls the time when the US city was first captivated by the French Impressionist
NewsPolls
A ‘snapshot in time’: how US museum directors viewed their world before the pandemic
In a sign of how drastically things would change, fewer than half prioritised online offerings in a wide-ranging survey
Newselection 2020
Art world rejoices in Biden’s win of US presidency
Artists, collectors, policy makers and gallery owners share their reactions after the tightly fought election
NewsPhilip Guston
After tumult, museums say that a delayed Philip Guston exhibition will open in 2022
Citing “unease and anxiety” about the show, the director of MFA, Boston predicts it will spur “in-depth discussions about great art”
Newslayoffs
Keith Davis, senior curator at Nelson-Atkins, resigns to protest colleague's layoff
Museum’s drive to cut 36 jobs eliminated the position of photography curator Jane L. Aspinwall, who helped oversee acclaimed collection
NewsArchitectural History
New York preservation group launches online mapping tool to champion former haunts of artists and activists
Organisation hopes the city will protect former home of Jackson Pollock and other buildings south of Union Square by designating a new historic district
NewsDeaccessioning
Baltimore Museum of Art calls off sale of Warhol, Still and Marden after outcry
Last-gasp decision after talks with the US museum directors association comes just before a Sotheby’s auction
NewsDeaccessioning
US Association of Art Museum Directors sends a warning note to its members on deaccessioning
As works head to market, organisation reminds members that its relaxed rules were not adopted to “incentivise” art sales
NewsDeaccessioning
Assailing leadership, two former board chairmen say they are rescinding $50m in planned gifts to Baltimore Museum of Art
Two artists also step down as board trustees amid turmoil over plans to deaccession three paintings
NewsDeaccessioning
Responding to outcry, Baltimore Museum of Art board chair defends deaccessioning decision
“The greatness of the BMA’s collection does not live within three individual paintings,” she says as the sale of a Warhol, Still and Marden approaches
NewsPrizes
Deana Lawson, photographer of highly staged tableaux, wins the Hugo Boss Prize
The artist, the first photographer anointed, will receive $100,000 and a solo exhibition at the Guggenheim
NewsJacob Lawrence
Missing for decades, a Jacob Lawrence painting surfaces in response to a Met exhibition
A visitor makes the connection between the artist’s Struggle series and a work in a neighbour’s home
NewsAppointments & departures
'We are not a suburb of Paris': incoming director of Montreal Museum of Fine Arts champions a North American identity
Stéphane Aquin is taking over after Nathalie Bondil’s controversial dismissal
NewsAppointments
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts appoints new director
Stéphane Aquin faces the challenge of restoring stability after Nathalie Bondil’s disputed removal
NewsDeaccessioning
Former trustees and donors ask state to block sale of three important works by the Baltimore Museum of Art
Letter asks Maryland attorney general and secretary of state to investigate planned deaccessioning of a Warhol, Still and Marden
NewsDeaccessioning
Brooklyn Museum steams ahead on deaccessioning
After netting $4.2m for a Cranach, the museum plans to sell off works by Monet, Dubuffet, Degas, Miró and Matisse
NewsEthics
Inquiry into actions by Detroit Institute of Arts director and board chair found no misconduct, museum says
Law firm hired by the Detroit museum found no conflict of interest in loan of art from director's family, it adds
NewsLos Angeles County Museum of Art
Tom Gores steps down from Lacma board after pressure over prison telecom ties
Billionaire investor argues in his resignation letter that he pushed for reforms
NewsMuseum architecture
Space race: how the pandemic is pushing museums to rethink design
Experts predict bigger galleries, a stronger connection to the outdoors and an end to the expansion juggernaut
NewsExhibitions
Fulfilling a legendary curator’s vision, New Museum will present an exhibition on grief in black communities
Show conceived by Okwui Enwezor will unite works by 37 artists exploring mourning and loss as a response to violent injustice
NewsDeaccessioning
Baltimore Museum of Art will sell important paintings by Warhol, Still and Marden
Acting on relaxed rules, it will use the funds for collection care and salary increases as well as diverse acquisitions
NewsWhitney Biennial
Whitney postpones 2021 biennial by one year
Pandemic complicated organisational efforts by curators and stymied artists
NewsCoronavirus resources
Building on Covid-19 effort, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation details $1.5m in grants for small museums, artists and equity initiatives
Recipients range from Grey Art Gallery at NYU to a truck that transports art books to underserved communities
NewsAppointments
Poet and author to lead National Museum of African American History and Culture
Kevin Young, director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, will succeed Lonnie G. Bunch III
NewsResignations
Director of Rubin Museum of Art will depart in 2021
Jorrit Britschgi, who has led the institution since 2017, will rejoin his family in Switzerland
NewsResignations
MoMA PS1 and the Kitchen announce key leaders’ departures
Chief curator at MoMA PS1 cites coronavirus pandemic, “which moved me to think about the next chapters”
NewsPhilanthropy
Amid pandemic, foundations marshal $156m to support minority arts organisations in the US
Funds are intended to counter the devastation that the coronavirus has wrought in the national arts landscape
NewsConservation & Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation lists 11 most endangered historic sites in US
Locations range from the Chicago church where Emmett Till’s body was viewed, galvanising the civil rights movement, to a ‘Hall of Waters’ in Missouri
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Stone, bronze, glass, pathways: Princeton University Art Museum unveils David Adjaye's design
Pavilions linked by transparent “lenses” will dispense with hierarchies and display renowned collection on a single level
NewsAcquisitions
American Folk Art Museum announces gift of over 500 works by self-taught artists
Trove donated by collector Audrey B. Heckler includes examples of European Art Brut and works by African-American artists
Newsdiversity
Rockefeller Brothers Fund plans $1.5m in grants to help New York museums promote diverse artists
Financial aid will help eight institutions “disrupt dominant narratives” and “build back a more equitable culture” after Covid lockdown
NewsMuseums
Citing pandemic, V&A and Smithsonian drop plan to co-curate a gallery in London
After cancellation of project for V&A East, the institutions say they still plan to cooperate on an internship programme
NewsDeaccessioning
Cranach, Courbet and Corot: a closer look at what the Brooklyn Museum is selling off
The institution is deaccessioning its only Cranach and 11 other works to finance care of its collection
NewsConservation & Preservation
As the world contends with Covid, World Monuments Fund makes a bet on sustainable tourism
Taking a lesson from how the pandemic dispersed crowds, the organisation selects seven sites for preservation and promotion
NewsMuseum trustees
Groups call for removal of Lacma trustee tied to ‘exploitative’ telecommunications company
Organisations target Tom Gores, whose firm invests in a corporation accused of charging prison inmates “egregious” rates for calls
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Activist employee group demands resignations of three Guggenheim leaders
But support for the statement, alleging “oppressive behaviours” by director, chief operating officer and chief curator, is unclear
PreviewContemporary art
Artist transforms Gilded Age pool house into an atmospheric soundscape
To evoke a watershed moment in society, Jorge Otero-Pailos has filled an abandoned natatorium with sounds recorded from bodies of water in New York State
ReviewThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in New York this weekend
From Betye Saar's travel sketchbooks at the Morgan Library and Museum to Rivane Neuenschwander's tapestries at Tanya Bonakdar gallery
InterviewMuseums & Heritage
Director of Yale Center for British Art embraces a global framework
Courtney J. Martin explains why it is time to reposition the Paul Mellon collection
Newsdiversity
After 2019 racial incident, MFA Boston hires a senior director of belonging and inclusion
Appointment follows an agreement with the Massachusetts attorney general to embrace diversity and adopt an anti-harassment policy
NewsSmithsonian Institution
‘Estamos unidos’: proposal for a new Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino awaits Senate consideration
After passage in the House, planners try to line up support for an institution that would fill in an incomplete US narrative
NewsDonors
Smithsonian confirms that its donor data was potentially breached in ransomware attack
Hacking of Blackbaud software systems exposed hundreds of clients, including other US and UK nonprofits
Newsdiversity
Getty announces internship programme to counter lack of diversity among art conservators
Noting barriers to students of colour, it establishes yearlong training stints with $30,000 grants
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Four weeks after blast, rehabilitation work begins at National Museum of Beirut
Louvre collaborates with Lebanon’s antiquities authority on repairs to doors, windows and security system
NewsExhibitions
Brisbane lands mammoth European loan exhibition from the Met
Gallery of Modern Art is sole venue for a show resulting partly from a skylight renovation project at the New York museum
NewsPublic art
Central Park gets its first monument honouring women’s rights advocates on 100th anniversary of suffrage
Hillary Clinton attended the unveiling of the statue depicting Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth
NewsExhibitions
After controversial cancellation in Cleveland, Mass MoCA will exhibit Shaun Leonardo’s images of Black victims
Drawings exploring systemic violence and injustice will also travel to Bronx Museum of the Arts
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Joseph Thompson to step down after 32 years as director of Mass MoCA
Having led the contemporary art institution since its founding, he will serve as a special counsel to the board of trustees
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Four years after closing museum, National Academy of Design envisages a New York exhibition space
Newly appointed executive director sees potential for a wealth of new initiatives
Newsdiversity
Guggenheim adopts a plan to become more inclusive and racially diverse
Initiative follows accusations by employees of entrenched racism at the New York museum
Newsreopenings
New York clears the way for the city's museums to reopen
MoMA, the Whitney, the Morgan, the American Folk Art Museum, the New Museum, the Guggenheim and the Brooklyn Museum announce plans to welcome the public, joining the Met and the New-York Historical Society
NewsAcquisitions
Hirshhorn to unveil two acquisitions as it reopens its sculpture garden
Museum welcomes monumental 2018 works by Huma Bhabha and Sterling Ruby
NewsMuseum directors
Employees at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts argue that director’s ouster was justified
In a letter, over 100 current and former staff members say she presided over chaos, harassment and intimidation
NewsAcquisitions
Oregon foundation acquires Judy Chicago print archive
Over 300 works chart the career of a feminist pioneer in revelatory detail
NewsUnions
Union accuses New Museum of ‘discriminatory’ layoffs and furloughs
Complaint to the National Labor Relations Board accuses institution of retaliating against bargaining unit members
Newslayoffs
Met lays off 79 more employees and furloughs 181, as it faces a ‘very different’ financial picture
Museum hoped to reopen on 29 August but the prospect remains uncertain amid coronavirus restrictions
NewsPhilanthropy
Metropolitan Museum of Art commits to paying all interns after $5m gift
Adrienne Arsht's donation will fund the museum’s internship programme and the MetLiveArts performance series
Newslayoffs
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston lays off 57 employees and says 56 more will take early retirement
The museum notes that the coronavirus outbreak will continue to affect it “in the long term”
NewsRestitution
‘I had lost hope’: The story behind a Nazi-looted Madonna and long-delayed compensation to Jewish heirs
The 93-year-old heir Grete Unger Heinz recalls contemplating a Jacopo del Sellaio painting as a child in Vienna
NewsAntiquities
California man is charged with illegally importing an ancient mosaic, possibly from Syria
Indictment says the paperwork misrepresented the work’s quality and value
NewsMuseums & Heritage
US House votes to establish a National Museum of the American Latino
Bill calls for an institution honouring the contributions of a population that numbers nearly 60 million
NewsArtists
With public programming derailed, Governors Island buildings will be opened to New York artists
Groups invite cultural practitioners to apply for residencies stretching over the next three months
NewsArt education
San Francisco Art Institute says it is reinstating degree programmes
Decision follows the resolution of contract disputes with tenured faculty and an infusion of funds
NewsMuseums & Heritage
One out of three US museums may shut down forever, a survey confirms
Institutions report decline in operating reserves and planned reductions in museum services like education
NewsExhibitions
‘I want people to know how it feels’: quilt exhibitions will explore police brutality and racism
Shows in Twin Cities to offer a historical snapshot of tumult in the US