London Museums Suspend Free Exhibition Entry to MA and ICOM Members
July 9 2020
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here is a story that is being aired on Social Media over the past few days. Several London Museums have suspended discounted or free entry to their Temporary Exhibitions for members of the Museums Association and the International Council of Museums (ICOM). So far, this includes Tate, British Museum, National Gallery, Science Museum Group, Victoria & Albert Museum & the Natural History Museum.
The suspension is temporary and is due to reduced capacity because of social distancing restrictions. Naturally, museums and galleries are also doing their best to help claw back funds lost over the three months of lockdown. Equally, if museums can no longer rely on sheer volume (pictured) to make ends meet, then we should probably expect some further changes to how entry to popular temporary exhibitions is managed.
The suspension will affect museum professionals the most, who make up the majority of members of these two bodies. As this blog often highlights, the pay in the museums sector isn't what you might often expect it to be.
ICOM UK made the following statement on their Twitter account earlier today:
Whilst we understand the simple financial basis for this decision, we feel it is somewhat reactionary & doesn't take into account the wider benefits of reciprocal entry, like secondary spend, building & exchanging professional knowledge & encouraging broader & more diverse access.
The Museums Association also made this statement on their Twitter account a few days ago:
They informed us of this decision last week, and are committed to reviewing again in early September. We understand the difficulties of reopening with limited numbers, and we look forward to them sharing their work with their many sector colleagues as soon as possible.
Many museums are still offering our members free entry and all updates to MA free entry are listed on our website.
The Symbiosis of Private and Public Sales
July 9 2020
Picture: The Dealer's Eye via. Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
For those interested in the recent developments in the crossover between the auction houses and dealers, then this is a must-watch panel discussion. Tonight (9th July) Melanie Gerlis of the Financial Times and the Art Newspaper will be chairing a panel discussion on the theme The Artworld's Latest Merger: The Symbiosis of Private and Public Sales. This talk is part of the calendar of events arranged by London Art Week.
The panel includes Otto Naumann (Sotheby's), Stephen Ongpin (dealer) and Toby Campbell (Rafael Valls).
The panel discussion will go live today (9th July) at 5pm (BST) via. Zoom. Registration is required.
Christie's Old Masters Sales
July 9 2020
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Catalogues have been published online for the upcoming Classic Week at Christie's.
The Old Master Paintings & Sculpture sale will be conducted online from 9th July - 30th July.
Amongst the most interesting works on offer are:
A few of my highlights: A fine 'Follower of Van Dyck' of Charles I with an orb, descended from the Dukes of Manchester estimated £50k-£80k; a curious Ecce Homo by a 'Follower of Caravaggio' estimated at £30k-£50k; an early portrait of Henry VIII estimated at £25k-£35k; a horrific Apollo and Marsyas by Lorenzo Vaiani at £50k-£80k; a very powerful Cain smiting Abel by Sebastiano Ricci estimated at £50k-£80k.
The top-end works will be sold in the Classic Art Evening Sale: Antiquity to 20th century held on 29th July. This is an interesting example of the breaking down of categories that both auction houses are currently pursuing.
Top lots include: a fine portrait of a Young Lady by Rubens estimated at £4m - £6m; a late fifteenth century Burgundian portrait of a man, once owned by Horace Walpole, estimated at £400k - £600k; a watercolour of Ludlow Castle by Turner estimated at £300k - £500k. I also rather liked this fresh-onto-the-market Carlo Saraceni (pictured) estimated at £150k-£250k.
A few other top-end works will appear in the Remastered:Dialogues across the Centuries which runs from 16th July - 30th July. Works announced thus far in this sale include paintings by Bassano, Circle of Leonardo da Vinci, and Brueghel the Younger.
Government Urged to Protect Collections
July 8 2020
Picture: The Museums Association
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The recent Museum's Association newsletter reports on calls for the British government to use temporary powers to save the collections of independent museums that go into administration.
As the article explains:
Although this week's funding announcement offered a lifeline to the museum sector, many institutions remain at risk of insolvency. There is concern that if a number go into administration at the same time, the cultural heritage sector will have limited capacity to intervene and save collections from being broken up and sold off.
The Museums Association (MA), Collections Trust (CT) and Association of Independent Museums (AIM) are asking the government to use new powers created in the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020, which became law on 25 June and is applicable UK-wide, to delay the sale of assets from insolvent museums in order to give sector bodies time to intervene to protect those collections, as they would in normal times.
AHN reported about this phenomena back in April. Let's hope that something can be done to help councils resist selling off the family silver.
Microbes that can Authenticate Old Masters (?)
July 8 2020
Picture: DailyStar.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I missed this rather bizarre news story a few weeks ago, do forgive me. A team of scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute in California are developing a system to test the microbes found on artworks in order to help prove their authenticity.
As the Institute's own press release states:
Genetics scientists with the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), collaborating with the Leonardo da Vinci DNA Project and supported by the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, say identifying and managing communities of microbes on art may offer museums and collectors a new way to stem the deterioration of priceless possessions, and to unmask counterfeits in the $60 billion a year art market.
In the art world context, studying microbes clinging to the surface of a work of art may help confirm its geographic origin and authenticity or identify counterfeits.
It seems that this project is still in its early days and there would be enormous hurdles to overcome before a system has proven itself to be worthy enough to be relied upon. Scientific testing on pigments has been a part of dating artworks for a long period of time, of course. There are several existing ways to test whether an artwork contains materials that are later than the work purports to be.
More interesting is the claim that:
"Many Renaissance artists used their own biological material in their artwork," [Microbiologist Manolito Torralba] told AFP. "Leonardo and others were very known for using their own saliva and some used their own blood"
It is interesting to imagine a day when authorship debates would be settled by microbial tests, but, I think we are probably a long long way away from that. It is obvious though that the ultimate goal of this scientific route is to pin down a process which will allow a computer to decide who painted what.
Sure, such a test might provide some interesting results for works that came out of Rubens's Studio, for example. However, for this to be reliable one would have to have an enormous sample size. In other words it would only be useful if samples were obtained by the hundreds (if not thousands) of paintings by Rubens's hand and the many studio, workshop, period and non-period copies. Organising such an enterprise would also require a truly Herculean effort.
Until then, training the human eye through repeated experience, supplemented by thorough scholarship, is still essential.
Underneath de Miranda's Charles II
July 8 2020
Picture: Museo del Prado
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Prado in Madrid posted these two very interesting images on their Twitter Account earlier today. One is an x-ray that shows what is underneath Carreño de Miranda's 1681 portrait of King Charles II of Spain. It seems that the artist reused a canvas of an earlier portrait of the King when he was much younger. This earlier image, showing him in fine clothing rather than armour, is quite haunting. The background appears to be different too, an attempt perhaps to update the King's image as a brave military leader (?).
Click on the link above to see very high quality images supplied by the museum.
Artemisia Interview
July 8 2020
Picture: The National Gallery
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
As the National Gallery in London reopens today, here is an interesting interview conducted earlier in April with curator Letizia Treves on the significance of Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1654). The National Gallery's exhibition on Artemisia will still be going ahead with exact dates yet to be announced.
In fact, it is now possible to buy the exhibition catalogue through the gallery's website. A good chance to clue-up on the works of art before you get there!
Update - The exhibition will open on 3rd October 2020.
Hiscox Online Art Trade Report
July 7 2020
Picture: Hiscox
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The insurance company Hiscox have published their 2020 Art Trade Report online. The report is completely free to read.
Amongst their key findings are the following:
- Online art and collectible sales generated an estimated $4.82 billion in 2019, which represents an increase of 4% on the previous year. This amount seems to represent a slow-down of growth experienced in previous years.
- Christie's, Sotheby's and Heritage Auctions passed $1 billion in online sales, compared with $636 million in 2015.
- The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated online sales, with Sotheby's reporting a 131% increase, and Heritage Auction reporting a 10% increase.
Lots of other interests facts to be found inside the online document.
First Constable Retrospective in the Netherlands
July 7 2020
Picture: Haarlems Dagblad
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
On 19th September 2020 the first ever solo retrospective exhibition in the Netherlands dedicated to John Constable will open at the Teylers Museum in Haarlem.*
The exhibition will feature a vast array of drawings, watercolour and paintings loaned from collections around the world. Constable, as we know, was greatly influenced by Dutch golden age painters such as Ruisdael, Hobbema and Rembrandt.
The exhibition will run from 19th September 2020 to 31st January 2021.
* - Quite surprising fact, if true! I'm sure an AHN reader will get in touch if there was an obscure exhibition in the 1960s or 70s!
NG Paintings on Canes
July 7 2020
Picture: Classic Canes
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I've spotted on Instagram (via. @arthurbyngnelson) that the firm Classic Canes have bought image licenses from the National Gallery to produce some rather aesthetically pleasing walking aids. Artist inspired canes include works by Stubbs, Bosschaert, Monet, Van Gogh and Nattier.
Portraying Pregnancy - Extended
July 7 2020
Picture: Tate via. Foundling Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Good news that the Foundling Museum's current exhibition Portraying Pregnancy: From Holbein to Social Media has been extended till 23rd August 2020. The exhibition is curated by Karen Hearn and features works by the likes of Holbein, Gheeraerts (pictured), Beale, Lawrence and many others. More details on how to book tickets can be found on their website.
Van Dyck Reinterpreted
July 7 2020
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
As AHN often features contemporary reinterpretations of old master paintings, I thought the following artwork might be of interest. The above painting by Kehinde Wiley (b.1977) made $350,000 (inc. fees) at Sotheby's last month. Art lovers will know that it takes direct inspiration from Van Dyck's portrait of Charles I, La Roi à la chasse, in the Louvre, Paris. Wiley's work La Roi a la chasse II (2007) is a continuation of the artist's fascination for Old Masters, and follows his reinterpretations of paintings by the likes of Frans Hals, Rubens and David.
As the catalogue note explains:
Wiley draws attention to Van Dyck’s regal portrait conventions & questions the constructions of authority that now appear as affectation rather than natural elegance & power.
Here is a YouTube video containing an interview with the artist as he presents his own personal view on interpreting and reinterpreting the Old Masters.
ArtTactic Old Master Market Report
July 6 2020
Picture: LAW
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
ArtTactic have published their Annual Old Master Paintings Market Report. It was presented as part of London Art Week alongside a panel discussion yesterday evening on Demystifying the Old Masters Market (Is this available to view online I wonder?). Written and researched by Megan Corcoran Locke, and consisting of 24 pages, the online version costs £150 (exc. VAT) to download.
The organisation have published this rather interesting graph on their Instagram Account. It shows the comparison of Old Master Sales between Sotheby's and Christie's for the past few years.
Recently Upgraded Rubens Offered at Sotheby's
July 6 2020
Picture: Metro
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A recently re-emerged portrait by Peter Paul Rubens has been published by the press today.
The above Portrait of a Lady was sold in 2017 at Tennants in Yorkshire for £65,000 (hammer) as by the Workshop of Rubens. Recent cleaning of the work has revealed its true quality, including several pentimenti in the sky. This evidence amounted to the fact that the painting is indeed an original and not a copy. The provenance of the portrait and its exhibition history looks interesting too. I look forward to reading the catalogue note in full.
The portrait will be included in Sotheby's Old Master Paintings sale on 29th July with an estimate of £2.5m - £3.5m.
£1.57 Billion for the Arts in Britain
July 6 2020
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Big news from the British Government last night as a £1.57 billion rescue package has been arranged for the arts, culture and heritage industries. The list of areas eligible for grants and loans include the performing arts and theatres, heritage, historic palaces, museums, galleries, live music and independent cinema. This will provide a much needed lifeline for many of the cultural institutions that have been facing collapse due to the virus crisis.
Ashmolean Appeal to buy Van Dyck
July 6 2020
Picture: Ashmolean
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is fundraising to purchase an early full-length portrait by Sir Anthony Van Dyck. The above Portrait of a Lady, dated to 1618-20, is part of a collection of artworks that the museum is hoping to acquire as part of the Acceptance in Lieu of Tax Scheme (AIL). Alongside the portrait are nine pieces of English Silver from the celebrated Cassel collection including the Bacon Cup.
The total value of the group is about £15million but with the AIL scheme the Ashmolean can acquire them for just £500,000. They are working to raise £150,000 over the next six months in order to complete the acquisition.
Sounds like an absolute bargain, right?
Here is a leaflet that explains more.
Hounds Export Bar
July 4 2020
Picture: ArtDaily
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A temporary export bar has been placed by the British Government on a pair of marble hounds dating from the 2nd century AD. These beautiful Roman statues were excavated in the late eighteenth century and were once in the collection of the British antiquarian Thomas Hope.
Any institution hoping to keep them in the country will have to find £2,000,000 to purchase them. The decision on the export license has been deferred to 2 October 2020.
Room 32 Renovations Complete
July 3 2020
Picture: @JHRTrust
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Photos of the newly refurbished Room 32 at the National Gallery in London have been shared online.
The refurbishment was funded by a £4m donation from the Julia & Hans Rausing Trust. Work included reinstating the nineteenth century decorative work in the upper frieze and lunettes. This central space houses the gallery's collection of seventeenth century Italian paintings and had been closed for 21 months. The room will be renamed The Julia and Hans Rausing Room to recognise this generous donation.
Digital Access in French Museums
July 3 2020
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here is an interesting article explaining the current situation of the opening up of digital collections in Museums in France. It highlights how slow museums have been in organising proposals to meet the French government's 2018 'Museums of the 21st Century' Mission.
The mission had included specific requests to:
“formulate proposals, respectful of copyright, regarding free access to images from major museums in connection with the RMN-GP [official organization for the national museums of France]."
The article is penned by Pierre-Yves Beaudouin of Wikimédia France. Naturally, this organisation promotes the notion that digital images should be opened up as much as possible and made accessible on large platforms like Wikipedia.
Lost Photo of Napoleon Emerges...
July 2 2020
Picture: @Ganbrood
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Dutch artist Bas Uterwijk, from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, has been recreating famous faces into photo realistic images. He does this with the help of 'AI' (which he calls 'Artbreeder') and some other fancy tools using historic paintings as guides. Some are more successful than others. I thought his image of Napoleon above (compared with the original by Jacques-Louis David on the left) is quite amusing. Click here for examples of Rembrandt and Van Gogh.
