Previous Posts: articles 2018

As someone who has never been terribly impressed by Goya’s work, I believe that a more appropriate caption for the short video by Bray would be, “Curator Xavier Bray tries to make the case.”  

I see Goya’s skills in portraiture as being much more akin to those of the American, Gilbert Stuart or the Scott, Henry Raeburn than to the greater abilities of portrait painters who actually reached the highest levels of this specialty — van Dyck, Holbein the Younger, Hals, or among closer contemporaries, the great 18th century English portraitists or even the Italian, Batoni.  While others proclaim the glory of Goya’s portraits, too often I see little more than stiffly posed subjects depicted in mundane colors through less-than-impressive brushwork. And instead of penetrating studies of individualistic character, I much more often encounter modestly described faces staring blankly into voids. Even those few Goya portraits which are rather impressive on some levels, such as that of the Dowager Marchioness of Villafrance, with her imposing crown of hair, the artist still doesn't actually reveal very much about his sitters' personalities, inner joy, or conflicts. My eyes strain to see much more than what Goya might have achieved by painting mannequins dressed up in the fashions of the various classes of 18th/early 19th century Spanish society.  I know, I'm overstating my case, but I would contend that I am closer to the truth than those critics who are placing Goya's art on the highest pedistal only after first admiting that the artist doesn't always make a good first impression.

Perhaps Goya’s oeuvre is more impressive when many examples are seen in close proximity, but these monographic exhibitions often show the opposite to be true. And I suspect that with Goya, we will see that more isn’t merrier, regardless of how many of his portraits are making their London debut.

Further to interesting discussion regarding merits or otherwise of Goya. It strikes me, as somebody who takes a good deal of interest in British portraiture but who knows very little of the 'Continental' craft, that his 'greatness' stems from two particular factors 

a) He is the only Spanish portrait painter most of us have ever heard of*

b) His style may be odd, stiff and arguably rather bland but it is distinctive and that is important these days when for most connoisseurship has (regrettably) given way to the realm of instant impressions.

*I suspect Valasquez is far less widely known.

possess a high level of knowledge of contemporary art, with specialist expertise in British art, and have significant relevant experience in an art gallery, museum, collection or similar. Besides having a strong track record of devising and delivering exhibitions with curatorial flare and imagination for diverse audiences, of working on commissions, and of published writing on contemporary art, the successful candidate will possess the ability to lead a team and to work with others to achieve results. This is an exciting opportunity to make a major contribution to Tate Britain’s programmes.

This is a position that requires commitment to and awareness of issues of equality and cultural diversity as they affect the work of a major museum. 

The first episode features the following voice-over introduction from our stars:

Brosseau: Buying art is not for the faint of heart.

Gaffney: It’s a multibillion-dollar industry…

Brosseau: …and the biggest party around. The art world is our world.

Gaffney: Cuba! Vegas! Hollywood?

Brosseau: We travel the globe in search of the chicest galleries and hottest artists.

And so forth. With the exception of Jack Shainman—a dealer of great American artists, including Nick Cave, Hank Willis Thomas, and Carrie Mae Weems—whose brief appearance on this show is, as far as I can tell, a low point in his career, I’ve never heard of most of the “chicest” galleries nor of almost any of the “hottest” artists. (This isn’t to say that I’m the last word on the contemporary canon, or that these people aren’t perfectly nice, but hey, I also watch the art market every day, to paraphrase my subjects. I want a TV show, too!) One of my favorite moments on Art Breakers comes when Brosseau and Gaffney walk into a Los Angeles gallery called Kopeikin Gallery (I have never heard of it) and inquire about a photograph by an artist named Blake Little (I have never heard of him). They have the following exchange with a gallery employee.

Brosseau: Is that Blake Little?

Gallery Employee: Yeah, he dumps ten gallons of honey on each of his models.

Brosseau: That’s so hot.

Gaffney: He is the most cutting edge—he is hot right now.

Gallery Employee: He’s super hot.

Recently, on Art Breakers...

Brosseau:  *squints while reading small sign next to portrait on gallery wall*  "Hey, it says this dude with the sunflower is Anthony van Dyck."

Gaffney:  "Hey, my mom says he was in that old-school movie 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'". 

Brosseau:  'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' is so hot right now. 

Gaffney:  So hot. 

* Opening credits *

I'm not surprised that the authenticity of this painting has been doubted in the past.

Clearly someone has  over painted the eyes (the whites are too white and stick out), the line along the edge of the nose (Whistler never does anything so unsubtle) and the fussy curls on the forehead (ditto). Whistler's own hand is clearly visible however in the heavy impasto (lead white) of the dress. It will be very interesting to see what it looks like after cleaning.

Revivalism in art, design and architecture is a foundational aspect of modernism, though it has often been overlooked. This volume seeks to investigate the diverse dimensions of revivalism, exploring its meanings and impacts across cultures and media between c.1850 and 1950. Bringing together case studies that highlight revivalism in fields as diverse as Armenian architecture, German glassware and contemporary tattooing, Revival: Memories, Identities, Utopias counteracts perceptions of revivalism as a practice opposed to canonical modernism, instead highlighting its international and interdisciplinary presence. This book challenges established viewpoints on intersections between past and present, offering new perspectives on what makes revivalism a force for innovation and not a mode of conservatism. Revivalism, this collection argues, looks forward into a present and indeed a future that is built upon persistent echoes of history. 

The same is said in NYC and Chicago. In nearby Philadelphia records show that people continue to vote for up to five years after they're dead. Talk about the dead ruling the living.

Have been trying to but won't work .

Am persevering.

“We will drive the institutionalisation of this huge market. By introducing more liquidity to the market, we think the cost of capital for these assets will go down and the value will go up [...] Leverage generally means asset prices inflate.”

Next Sarkozy could package and syndicate the loans, taking a fee, and stick European pension funds with the risk. And there will be great business for auction houses selling the reclaimed collateral. It should stimulate employment in the art business for a while. And living artists can benefit by manufacturing more product with larger “workshops”.

It’s nothing personal, says Ben Ewen-Campen, he just doesn’t think French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir is much of a painter. Monday, the Harvard postdoc joined some like-minded aesthetes for a playful protest outside the Museum of Fine Arts. The rally, which mostly bewildered passersby, was organized by Max Geller, creator of the Instagram account Renoir Sucks at Painting, who wants the MFA to take its Renoirs off the walls and replace them with something better. Holding homemade signs reading “God Hates Renoir” and “Treacle Harms Society,” the protesters ate cheese pizza purchased by Geller, and chanted: “Put some fingers on those hands! Give us work by Paul Gauguin !” and “Other art is worth your while! Renoir paints a steaming pile!” Craig Ronan, an artist from Somerville, learned about the protest on Instagram and decided to join. “I don’t have any relationship with these people aside from wanting artistic justice,” he said. The museum hasn’t commented on the fledgling movement, but a few folks walking by Monday seemed amused. “I love their sense of irony,” said Liz Byrd, a grandmother from Phoenix who spent the morning in the museum with her daughter and grandchild. “I love Renoir, but I think this is great.”

The Cultural Value and Inequality report by Kate Oakley and Dave O’Brien, discussing inequality within both the creation and consumption of cultural value, indicates that women make up nearly 70% of the workforce in museums and galleries. But according to my research, within those top galleries getting £1m+ of Arts Council England funding, just 37% of director or CEO roles are held by women. The situation is only a little better in the other UK nations, with women leading in 40% of Scotland’s best-funded galleries and 50% of those in Wales.

Our members at the National Gallery voted unanimously today to return to work after we reached an agreement to end the dispute.

The news comes shortly after we marked 100 days on strike since February.

We opposed the privatisation of the gallery's visitor services staff and regret we have been unable to prevent it going ahead.

We are however pleased to have reached an agreement with the gallery and contractor Securitas that would mean protection of terms and conditions and a return to work for our senior rep Candy Udwin. We thank the new director Gabriele Finaldi and the company for their commitment to genuine negotiations.

Strike action is being suspended pending ministerial approval and a ballot of our members over the deal, which also includes union recognition with the company and the London living wage.

Staff will meet outside the gallery at 9am on Monday 5 October to go back in to work together.

More information will be published as soon as it is available.

Our general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "We are pleased to have reached this agreement and on behalf of the union I would like to pay particular tribute to Candy, who is looking forward to returning to the job she loves, and to all our members at the gallery.

"We still do not believe privatisation was necessary but we will work with the new company and the gallery to ensure a smooth transition and, importantly, to ensure standards are maintained at this world-renowned institution."

Gallery bosses have conceded to almost all of the strikers’ demands. 

[...] the strike has forced Securitas to agree to recognise PCS in the gallery.

And [Securitas] have guaranteed that terms and conditions will not be changed without the agreement of the union. They have also won guarantees on rosters and staffing levels.

Securitas have also agreed that new staff will be recruited on terms and conditions “broadly comparable” to those of existing staff. 

Securitas will continue to pay workers the London Living Wage plus enhancements, which they won during the course of their dispute in April.

Meanwhile gallery bosses have agreed to a review of the privatisation after 12 months.

And there will be an investigation run by the gallery into relations between bosses and workers broke down in the run up to the first strike in January.

But the reinstatement of Candy is one of the biggest victories of the strike. The fact that it was one of the strikers’ key demands is the reason she is getting her job back.

“We feel like we’ve come a long way,” one striker told Socialist Worker. “But there’s also a feeling we have to take it further—and we are going to take it further. We’re still opposed to the fact that a private company is going to be running the National Gallery.”