Threats to local museums
Museums in Birmingham, Hampshire and Margate all face financial woes
This is the weekly Friday news round-up from the world of museums, galleries, heritage and art. If you missed my interview this week with the Director of the National Army Museum you can catch up here.
Happy Friday.
Bad news for those of you hoping to see the V&A’s Chanel exhibition but are yet to book tickets. I’m afraid you’ve missed the boat, as all tickets are now sold out. And yes it did only open six days ago. Buying a membership is now the only way to see it, but with 22 of the 23 week-run still to go, it’s not hard to imagine a situation where they have to stop accepting new members too, such is clearly the demand.
It’s been the very definition of a blockbuster. Does it deserve it? I visited last weekend. If I had to sum it up in three words: airport shopping vibes.
In contrast, I also was lucky enough to enjoy a preview of Marina Abramović at the Royal Academy. WOW. It really is brilliant, and it does that rare thing in major blockbuster art shows: be huge, but not over stuffed with works. You almost wouldn’t know it’s ten-plus rooms. It’s not a show for the fainthearted — the sound of shrieks and slaps swell around the opening galleries. But definitely a must see — although the naked models were clearly on a tea break when I visited. If you’re going to see it in the coming days, hit reply to this email to let me know.
Now onto the news!
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Need To Know
Bankrupt Birmingham
Uncertainty has swirled around the future of Birmingham Museums Trust — who run a number of sites in Britain’s second city including the flagship Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) — after the local council went bankrupt.
The UK government has been forced to appoint commissioners to run the authority after it declared themselves unable to fulfil their financial commitments. The commissioners will look at which council-owned assets can be sold to bring them back from the financial brink. The authority currently owns both the BMAG building and the collection, and their potential sale have made a number of media reports. The sale of 17th-century Jacobean mansion Aston Hall has also been mooted.
While it’s hugely unlikely the collections will be sold or even broken up, the building will be a valuable asset. Perhaps the most vulnerable will be the annual grant the Trust receives from the council, which currently makes up 45% of their funding. It’s hard to see how that level will be maintained. (Read more)
Heritage list grows
A busy week for UNESCO as the World Heritage Committee of the global cultural body have been meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to approve new additions to its list of world heritage sites. Dozens of new locations have made the cut.
New entrants include the modernist architecture of Lithuania's previous capital Kaunas, five Viking fortresses across Denmark, a network of Native American burial mounds in southern Ohio, and ancient roadside inns from the Persian Empire in modern-day Iran. Also making the list were preserved sites of human rights violations, including an infamous detention centre in Buenos Aires and four memorials of the Rwandan Genocide.
Catching this newsletter’s eye was the stunning looking Eise-Eisinga Planetarium, which became the 13th World Heritage Site in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It’s the oldest functioning planetarium in the world.
The UNESCO meeting also included an intervention in the long-running controversial plans to build a tunnel under Stonehenge. The body has told the UK government that the plans "should not proceed" unless major changes are made. Campaigners fear the ancient monument will lose its World Heritage status if it goes ahead. (Read more)
National Trust’s challenging year
The National Trust’s Annual Report was published this week, showing a very challenging 12 months for Europe’s largest conservation charity.
Making most of the headlines were the millions it has lost through its £1.5 billion investment portfolio. The value of its stake in Robeco Climate Global Credits fund, — thought to be the first investment strategy that is fully compliant with the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change — has tanked, and many other more mainstream investments have also fallen in value. A spokesperson for the Trust said “no investment is free of risk.”
The Trust’s expenditure also rocketed, up 24% year-on-year. This meant it was spending more money than it raised, in part driven by record spending on conservation work on its historic sites. Membership was flat.
But there was good news: income from legacies topped £70m for the first time, and its secondhand bookshops turned a profit of £2.5m.
News from the UK
Hampshire closure warnings | Closures of multiple museums and arts venues across Hampshire will be "inevitable" if planned council cuts go ahead. It wants to halve the £2.5 million in funding it gives to the county’s museums. The CE of Hampshire’s Cultural Trust urged the council to reconsider, saying “a cut of this scale has the potential to change the county’s cultural landscape permanently.” (Read more)
SNP’s U-Turn | The recent high-profile repatriation of a totem pole to Canada from the National Museum of Scotland was nearly called off after the Scottish Government reneged on a promise to cover the £710,000 costs. The revelations — from a Freedom of Information request — also unearthed that the museum was essentially bypassed in negotiations, with the Nisga'a delegation in Canada dealing directly with the SNP administration. (Read more)
Emin rejects charging | Tracey Emin has called for entry to the Turner Contemporary in her home town of Margate to remain free, after a local councillor suggested an admission charge would help with the gallery’s finances in the wake of the local council’s cut in funding for the site. "It’s brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to Margate, and 100% it should stay free.” Emin said. (Read more)
Scotsman flies home | The world’s most famous steam locomotive will make a rare trip back to its home museum next month. The Flying Scotsman will be displayed on the historic turntable at the National Railway Museum in York in time for half-term so visitors can see it in 360 degrees, and to celebrate its centenary. It’ll be accompanied by a VR experience. (Read more)
News from around the world
USA | The Metropolitan Museum of Art is transferring ownership of two ancient sculptures in its collection to Yemen, 40 years after they were removed from an archaeological site near the ancient city of Marib. But the pieces will remain in New York due to the ongoing civil war, and officials have asked the museum to retain custodianship until it is safe to return them. (Read more)
Italy | An Italian politician is calling for the director of Turin’s prestigious Egyptian Museum to be sacked, arguing that he’s been “racist towards Italians”. Andrea Crippa, a member of the ruling coalition, said Christian Greco was a “leftwing director” and that “We’ll do everything to have him kicked out.” It stems from a 2018 initiative when Greco offered discounted tickets to Arabic speakers. (Read more)
France | One of the most stunning public artworks of recent years, Christo’s monumental wrapped Arc de Triomphe is getting a new lease of life. The piece — shown in 2021 — will be recycled for future use in Paris, including “shade structures [and] tents” for the city’s 2024 Olympic Games. The Paris mayor says it’s “a very fine example of the art world’s ability to adapt to climate challenges.” (Read more)
Denmark | An artist who was given £69,000 by a museum to make two artworks made of banknotes, but instead pocketed the money and submitted empty frames, has been told to hand the cash back by a court. Jens Haaning turned in two blank works to the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg titling them Take the Money and Run. But the court has said he can keep some money for expenses. (Read more)
Best of the rest
NHM’s new home | Plans for the Natural History Museum to build a new £200m research centre in Berkshire have gone on display. It would house collections, and would sit at the same site where the British Museum have built their own storage facility. (More)
NFTs officially junk | Who could have seen this coming: the vast majority of NFTs created are now worth nothing. 95% to be exact, according to a new report, which found 23 million people hold the worthless assets. (More)
Back on the box | Portrait Artist of the Year is coming back to Sky Arts this autumn for series 10, with previous winners also battling it out in a special birthday episode featuring Dame Judi Dench. This year’s winner will be exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery. (More)
Architect needed (again) | National Museums Liverpool has re-tendered its major Slavery Museum design contract after Adjaye Associates was dropped after sexual harassment allegations against David Adjaye. The project cost has also risen to £58m.(More)
Ono tickets on sale | Tickets have just gone on sale for one of 2024’s most hotly anticipated exhibitions: Yoko Ono at Tate Modern. Get your tickets now before more people notice it’s coming. (More)
Exclusive talk discount* | This upcoming lecture looks at how Barbara Windsor and the Carry On films defined our sense of humour, and the female body as comic. Use code 'maxwell' for £3 tickets. (Book)
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