Category: visual

The result is a 360-degree, fully immersive experience that lets museumgoers get as close as they want to, say, Manet’s Olympia or Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights. Using a computer’s arrow buttons, a visitor can virtually “walk” around the museum, zooming in on different works of art. The user-friendly setup feels much like a computer game. – Smithsonian

Brad Downey, a conceptual artist from Kentucky based in Berlin, said the statue that replaced an earlier wooden carving destroyed in an arson attack in July, was motivated by his “frustrations with the policies of my birth country.” – The Guardian

150,000 exhibits? Art in a pretty warehouse? All of the art owned by a particular museum? Yes. All of it, on display, all of the time: “Sjarel Ex, the Boijmans’ director, is wearing the look of a man who can’t quite believe it’s finally happening. ‘A treasure chest, no?’ he exclaims, gesturing towards a dizzying lattice of glass stairwells above our heads. ‘Every single thing we have will be on display.'” – The Guardian (UK)

Honestly, how is the Guggenheim supposed to conserve something like a banana duct-taped to a wall? Ah: The artwork contains no actual banana. “Comedian, as sold, does not include a banana or tape. What one buys is a ‘certificate of authenticity,’ a surprisingly detailed, 14-page list of instructions, with diagrams, on how the banana should be installed and displayed.” – The New York Times

Should the Royal Academy sell the “Taddei Tondo,” nickname for Michelangelo’s The Virgin and Child with the Infant St John? “The 515-year-old sculpture had been given to the London gallery in 1829 following the death of its owner, Lady Margaret Beaumont, as an inspiration to students in the academy’s schools.” The debate is contentious. – The Observer (UK)

“With precision and boundless energy, a team of carpenters used medieval techniques to raise up — by hand — a three-ton oak truss Saturday in front of Notre Dame Cathedral, a replica of the wooden structures that were consumed in the landmark’s devastating April 2019 fire that also toppled its spire.” The feat was intended to show that officials made the correct decision to rebuild the cathedral using the same methods as builders did 800 years ago. – St. Louis Post-Dispatch (AP)

Other than necessary mechanical systems and bathrooms, the building’s entire second story will be devoted to galleries, a total of 110,000 square feet of exhibition space. The galleries are composed of two dozen rectilinear spaces — basically, boxes — arranged in clusters and surrounded by interstitial spaces that will also display art. – Los Angeles Times

“The artwork, which depicts a masked protester throwing a bouquet of flowers, appeared on a wall in Jerusalem in 2005. It has since been reappropriated by the UK card company Full Colour Black, which has used the artwork on cards. In 2014, Banksy successfully applied for an EU trademark for the work, which was then challenged by Full Colour Black. The company argued that the artist was not entitled to the trademark as he did not wish to use it for trade purposes or for branding.” – The Independent (UK)

Two years ago, when Bill Arning stepped down “effective immediately,” he told ARTnews, “I was feeling I wasn’t making progress, and I wasn’t getting done what I needed to get done. … They need a new leader, and I need a new life.” Last week, as Arning announced that he would open a commercial gallery in Houston, allegations appeared on Instagram charging him with serious sexual misconduct. Now CAMH has released a statement: “In October of 2018, [the museum] immediately removed Bill Arning as director when allegations of improper — but not illegal — communications and actions with artists were investigated by our legal counsel and found to be credible.” – Glasstire