English Heritage "deeply saddened" by Stonehenge vandalism
Climate champion Nick Merriman says action 'hinders protestor's cause'
This edition also features: Rubens masterpiece redisplayed | Holburne’s £2.5m new gallery | Arise Dame Tracey Emin
Happy Friday.
And happy first birthday to the revamped National Portrait Gallery. It reopened exactly one year ago tomorrow. A year ago yesterday, HRH The Princess of Wales officially inaugurated the gallery. What a year it’s been — an announcement on record-breaking visitor figures surely can’t be too far away.
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit an even newer museum, one that had actually been 80 years in the making. The new National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam has opened its doors as part of a year of commemorations to mark 80 years since the Netherlands’ was liberated from the Nazis.
I really do implore you to visit. Not just for the architecture, the objects, and the hugely thoughtful design of the galleries, but because the building where the museum is housed is the site of a remarkable story of bravery, compassion and resistance.
A former school building, it’s located on the very street — in fact the very spot —where 46,000 Dutch Jews were loaded onto trams and forced to begin their transportation to death camps in Germany. Yet in the now-museum’s ground floor rooms and corridors, 600 children were saved thanks to daring and secret actions by brave Amsterdam residents. You can literally walk the corridors where children one-by-one over many months were individually ushered through to their escape under the cover of darkness. It’s one of the most moving museum experiences I’ve experienced.
“At great risk to their own safety, they saved the lives of Jewish children,” head curator Annemiek Gringold told me. “This [museum] is a site of absolute humanity.”
You can read more about the new museum in my article which I penned for the website Blooloop. And on your next visit to the Netherlands, it’s an important site that shouldn’t be missed.
— maxwell
Need To Know
Rubens revealed
“Erotic and voyeuristic aspects” of one of Rubens’ most recognisable and significant masterpieces were toned down by other artists long after the Dutch master’s death, new research by the National Gallery has revealed.
The Flemish painter’s six-foot-wide The Judgement of Paris has gone back on public display at the gallery after a 14-month conservation supported by Bank of America. The work to restore the painting was a “stimulating challenge” due to the four instances of later retouching that were uncovered according to the conservator in charge Britta New.
She added that “although there was no change to the painted nudity of the goddesses, the scene was made less erotic, more modest by covering up certain elements.”
The conservation treatment involved the removal and replacement of discoloured varnish and retouchings. It’s also been fitted with a new antique late 17th-century French Louis XIV frame, purchased especially for it. (Read more)
📺 WATCH👇| Uncovering restoration secrets of Rubens's Judgement of Paris
Just Stop Oil’s “disgraceful act”
The Chief Executive of English Heritage has condemned the Just Stop Oil activists who targeted Stonehenge this week by spraying the ancient monument with orange powder.
Nick Merriman — who in his previous role leading the Horniman Museum was one of the most vocal champions on climate justice in the heritage sector — said Just Stop Oil’s action was “vandalism" and that his organisation was “deeply saddened.” He added that targeting heritage sites “doesn’t actually help their cause.”
Merriman said experts were able to remove the powder quickly by using air blowers, as the biggest risk to the stones would have been for the powder to come into contact with water. Just Stop Oil defended their actions by saying the powder would “wash away in the rain.”
The protest saw huge condemnation. The Prime Minister called it a “disgraceful act.” Sir Keir Starmer branded the group “pathetic”. Other criticisms came from the Lib Dem leader, MP Stella Creasy and the Prospect union. The front page of the Daily Express was headlined “Just Lock Them Up!” (Read more)
News from the UK
Holburne Renaissance ✨ | A new £2.5 million gallery will be created at the Holburne Museum in Bath. Opening next year, it’ll display 90 Renaissance treasures on permanent loan to the museum from the Schroder family collection. This will include silverware, paintings and bronzes, and the gallery will be designed by architect Eric Parry. Chris Stephens, Holburne Director, said “it is truly a once in a generation opportunity" to display the Schroder family’s "extraordinary collection.” (Read more)
Digital future 👨💻 | It’s hoped the appointment of a former BBC producer to be Chief Executive of the Jewish Museum London will bring it “into a digital age.” Museum Chair Nick Viner said Sally Angel — who takes up the role next month — has a “digital vision to future-proof” the museum, which is currently without a home due to the collapse of its business model forcing it to sell its Camden building. Angel said she will “use digital innovation to reach wider and more diverse audiences.” (Read more)
Well dame 👏 | “Dame Tracey…has a ring about it" a delighted Tracey Emin said at the news of being honoured with a damehood by HM the King in his birthday honours. "People like me don’t become a dame” she told the BBC. Other honours included a CBE for the Director of the Ashmolean Museum Dr Alexander ‘Xa’ Sturgis, and Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum Director Sally MacDonald got an OBE. (Read more)
🔗 FULL INTERVIEW | Tracey Emin on becoming a dame and getting cancer all-clear | Katie Razzall for BBC News
Yay-omi Campbell 👠 | “No one walks like Naomi” V&A Director Tristram Hunt said in his speech at the museum’s annual summer party (which I think is a complement?) marking the opening of the new Naomi Campbell retrospective. Elizabeth Hurley, Kate Moss, and Grace Jones attended the glitzy bash. The exhibition — which opens tomorrow — was reviewed warmly by critics, with the Independent calling it “a gorgeous celebration.” (Read more)
News from around the world
USA 🇺🇸 | The Judy Garland Museum wants to raise $3.5 million to buy the ruby slippers worn by Garland in The Wizard of Oz and which were stolen from the venue in 2005. While recovered in 2018, they were only on loan to the Minnesota museum. One of four surviving pairs, they’ll tour to London and Tokyo before December’s auction. Fundraising has begun. The State Governor vowed that they’re “buying Judy Garland’s damn slippers” to display “under 24/7, Ocean’s 11-proof security.” (Read more)
Ireland 🇮🇪 | Dublin’s Natural History Museum is to close for a number years from September in order to go through a full refurbishment. The 168-year-old building has already had its top floors inaccessible since 2010 for safety reasons. All objects will be taken off site in order to asses the building. National Museum of Ireland Director Lynn Scarff said: "A drafty, leaky building…does not do justice to our wonderful visitors.” (Read more)
Netherlands 🇳🇱 | A “virtually unknown” and important early van Gough watercolour has been acquired by the Drents Museum in Assen. The museum exhibited 1883’s Landscape with a Farm last year, making it the first time it had been seen in pubic for over 40 years. Now they’ve acquired the work from its Canadian owners, and it marks the final surviving work from his formative ‘Drenthe period’ to be acquired for a public collection. (Read more)
Australia 🇦🇺 | A huge operational project to transport a 13 tonne, $14 million (£7.3m) steel sculpture from Brisbane to Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia has been completed. It took a massive truck a week to travel the 1200km journey, and street signs had to moved and trees trimmed to accommodate the convoy. The artwork is the most expensive ever commission for the gallery, and celebrates its 40th birthday. It’ll open to the public in October. (Read more)
📺 WATCH👇 | Lindy Lee's $14 million sculpture arrives in Canberra
Best of the rest
Moore’s Mundi | Oscar-winner Julianne Moore will play the conservator who restored controversial Leonardo da Vinci painting Salvator Mundi in a TV drama about the world’s most expensive artwork. Moore will also executive produce. (More)
Bean’s back | Anish Kapoor’s much insta-d Chicago sculpture “the Bean” — or Cloud Gate if you prefer it’s real name — is to reopen to the public by the end of the month. It’s been off limits for almost a year due to repairs and construction. (More)
H&M x JMB | Clothing giant H&M has partnered with the estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat to create a new fashion line inspired by the artist’s lesser known work. It goes on sale next month. (More)
“Hideous misadventure” | An admittedly-horrible-but-not-the-worst-nominee has been awarded the Carbuncle Cup — the prize for Britain’s ugliest new building. Liverpool’s Lime Street redevelopment was called a “hideous bit of architectural misadventure.” (More)
👀 Last week’s most clicked news story | Applications open to become the new Director of Collections at the British Museum — for £120,000
📊 Last week’s poll results | Does London have too many skyscrapers?
✅ Yes 70% | ❌ No 30%
📩 Missed my recent newsletter? | The Director of the new £27m Perth Museum reveals that they are racing ahead of visitor targets
— This edition has no sponsor, which means I’ve received nothing for writing it — and it took 6 hours. If you’ve enjoyed it or found it useful, please consider a small donation. Thank you.