View of Venice by Bonington Acquired by the Kimbell Art Museum

FORT WORTH, TX.- The Kimbell Art Museum has added to its collection an exquisite oil sketch by the British artist Richard Parkes Bonington (1802–1828), “The Grand Canal, Venice, Looking Toward the Rialto”, painted on the spot in 1826. Its purchase was announced today by the Kimbell’s director, Dr. Eric M. Lee. Dr. Lee commented: “The opportunity to acquire one of Bonington’s beautiful oil sketches of Venice is extremely rare. Only eight are known, four of which were already in museum [...]

The Museum of Communism in Prague

PRAGUE.-Glitzy new shops, fast food restaurants and trendy bars have replaced Prague’s former monochrome socialist-era landscape but a museum dedicated to the country’s communist past offers glimpses of the uglier times.The Museum of Communism, which focuses on politics, history, sport and other aspects of daily life in socialist Czechoslovakia, touts itself as the first of its kind in Prague exclusively devoted to the system that dominated the country for more than four decades following World War II. For many Czechs [...]

Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei Transforms the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion

BARCELONA.- As of December 10 the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion will be the object of an intervention that reflects on the use of buildings and our concept of them as unique, unalterable spaces. The artist Ai Weiwei, one of the leading – and most controversial – figures of Chinese contemporary art, will fill the Pavilion pools with two elements that, though very common in our everyday lives, are totally foreign to architectural construction. He will replace the water of [...]

Audain Foundation’s $2.5 Million Grant Supports UBC Museum

VANCOUVER.- The Audain Foundation for the Visual Arts has granted the UBC Museum of Anthropology (MOA) $2.5 million in support of its current major capital renewal project, A Partnership of Peoples. This gift, together with contributions from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund, Department of Canadian Heritage Cultural Spaces Program, and The Koerner Foundation, Toronto, is a significant step towards completing the project’s $55.5 million funding target. This major renovation helps transform MOA into one of [...]

Art Gallery of Alberta Reaches Project Milestone with Closure of Temporary Gallery

ALBERTA.- The Art Gallery of Alberta’s (AGA) interim home at Enterprise Square will permanently close its doors on Sunday, December 13, 2009. To honour and celebrate the two years the AGA spent at the Jasper Avenue location, the Gallery will host an afternoon of art activities for all ages in a special HSBC All Day Saturday on Saturday, December 12, 2009 from 1-4 pm. Activities are free with admission. The closure of the temporary gallery marks a milestone in the [...]

The Wright, a New Restaurant, Launches at the Guggenheim

NEW YORK, NY.- Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s Frank Lloyd Wright–designed building, The Wright, New York City’s newest restaurant, opens to the public on December 11, in the famed museum. Named in honor of the great American architect, the intimate Upper East Side destination is located in an elegant and modern architectural space that is sure to dazzle trendsetters, fine diners, art lovers, and world travelers. Additionally, a site-specific sculpture by British artist Liam Gillick [...]

British Museum Launches Multimedia Guides in 11 Languages

LONDON.- A new set of handheld guides launches at the British Museum, designed to allow visitors to learn more about the British Museum’s collections. This includes: • A Multimedia Guide available in 11 different languages, including British Sign Language (BSL) • An Audio Description Guide (in English only) • A Children’s Multimedia Guide (in English only) With an international audience of six million visitors each year, the British Museum is always seeking to find new ways to engage visitors from [...]

National Gallery Innovative Art Project For Stroke Suvivors to Restore Creativity

LONDON.- An innovative art project developed by the National Gallery is giving a group of stroke survivors the chance to get their creative juices flowing. Ageing Creatively is an outreach programme that aims to make it possible for people who may be isolated, vulnerable or unable to visit the Gallery independently, to access and enjoy the collection. During November, members of the Greenhill Aphasia Group took part in four outreach workshops at the Greenhill Centre in Newham. Aphasia is a [...]

The Speed Art Museum Announces $10 Million Given for Expansion

LOUISVILLE, KY.- At its first annual Legacy Society Dinner honoring donors who have included the Speed Art Museum in their estate plans or given or pledged more than $100,000 in art or cash contributions during their lifetimes, Dr. Elizabeth Pahk Cressman announced that she and her husband, Dr. Frederick K. Cressman, have pledged $10 million to the Speed Art Museum’s upcoming renovation and expansion project. The Cressman gift is among the largest donations ever made to the Museum since its [...]

Loyola University Chicago Receives Historic Gift: $50M from John and Herta Cuneo

CHICAGO, IL.- Loyola University Chicago announced today that John Cuneo Jr., his wife, Herta, and the Cuneo Foundation have given the University the largest gift in its 140-year history. The generous $50 million gift includes the Cuneo Museum and Gardens in Vernon Hills, Illinois, its nearly 100 surrounding acres, an extensive collection of art and furnishings, and an in-kind distribution of funds. “This gift is the legacy of my father, and I know that he would want it used in [...]

VMFA Acquires Painting by First African-American Artist to Win Acclaim

RICHMOND, VA.- The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has acquired a painting by Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828-1901), the first black artist to receive widespread acclaim in the United States. The 1885 painting, “Moonlight Marine,” is an oil on canvas. Dr. Sylvia Yount, VMFA’s Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Curator of American Art, calls it “an exceptional example of the painter’s bolder, mature style.” Painting and the sea form the twin poles of Bannister’s life, Yount says. In his younger [...]

Brooklyn Museum Announces New Egyptian Installation

BROOKLYN, NY.- An installation of more than 170 objects selected from the Brooklyn Museum’s world-famous holdings of ancient Egyptian material explores the complex rituals related to the practice of mummification and the Egyptian belief that the body must be preserved in order to ensure eternal life. The Mummy Chamber will open at the Brooklyn Museum on May 5 and will remain on long-term view. Included in the installation will be a portion of the nearly 26-foot-long papyrus Book of the [...]

Now the Louvre and Versailles Closed by French Museum Strike

PARIS.- The Louvre Museum and the royal palace at Versailles were closed Thursday because of a French museum workers’ strike that appears to be gathering steam. Frustrated tourists gathered outside the landmark pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre, blocked off by workers. They are protesting government plans not to replace half of retiring public servants, which will affect the country’s national museums. The strike began at the Pompidou Center for modern art last month and workers at other national [...]

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Gets Grant to Continue Free Admission

SAN DIEGO, CA.- The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego announced Qualcomm’s continued sponsorship of the 25 and under free admission program for another two years. Thanks to this generous support, all MCASD locations — downtown San Diego (Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building and 1001 Kettner) and La Jolla — will continue this policy. Qualcomm has been a major supporter of MCASD’s education programs for over 15 years and the company’s generous support of the 25 and under free admission [...]

Many Premier Art Institutions in Paris Closed Due to Strike

PARIS.- On a gray, drizzly day just made for a Paris museum visit, workers at the city’s premier art institutions went on strike Wednesday, leaving tourists out in the cold and some residents worried about the image that France projects. The Pompidou Center modern art museum and the Musee d’Orsay, with its famed paintings by the Impressionists, were closed Wednesday after workers angry over a government cost-cutting measure voted to strike. Workers at the Louvre, the crown jewel of Paris [...]