British Museum to reopen
plus: more jobs go at Tate’s commercial arm, and the Museum of London is getting nostalgic
this is your maxwell museums friday briefing. if you missed last week’s main edition you can read it here
hello. we made to the end of another week. and to my fellow UK residents: we made it to the end of a record-breaking heatwave. this weekend is probably fully deserved. i also posted my first instagram reel this week, so i need a day off to recover from that. (check it out at @maxwellmuseums)
it’s friday which means it’s the briefing edition of my newsletter, where i catch you up on all the museums news you need to know. it’s a bit of a mixed bag this week, from the reopening announcement of the UK’s most popular museum, to George Michael’s face coming to a street in north London. so let’s dive in - but, before you go-go (apols), i would absolutely love it if each and every one of you could share this edition with a friend or colleague who would enjoy it as much as you do. or put it on twitter. use the button below, and you’ll help grow this museum-loving community. THANK YOU
the BM is BACK! the British Museum reveals it will reopen on 27 August after 163 days of corona-closure. and there’ll be a very special Grayson Perry work on display too. the Guardian
blockbusters are back too. Monet’s water lilies are coming to London, as the National Gallery announces a major impressionist exhibition for 2021. Evening Standard
job losses. Tate’s commercial arm is to cut more jobs than first thought, with 313 now being axed. the Director has revealed the gallery has been using its reserves to prop up the for-profit company, a company which only exists to give money to the gallery. the Guardian
everything is going to be alright. Turner Prize winner Martin Creed has unveiled a new neon artwork in the STUNNING grounds of a 400 year-old Scottish castle. TTG Media
the British Museum will reopen on 27 August
let’s go outside. Brent is this year’s London Borough of Culture so of course they are launching a biennial. 23 new artworks have been commissioned, the highlight being a nine-metre tall mural of George Michael. Time Out London
no more no entry. Berlin’s iconic Berghain nightclub is becoming a massive (temporary) art venue. this might be your only chance to get past the notoriously strict door policy. the Art Newspaper
VJ Day. the first official portrait of Captain Sir Tom Moore, the Burma veteran and NHS fundraiser, has been unveiled at the National Army Museum in London. the Times
now that’s what i call nostalgia. the Museum of London’s Instagram will be making millennials (like me) all misty-eyed with a look at iconic nostalgic items in its collection such as Tomb Raider III and, er, Hooch. BBC News
you raise me up. visitors will be able to walk UNDERNEATH Lord Nelson’s HMS Victory from later this month, as the ship is raised up like it’s floating on water. BBC News
and a bonus read:
i’m afraid it’s not a happy note to end on, but CNN examines how the once thriving cultural community in Beirut has been decimated by last week’s explosion, including the destruction of the city’s Sursock Museum.
thanks for reading. in next week’s main edition i’ll be interviewing the Director of London’s Garden Museum. till then, don’t forget to share this with someone who would also love it.