Museum of London's record-breaking curtain call
Busiest weekend in venue's history as it shuts its doors
Also in this issue:
Turner Prize 2022: safe or sensational?
PM pours cold water on Parthenon plans
Sensational medieval burial unearthed
PLUS: Read to the end for last week’s Wellcome Collection poll results
Hello
I hope you’ve had a swell week. And I hope any employees of the Museum of London reading this have given themselves a big pat on the back this week too. The Museum’s final weekend of public opening was a huge success. In fact, it was the busiest weekend in its history, with 13,000 visitors coming through the doors. I was one of them, visiting for the very final hour. It was buzzing, with a celebratory, party atmosphere. But it was emotional too, and I saw a staff member in tears saying that she welled up going around the galleries one final time. Probably not helped by the surprisingly moving final tannoy announcement, captured here by blogger ianVisits.
One thing that did strike me on my final visit (my first in a couple of years probably) was how some of the galleries, especially those on the upper floors, were starting to look a little tired. That’s no criticism. Galleries always have a shelf life, and no doubt the relocation made renovation of these spaces redundant. But it did make me think that while this site had had a good innings, it is going to be very exciting to see London’s story told in brand new, 21st-century spaces when the Museum reopens in 2026. Cannot wait.
Before I go: good luck to England in tomorrow’s World Cup quarter final. But as I know I have many of you reading this in France too, a bonne chance to Les Bleus.
Maxwell
Enjoy this newsletter so far? Then please donate to support its future
News from the UK
Sculptor Veronica Ryan has won this year's Turner Prize. Ryan, who made the UK's first permanent public artwork to honour the Windrush generation, is the oldest ever winner of the accolade. For her Windrush memorial, Ryan placed giant sculptures of Caribbean fruits on a street in Hackney, east London. Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson, who co-chaired this year's jury, said Ryan's work had "a quiet but very compelling presence". The Guardian were big fans, believing that “in picking Ryan… the judges have raised the award from a good year to a sensational one.” The Telegraph were more lukewarm, saying that this year’s panel had played it too safe. And while the Independent were pleased that Ryan’s win was a victory for the Turner Prize’s credibility, it interestingly also pointed out that three of the judges run the galleries where the shortlisted artist’s shows took place, and a fourth served as a curator. But what is the Turner without some controversy?
Despite increasing signs the British Museum was moving towards a solution with Greece over the Parthenon Sculptures — including last week’s news of secret talks — the Prime Minister has cooled expectations that full repatriation is on the table. Rishi Sunak ruled out changing the legislation under which a museum can only dispose of objects within its collection in very limited circumstances. The PM’s spokesperson said “Our position on this hasn’t changed… The Parthenon sculptures are legally owned by the trustees and operationally independent of the government.” More cold water was poured by culture secretary Michelle Donelan, who told a committee that repatriation of the marbles would be the start of a "dangerous and slippery road."
“The most significant early medieval female burial ever discovered in Britain” has been unearthed. Archaeologists have found a woman buried between 630 and 670 AD who was found in a bed alongside an extraordinary, 30-piece necklace of intricately-wrought gold, garnets and semi-precious stones. It is by far the richest necklace of its type ever uncovered in Britain and reveals craftsmanship unparalleled in the early medieval period. “This is a find of international importance” the leader of the Museum of London Archaeology dig said.
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games were a huge success, and the city’s Thinktank museum will forever mark its legacy. The Games’ Queen's Baton — which traveled across the globe for 294 days before touching back in England for the competition — will officially make itself at home in Birmingham’s Science Museum. It’ll go on display next year.
Two Just Stop Oil climate protesters who inflicted more than £1,000 of damage to John Constable’s painting The Hay Wain must compensate the National Galley after being convicted of causing criminal damage. After the attack, the painting was taken to be restored at the cost of £1,081 and fitted with a glass sheet before it was re-exhibited the next morning. District Judge Daniel Sternberg said the damage caused was “significant not trivial” and that the defendants “were reckless,” who caused it “without lawful excuse”.
33 museums and galleries in England are getting a cash boost thanks to a funding pot worth £4 million from the UK government and the Wolfson Foundation. Hampton Court Palace in Richmond upon Thames will use £201,400 for re-opening its Wolsey Rooms and a re-interpretation of a Tudor art collection. Meanwhile the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle will use its grant of £254,900 to develop four new gallery spaces – bringing more of their collections to the public. Is your local museum on the list?
News from around the world
We’ve reached the stage where the trees in Van Gogh paintings are getting their own blockbuster exhibition, such is the desire to keep showing major exhibitions on the artist. (Although I actually genuinely don’t mind as I love VG — and give people what they want I say). Van Gogh's Cypresses will open at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in May, and will include around 40 paintings and rarely-seen drawings to survey the artist’s fascination with the undulating trees. Very much looking forward to seeing Van Gogh’s Bedsheets in the not too distant future.
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has revealed its $75-million transformation will open in 2024 — a year later than planned. It’s adding 60,000 square feet of space to the museum, and both physically and conceptually will better connect the museum to the community.
Reason No. 1,065 to visit Paris: new Renaissance masterpieces have just gone on show in the city. Paintings, sculptures and bronzes from one of Venice’s most beautiful but little-visited museums have been moved to the French capital while their home is undergoing renovation. The collection includes a portrait of Saint Sebastian considered one of the finest works by Andrea Mantegna, and it can be seen at the Hotel de la Marine runs until March.
It’s safe to say that the new mayor of Auckland, New Zealand, is no art lover. The late billionaire Julian Robertson bequeathed his $190 million art collection — featuring works by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Henri Matisse — to the city’s art gallery. But Mayor Wayne Brown doesn’t want it. “We have billions of dollars worth of value in the cellar that no one looks at, surely there is a way of converting some of that,” he said. “Do we have to own all of those pictures?” He was speaking at a council committee meeting, where he also lashed out at the Auckland Art Gallery, calling it the most “uneconomic building” in the city due to its poor visitor numbers. “How did we get to have 122 people looking after a few paintings in a building that no one goes to?” Brown asked. I bet Robertson wondered why he bothered.
And finally
Want to be the very first visitor to the transformed Manchester Museum, which reopens next year? Better enter this competition then.
John Lennon’s toilet has gone on display in Liverpool. It’s John’s john.
Last week’s poll results are in. 59% of you said it was wrong for the Wellcome Collection to close their Medicine Man gallery.
This newsletter lands in your inbox every week. You can support its future by donating as little as £3 by clicking the button below