Previous Posts: February 2024
Kingston Lacy Rehang
February 16 2024
Picture: CODART
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
CODART (International network for curators of art from the Low Countries) have shared news that Kingston Lacy, now in the care of the National Trust, have devised a new hang for the Saloon. Curators took the opportunity to reorganise the room after the return of two outstanding female portraits by Rubens which were recently on loan to the Dulwich Picture Gallery.
According to the post:
The rehang was prompted by recent conservation work in the Saloon, which required all the paintings to be removed from the walls. This provided the opportunity to lower two Rubens portraits so that visitors can confront the paintings more directly. The rehang of the surrounding pictures and those on the opposite wall is intended to reveal connections between the paintings and tell the story of the Bankes family’s collecting across the centuries.
Elena Greer, Property Curator for Kingston Lacy said: ‘When Kingston Lacy was gifted to the National Trust in 1982 the paintings in the Saloon were rearranged. Among the changes made was the rehanging of the two portraits by Rubens much higher on the wall. This new hang, the first since that date, lowers the portraits – reflecting the pre-1982 arrangement, as well as historic hangs in this room – offering visitors a closer encounter with these two imposing images and the opportunity to examine Rubens’ technique in more detail.’
Protests (ctd.)
February 15 2024
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
It appears that protests involving historic artworks are becoming increasingly frequent and alarming these days. Two days ago activists in Florence attached posters to Botticelli's Birth of Venus, drawing attention to flooding caused by climate change. More concerning though is a stunt by the artist contemporary Andrei Molodkin, who claims to have gathered works by Picasso, Rembrandt, Andy Warhol and others in order to destroy them with acid if Julian Assange dies in prison. Are acts like these really changing the minds of the masses? Or are they achieving exactly the opposite?
Musée Delacroix Reopening in March
February 15 2024
Picture: musee-delacroix.fr
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Musée Delacroix in Paris will be reopening after a 6-month renovation on 20th March 2024. The museum will be taking the opportunity to reopen with a brand-new exhibition exploring Artists' Objects that link both Ingres and Delacroix.
Portrait of George Washington Stolen
February 15 2024
Video: 9News
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A portrait of George Washington was stolen from a Colorado storage facility in late January. The work appears to have been kept there by a private family collection and an appeal has been launched for its return.
Barocci Exhibition in Urbino
February 15 2024
Picture: Finestre sull'Arte
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that the Palazzo Ducale in Urbino will be opening an exhibition dedicated to Federico Barocci later in the summer. The monographic show will feature 76 works by the artist and explore his entire career. Visitors will be able to see the exhibition between 20th June 2024 until 6th October 2024.
Countess Maria Benedetta di San Martino sent to Bologna
February 14 2024
Picture: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid have sent Pompeo Batoni's Portrait of the Countess Maria Benedetta di San Martino to the Museo Davia Bargellini in Bologna for a special exhibition on the painting. The loan is part of an ongoing annual programme called Ospiti which aims to broaden the cultural interaction of the city with international organisations. The show will run until 7th April 2024.
2024 Exhibitions at Compton Verney
February 14 2024
Picture: Compton Verney
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Compton Verney in Warwickshire are putting on a very special selection of exhibitions in 2024 to celebrate their 20 year anniversary. Two shows will be opening on 21st March, including Landscape and Imagination: From Gardens to Land Art alongside the Reuniting of the Lamentation Altarpiece, made possible by a loan from the National Galleries of Scotland. Later in September another exhibition will open entitled The Reflected Self: Portrait Miniatures, 1550-1850, which is co-curated with the miniatures specialist Emma Rutherford.
The YCBA are hiring!
February 14 2024
Picture: Yale University
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Yale Center for British Art are hiring a new Head of Education.
According to the job description:
The Head of Education leads the Education department of the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA), the largest museum outside the United Kingdom devoted to British art. The Head of Education develops and advances a vision for education at the museum, creating the framework and strategy for enhancing and managing the Education department’s community engagement, partnerships, public outreach, and programs, including the museum’s long-standing work with neurodiverse audiences. Reporting to the Deputy Director for Research, the Head of Education is a key member of the Research division’s senior management team. Their work will have a significant impact on the activities of all YCBA staff.
The starting salaries available are $97,500 per annum (if I'm reading the grading system correctly!) and there is no application deadline published online.
Good luck if you're applying!
Sleeper Alert!
February 14 2024
Picture: Vanderkindere
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
'X' (formerly Twitter) was awash with news about the following painting which was auctioned off at Vanderkindere in Belgium yesterday. The work catalogued as 'Flemish School, 16th century' achieved €202,000 over its €10,000 - €15,000 estimate.
RAMM makes Collection Open Access
February 14 2024
Picture: RAMM
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery (RAMM) in Exeter has announced that it will be making its digital collections Open Access! This means that you'll be able to enjoy and reproduce historic artworks, such as this serene John White Abbott watercolour, in any way you wish (although I note that some older images still retain their copyright taglines).
According to the museum's press release:
“We believe that open access assists RAMM to fulfil its central purpose. Adopting an open access approach lets users access digitised collections and contribute to the rich cultural heritage of Exeter, regardless of where they are. We want people to be inspired, informed and entertained by RAMM’s collection and to use them to foster individual creativity. We recognise the importance of providing knowledge and information to the public to advance our mission and to unlock new cultural discoveries.”
Upcoming Release: The Medici Series
February 13 2024
Picture: brepols
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The new volume of the Corpus Rubenianum will be released in April 2024. This edition, written by Nils Büttner, will focus on Rubens' famous Medici Series in the Louvre.
According to the blurb:
The decoration of the Luxembourg Palace galleries was the largest commission Rubens ever received. On Saturday 26 February 1622, the artist signed two contracts at the Louvre with the agreement ‘to make and paint with his own hand each and every one of the figures’ of the paintings which would decorate the two parallel galleries of the palace that the Queen Mother, Maria de’ Medici (1573–1642), had begun to have built on the left bank of the Seine. According to the first contract, the western gallery was now ready and Rubens ‘will be bound and obliged to design and to paint with his own hand twenty-four paintings depicting the history of the very illustrious life and heroic exploits’ of the Queen Mother, conforming to an incomplete memoir, of which he had received a copy. Rubens arrived in Paris to put the final touches to the finished canvases celebrating the life of Maria de’ Medici at the beginning of February 1625. But at this time the eastern gallery, planned to display the ‘battles… and triumphs’ of King Henri IV (1553–1610), Maria’s late husband, was still under construction. The Henri IV Gallery was to be an unfinished masterpiece: after a temporary suspension of the work in 1630, the project was definitively abandoned in 1631.
Alexis Merle du Bourg’s in-depth study of the Henri IV Series was published as Part XIV.2 of the Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard in 2017. The present volume charts the earlier part of the Medici commission, which happily survives, splendidly completed. It presents Maria in her relationship with Henri, her public role after her husband’s death and, not least, her difficulties and then reconciliation with Louis XIII, her son. Here Rubens invoked the gods of ancient myth and a whole company of personified abstractions to help mask problematic episodes, dignify banal events and create a glorious commemoration of the life and aims of the Queen Mother.
Bergognone in Lodi
February 13 2024
Picture: comune.lodi.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A new exhibition dedicated to the artist Ambrogio di Stefano da Fossano, called Bergognone (or Borgognone), has just opened in the Italian city of Lodi. The show entitled Religious Love has been organised on the 500th anniversary of the artist's death.
Find Dutch Art in the USA
February 13 2024
Picture: storymaps.arcgis.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Center for Netherlandish Art at the Museum of Fine Art Boston have created this rather intriguing mapping tool which helps art lovers seek out Dutch Art. Once you've found a relevant museum or institution, users are allowed to click through to descriptions of the highlights of these places alongside links to their databases which show their Dutch collections.
According to the website:
Museums throughout the United States have significant collections of pre-modern Dutch art. To help people identify and locate these museums, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York and the Center for Netherlandish Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston created “Mapping Dutch Art in the United States.” This digital mapping project allows users to more easily explore museums in the United States that show 17th-century Dutch art. The different sections below the map provide further resources to gain general knowledge about 17th-century Dutch art and understand its impact on collecting and exhibitions in the United States.
Chatsworth are Hiring!
February 13 2024
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Two very tempting jobs are going at one of Britain's most exquisite country houses and collections. Chatsworth, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Devonshire, are hiring a Senior Curator and an Assistant Curator.
According to the job description for the Senior Curator role:
In this role, you will use your curatorial expertise on the collections to benefit a diverse audience, collaborating with a broad range of colleagues, the Cavendish family and other cultural professionals to research, exhibit and explore key themes through the collection, to broaden engagement and understanding.
In addition to line managing an Assistant Curator, you will be instrumental in developing a team of new Chatsworth Curatorial fellows. Your leadership will guide them in researching, cataloguing, and interpreting a broad range of curatorial subject areas and narratives.
You will lead and manage research initiatives and various other projects, to raise the visibility and accessibility (including digital) of the Devonshire Collection and the assets under our care. Your efforts will span multiple channels, including publications, events, delivering lectures, partnerships and more.
The jobs come with salaries of £45,000 - £50,000 and £28,000 - £30,000 respectively, and applications must be in by 25th and 18th February respectively (click on the links for further details).
Good luck if you're applying!
Dogs allowed in Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria in February
February 12 2024
Picture: Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Italian press have reported on a pet friendly initiative promoted by the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria this February. On a few selected dates the gallery in Perugia will be allowing owners and their pets to tour the galleries. There are a few T&Cs to note. Only ten dogs are allowed in at once, they must weigh under 10 kilograms each and owners must be able to carry the animals in their arms or in a carrier. Prebooking is essential.
Should the National Gallery open up to Modern Art?
February 12 2024
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Guardian published an article over the weekend regarding the question of whether The National Gallery in London should scrap its 1900 cut-off date. The piece focuses on comments by the art critic and former curator Julian Spalding, who claims that the current divide is 'creating this terrible fossil'.
According to Spalding the current cut-off point suggests:
“[It was] as if painting died then as a great art form. This isn’t what happened. The art of painting non-representationally was brilliantly reinvented for our times, by Picasso and Matisse, of course, and many others.”
“Bringing the collection up to date will also naturally and most importantly widen the gallery’s representation of female artists and the art of many cultures, truly reflecting the nature of Britain and our world today.”
“When it was founded, the gallery’s collection was on-going, with paintings being added when their greatness became apparent. This was often, understandably, a slow process, but sometimes surprisingly fast. The Gallery bought Van Gogh’s Chair only 34 years after it was painted.”
______________
This is an argument which has been discussed many times and touched on in several of Bendor's posts in the past. For myself, the biggest question here is one of space. The NG site just simple isn't as sprawling as the MET galleries in New York, let's say. In attempting to serve both masters, it is possible that both spheres would be watered down.
An interesting topic which will always generate interesting debate, it seems clear!
Blake & Botticelli in Cambridge
February 12 2024
Video: Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge will be starting off their 2024 exhibition season with William Blake’s Universe next Friday.
According to the website blurb:
Discover William Blake’s universe and a constellation of European artists seeking spirituality in their lives and art in response to war, revolution and political turbulence.
Sometimes seen as an eccentric figure or lone genius, William Blake’s Universe is the first exhibition to explore Blake’s boundless imagination in the context of wider trends and themes in European art including romanticism, mysticism and ideas of spiritual regeneration.
This timely new exhibition brings together the largest-ever display of works by the radical British artist, printmaker and poet from our own collection, alongside artworks by his European contemporaries such as the German romantic painters Philipp Otto Runge and Caspar David Friedrich – many of which have never been displayed publicly in the UK until now.
Secondly, the museum will be opening a Botticelli exhibition later in May, a show which hinges upon the museum's own collection of the artist's works alongside the loan of the famous Venus and Mars from the National Gallery in London.
Manage Exhibitions at the Wallace Collection
February 12 2024
Picture: Vortic
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Wallace Collection in London are hiring an Exhibitions Manger.
According to the job description:
The Exhibitions Manager will lead on all aspects of the successful organisational management and delivery of specific exhibition and displays from concept through to deinstallation and any onward tour.
The postholder will be the key point of contact for their specific projects, liaising with a wide range of internal and external colleagues including curators, external designers, external publishers, transport agents, ACE, lenders, venue partners and contractors.
The job comes with a salary between £31,000 - £34,000 per annum and applications must be in by 25th February 2024.
Good luck if you're applying!
Self Portrait by Marie Gabrielle Capet Coming up in Nice
February 9 2024
Picture: La Gazette Drouot
Posted by Adam Busiakeiwicz:
La Gazette Drouot have published an extended article on a very interesting Self Portrait by Marie-Gabrielle Capet (1761-1818) which is coming up for sale in Nice next week. Capet, who was a pupil of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, came from a modest background and eventually exhibited widely in pre and post revolutionary France. The painting, which is a recent rediscovery, relates to a much larger variant now in the Neue Pinakothek, Munich. It will be offered on 15th February 2024 carrying and estimate of €15,000 - €20,000.
Update - The painting realised €310,000!
Musee d'Orsay to send Van Gogh to Cardiff
February 9 2024
Picture: BBC
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Musee d'Orsay in Paris will be sending their prized Van Gogh Self Portrait to an upcoming exhibition in Cardiff. Art Of The Selfie will include works by Rembrandt, Brenda Chamberlain, Francis Bacon, Bedwyr Williams, Anya Paintsil and will run from 16th March 2024 until 24 January 2025.
