Louvre's 35 year low
Pus: Colston verdict and BBC exhibitions
Happy new year! I hope you managed to have a good one. And an extra special 2022 welcome to the 31 new subscribers who have signed up to this newsletter during the festive break. I hope you enjoy reading it over the year ahead.
Did you enjoy London New Year’s Eve fireworks? Wasn’t it amazing to have the Old Royal Naval College - one of the capital’s best heritage sites imho - take centerstage for the spectacular? Definitely worth a re-watch here.
My immediate 2022 task is managing the final weeks of the PR campaign for The world of Stonehenge exhibition, which opens 17 February at the British Museum. I’ve been delighted that the Times, the Week, the Art Newspaper and the Evening Standard all picked it as one of their highlight shows for the year. There’s lots more to come on this front, so watch this space.
Now let’s catch up on the news for the first time this year!
Maxwell
Want to keep up-to-date with all the news from museums, galleries and art in 2022? Then subscribe to this newsletter! (It’s free!)
This week’s top story
Four people accused of pulling down the statue of 17th century slave-trader Edward Colston in Bristol have been found not guilty of criminal damage. The bronze memorial was pulled down during a Black Lives Matter last June, and dumped in the city’s harbour. ITV News
Reaction to the verdict has been strong, and massively divided - unsurprising for such a high-profile flashpoint in the culture wars. Writing in the Guardian, one of the defendants said the verdict was a “win for the people of Bristol” and “another step along the way towards racial justice”. But she made clear she did not think it should mean we start pulling down all the statues in the UK. Historian David Olusoga said jurors chose to put themselves on the right side of history.
But some Conservative MPs have claimed it sets a dangerous precedent that gives a “green light for all sorts of political extremists to take matters into their own hands.” Former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland described the jury's decision as 'perverse' and there have been calls for the Attorney General to review the decision. Mercy Muroki who is a Trustee of the Museum of the Home (which have their own culture war controversy over what should happen to their statue of slave-trader Sir Robert Geffrye) wrote in the Sun that “the last thing we need to do is empower the likes of these anarchists” and that “we simply cannot sleepwalk into a society that doesn’t take politically-fuelled destruction of property seriously.” But she did say she shed no tears about the ex-slaver’s empty plinth in the city. No mention of Geffrye in the piece, but interesting insight into one of the Museum’s decision makers.
The statue itself has just completed it’s temporary display at Bristol’s M Shed museum, while views were sought on what to do with it. A report of recommendations is due in the coming weeks. Expect another wave of divided reaction when they’re published.
This week’s other news
The world’s most visited museum (or at least it was) - the Louvre in Paris - has had its lowest visitor numbers in 35 years due to the ongoing covid pandemic. Only 2.8 million visits were made in 2021, the smallest number since 1986. It meant its revenues fell by €80m compared to 2019. The Art Newspaper
The BBC turns 100 this year, and they’re kicking off the celebrations with three new online exhibitions to mark the centenary. 100 Objects features items such as Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy shirt and the Archie-Mitchell-bludgeoning Queen Victoria bust from Eastenders. The collection has been curated in partnership with museums. Also announced was that the Science Museum Group will digitise 1,000 BBC objects for the first time and that exhibitions will pop up at museums all over the UK. Expect to see more about these in the newsletter throughout the year. BBC News
The head of the National Trust has said she received anonymous death threats during a “culture war” row over the organisation’s perceived “wokeness”. Hilary McGrady said some members and visitors had been “really cross and angry with us” over a report which found connections between 93 of its historic places and colonialism. The Guardian
This really is mind-blowing. The Rijksmuseum has published the largest and most detailed digital image of an artwork EVER TAKEN. It is (deep breath) 717,000,000,000 pixels in size, with each pixel smaller than a human red blood cell. Incredible. Art Review
The (excellent) Whitechapel Gallery in East London will get its first new director in over 20 years as Iwona Blazwick announces she’ll depart in April. She doubled the size of the Gallery during her tenure. The Art Newspaper
Four UK museums have made the longlist for European Museum of the Year 2022. The Aberdeen Art Gallery, London’s Science Museum and National Maritime Museum, and the Box in Plymouth will battle with 56 other institutions for the title. Museums Association
And finally
Tracey Emin - one of my faves if I haven’t mentioned that enough - is turning a Margate mortuary into a revolutionary art school. Non-smokers only though please she tells the Sunday Times.
*SPONSORED* The Black Country Living Museum is one of Europe’s most successful open-air museums, and they're looking for a Head of Audiences & Communications. Fancy playing a central role in enhancing the Museum’s profile as a world class cultural organisation as it embarks on the biggest development in its history? Apply here.
Want to keep up-to-date with all the news from museums, galleries and art in 2022? Then subscribe to this newsletter! (It’s free!)