Everyone hates this portrait
PLUS: Most controversial artwork of the 1990s is back on display
This edition also features: Locomotion | Pallant House Gallery | David Hockney | Ai Weiwei
Happy Friday
So, the Prime Minister blindsided everyone and called a general election for 4 July.
The 42 days of campaigning has kicked-off, and I’ll be keeping an eye on all museum and art-related policies and news so you don’t have to. If it impacts museums or museum professionals, you’ll find it in here.
One of the most important early stories is who will be the Culture Secretary in the new government. If Labour do get voted into power as all polls suggest, then it might be shadow secretary Thangam Debbonaire. She is highly rated, has pledged to be a “national champion of the arts” and — even more shockingly — has a background in the arts, unlike most of the 45,000 culture secretaries there have been under the Tories.
And yet. Debbonaire looks like she could be one of the few Labour MPs voted out — and it’s all thanks to the Green party.
Despite a huge majority of more than 28,000, she will face the Green party co-leader Carla Denyer. And at the local elections earlier this month, the Greens won all 14 council seats in Debbonaire's in Bristol Central constituency. Which means — and you don’t need me to tell you this — it does not look good her. I’ll be watching this one closely.
Before we dive into this week’s other news, let’s have a poll about the poll! If you are eligible to vote in the UK general election, which party will you be voting for? With 84% of you reading this working in museums or the arts, it will be a very interesting result to see. Remember it is entirely anonymous.
— maxwell
P.S. there were near Brexit levels of division in the results from my poll in last week’s edition on whether you loved or hated the new Jonathan Yeo portrait of the King. Read on to the end to see whether it was the lovers or haters that won out.
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Need To Know
More Hirst works questioned
At least 1,000 paintings that artist Damien Hirst said were “made in 2016” were created several years later, the Guardian newspaper revealed this week.
At least 10% of the 10,000 colourful-dot paintings that were part of Hirst’s project The Currency are alleged to have been mass-produced in 2018 and 2019, despite 2016 being inscribed on them. The project saw buyers offered either the physical artworks or an NFT form.
Sources close to the production process, including several artists hired to make them on a “Henry Ford production line”, said that many of the works were created en masse in 2018 and 2019.
Lawyers for Hirst did not dispute that at least 1,000 of the paintings dated 2016 were painted several years later. They did not respond to questions about why Hirst had explicitly said the physical artworks had been “made in 2016”.
They denied Hirst had been deliberately misleading, arguing it was his “usual practice” to date works in a conceptual art project with the date of the project’s conception, which in the case of The Currency was 2016. (Read more)
New portrait a right royal mess
Another week, another Royal painting — although compared to last week’s divisive blood-red image of the King, the new depiction of HRH The Princess of Wales has united everyone. Around how bloody terrible it is.
The painting of the princess appears on the cover of the latest edition of Tatler magazine, with the publication billing it as a "portrait of strength and dignity".
It’s painter Hannah Uzor created the bewildering work based on photographs and videos rather an in-person sitting, and she depicts HRH from her appearance in November 2022 at the first state banquet of King Charles' reign. Admittedly she was only given three weeks to do it.
Everyone hates it. The Telegraph said it was “egregiously, intolerably, jaw-hits-the-floor bad.” The Times said it is “strange” and “odd”. New York Magazine asked “Why does the new Kate Middleton portrait look nothing like her?” And there are countless articles on the (euphemistically) “strong” online reactions. (Read more)
News from the UK
Gallery reborn ✨ | Leeds gallery The Tetley — which shut down in 2023 after a decade at its home in a former brewery — has revealed its new name and plans for the future. Reborn as Yorkshire Contemporary and with a new brand identity, it will now work across the region and promises to present exhibitions and commission public art. It also has ambitions to work internationally. But it is still yet to find a new home after initial plans were revealed to be "no longer viable" back in March. (Read more)
Colourful commission 🌈 | Award-winning and crowd-pleasing visual artist Rana Begum has been announced as the next person to bring cutting-edge contemporary art to Pallant House Gallery’s historic 18th-century staircase. Her new installation — to be unveiled in July — will feature her signature colourful mesh clouds. She’ll curate a show there next year too. Her commission for the staircase follows Nina Saunders, Pablo Bronstein and many more. (Read more)
Shocking return 🔲 | The most controversial artwork of the 1990s is back on display in London from today. Marcus Harvey’s Myra (1995) — a portrait of serial child killer Myra Hindley — is on show at Damien Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery, as part of an exhibition of Hirst’s own collection (curated by his son Connor). Myra was attacked several times when shown in 1997 at the Royal Academy, and the RA was picketed and had windows smashed. (Read more)
Steaming new 🚂 | A brand new £8m building at Locomotion in County Durham — part of the Science Museum Group — has opened. It is the largest covered collection of historic rail vehicles anywhere in Europe, and is the museum’s most significant regeneration project since it opened 20 years ago. Over 100 vehicles are now on show, and they hope 250,000 people a year will visit. Locomotion is now “bigger and better than ever” according to Head Sarah Price. (Read more)
Boosting together 🚀 | A “vital” merger of two charitable trusts has taken place in order to secure the future of an important art gallery in Salisbury. The former Edwin Young Collection and the John Creasey Museum have come together to enable the Young Gallery to renew its accreditation through Arts Council England. The Gallery has a 4,000-strong collection and the new move will enable the gallery “to move forward and become a vibrant space” according to the Leader of Wiltshire Council, Richard Clewer. (Read more)
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News from around the world
USA 🇺🇸 | Artist Ai Weiwei will get his largest ever exhibition in America next year when a major retrospective opens at the Seattle Art Museum. Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei is his first retrospective in the country for a decade and the museum has extended its run to six months due to expected demand. It’s “a major moment for the Seattle Art Museum,” José Carlos Diaz, deputy director for art, said. (Read more)
Italy 🇮🇹 | Venice’s new day-tripper tax has been a “resounding failure” according to critics. Opposition councillors says that the numbers of tourists have not been cut — and have actually gone up — despite the €5 daily charge. But the city’s councillor responsible for tourism defended it, saying it was too soon to judge. “This is a long-term project and we may increase the price next year so it is too soon to talk about results.” The fee has so far raised €977,430 (£835,000) for the city. (Read more)
Spain 🇪🇸 | Police in Madrid have recovered a portrait by Francis Bacon — valued at €5m (£4.3m) — which was stolen from the home of the painting’s subject 9 years ago. It was stolen in 2019 from the apartment of banker Jose Capelo along with four other works. Three were recovered in 2017. Police got a tip off in February about the latest find. 16 individuals have been arrested in connection with the theft so far. (Read more)
Best of the rest
Proper authority | David Hockney is getting his first catalogue raisonné — the most authoritative and comprehensive listing of all known works. The first volume — focused on his 35,000 paintings — will be published online in 2026. (More)
Trustee newbies | Two new trustees join the board of the Soane Museum: former National Gallery curator Letizia Treves (who helmed the blockbuster 2020 Artemisia show), and the Director of Chisenhale Gallery Zoé Whitley. (More)
Dundee milestone | V&A Dundee’s 2 millionth visitor was met by museum Director Leonie Bell this week. Bell called it a “proud moment.” It’s thought 500k of the 2m visitors came to the city for the first time. (More)
Get Plaque | Beatle George Harrison has been honoured in Liverpool with a blue plaque on his former home. He’s the third person commemorated outside London. But the scheme is now fully nationwide, and the public can make nominations. (More)
👀 Last week’s most read news | Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart demands National Gallery of Australia remove her portrait
📊 Last week’s poll results | What do you think of Jonathan Yeo's new portrait of HM The King? | 💖 It’s GREAT 53% | 🤮 It’s RUBBISH 47%
📩 Missed my last newsletter? | What does a PR do? My interview with Poppy Andrews, Head of Communications at the National Portrait Gallery
— Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this edition, please consider making a small donation as a thank you for my time writing it. Every penny is gratefully received.
Thanks again for another great issue, compiling tons of info and articles I wouldn’t normally come across. Hockney painted 35,000 works?!?! Insane!