Rare drawings by George Bridgman, inspiration to Norman Rockwell, return following yearlong conservation

STOCKBRIDGE, MASS.- Norman Rockwell Museum announces the conservation and return to its American Illustration Collection of 28 rare drawings on paper by renowned anatomy and figure-drawing teacher and illustrator George Bridgman (1864-1943). The damaged drawings were taken to Williamstown Art Conservation Center (WACC) in nearby Williamstown, MA, where they received treatment in 2012 and 2013 under a generous grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). WACC is the largest regional conservation center in the United States, housed in [...]

Museum opens satellite space “Philbrook Downtown” in Tulsa’s vibrant Brady Arts District

TULSA, OK.- Philbrook Museum of Art-one of the most important and distinguished museums in the Midwest-opened Philbrook Downtown, a satellite space located in the heart of Tulsa’s vibrant Brady Arts District. The expansion enables Philbrook, Tulsa’s leading cultural institution, to showcase its notable collections while serving as the anchor of a burgeoning arts community in the city’s center. Designed by Richard Gluckman, principal of the New York-based firm Gluckman Mayner Architects, the conversion of the early 20th-century industrial warehouse contains three [...]

The Presence of the Past: Peter Zumthor reconsiders the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

LOS ANGELES, CA.- As part of the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. initiative, The Presence of the Past: Peter Zumthor Reconsiders LACMA marks the first time the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has explored its own history in the context of an exhibition. The culmination of the exhibition is a proposed design for the future of the eastern side of the museum’s campus as envisioned by Pritzker Prizewinning architect Peter Zumthor introduced to the public for the first [...]

New York’s Museum of Modern Art establishes the Department of Prints and Drawings

NEW YORK, NY.- The Museum of Modern Art will combine its Department of Prints and Illustrated Books with the Department of Drawings, effective July 1, it was announced by MoMA Director Glenn D. Lowry. The Department of Prints and Drawings will be headed by Christophe Cherix, who has served as the Museum’s Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Chief Curator of Prints and Illustrated Books since 2010, having joined the Museum as curator in 2007. Connie Butler, who joined the Museum as The Robert Lehman [...]

Smithsonian American Art Museum selects winner for Renwick Gallery Grand Salon design competition

WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian American Art Museum has selected Applied Minds, an interdisciplinary company based in Los Angeles, as the winner of its Grand Salon design competition. The proposed new concept for the Renwick Gallery’s Grand Salon is part of a forthcoming major renovation of the Renwick Gallery, home of the museum’s craft and decorative art program since 1972. The international design competition invited selected interior designers, artists and architects to envision the 4,300-square-foot Grand Salon as a must-see 21st-century destination for [...]

National Gallery of Australia releases statement on the purchase of works of art from Mr. Subhash Kapoor

CANBERRA.- In light of recent stories in the media, the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra wishes to make a statement in relation to the purchase of works of art from Mr Subhash Kapoor through his gallery Art of the Past, New York. Mr Subhash Kapoor is an American citizen born in India who has operated the Art of the Past gallery for over 30 years in Madison Avenue in New York City. Indian objects acquired from Art of the Past are held [...]

Reinstalled Scaife Galleries of Modern and Contemporary Art open at the Carnegie Museum of Art

PITTSBURGH.- The Carnegie Museum of Art‘s opened its reinstalled modern and contemorary collection galleries, and on Monday, June 10, The Playground Project welcomed visitors, as well as summer architecture campers. The International is comprised of a major exhibition of international art, a playground, the museum’s collection, and an engagement with the city of Pittsburgh. The International opens in full on October 5. The Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art The Carnegie Museum of Art presents an ambitious reinstallation of its modern [...]

National Galleries of Scotland acquire important Dutch master through Acceptance in Lieu scheme

EDINBURGH.- A magnificent Dutch flower painting by Jan van Huysum (1682-1749) has been acquired for the nation by the National Galleries of Scotland through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme. It is the first Dutch flower still life to enter the Scottish National Gallery’s collection. The tax settlement value of the painting is £2.45million. The painting is the first work by this artist to enter the National collection. Indeed, no painting from this period of van Huysum’s career is in any Scottish public collection. [...]

Amsterdam’s famed Rijksmuseum buys historic Japanese chest for 7.3 mln euros at French sale

CHEVERNY (AFP).- An Edo-era Japanese chest belonging to Cardinal Mazarin, France’s chief minister from 1642 to 1661, was snapped up at an auction Sunday for 7.3 million euros by Amsterdam’s famed Rijksmuseum. The black-and-gold lacquer chest, with silver and mother-of-pearl decorations, dates back to the start of Japan’s Edo period and was acquired by Mazarin in 1658, auctioneer Philippe Rouillac said on Sunday after the sale in France’s Loire Valley. Rouillac found the chest when he was contacted by some people who [...]

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen celebrates 25 Years of the Rotterdam City Collection

ROTTERDAM.- To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the City Collection, this summer internationally renowned artists and designers from Rotterdam have pride of place at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. The exhibition features more than thirty artworks and dozens of design objects by Atelier Van Lieshout, Daan van Golden, Hella Jongerius, Bertjan Pot and many others. ‘The City, the Artists and the Museum’ This exhibition features a single acquisition from each year of the City Collection’s existence. Together they provide an insight into the [...]

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia receives an important gift of photographs by Annie Leibovitz

HALIFAX.- The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia has received a major gift of contemporary art, a set of photographs by the influential photographer Annie Leibovitz. The gift is made in honour of Al and the late Faye Mintz by their children. The Mintz family is honouring their parents by giving this important set to a Canadian museum, ensuring that the work will be seen by Canadians for years to come. “My parents have always loved Annie Leibovitz’s photography, how she combines technique [...]

Toledo Museum of Art offers baby tours developed by leading expert

TOLEDO, OH.- Museums across the country are beginning to offer tours to the youngest members of their audience, and the Toledo Museum of Art is leading the way. In the past year the Museum began offering monthly baby tours designed by one of the world’s foremost experts on how babies’ visual experiences can fuel learning and cognitive development. The innovative tours for 2-to-18-month-olds are the brainchild of Dr. Kathy Danko-McGhee, director of education at the Toledo Museum of Art. Dr. Danko-McGhee’s groundbreaking research [...]

Smithsonian will not proceed with Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden’s Bubble

WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian will not move forward with plans for the Hirshhorn’s Seasonal Inflatable Structure, known as the Bubble. Richard Kurin, Smithsonian Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture, made the announcement today (June 5) citing financial uncertainties as the reason for the decision. The proposed structure on the plaza of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden was to be a seasonal venue used for two months each year with programming devoted to arts and culture. Kurin also said that Hirshhorn [...]

Europeana releases first free iPad app with works from Europe’s top institutions

THE HAGUE.- Europeana, Europe’s digital library, museum and archive, has launched its first free iPad app. ‘Europeana Open Culture’ introduces the public to hand-picked and beautiful collections from some of Europe’s top institutions, and allows people to explore, share and comment on them. Designed by Glimworm IT during a Europeana hackathon, the app provides an easy introduction to Europe’s glorious art treasury through five specially curated themes: Maps and Plans, Treasures of Art, Treasures of the Past, Treasures of Nature and [...]

City of Marseille opens a twenty-first-century museum of civilisations next to the Mediterranean

MARSEILLE.- The MuCEM is located at the entrance of the old port of Marseille, with the Saint- Jean Fort linked by a footbridge to the modern building created by Rudy Ricciotti on Pier J4. By its location alone, it is a grand project for the Mediterranean. Facing the open sea, it looks towards a horizon framed by the two shores of the Mediterranean. There has never been a museum anywhere in the world devoted to the cultures of the Mediterranean, although [...]