Turmoil at Liverpool Biennial
Plus: Festival of Brexit - will it heal the nation?
maxwell museums friday briefing - 27 November 2020
So where are we? Yesterday museums across England discovered if they would be able to reopen next week or not, as the level of restrictions on each region post the national lockdown were revealed. Museums in London and Liverpool got the green light, but many others will have to stay closed, including those in Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds and Kent. There’s some incredible venues in these places: if you can support them in other ways during this difficult time, please do. And if you want to know what the rules are in visiting museums in your tier, the Telegraph have a handy guide.
It’s Friday, which means it’s your weekly round up of news from me. If you missed my latest maxwell museums magazine edition this week, do catch up here. Not least for my competition to win a beautiful new book in collaboration with Tate Publishing which there is still time to enter.
Have great weekends - and happy reading.
Love museums? Then you’ll love this newsletter. I send a round up of museum news every Friday, and every two weeks a jam-packed edition of original features including interviews. Subscribe to get the next edition.
Turmoil on the Mersey . All is not well at the Liverpool Biennial - the UK’s largest festival of contemporary art . This week it came out that the Director suddenly (and with no public announcement) had resigned, accusing Trustees of making her role untenable. Two of them, then resigned in support of her. There’s a lot of drama here. ART News
What about the art? The Liverpool Biennial did manage to launch their programme this week (bet they loved that timing). Highlights include 6 new public works and the famous Lewis department store - mothballed for a decade - reopening as a temporary gallery. Liverpool Echo
Turmoil ahead of the Liverpool Biennial which revealed it’s 2021 programme this week. "Royal Liver Building" by Nic Taylor Photography is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Guardians of Sleep. The Museum of London continues its work to tell the story of London through the pandemic - and now they want your dreams! The Guardian
Under the hammer. Want to attend the "annual examination of the Mona Lisa." (!!) Now’s your chance as the Louvre in Paris hosts its first ever charity sale to raise funds for new spaces and outreach. The Art Newspaper
A wheel relief. A bicycle which formed part of Banksy's hula-hooping girl artwork in Nottingham vanished at the weekend. But it’s revealed it’s actually in very safe hands. Nottinghamshire Live
Award winner. Portraits of school leavers dressed for proms that never took place because of the coronavirus pandemic has won the annual £15,000 Taylor Wessing Prize from the National Portrait Gallery. BBC News
Science needs a cure. Ever seen a scientist on a blue plaque? If not, you’re not alone, as English Heritage has admitted they are underrepresented and ask for the public to nominate more. The Times
“Please forgive me .” A tourist from the US has sent back to an Italian museum a piece of ancient marble she took while in Rome along with a note of apology. The Independent
and a bonus read…
Detractors call it the Festival of Brexit, but plans for a nationwide cultural festival - working title Festival UK 2022 - are full steam ahead, receiving another £29 million in government funding this week. But can a festival so entwined with the EU referendum and organised during the corona-induced decimation of the arts sector really bring the nation together? The Telegraph thinks so, and says the arts need to “get over themselves” and throw their support behind it.
Love museums? Then you’ll love this newsletter. I send a round up of museum news every Friday, and every two weeks a jam-packed edition of original features including interviews. Subscribe to get the next edition.