NewsMuseums & Heritage
Revising a mostly white ‘greatest hits’ narrative, Seattle Art Museum will overhaul its American art galleries
Museum invites three artists to serve as co-authors of collection displays and enlists 10 local experts to help generate inclusive stories
NewsAcquisitions
Acquisitions round-up: parts of cut up 16th-century panel reunited after Washington, DC's National Gallery of Art buys missing half
Our pick of the latest gifts and purchases to enter international museum collections
NewsSmuggling
New York investigators hand over 27 smuggled art objects valued at $3.8m to Cambodia
Charges are pending against two New York-based antiquities dealers linked to the objects
NewsPublic art
Detroit-area municipality removes ‘offensive’ tile accompanying a controversial mural celebrating the police
The tile, whose imagery has been associated with white supremacy, was created in a workshop sponsored by the Detroit Institute of Art
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Robert E. Lee’s former Virginia mansion reopens to the public with an enlightening focus on the enslaved
Arlington House, where wealthy white privilege contrasts with bondage and suffering, has undergone a $12.3m rehabilitation and reinterpretation
NewsPublic art
Detroit Institute of Arts under fire for sponsoring mural depicting police officers
Critics says that the subject matter is out of touch with racial justice issues, and artist now regrets creating it
NewsLawsuits
Hobby Lobby files $7m lawsuit against former Oxford professor over allegedly stolen papyrus fragments he sold
The crafts chain, which bought them for its Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, says the seller lied about the biblical objects’ provenance
NewsDeaccessioning
After disputed sale at Sotheby’s, Thomas Cole’s The Arch of Nero will go on view at Philadelphia Museum of Art
Institution says the work is being lent by the foundation that swooped in to rescue it when it was deaccessioned by the Newark Museum of Art
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Centre Pompidou plans to open a satellite museum in Jersey City in 2024
The venue, the French institution’s first in North America, will exhibit borrowed works and serve as an “art laboratory”
ReviewThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in New York this weekend
From Louise Bourgeois at The Jewish Museum to Sam Durant’s High Line Plinth commission
NewsConservation & Preservation
Neglected corners of US history: National Trust for Historic Preservation designates 11 most endangered places
Places range from Alabama farms where civil rights marchers once camped to a Utah site where Chinese railroad labourers stayed
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Minneapolis Institute of Art announces over $19m in gifts, including funds for a diversity officer, Latin American curator and deputy director
Museum, under pressure to embrace equity while facing revenue losses, says the money will shore up its endowment and operating budget
NewsUnion organising
Whitney voluntarily recognises a union local, sparing employees the need to organise a vote
From curators to porters, more than 180 workers are involved in the effort as labour campaigns multiply among US art institutions
NewsMuseums & Heritage
After warnings that a third of US museums could close, a survey indicates that just 15% are at significant risk
Poll conducted in April yields optimism that financial fallout from the pandemic will be less severe than feared
NewsRepatriation
US hands over two stolen ancient lintels to Thailand after retrieving them from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Dating from the ninth and tenth centuries, the objects are thought to have been looted from sacred sites in the late 1960s
Newsreopenings
Smithsonian will reopen its remaining 10 museums on a staggered schedule starting next month
Venues in Washington, DC and New York will require masks and many will have reduced hours
NewsConservation & Preservation
Woolworth Building in San Antonio, a landmark in civil rights history, is spared from demolition
1921 former dime store, which peacefully desegregated its lunch counter in 1960, will house an Alamo museum
NewsUnions
Brooklyn Museum employees seek to form a union bargaining unit
The labour chapter would represent 130 curators, conservators, front-desk staff and others
Newsdiversity
Exclusive survey: what progress have US museums made on diversity, after a year of racial reckoning?
We asked art institutions around the country about their efforts to diversify their workforces, exhibition programmes, permanent collections and audiences
NewsAuctions
Newark Museum of Art’s much-disputed sale of Thomas Cole painting nets $988,000
Auction at Sotheby’s yields promising yet mixed results for museum’s drive to fund collections care
NewsMuseums & Heritage
National Museum of Women in the Arts will close for two-year renovation
The $66m project includes expanding galleries, creating research and education spaces and restoring its landmark 1908 building
NewsAppointments
National Gallery of Art recruits the first woman and person of colour to serve as its chief curator
As the museum commits itself to diversity, E. Carmen Ramos, a curator of Latino art, will be “the principal architect of the visitor experience”
NewsIndigenous peoples
The Metropolitan Museum installs a plaque on its façade honouring the Lenape people, driven out of their New York City land
Museum says the move is intended to promote “truthful narratives” and promote social change
NewsAcquisitions
Acquisitions round-up: George Lucas's LA museum acquires monumental mural archive, and Getty purchases Artemisia Gentileschi's Lucretia
Our pick of the latest gifts and purchases to enter international museum collections
NewsDeaccessioning
As a Sotheby’s auction looms, scholars protest Newark Museum of Art’s plan to sell a Thomas Cole painting and other works
In an open letter, they denounce the deaccessioning move as a “senseless monetisation” of art from the permanent collection
InterviewFrieze New York
‘A spiral of poets, all at once’: Precious Okoyomon, winner of the Frieze Artist Award, talks about their Tower of Babel-themed commission
An artist, poet and chef, Okoyomon discusses their inspirations as well as the ecosystems they have been creating
ReviewExhibitions
Top shows to see in New York during Frieze week
From Eva Hesse and Hannah Wilke at Acquavella Galleries to Deana Lawson at the Guggenheim
NewsExhibitions
Met's next Costume Institute show is an exploration of the emotional hues of American fashion
The two-part exhibition invokes the upheaval of the past year and will be accompanied by an "intimate" gala this September and then a more expansive benefit next May
NewsAppointments & departures
Philanthropist Marie-Josée Kravis will replace the embattled Leon Black as MoMA’s board chairman
Appointment follows controversy over Black's ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein
Newsreopenings
Smithsonian will reopen eight museums and other venues in May after more than five-month closures
National of Gallery of Art also plans to open its West Building in Washington, DC
ReviewThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in New York this weekend
From Ray Johnson at David Zwirner to Dawoud Bey at the Whitney
NewsAppointments
Peabody Essex Museum enlists its former deputy director to assume the top post
Lynda Roscoe Hartigan will head back as director after serving just a year at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto
Newscoronavirus
Some New York museums will ramp up to 50% visitor capacity next week under relaxed limits announced by governor
Others welcome the change while scrutinising their Covid-19 safety procedures
NewsResignations
Senior curator and human resources director resign from MOCA in Los Angeles
Curator cites management resistance to diversity effort, and personnel manager describes a “hostile environment”
NewsPrehistoric art
Researchers suggest that trippy hallucinations influenced prehistoric cave art
Reduced oxygen resulting from the use of torches in narrow enclosed spaces likely triggered hypoxia, resulting in out-of-body experiences, scholars report
NewsSmuggling
US returns over 500 smuggled pre-Hispanic-era artefacts to Mexican officials
Tools and other objects were discovered in a national park in southwest Texas, triggering an inquiry
NewsResignations
On the heels of director’s resignation, board president of Wadsworth Atheneum also steps down
Connecticut museum, which has been seeking to expand involvement with local community, cites “personal reasons”
NewsDetroit Institute of Arts
‘Each employee is very important’: Embattled director of Detroit Institute of Arts responds to findings about management missteps
Salvador Salort-Pons says he has been working with a leadership coach to address complaints about staff members feeling undervalued
NewsAcquisitions
Acquisitions round-up: two US museums co-purchase portrait of Breonna Taylor—and artist Amy Sherald gives proceeds of sale to charity
Our pick of the latest gifts and purchases to enter international museum collections
Newscoronavirus
Survey finds that 43% of people in US museums field have lost income because of the pandemic
Financial impact is particularly severe for independent contractors, and the average toll on mental health appears serious
NewsDia Art Foundation
After a $20m renovation, Dia is poised to re-emerge as a force in Chelsea
Refurbished space will showcase under-recognised artists, starting with Lucy Raven, and serve as a hub for the foundation's 11 sites
NewsAcquisitions
Adding to a robust trove, High Museum in Atlanta fields a gift of works by self-taught artists
Local couple donates 47 paintings, drawings and sculptures by Southerners and African Americans
NewsMuseum expansion
Crystal Bridges plans an expansion that will boost its size by 50%
The design of new galleries and other spaces is overseen by Moshe Safdie, the Arkansas complex’s original architect
NewsConservation & Preservation
Getty teams with city of Los Angeles to identify places that are important to African American heritage
Conservation effort goes beyond architectural distinction to highlight sites where Black residents embraced their culture and advocated for advancement
Newslayoffs
After avoiding layoffs, Oakland Museum of California now plans job cuts of 15%
Staff will shrink from 126 to 106 as institution pursues an organisational makeover
NewsAttendance
While US museum attendance nosedived in 2020 amid pandemic, disparities in reopenings yielded a few surprises
Huntington Library in California and Crystal Bridges in Arkansas ascended to the top of the visitor figures list
NewsRestoration
Solace through conservation: World Monuments Fund makes strides in restoring war-damaged sites in Yemeni city
Amid debilitating war, conservation of mausoleum and museum palace in Taiz is now complete
NewsAcquisitions
Getty acquires a striking painting by Artemisia Gentileschi of the Roman heroine Lucretia
The museum, which did not disclose the price, says the work reflects a shift to a more idealised style
NewsDetroit Institute of Arts
Several trustees resign from board of Detroit Institute of Arts as it reaffirms steps to monitor its besieged management
Director Salvador Salort-Pons was faulted in an independent review for authoritarian behaviour and insensitivity to race and gender
NewsResignations
Leon Black, under fire, will reportedly not seek re-election as MoMA’s board chairman
Tumult over his former business ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein brought pressure for him to step down
NewsProtests
Coalition of activist groups announces ‘strike’ action against MoMA
Accusing the museum of elitism, alliance says its ultimate goal is “disassembling” the institution
NewsMuseum trustees
MoMA’s board leader Leon Black quits equity firm, citing 'relentless scrutiny' over links to Epstein
Decision raises questions about his future role at the museum after artists call for him to go
NewsDeaccessioning
Baltimore Museum of Art director defends diversity goals that his institution hoped to meet through art sales
At a conference on deaccessioning, Christopher Bedford says that museum collections are “a literal manifestation” of prejudice and privilege
ReviewThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in New York this weekend
From Julie Mehretu’s mid-career survey at the Whitney to the Frick Collection’s temporary encampment in the Breuer building
NewsDeaccessioning
Members of US museums association narrowly reject proposal to contemplate a change in guidelines on art sales
Amid debate, AAMD votes 91-88 against exploring a controversial revision of rules to allow proceeds to finance collections care
NewsDetroit Institute of Arts
After leak of recording detailing missteps by director, Detroit Institute of Arts says it is working to ensure that he measures up
Inquiry by outside law firm found a climate of retaliation, but museum says that all employees’ concerns will be addressed
Newsracism
In diversity and equity campaign, Walters Art Museum recognises the tarnished history of its founders
Institution issues newly written history that discloses its founders’ pro-Confederacy stance and business ties to racist labour practices in the South
NewsAcquisitions
Acquisitions round-up: trio of paintings by Italian artist nun Orsola Maddalena Caccia bequeathed to the Met
Our pick of the latest gifts and purchases to enter international museum collections
NewsAcquisitions
Rose Art Museum, once on the brink of closure, celebrates 60th anniversary with gift of 86 works
After a proposed shutdown and sell-off in 2009, Brandeis University has repaired trust with donors, its director says
NewsRestitution
Looted in the 1980s, a sacred stele at the Dallas Museum of Art is headed back to Nepal
After FBI investigation, sculptural antiquity lent by a collector is determined to have a disturbing provenance
ReviewThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in New York this weekend
From Lorraine O’Grady’s first museum retrospective to Carol Bove’s Met façade commission
NewsOutdoor sculpture
After an extended fight, acclaimed sculptural installation will leave National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington
An accord calls for Elyn Zimmerman’s Marabar to head to a new site, with the move and reinstallation financed by the society
NewsJacob Lawrence
Travelling Jacob Lawrence show spurs discovery of a second missing painting in New York
Museums now appeal for information on three unlocated panels in the artist’s 1950s “Struggle” series
NewsSculpture
‘They’re kind of impolite’: the artist Carol Bove ruminates on her steel and aluminium sculptures for the Met’s façade
Artist’s installation, delayed for months by Covid-19, playfully engages with the museum’s classical architecture
NewsFundraising
After thwarted art sales, Baltimore Museum of Art marshalls funding to promote diversity and equity
Institution announces $1.46m in gifts to finance goals such as pay increases for hourly workers and extended visiting hours
NewsConservation & Preservation
Officials reveal full extent of damage to US Capitol’s art after pro-Trump rampage
Officials explore harm to busts and paintings in the House from chemical sprays and describe frantic efforts to change airflows as melee unfolded
NewsArts funding
‘Many museums will be lost’: US association appeals to Congress to support funding for institutions
Invoking the pandemic, advocates seek federal money for agencies that support museum programmes as well as operations grants and charitable tax deductions
Newslayoffs
Whitney lays off 15 more staff members, citing ‘extremely low’ attendance
Museum’s director notes that it may take until 2025 for tourists to return in force to New York
NewsDeaccessioning
Met director defends move to consider deaccessioning for collections care rather than art purchases
Max Hollein argues that more art will not necessarily be sold, although proceeds can now go to other purposes amid the pandemic financial crisis
NewsInternships
Asserting a quest for more equity, the Met introduces its first crop of fully paid interns
Students talk about their career goals and how being compensated proved to be an incentive
Newsdiversity
Indianapolis museum apologises for posted job description describing a ‘core, white art audience’
Institution edits wording of director’s job opening to eliminate “white” after an outcry
NewsMuseum directors
MOCA in Los Angeles will redefine its director’s duties and hire a new executive to oversee operations
Klaus Biesenbach will serve as artistic director once a financial leader is in place
NewsInstallations
‘Absurd’, yet 'deadly serious’: Alex Da Corte will create the Met’s next rooftop installation
Sculptural installation will plumb the possibility of hope amid the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic
NewsConservation & Preservation
World Monuments Fund pleads with Peru's government to delay airport construction work in the Sacred Valley of the Incas
Organisation points out that Peru has not carried out an analysis of the heritage impact on Machu Picchu, Cusco and an Inca road network as requested by Unesco
NewsAppointments & departures
After a controversial year, director will leave the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Neal Benezra’s departure follows the museum’s deletion of an Instagram comment that faulted the institution on racial issues
NewsDeaccessioning
Rumbles of dissent emerge over Met’s proposal to expand deaccessioning
As the museum mulls art sales to finance collections care, critics worry that its example could open the floodgates for US art institutions
NewsAcquisitions
Acquisitions round-up: flag and sledge from British polar expedition saved from leaving UK
Our pick of the latest gifts and purchases to enter international museum collections
NewsCensorship
PEN America issues a safety guide for artists facing repression
Non-profit organisation cites a “skyrocketing’’ number of individuals around the globe needing help with on-the-ground strategies or relocation
NewsMuseum trustees
‘Toxic philanthropy’ versus ‘egalitarian principles’: artists, art workers and activists call for Leon Black’s removal as MoMA board chairman
Signers allude to his payments to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and other financial ties
PreviewExhibitions
Unorthodox preacher: Leo Steinberg's prints helped explore and explain his sometimes controversial theories
An exhibition at the Blanton Museum of Art in Texas looks at the legacy of the art historian through his vast collection, which includes different takes on Leonardo's Last Supper
NewsArtists
Joan Mitchell Foundation switches to longer-term support of US artists
Annual $25,000 grants will give way to disbursing $60,000 to individuals over five years, with an emphasis on financial advice
InterviewMuseums & Heritage
Adversity forces reinvention: Matthew Teitelbaum on turbulent times at the MFA, Boston
After charges of racism levelled at his museum in 2019, Teitelbaum had to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. And then there was the Guston controversy
NewsRestitution
Museum of the Bible in Washington returns around 5,000 disputed biblical objects to Egypt
Institution has been faulted for a lack of oversight in determining what artefacts were legally exported and sold
NewsMosul
Mosul’s artists, resurgent, speak out on new Google platform
Through videos, audio clips, 3D models of destroyed sites and images of their works, Iraqis describe what they endured and their hopes for the future
NewsConservation & Preservation
Aliph finances effort to shore up crumbling Taq Kasra in Iraq, the world’s biggest brick vault
Foundation will direct $700,000 to emergency scaffolding, sensors and the drafting of a longer-term conservation plan
NewsAcquisitions
When everything turned upside down: Georg Baselitz donates six pathbreaking paintings to the Met
Portraits date from 1969, a pivotal point for an artist departing from conventional motifs
NewsAttribution
Its attribution restored, a Rembrandt portrait goes on view in Pennsylvania
A scientific analysis and conservation effort unveiled signature brush strokes and other marks of the master
NewsMuseums & Heritage
A year after fire, Museum of Chinese in America launches digital platform with Google to celebrate its historical treasures
Viewers can track the recovery after the blaze and view hundreds of images of the New York museum’s artefacts
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