Amazon's UK boss to be new head of Natural History Museum
plus: Historic Royal Palaces "face financial ruin" but Jane Austen's historic home is saved
hello, it’s me again. if you’re thinking it can surely only be a week since my last email, then you’d be right! as promised in the last edition, i’m starting to bring you a new ‘catch up’ news email in the weeks either side of the fortnightly main (and jam-packed might i add) edition. it’s to make sure maxwell museums keeps you updated with all the latest news you need to know. it’s just the regular NEWS section with headlines from the world of museums, and a cheeky bonus read at the end. simple. (maybe i should give it a title? maxwell museums in brief? hmmmm, suggestions very much welcome on maxwellmuseums1@gmail.com)
so dive in, and get clicking!
catch up // NEWS
HRP SOS. bleak times for the UK’s Historic Royal Palaces. the charity which looks after the Tower of London and other royal residencies say they’re facing financial ruin due to the pandemic and need urgent help. Daily Mail
NPG TTFN. no last hurrahs for the National Portrait Gallery in London as it announces it now won’t reopen again ahead of its 3-year redevelopment. Evening Standard
coming in 2021. one of the biggest global museum openings of the year will now be one of the biggest of next year, as the $500 million Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is pushed back to coincide with an also-delayed Oscar’s ceremony. LA Biz
new boss. the current head of Amazon’s UK and Ireland operations is to be the new Director of the Natural History Museum. The Guardian
news from France. five people try to seize an 19th-century Bari funeral pole from Paris’ Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac and are charged with attempted theft. The Art Newspaper
pride and prosperity. it took just 36 hours for donations to flood in from across the globe to save Jane Austen's historic home from closure. more of this for other museums please. Daily Echo
van oh (la la). a letter between van Gogh and Gauguin about their visits to French brothels has sold at auction for €210,600. The Guardian
55 Broadway. London’s first skyscraper - and former HQ of London Underground - is to be turned into a luxury hotel (what else?). Building
RA online. the Royal Academy of Arts is the latest institution to team up with Google Arts & Culture too offer a wealth of online content. Evening Standard
let it all out. a new light installation is being powered by Londoners’ screams via Zoom. how apt. Time Out
#colourmehappy. a new design movement has been birthed in the past week: New London Fabulous. The Observer
the RA in 90 seconds. one of the new videos on Google Arts & Culture from the Academy
bonus // READ
last week in this newsletter i interviewed the Director of the Cartoon Museum about the huge financial struggles they are facing. today, an opinion piece on the Times is pleading for the museum to be saved. coincidence? yes, absolutely. but definitely worth a read. “We can’t let the Cartoon Museum draw its last breath” (£)
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