Your second Maxwell Museums fix

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You beauties are getting the second maxwell museums newsletter, bringing together everything that's brilliant about museums: from art and architecture, to lifestyle and travel. All in joyful, manageable chunks. It's still a work in progress, so tell me how to make it super by replying to this email. And don't forget to share with your museum-loving mates. Thanks for subscribing! Let's dive in.

catch up
all the news

The Met in New York is celebrating camp. The most glamorous exhibition in the world (probably) is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, the one kicked off by the famous Met Gala - and 2019's will be Camp: Notes on Fashion. It "will reveal [camp's] profound influence on both high art and popular culture".Who's booking flights already? Read more at Vogue.

Staying with fashion, the V&A have launched what will surely be their biggest exhibition of 2019. It's certainly going to be the biggest Christian Dior exhibition the UK has ever seen. Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams will open in February and will celebrate the life and work of the fashion designer. Looks like tickets are already selling fast....Read more on the Guardian.

One of the world's most famous paintings is to undergo a major restoration - in a glass box. Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum will give Rembrandt's masterpiece The Night Watch a makeover, broadcast live online. Seems a bit David Blaine but I love it. Read more on TIME magazine.

Artist Marc Quinn, who I worked with on the Soane Museum's exhibition Drawn from Life, returns to using bodily fluids for his latest artwork. “Odyssey” will feature 2,000 litres of blood in two freezer boxes, one with blood donated by refugees. It will first go on show at the New York Public Library before travelling, with a stop in London. Unusual, but I can't wait to see it. Read more at GQ magazine.

This was a biggie....the world's oldest intact shipwreck has been discovered. Dated to 500 BC, the ship is among 72 found at the bottom of the Black Sea. This story was everywhere this week. Watch the report from Sky News.

gen up
in depth

The Guardian ran a fantastic article on the forgotten women of architecture; those who were the most talented of their age but were never given the recognition they deserved. The article came about as wrongs were finally being righted, with Sir John Soane's Museum (them again!) awarding Denise Scott-Brown the second annual Soane Medal for major contribution to her field. Read the article at the Guardian.

Instagram. It's brilliant isn't it? Or is it? Certainly a staple of my holidays and the museums I visit, not everyone believes its a productive tool to use on a trip. The Independent's Helen Coffey explains why she's a travel journalist that refuses to download the Insta app. Thoughts? Read the article at the Independent.

My photo from Instagram taken at the opening reception of Edward Burne-Jones at Tate Britain. I rather liked it. Follow me at @maxwellmuseums

weigh up
review roundup

The last of the Pre-Raphaelites, Edward Burne-Jones, gets his first major retrospective in London since 1975, which opened at Tate Britain this week. There are some striking works on show, including those owned by Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page (Evening Standard), and there were some bowled over critics with 5 star reviews from the Telegraph (£) and the Evening Standard - the former calling it "an intoxicating, whimsical world". Time Out London awarded it 4 stars, enjoying "it’s sticky-sweet prettiness with more whimsy than Paperchase’s unicorn range", but Jonathan Jones was not so impressed at the Guardian, with the killer closing line of "Burne-Jones proves how boring beauty can be".

Edward Burne-Jones is open now and runs until 24 February 2019 at Tate Britain tate.org.uk

Inside the British Museum's Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World

get up
don't miss

I'm biased, but you don't want to miss the British Museum's brand new Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World which opened last week (with a message from HRH The Prince of Wales no less). Across two rooms there are now 1600 objects telling the story of the regions of Islam from west Africa to South East Asia. Get a flavour of the spaces by watching an interview with the excellent curators on BBC Today programme or read an in-depth feature from Middle East Eye. Then go visit, they're free!

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