art heists galore and an interview with London's busiest art critic
newsletter 12: December 2019
hello again. i've now been doing my newsletter for over a year - hurah! many of you have been here since the beginning which blows my mind. THANK YOU! others are more recent friends and i'm hugely grateful for your support. i'd love to grow this community even further so if you've been enjoying what you read please recommend the newsletter to a museum-loving friend. i know you have a few :p. but let's dive in, i have a great interview with Londonist art critic Tabish Khan ahead.
catch up: news
paintings reunited! works by Rubens and Titian are being brought back together for the first time in centuries next year. The Guardian
the Baltimore Museum of Art will only purchase artworks by female artists in 2020. NPR
two metal detectorists have been jailed for nearly 20 years for stealing a £3m hoard of Viking coins which rewrite history. Sky News
...but police are still hunting the thief who attempted to steal world famous Rembrandt paintings from Dulwich Picture Gallery. The Telegraph
...and in even more shocking heist news, thieves actually managed to steal priceless jewels from Dresden’s Gruenes Gewoelbe museum. Reuters UK
London's National Portrait Gallery announce a surprising 3- year closure. The Guardian
...meanwhile Michelle Obama was at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery for the hottest museum party of the season. The Washington Post
two surviving blocks of the Berlin wall in London have been given a street art makeover. Londonist
the Science Museum in London opens a gigantic £24million new gallery dedicated to 500 years of medicine. Design Week
one of the UK's leading sculpture parks is closing. artnet News
the first 'mixed reality' artwork to ever be auctioned is by Marina Abramovic. Barron's
Marc Quinn's Self-Conscious Gene in Medicine The Wellcome Galleries at the Science Museum. Courtesy and © of Marc Quinn studio
weigh up: reviews
Troy: myth and reality
British Museum, until 8 March 2020
"a gripping yet scholarly show which enriches our understanding of both myth and reality...the curators do a marvellous job of weaving their constellation of texts, images and objects into a fragile, evanescent yet astonishingly resilient cosmos." Financial Times
"Humanity is still vain, jealous, deceitful, angry and endlessly willing to wage war. All the lives lost – for nothing – in the story of Troy have taught us naff-all. Lives are still being lost – for nothing – today. This beautiful exhibition shows us that Troy is a warning, just one that nobody is willing to listen to." Time Out London
listen up: this week’s interview
Tabish Khan is London's busiest art critic. He visits and writes about hundreds of exhibitions a year and has been visual arts editor for Londonist since 2013. He's a regular contributor for FAD magazine with a weekly top exhibitions to see in London and a column called 'What's wrong with art'. Tabish is also a trustee of ArtCan, a non-profit arts organisation that supports artists. Find him insta-ing all things art at @LondonArtCritic
how did you become an art critic? I studied Biomedical Science and have a full time 'day job' in the energy sector, so not your traditional route to criticism. I was looking for things to do outside work and used to spot exhibition adverts on my commute on the Underground. So I started going to a few, a cousin suggested I should write a blog and that’s how the writing started. I pitched to Londonist who were early on in their trajectory and without an art writer -- 8 years later and we're still together. Occasionally my reviews get a mention on those Underground posters and it's lovely to see it come full circle.
you see over 1000 exhibitions a year. what are your tips for people who want to get more art in their lives? We're spoilt for choice in London with hundreds of exhibitions within easy reach. Of course there are the big spectacular blockbuster shows but there are also so many free exhibitions at commercial galleries and at museums that are often hidden gems. It doesn't have to be an expensive hobby.
is there a magic formula for what makes a good exhibition? I don't think so. Even after having seen thousands of exhibitions, they can still surprise me and that's why I love what I do. It's never a dull day being an art critic and even though it's my second full time job I never tire of it.
you also write about what’s wrong with the London art scene. what needs to change? This view that art and exhibitions are for a cultured elite needs to change. One of my pet hates is 'artspeak', nobody needs to see the word ontological and it just serves to prevent diversity in the arts by making it seem inaccessible to many. I want others to fall into art the way I did and yet I'm often disappointed to walk into a gallery and see a lack of diversity.
favourite show of 2019? and biggest turkey? I loved Viola / Michelangelo at Royal Academy of Arts as it blew me away with its drama. I like that almost every other critic hated it as I quite like being set against the other critics. Biggest turkey is Mark Leckey at Tate Britain - it's completely inaccessible to anyone who is not familiar with the artist's work and I imagine many people will walk out confused. They've recreated a motorway underpass for the show and I felt like I'd been mugged under it.
Spencer Finch's The Shield of Achilles, 2013 in Troy: myth and reality at the British Museum. see this image on my Instagram @maxwellmuseums
get up: what's new
want a December museum fix? in the UK things have wound down for Christmas so i've cast my eye further afield for many of my top tips of what to see. New Year in Melbourne anyone?
Winter Commission: Anne Hardy at Tate Britain - Hardy transforms Tate Britain’s iconic facade into a marooned temple
Edmund de Waal’s library of exile at Japanisches Palais in Dresden - installation of 2000 books visits Germany ahead of its trip to the British Museum in 2020
Art 19 - Box One at various venues in Europe - original, limited-edition art by 11 world famous artists goes on show and on sale for Amnesty International
Cerith Wyn Evans: Art Basel Miami Beach - an off-site project showcasing sculpture by the neon great
Keith Haring | Jean-Michel Basquiat: Crossing Lines at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia - unprecedented, world premiere exhibition bringing together two of the most significant artists of the late 20th century
thanks for reading. it takes time to put this together, so if you enjoy what you see, please consider sharing it with at least one museum-loving friend so even more people can see it. and subscribe below. BIG THANKS