Russia's Hermitage asks for its loans back
Plus: Kusama at Tate extended
Hello again
HOT OFF THE PRESS NEWS! If you are yet to see Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms at Tate Modern then I bring you exciting news. Tate has just confirmed that they are extending its run - BY A YEAR. This means it will have been on show for two years by the time it’s due to close in June 2023. (Although what are the odds they might eek out a few more months or even years? It might become an Infinity Room in more ways than one.)
The tickets for the extended run are still due to be released next week - 13:00 on 17 March to be precise. Demand is going to be HUGE, if the excited reaction I received from 15,000 people viewing my insta post about the tickets is anything to go by (don’t forget to follow me). If you’re aiming to get some, I wish you good luck. There’s already an online queue….
Now on to the news!
Maxwell
All the content in this newsletter is provided to you for free. Why not buy me a digital coffee if you enjoyed it?
This week’s top story
As the war in Ukraine enters its third week, Russia’s most famous museum is retreating from the global international art scene - and becoming isolated. In a huge move yesterday, the St Petersburg-based museum demanded that several works on loan to Italy should be quickly returned. These include a Titian on loan to Milan, and a Picasso on show in Rome. Domenico Piraina, Director of Milan's Palazzo Reale, told Reuters he “felt bitter” reading the letter requesting the return, “because culture should be protected from war.” But he said the Titan exhibition can go ahead “well” without the Russian loan.
The letter demanding the return was written by the Hermitage Director Mikhail Piotrovsky, and stated that “all outstanding loans must be returned from abroad to Russia.” Attention therefore turns to other loans currently on show around the world. In the UK, the most prominent is the V&A’s Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution which includes three works from the Hermitage. A V&A spokesperson told Arnet News that they’ve “not had any requests from the Russian ministry of culture to return the loans.” It wouldn’t be surprising if one came through I suspect.
Meanwhile London’s National Gallery has abandoned a plan to borrow a major Raphael painting from the Hermitage for its upcoming blockbuster survey of the artist. “This was a decision we took last week and is therefore totally unrelated to the Hermitage asking for loans to be returned,” a National Gallery spokesperson also told Artnet News.
And following last week’s revelation that the Hermitage Amsterdam was cutting ties with its sister museum (as reported in this newsletter), the Hermitage Foundation UK has followed suit. The Foundation raises cash in Britain for the Russian museum but it’s announced it has “suspended all our activities with immediate effect.”
This week’s other stories
107 years after it sank, the lost vessel of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton - the Endurance - has been found. The mind-blowing discovery made headlines across the globe as it was previously the greatest ever undiscovered shipwreck. It was found in the Antarctic Ocean’s Weddell Sea at a depth of 3,008m. Historian Dan Snow who was on the mission, wrote in the Daily Mail that “not only have we located the Endurance on the seabed, but it is in miraculous condition - probably the best preserved wooden vessel underwater anywhere in the world.” You don’t get these kind of finds everyday. BBC News
HRH the Prince of Wales has hailed Tate Britain as a "remarkable cultural treasure" on a visit to the gallery to mark its 125th anniversary. Visiting with the Duchess of Cornwall, he praised the breadth of artwork on show and lamented there was so much to see but so little time to do so. The future King seemed genuinely in awe of the gallery and its staff which is lovely. The Independent
The first major exhibition exploring female spiritual beings is to open at the British Museum later this year. Feminine power: the divine to the demonic will feature ancient sculptures, sacred artefacts and contemporary art to explore the diversity of ways in which femininity has been perceived in world belief. For all you early birds, there’s 20% off tickets for a limited time. Express and Star
The Royal Collection has made an “extraordinarily significant” rediscovery of two Japanese silk paintings that were presents for Queen Victoria. For decades it was thought these historic works - which were diplomatic gifts for the Queen from Japan and the first gifts Britain had received from the country in over 250 years at the time - had been lost. They’ll go on show in the Japan: Courts and Culture exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery next month. The Daily Telegraph
Two Turner paintings not seen in UK for 100 years will go on show at the National Gallery later this year. The paintings are being loaned for the first time by the Frick Collection in New York. Can’t wait. The Guardian
International Women’s Day was marked by the National Portrait Gallery with the announcement that they’d acquired five important self-portraits by female artists. They include the first painted self-portrait by a Black female artist to enter the Gallery’s collection (by Everlyn Nicodemus). It’s part of a project in partnership with the CHANEL Culture Fund to enhance the representation of women in the Collection ahead of its reopening next year. Harper's Bazaar
Also on #IWD2022, YouGov revealed Brits really need to brush up on their female artists (yes I did steal this from the headline from the Times, because it’s excellent). Only 30% could name three women artists - with Emin, Hepworth and Kahlo the most famous. The Times
From today, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC no longer requires visitors to its 19 museums to wear masks. The Metropolitan Museum and Brooklyn Museum in New York have stopped checking the vaccine status of visitors too. It’s part of a wider easing of restrictions in the US as the threat of the Omicron covid wave recedes. The Art Newspaper
In other Smithsonian news, the US museum group has announced it will return most of its 39 Benin bronzes to Nigeria. At least some of the artworks may eventually be displayed at a museum in Benin City, but some of the works may remain in Washington on a long-term loan. The move comes ahead of the Smithsonian publishing a new policy of ethical returns later this year. New York Times
And finally
Damien Hirst’s brand new exhibition at Gagosian in London? It’s “art for the penthouses of oligarchs” slams the Guardian in their one-star review. Read it here
A WWII tank trap from a Kyiv museum has been spotted on a street to help protect the city from Russian invasion. It’s label is still attached.
All the content in this newsletter is provided to you for free. Why not buy me a digital coffee if you enjoyed it?