Keep Colston toppled say public
Plus: details of Jeff Bezos' $200 museum donation revealed
Happy Friday, happy February and happy opening day of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. I am a huge fan of the Winter Games and remember vividly trying to use the wifi in the Neues Museum’s café in Berlin to stream Lizzy Yarnold's gold medal skeleton run from Pyeongchang. What a great moment. Hopefully there’ll be another Team GB gold rush this time around.
My other focus today is the ongoing meltdown in 10 Downing Street. Munira Mirza’s shock (but principled) resignation yesterday was a humdinger. I met her in 2017 as she was judging that year’s Art Fund Museum of the Year award and the museum I worked for - Sir John Soane’s Museum - was nominated. The title eventually went to the Hepworth Wakefield. But I’m not bitter (no really!)
Now let’s get on to this week’s news!
Maxwell
This week’s top story
A doozy of a scoop from MarketWatch this week, as they have revealed details of the agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos who is giving the museum group a $200 million donation.
The gift had already been made public, but the terms of the deal have been revealed for the first time. Bezos’s name will be displayed on a new building at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC for at least 50 years. The Smithsonian’s standard expiration date for naming rights is 20 years, but Bezos got an exception, adding 30 extra years as it is the largest gift ever made to the institution. Part of the donation will pay for a new science, technology, engineering and arts education center called, unsurprisingly, the Bezos Learning Center. He’s also funding a program for school students called the Bezos Science and Technology Challenge and a program called the Bezos Empowered Educators. And in what will no doubt be a hugely tasteful affair, his name will also be etched onto a new glass sculpture that will be suspended from the ceiling of the National Air and Space Museum in honor of donors who have given $10 million or more.
Very interestingly, Bezos’s agreement with the Smithsonian contains no morals clause or termination rights, a provision that would allow the museum group to cancel the naming rights if Bezos’ behavior brought disrepute to the institution. With ongoing controversy over the Sackler family name appearing at cultural venues, it’s notable this clause was omitted, especially as more institutions are starting to establish them. The Smithsonian will no doubt be keeping a keen eye on the evolving reputation of Amazon over the next half century. Good luck with that. Read the full exclusive from MarketWatch here.
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This week’s other stories
The UK government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance is to become the next chair of Natural History Museum. The Museum’s Director Douglas Gurr said they “are thrilled that Sir Patrick will be joining to drive forward our mission of creating advocates for the planet and building a world in which both people and planet can thrive.” The Guardian
A Netflix exhibition is coming to London’s Design Museum this summer. The story behind the streaming service and its hit shows such as Bridgerton and Stranger Things will be told in an immersive show that is the product of a “shared commitment to storytelling.” Don’t all rush at once. Evening Standard
A school clock, which stopped at 9.13am on 21 October 1966 at the precise time an avalanche of coal waste crashed into classrooms and homes in the Welsh town of Aberfan killing 116 children and 28 adults, has been donated to the permanent collection of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. The Guardian
It’s that time of year again, as the Serpentine Gallery reveal details of its 2022 summer pavilion. Titled Black Chapel, it will be designed by American artist and urban planner Theaster Gates and is described as “a sanctuary-like environment for reflection and communion.” Wallpaper*
Last week in this newsletter I said the new Van Gogh exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery was set to usurp Bacon at the RA as the hottest ticket in London town. And so it has proved as it’s opened to near-rave reviews. So enthusiastic was the praise, BBC News even wrote an article about how much the critics have loved it. The news from the show is that it has reunited two of the artist’s self-portraits for the first time in 130 years. The Telegraph
The public have said they want the toppled Edward Colston statue to be acquired by - and remain on display in - a Bristol museum. 74% of 14,000 respondents to a consultation say the statue should remain on display, on its side with its graffiti preserved. A report into future options for the statue also recommended the plinth and original plaques should remain in place and a new plaque be installed to explain why the statue was first put up and when it was taken down. The recommendations will now be considered by the council and mayor. BBC News
The mind-bogglingly striking Museum of the Future in Dubai finally has an opening date. It will throw open its doors on 22 February, as announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, who hailed the structure as the "most beautiful building on earth." The National
And finally
Congratulations to former UK culture minister Lord Vaizey (and former interviewee of this newsletter) who’s been appointed a trustee of Tate.
All the content in this newsletter is provided to you for free. Why not buy me a digital coffee if you enjoyed it?