Hello MUNCH
Plus: Vienna's museums join OnlyFans
Hello all
It’s been a busy few days in the world of museums. Exhibitions have been launched left, right and centre this week, including the next one I am working on in my day job as a PR at the British Museum. More on that below, but suffice to say I hope you all come and see The world of Stonehenge in 2022. There hasn’t been space to fit all the new shows in, but I do hope you’ll be a able to check out the new display on London’s history as a port city at the Museum of London Docklands, and the new Second World War gallery at Imperial War Museum.
Now let’s dive in to this week’s news! And read until the end to see the most breathtaking thing I saw on Instagram all week.
Maxwell
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This week’s top story
It’s one of Europe’s biggest new museums in recent years and it’s one of the world’s largest museums dedicated to a single artist. The brand new 13-storey, $260m Munch Museum in Oslo - now rebranded as MUNCH - officially opens TODAY.
Five times the size of the original building, four times the exhibition space, 11 galleries and a panoramic restaurant, MUNCH is not only transforming the Oslo skyline, but is a major moment for the museum world. To get a sense of the scale: some of the paintings in MUNCH’s collection are so enormous they had to cut a slot in the wall on the sixth floor to crane them in from a barge on the waterfront. The video below is well worth a watch to see it in action.
The Museum’s creation has been marred by controversies and setbacks, including political rows over the building’s location and design, and a lengthy delay due to the pandemic. But this is certainly going to become one of Europe’s most must-visit museums. Visiting will be a total scream.
This week’s other news
The V&A and National Trust have teamed up to announce a landmark exhibition on Beatrix Potter. It will be the first exhibition to tell the complete life story of the writer, including her interest in *checks notes* fungi and beetles. Mail Online
The world's oldest map of the stars is to go on display at the British Museum next year. The 3,600-year-old Nebra Sky Disc has never been seen in the UK before. It’s going to take center stage in The world of Stonehenge, the first major exhibition on the ancient landmark ever held in Britain. BBC News
In other British Museum news, a blue–green dish held in the collection that was long thought to be from Korea, has now been shown to be one of less than 100 known pieces of the rarest type of Chinese pottery. The reassessment has raised the value of the bowl from £5,000 to a cool £15 million. Mail Online
You know OnlyFans? (No, I’m totally sure you’ve neeevvvvverrrr heard of it, sure, sure, sure). Well, Vienna’s museums have signed up. Yes, that’s right. The website known for its *ahem* adult performers, now has artworks by Egon Schiele and Amedeo Modigliani amongst its ranks. It’s all because the mainstream social media accounts kept banning these masterpieces for being ‘pornographic’ so they moved to OnlyFans to make a stand against censorship. I’m sure the museums just tell their friends they’re an accountant. NBC News
Details have finally been confirmed for the Festival of Brexit, er, I mean, Unboxed: Creativity in the UK (what a terrible title). Yes the event conceived by former Prime Minister Theresa May is happening, and will see 10 major art programs across the country, including a 10-kilometer scale model sculpture trail of the solar system in Northern Ireland. Politico
Centre Pompidou's three-year closure has been delayed until after the Paris Olympics. Crucial renovations will now take place after the games in 2024, “so as not to miss this historic opportunity [the Olympics].” They might want to have a word with London’s museums, which were deserted during the 2012 games… The Art Newspaper
Ai-Da – the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist – was detained by Egyptian security forces. She was seized by border agents who feared her robotics may have been hiding covert spy tools, putting a display of her work at the Great Pyramid of Giza at risk. But the robot has now been released thanks to an intervention by the UK ambassador. (I saw Ai-Da at the V&A last month. Let’s just say, if it hadn’t been resolved I don’t think Egypt’s art lovers would have missed much). BBC News
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and finally
New York's newest observation deck opened yesterday - complete with an art installation by artist Kenzo Digital. It looks truly BREATHTAKING. Read about it here, or check out the Instagram Reel below.
