from The Guardian -
Germany issues catalogue of missing art works in push for return of war booty
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A timely reminder that looting of cultural heritage is not the exclusive domain of "evil" regimes.
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from The New York Times -
Provocateur’s Products Roll Off the Assembly Line
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When the artist no longer has the final control over his art creations, but relies instead on short-term unnamed contracted workers - rather than on long-term and recognised assistants - then it can only signal a tough road ahead for obtaining useful and critical information on materials and techniques for conservation and preservation purpose. Perhaps there is an inverse relationship between the size of the art bubble and conducive conditions for long-term preservation of those art.
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from The Guardian -
Rush to modernity 'devastating China's cultural heritage'
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A farcical replay of heritage devastation, once carried out during China's cultural revolution, this time as "cultural renovation".
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from Bloomberg News -
Looted Qing Dynasty Horse May Fetch HK$80 Million at Sotheby's
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Shame on Sotheby's for such bare-faced and crass commercialism. And the cheekiness to add that: "What we wish is for the item to return to the hands of those who love it." Sounds like money talks - especially to the tune of HK$1 billion - and knowing that China may be willing to pay (or not), having paid HK$15 million before to get back a related artefact also auctioned at Sotheby's, or someone else seeking to make an impression on the Chinese political elite.
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from Newsweek -
"I'm Not a Service Company"
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Following on the last post, an interview with the man who made the Guggenheim brand (in)famous. And quoting a revealing passage from amongst the rambling and deluded answers:

"Will the Guggenheim make any efforts to include local arts and culture in the museums?"
"That's not my option. I'm not a service company. What we do at the Guggenheim has an objective to be one of top elite cultural institutions in the world. We set out a conscious global strategy."

And this is the reason why if Singapore is still keen to grow her own artistic talent base, then a Guggenheim museum must never be allowed to be built here at all cost.

See earlier posts here, here and here.
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from The New York Times -
The Restorers’ Art of the Invisible
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When a museum becomes increasingly famous - or infamous, depending on one's cultural outlook - the actual building fabric takes on an aura of an over-size artefact.
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from The New York Times -
Italy, a Land of Earthquakes, Works to Protect the Priceless From the Unexpected
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A laudable effort to ensure the physical security of antiquities and heritage sites against the unpredictable force of nature. The proposed integrated approach to protect the building structure, as well as significant frescoes and decorative elements would be a necessary one:

"The key thing is that a building doesn’t collapse during an earthquake. But if the building is culturally important — having, say, a significant fresco — then making sure it doesn’t collapse isn’t enough. You have to limit the damages too."

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from The Philadelphia Inquirer -
For museums, pressure to be popular
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Yet another take on the tension between a museum's mission and external realities:

"Resolving the inherent tension between the museum's traditional role - collecting, conserving and exhibiting top-quality aesthetic objects - and the need to show museum-goers a good time has become the most difficult aspect of contemporary museumship. ... Yet for the most part, this attempt to be all things to most people hasn't succeeded: Permanent collections continue to be starved for attention."

. And one might add that when permanent collections are sidelined, then long-term preservation and planning suffers.
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from The Guardian -
Heritage row on selection of Darwin's home
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Bell tolls for Hemingway treasures as Cuban house caught in sanctions trap
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The stately wrecks of England
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Three different angles on the effort to preserve heritage sites that have encountered various problems. A sobering reminder that the intrinsic value of heritage and preservation is neither universal nor self-obvious. Perhaps it is now, more than ever, that communication and persuasion skills must be considered as essential, alongside technical competencies, within the heritage preservation profession in order to cross political, social and financial hurdles.
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from News@Nature -
Magnets harnessed to clean artwork
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A new development in the cleaning of painted surfaces, which can potentially be applied to other surfaces as well. This new method would solve the problem of chemical residue that might disfigure or react with the surface being clean.
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from The New York Times -
A Gift Offer for Artists in China: Museums
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A new spat of proposed museum-building in Sichuan, China, trying to cash in (perhaps, literally) on the fame and fortune of contemporary Chinese artists. On the one hand, it is a welcomed development in showcasing contemporary art in China, but on the other hand, there is a nagging underlying suspicion that the bubble in the contemporary art market in China is driving such a decision, which for obvious reason, would not be sustainable.
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from The Wall Street Journal -
The Wall Between Art World Realms Is Going, Going . . .
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A clear-sighted article arguing for why museum and blatant commercialism do not mix - even if separated in discreet institutions - to the detriment of museums' function and mission.
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