V&A’s controversial new trustee
V&A’s controversial new trustee
Plus: KUSAMA TICKETS!
Today's edition is presented with Rana Begum: Dappled Light at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery
In this issue:
Anti-‘woke’ trustee appointed to V&A
Germany transfers ownership, but keeps some Benin Bronzes for 10 more years
Kusama Mirror Rooms at Tate Modern announce next ticket drop
Hello reader, and happy September (SEPTEMBER!!). And a warm welcome to all 37 new subscribers over the past week.
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Now read on for this week’s news!
Maxwell
Rana Begum: Dappled Light is a stunning exhibition at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery in west London that you should definitely see - but time is running out. A highlight for visitors is an encounter with a newly-created, ethereal cloud installation of diffused light and veils of colour dramatically suspended within the Gallery. It’s so spectacular, it became maxwell museum’s most liked post on Instagram ever! You only have until Sunday 11 September to experience it, so use the button below to book your ticket. You won’t regret it.
This week’s news
The UK government has appointed Zewditu Gebreyohanes to the board of trustees of the V&A. The appointment has proved very controversial, with claims Gebreyohanes is a right wing activist who has railed against “wokeness” in cultural organisations - she recently became a director of Restore Trust, a group campaigning against what it characterises as the woke agenda of the National Trust. In a highly unusual move, the National Trust - which has adopted a very punchy comms strategy in recent months - actually issued a statement about the appointment, saying it was “aware” of the reports and that they have a “high regard” for the V&A. (It must be an attempt to show solidarity because otherwise the statement is wholly unnecessary due to its blandness). The appointment is being seen as a last roll of the dice of the Johnson government who have attempted to fuel culture war issues and appoint more government allies in key roles at museums. The fact that Gebreyohanes is 23, just two years out of university, does suggest it’s not her life experience that bagged her the role (and she must surely be the youngest ever trustee of a national museum?!). The Guardian
Speaking of the National Trust and their comms strategy, they’ve hit back at the aforementioned Restore Trust and its recent calls for “the establishment of an independent ombudsman which would ensure that the National Trust remains accountable to its supporters”. The NT have responded by saying that “Restore Trust is a private company that aims to influence” its decision-making , and that it’s a “paid-for” campaign group. “The National Trust works well with a range of supporter groups and critics and has done so for decades. However, these groups have always been voluntary without any influence from the private sector” the NT said. This does somewhat disingenuously imply they’re a charitable minnow and not an organisation with an annual income of nearly £600 million and nearly £1.5 billion invested in stocks, equity and hedge funds. They must think this line plays well. Third Sector
London’s National Portrait Gallery is setting out to raise a record £50 million to save Sir Joshua Reynolds’s famed Portrait of Omai from being sold to a buyer overseas. If the gallery is successful, the price would match that of the most expensive work ever bought by a British museum: Titian’s Diana and Actaeon. That was acquired jointly by the National Gallery and the National Galleries of Scotland in 2009. The Times
His colourful creations have sprung up all over London and beyond the past few years, but now Yinka Ilori’s work is getting the museum treatment. The Design Museum have revealed details of the very first museum display to explore the artist’s creative process, and will showcase his work beside examples of his cultural influences. “I am truly humbled and honoured to have my work exhibited at such an early stage in my career” Ilori said. The Guardian
A twisting, cascading chandelier-like sculpture – one of the largest hanging sculptures made in Murano glass in living history – is the centerpiece of a new Ai Weiwei exhibition just unveiled in Venice. It displays the artist’s first-ever sculptures in glass and is housed in the dramatic setting of Venice’s Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore. “Glass” said Ai Weiwei, “bears witness to joy, anxiety and worry in our reality.” Wallpaper*
Germany has officially signed the agreement that transfers ownership of the country’s Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. It is the most extensive transfer of museum artefacts from a colonial context in the world, covering 512 objects in total. The first objects will be physically returned to Nigeria this year but about a third of the treasures will remain on loan in Berlin and will be exhibited at the Humboldt Forum for at least 10 years. Reuters
Speaking of the Humboldt Forum (which I visited earlier this year for first time and gives me major airport-terminal-vibes, not necessarily in a bad way)…it’s about to reach the finish line of its twenty-year development. The Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art, housed in a brand new East Wing of the Forum building, is finally set to open later this month. A whopping 20,000 more exhibits will be unveiled, and it will celebrate with a 24 hour opening party. Another visit is in order. Time Out
It’s been closed for nearly a decade, but one of Brazil’s most popular museums is finally reopening. The Paulista Museum in Sao Paulo and which celebrates the country’s independence, has undergone a $40 million renovation. It reopens on 8 September — the day after Brazil’s Independence Day. The Independent
And finally
A year on from the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, America’s NPR visits the capital’s National Museum to see how regime change has affected it. They find the museum open, but guarded by Taliban soldiers and with precisely zero visitors. A fascinating if bleak read.
Seems like only yesterday the last batch of tickets to Tate Modern’s Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms were released (it was March actually). But the next ticket drop has been announced - and you better set your diaries for 8 Sept if you’re hoping to get tickets.
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