Why do renovated historic buildings keep catching fire?
Why do renovated historic buildings keep catching fire?
Horrifying scenes from Copenhagen as 17th Century Old Stock Exchange destroyed by fire
This edition also features: Museums Wales | National Gallery | Venice Biennale
Happy Friday from this tortured poet.
I’m delighted to say that as of today there are now over 3,700 of you reading this! I am constantly awe-struck by the growth of readers and all your excellent word-of-mouth good vibes you send me. Thank you!
A huge thank you too to everyone who voted in my poll last week on the V&A’s Naomi Campbell show and the merits — or lack of — of subjects curating their own narrative. The overwhelming majority of you think a firmer museum curatorial hand should be on the show, with 73% saying it will be a worse for Campbell telling ‘her own story.’ In two month’s time when it opens we’ll find out I guess.
Seeing so many of you vote did get me thinking: everyone loves a poll don’t they?! I definitely do, and I want to feature more. So I’m calling on you all for some inspo. What’s a burning art, museum or heritage question you’d like put to a public vote? Hit reply to this email and tell me. I’ll respond and tell you my thoughts, and the best ones I’ll include in a future edition. With a namecheck of course!
Finally, some sad news. Many of you will have heard about the recent death of trailblazer Mar Dixon. Mar was an early champion of museums embracing social media, and many museum workers today — myself included — owe some of their professional success to her warmth, encouragement and humour. She died after a short illness at the age of 53. She will be much missed. Do read this lovely tribute to Mar by her friend Linda Spurdle from Birmingham Museums Trust.
Now onto the news.
— maxwell
Need To Know
400 years up in flames
Horrifying scenes from Copenhagen as one of the city’s oldest and most iconic buildings has been destroyed by fire.
The inferno broke out in the 17th century Old Stock Exchange building on Tuesday morning. It was quickly engulfed in flames and people watched in horror as the building’s famous spire collapsed. (Thankfully there are reports that it’s managed to be saved after toppling.) Most of the facade of the building — which had survived the initial fire — fully collapsed on Thursday.
There were extraordinary scenes as the fire raged as emergency workers, conservators and passing cyclists raced to save the building’s historic treasures. Paintings were hastily torn off the walls, including the monumental 1895 From Copenhagen Stock Exchange which video footage shows being carried through the streets to safety. The National Museum of Denmark is now assessing the damage to works. Many are thought damaged. (Read More)
The building was being renovated when the fire took hold, and it joins a long list of historic sites destroyed or damaged while being refurbished, including the Notre Dame in Paris, the Glasgow School of Art, Windsor Castle, Battersea Arts Centre, London’s Cutty Sark, the Bascilica of Saint-Donatien in Nantes. Surely, the risks might no longer be worth it?
🔗 MORE | Why historic buildings keep catching fire during renovations | Financial Times
Art and Aperol
The Venice Biennale opens to the public tomorrow but all this week the great and the good (and the not-so-good tbh) have been there for this week’s preview, to drink spritz, er, I mean, ponder art.
There was big news from the opening day when the Israeli national pavilion announced they would not open until “a ceasefire and hostage release agreement is reached” in the conflict in Gaza. The Ukraine war was also a feature, with first lady Olena Zelenska giving a video address to mark the launch of the Ukrainian pavilion, reminding audiences that “dozens of Ukrainian artists worked in our cities under shelling and air raids so that this pavilion can be opened in Venice.”
There was also early controversy when Venice resident Anish Kapoor slammed this year’s title Foreigners Everywhere which he said “[echoed] the language of nationalist neo-fascism” and was “offensive.” It seems politics is everywhere this year too — including at Poland’s pavilion.
What about the art? Well John Akomfrah’s British pavilion got mixed reviews: “magnificent” (Guardian), “gibberish” (The Times). The hit pavilions seemed to be Nigera — including Yinka Shonibare’s Benin Bronzes replicas — and France’s hanging sculptures by the French-Caribbean artist Julien Creuzet.
Maybe I will go in 2026? I like spritz AND art.
🔗 MORE | Venice Biennale 2024 review — barmy, bizarre and beautiful | Laura Freeman, The Times
Cardiff closure threat
90 jobs have officially been axed at Wales’ national museums due to the largest ever funding cuts to their budget. More might be coming.
The impact of the £4.5m budget cuts — long reported in this newsletter — will also mean Museum Wales’ seven sites would also charge visitors for special events such as tours and exhibitions, and close earlier in the winter. But entry charges won’t be introduced.
Chief executive Jane Richardson has also said that they may have to shut National Museum Cardiff due to “water coming through and failing electrics.” She said unless money was provided for repairs, it would close. In response, Welsh culture secretary Lesley Griffiths said this will not be the case, as the government was looking at "specific funding over the next few years".
"I want to reassure everyone the National Museum is not closing" she said.
This followed new first minister Vaughan Gething’s debut press conference, were he defended the cuts to Museum Wales budget, saying they were a consequence of making the NHS a priority. (Read more)
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News from the UK
Acquisitions 🎨 | Tate has unveiled a new initiative dedicated to bringing more work by Indigenous artists into its collection. The programme launches with a four-year commitment from the AKO Foundation to fund acquisitions of Sámi and Inuit art from Northern Europe. Karin Hindsbo, Director of Tate Modern, said this was “an area of artistic practice very close to my heart” so was “particularly delighted” that these would be first. Similar projects related to South Asia, Oceania and the Americas Indigenous artists will follow. (Read more)
Milestone 🖼️ | The 20th female artist to enter the National Gallery’s collection has been announced, thanks to the acquisition of French impressionist Eva Gonzalès’ 1869 painting La Psyché. Purchased for £1.5m from an anonymous British family, it is only the second work by Gonzalès to enter a UK public collection. “It’s been sitting there completely unseen—much loved—but completely unseen for 70 years” curator Christopher Riopelle said. It’s gone on public display today. (Read more)
Halted 🛑 | Plans to demolish the former site of the Museum of London have been put on hold by the UK’s levelling up secretary Michael Gove. The demolition of the 1970s building was expected to begin in 2028 with a huge office complex built in its place, with a “vibrant” public plaza and roof garden (ofc). Gove’s intervention — which may go for further review — came after the local planning committee approved the demolition (ofc II). (Read more)
Opening 🏛 | Leicester's new multi-million pound Roman museum is set to open early in 2025, the city council has said. The project is a revamp of the Jewry Wall Museum, but has been much delayed. It is also massively over its original £7m budget. In 2021, it was estimated the cost would be £15.5m if completed in spring 2023. An updated figure is yet to be released. “As soon as[the building] is ready we will install” manager Phil Hackett said. (Read more)
News from around the world
Australia 🇦🇺 | One of the world’s most comprehensive Yayoi Kusama exhibitions is to open at Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria in December. There’ll 180 works on show — spanning the gallery’s entire ground floor — making it Australia’s largest Kusama show. It’s been conceived with 95-year-old Kusama, and a new, never-before-seen infinity mirror room, currently in development for the exhibition, will make its global premiere. (Read more)
Japan 🇯🇵 | In other Kusama news, the Japanese artist was the world’s best-selling contemporary artist of last year, surpassing British artist David Hockney. Kusama works commanded $80.9m (£65m) at auction, with 2023’s highest-priced artwork by Kusama being her painting "c" (2014), fetching nearly $10 million at Christie's in Hong Kong. Hockney only managed $50.3 million (£40.3m). I think he’ll be alright. The figures were revealed in a report by Hiscox. (Read more)
Finland 🇫🇮 | A major international design competition has been launched to find the architect team for Helsinki's huge new national museum of architecture and design. The museum will be formed through the merger of the Design Museum Helsinki and the Museum of Finnish Architecture. CEO of the project Kaarina Gould told this newsletter she hopes “we will hear from new talent as well as established designers who will bring innovation, sustainability and new ideas to Helsinki.” (Read more)
USA 🇺🇸 | Thomas Heatherwick’s sculpture-cum-viewing-tower the Vessel — closed since 2021 after four people died by suicide at the location — is to reopen with new safety measures. “Floor-to-ceiling steel mesh” has now been installed on several staircases which will preserve the “unique experience.” Speaking to the New York Times about the news, Peter DeSalvo Jr., the father of the first person to die by suicide at the Vessel, said that “all the deaths…could have been prevented if they had adequate safeguards.” (Read more)
Best of the rest
Minature | Charity War Child has teamed up again with Art on a Postcard for an auction of original mini masterpiece by dozens of artists. Online bidding starts at £50 from Tuesday. Their first collab raised £55,000. (More)
Touring | In Biennale-adjacent news, John Akomfrah’s British Pavilion will tour the UK in 2025. Thanks to Art Fund, it will head to Amgueddfa Cymru’s National Museum Cardiff (if it’s open) and to Dundee Contemporary Arts. Further locations will be revealed.
Spenny | The National Gallery is 200 next month, and a special coin (remember those?) has been released. The £2 coin released by the Royal Mint features the gallery’s facade. (More)
Record | A museum chronicling the history Oliver Cromwell — and housed in his old school — has enjoyed “its highest visitor numbers in 25 years." Huntingdon's Cromwell Museum said 23% more people last year visited than the previous year. (More)
👀 Last week’s most read | George Osborne clashed with No 10 over selection of British Museum director
👀 Catch up | “As mass tourism engulfs Venice, the Biennale must think carefully about its role” | this newsletter’s latest guest opinion column
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