Tate cuts 7% of workforce
PLUS: MPs want Egyptian mummies ban
— In partnership with HdK
Friday 14 March 2025 | news from museums, galleries, heritage and art, including:
First Lady Jane Grey portrait unearthed 👸
Science Museum holding space for new role 🚀
Major Jaws exhibition announced during Oscars 🦈
Happy Friday.
The Netherlands has lots of water, as anyone who’s ever sailed Amsterdam’s canals can tell you. But unfortunately, it’s going to get lots more. With rising North Sea levels, the country will be fully submerged in 1,000 years.
That was the stark warning I was given in January, sitting in a grand meeting room at the UNESCO-backed IHE Delft Institute — a university-like body dedicated to global water challenges. The message was clear: rising seas is an existential threat to the nation.
The Sainsbury Centre in Norwich know this all too well too. Tomorrow they open Can the Seas Survive Us? a new season of concurrent exhibitions about our “overwhelmed” oceans.
I was in Delft to learn more about one of the Sainsbury’s shows in this season, A World of Water. It looks at human impact on the sea, but it has at its core the North Sea’s relationship to both Norfolk and the Netherlands over the centuries.
Before my sailing to Holland (yes, my overnight Stena Line ferry from Harwich was the only way to travel for this trip, and let me tell me I was giddy with excitement — would hard recommend) I got to preview some of the historical objects going into the exhibition.
In the Norfolk Record Office, I was amazed by the ‘Hutch Map,’ a 16th-century depiction of what they thought East Anglia’s coast looked like at the end of the first millennium. It’s stunning and fascinating, not least because it’s painted on the hide of a sheep and is full of staggering artistic license. I also saw the remarkable Dutch and Walloon Strangers Book, a log from the 1600s of the immigrants from the Low Countries who came to work in the local textile industry, and who at one point made up a third of Norwich’s population. Reading it was a reminder that the sea has always been part of Britain’s story — and a reminder of the vital role of civic archives.
Back on the Dutch-leg of my trip, I got to flavour the contemporary pieces that the Sainsbury Centre is getting on loan too. I met artist Boris Maas and saw his installation The Urge to Sit Dry, an elevated chair which has its height adjusted to the predicted sea levels of the locations it’s shown in. In Norwich it will be 2m tall. Inside the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam — the Dutch national design museum — I was fascinated with a Tracy Island-esque model for an unrealised 1970s house on a Bahamian island.
So can we survive the seas? Or vice-versa as the exhibition title cleverly riffs on?
Well in the Netherlands, they are fighting back, because they have no choice. I saw first-hand how water is being recycled in a community-minded project in the heart of one of the Hague’s less-affluent neighbourhoods (the water is used for a city farm — yes I did pet a massive pig thanks for asking). A few miles up the road, I stood on a magnificent, film-set-like artificial beach that’s been created to halt devastating coastal erosion.
My whirlwind trip (or should that be whirlpool?) taught me two things. One was that if we do survive rising sea levels, it’ll be thanks in part to the innovation of passionate people in the Netherlands (and they will be owed our thanks). The other is that the Sainsbury Centre’s innovative way of programming shows to deep-dive into major issues is inspired. With the latest season, I say cross land — or sea — to visit.
— maxwell
— In partnership with HdK
AI in arts marketing — get up to speed
I’ve covered AI many times in this newsletter, because arts and culture professionals are using it more and more.
But AI has grown so quickly, it’s really hard to keep track of ‘where it’s at right now’. Hell, even I struggle, and I seem to write about it each week!
Don’t worry though — I have help for you!
This free webinar later this month will explain AI in 2025. It’s a chance to check in with the latest technologies and learn some tips and tricks on how to use AI as an arts marketer.
It’s going to be informative but informal, and run by the arts marketing experts HdK plus the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Dennis Chan who’ll demonstrate three ways he’s currently using AI.
And best of all, it’ll be packed with opportunities to ask questions so you can get the best information for you and your organisation.
So sign up now (it’s free, remember). Otherwise you might really get left behind on the AI train!
Top stories 🚨
Tate’s 7% staff cuts
Tate has cut 7% of its workforce as it battles to shore up its finances.
About 40 roles have been axed, made entirely through voluntary departures and recruitment freezes. The gallery said this move would “eliminate the deficit that many museums like Tate have borne since the pandemic”.
Back in December this newsletter reported on the how Tate’s trustees approved a deficit budget for the year ahead and warned of “uncertainty over [Tate’s] ability to operate in its current form.”
A spokesperson said this week they’ve now “strengthened new income streams, strategically prioritised our most impactful activities, and carefully streamlined our workforce.” They added that “Tate has an ambitious programme to grow our audiences across the nation and beyond.”
The news comes soon after revelations of a two-year delay to reopening Tate Liverpool, as raising money for the refurbishment had “become more difficult”. (Read more)
Lady Jane’s living portrait unearthed
Experts believe they have found the only portrait of Lady Jane Grey — England’s infamous ‘nine-day-queen’ — painted in her lifetime.
Research from English Heritage suggests a painting currently on loan to Bedfordshire’s Wrest Park is of the Tudor monarch, who was executed aged 17 in 1554 soon after a nine-day reign. Their evidence suggests the painting was altered over the centuries to depict her as a "subdued, Protestant" martyr. New dating of the panel’s wood also matches, and there’s evidence of previous iconoclastic attack.
The portrait was originally acquired by the owners of Wrest Park in 1701 and for 300 years it was “the defining image” of Lady Jane. After its sale in 1917, it took 90 years to re-emerge and it’s attribution “was thrown into doubt.” Curator Peter Moore said "It is thrilling to have this painting back at Wrest and the new research provides tantalising evidence which brings us much closer to the assertion that this could be Lady Jane Grey". (Read more)
UK news 🇬🇧
Take mummies off display, say MPs ❌
A group of MPs is calling for the display of ancient Egyptian mummies in museums to be banned. Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said “putting human remains on display is unethical” as she launched a new report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations. The report wants it to be an offence to show any human remains as their presence in British institutions “causes profound distress to diaspora communities and countries of origin.” (Read more)
Science Museum holds space for new role 🚀
The UK’s leading expert on human spaceflight is joining the Science Museum as its first ever Head of Space. Libby Jackson’s role will focus heavily on public engagement including working on YouTube content. But she’ll also support curators to acquire items for the collection. The news comes just weeks from the closure of the museum’s much-loved Exploring Space gallery, which will be replaced with a new display this autumn. (Read more)
New museum on Ireland’s role in British Army 🇬🇧 🇮🇪
A new museum is to be established to tell the story of Irish soldiers in the British Army through the centuries. The £13.6 million project will be developed across two sites — in Belfast and in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. The Belfast gallery is slated to open in 2027. The two sites will highlight stories including how in the 19th century around 40% of the British Army was made up of soldiers from across the island of Ireland. (Read more)
Hyundai extends Turbine Hall sponsorship 💰
Northern Sámi artist Máret Ánne Sara will create this year’s Hyundai Commission in the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern. She’s known for sculptures and installations exploring global ecological issues through her experience within the Sámi community. It’ll be the first display of her work in Britain. Hyundai Motor have supported the annual commission for ten years, and have just extended their support for another decade. Maria Balshaw, Director of Tate, thanked Hyundai for their “remarkable” commitment. (Read more)
Global news 🌎
Greece 🇬🇷
A far-right MP was detained after artworks in Athens’s National Gallery were vandalized. Nikos Papadopoulos was arrested after four works were significantly damaged. He was later released, telling reporters he took down “four blasphemous icons.” The gallery said “we unequivocally condemn any act of vandalism, violence, and censorship that undermines the constitutionally protected freedom of artistic expression.” (Read more)
USA 🇺🇸
During last week’s Oscars ceremony, the Academy announced live that its LA museum will host a major exhibition celebrating Steven Spielberg‘s blockbuster Jaws. It’ll mark 50 years since the film’s release, and will be the Academy Museum’s first exhibition dedicated to a single movie. There’ll be 200 objects on show, many from Spielberg’s personal archive. With 20 million viewers for the Oscars in the US alone, that’s not bad launch PR. (Read more)
Netherlands 🇳🇱
Extinction Rebellion targeted the Rijksmuseum by reserving thousands of tickets without showing up. It meant attendance on Saturday 1 March — expected to be around 8,000 people — resulted in “only a few hundred” people visiting. The activist group want the Rijksmuseum to cut ties with Dutch bank ING, which it claims funds fossil fuel projects. A spokesperson hit back saying “XR is preventing us from carrying out our public mission.” (Read more)
Finland 🇫🇮
A museum dedicated to Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin has reopened under a new name and with new exhibits in response to the collapsing relations between the two neighbouring countries. The former Lenin Museum in Tampere, which closed in November, reopened under the new name Nootti. Director Kalle Kallio said the Lenin name had become “a burden”. The new establishment aims to tell both Finnish and Russian stories, but there’s no cooperation with Russian groups or museums. (Read more)
News in brief
A new model for cultural attractions
Towner Eastbourne is riding high after hosting 2023's Turner Prize. In the latest Arts & Culture podcast episode, director Joe Hill and trustee Gyr King deep-dive into what it taught them, and how they embrace an entrepreneurial outlook to navigate our complex cultural landscape. (Listen here, or on your preferred podcast platform)*
Au revoir, Pompidou
Visitors flocked to the Centre Pompidou last weekend to enjoy its permanent galleries for one last time. Admission fees were scrapped for the momentous moment. On Monday, they officially closed for a five year-long renovation — artworks have begun to be removed. (More)
The sovereign’s sketch
An original drawing by HM The King will go on show in a new exhibition celebrating 25 years of the drawing school he established when Prince of Wales. His work will be seen alongside pieces by Tim Burton, Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, and Rufus Wainwright. (More)
War memorabilia sparks alarm
London’s Imperial War Museum was evacuated after a member of the public rocked up with Second World War military supplies. Police described the items as ‘ordnance’ which can refer to weapons. (More)
AI in arts marketing — get up to speed
Impress your boss with your knowledge of AI in arts marketing. Nab your place at this FREE online webinar about how Artificial Intelligence can help you and your cultural organisation. (Sign up)*
*This is sponsored
👀 Last edition’s most clicked news story
— Royal Academy staff face redundancy amid plans to cut 18% of workforce
📊 Last week’s poll results | Tim Burton’s exhibition has smashed records at the Design Museum. Have you seen it?
— YES! A wonderful world 54%
— Not yet. I will! 33%
— No. Too spooky for me 13%
📊 This week’s poll
Really good to read about the shows in Delft and Norwich.