Tate, National Gallery and Royal Academy lead the pack on reopening
plus: yoga controversy at Imperial War Museum, and the Rosetta Stone's LGBTQ+ history is revealed
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it’s Thursday which means i’m landing in your inbox again. hurrah! just a reminder: this is the new catch up email which i’m sending out in the weeks between the main jam-packed fortnightly newsletter (i’ve got a great interview planned for you next Thursday!). this update makes sure you know all the biggest news of the past week.
and what a week it’s been! the big beasts are waking, with the National Gallery, Tate and the Royal Academy all announcing their reopening dates. in fact they did it all within the same hour of each other, for reasons unknown. the other big names will follow in the coming weeks: reopening is trickier for those with bigger more diverse collections that have to be kept safe (and in stable environmental conditions).
but for now, let’s dive in!
catch up // NEWS
“every object is potentially queer.” the Rosetta Stone - one of the world’s most famous objects - is being added to the British Museum’s hugely popular LGBTQ+ tours. The Guardian
out the blocks. the National Gallery ‘must set example by reopening first’ claims their Director, as he reveals an 8 July reopening date. The Times
green shoots. you know the conservatory at the Barbican that’s always all over instagram but never actually seems to be open? well, you can now visit 7 days a week this summer! metro.co.uk
hurrah! Tate’s 4 galleries and the Royal Academy are reopening. here’s the new rules and what you’ll be able to see. the i
“attracting new audiences.” the Imperial War Museum London will be hosting yoga classes…but they’ve had to defend holding them next to the wreckage of a vehicle destroyed by a suicide bombing in Baghdad that killed at least 30. Evening Standard
artful dodger. a 63 year-old former Green party councillor is charged with seven counts of criminal damage after "Dickens Racist” was scrawled on the front of the Dickens House Museum in Kent. he pleaded not guilty, but told the Sun “I did it.” The Sun
major public art 1. Sir Michael Craig-Martin’s new artwork is three-storey high multi-coloured digial fruit and veg, in the heart of London’s Oxford Street. yes really. ArtLyst
major public art 2. bus shelters and kiosks in New York City are being plastered with artwork by 50 emerging artists. Time Out New York
£10,000. the 10 artists to receive bursaries in lieu of this year’s Turner Prize have been revealed. Evening Standard
clean air ads. this NASA-developed tech has turned Olafur Eliasson’s Guggenheim exhibition billboards into air purifiers. (reminds me i need to go back to beautiful Bilbao). Fast Company
my hometown glory. the UK’s biggest touring art exhibition is to open in Wolverhampton next year. Express and Star
holding hands. Marc Quinn - of blood-head-and-gold-Kate-Moss fame - has been selected to create ‘The Memorial to the People Victimised by the Persecution of Homosexuals in the Nazi era’ in Vienna. Instagram
Tate Modern will reopen on 27 July
and some bonus reads:
two Directors of major national museums gave interviews with the Evening Standard this week. these extensive sit-down interviews are vital for us all to get a deeper insight into the people running our great institutions - it is super important to know what they think. both are well worth your time today.
the Director of Royal Museums Greenwich’s Paddy Rogers said that museums “have a role to play in offering multiple perspectives on our history.” meanwhile the Director of the National Gallery Gabriele Finaldi warns that there’s a risk they are “going to be in quite serious difficulty” with their finances, and marks 2022 “the more difficult year”. i hate to end on a negative note, but the museum financial crisis really will go on for years to come.
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