Australia: Curators have protested against job losses and state funding cuts at the Canberra-based National Gallery of Australia (NGA) and National Museum. The Community and Public Sector union said at least 10% of jobs at the NGA had been slashed, while cuts at the National Gallery mean that the number of exhibitions held annually will fall from 12 to five. Exhibitions touring to other Australian cities will also be jeopardised, according to the union.
France: Xavier Dectot, a curator at Paris’s Musée Cluny (Musée National du Moyen Age), has been named director of the €150m Louvre-Lens satellite, which is to open in December 2012. The 37-year-old is to appoint a management team for the institution, which will borrow objects from the Louvre, rather than having its own collection.
Japan: After the 11 March earthquake, national museums were closed for a week, while several exhibitions have been cancelled. These include 300 Years of French Painting, which was due to be shown at the Yokohama Museum, and Giorgio Morandi at the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art. Inadequate climate control and radiation fears have caused concern for lenders.
Tunisia: The Bardo Museum in Tunis is pressing ahead with a major restoration project following the downfall of the Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January. The renovation of the museum, which houses the world’s largest collection of Roman mosaics, is being funded by a World Bank loan of €12.5m. The project is scheduled for completion by November.
US: About 200 museums enjoyed an increase in attendance last year, in spite of cuts in government and corporate funding, according to a report published by the American Association of Museums. The rise in admissions is mainly down to increased demand from schools and “staycationers”. Some survey participants noted that philanthropists have shifted their focus away from museums towards social services.
US: James Cuno, president and Eloise W Martin director of the Art Institute of Chicago since 2004, has been appointed president and chief executive of the Los Angeles-based J Paul Getty Trust. Deborah Marrow, who acted as interim president and chief executive, will resume her position as director of the Getty Foundation following Cuno’s arrival in August.
Seen in the Art Newspaper, Artforum.com, the Australian, STLtoday.com and Agence France-Presse
France: Xavier Dectot, a curator at Paris’s Musée Cluny (Musée National du Moyen Age), has been named director of the €150m Louvre-Lens satellite, which is to open in December 2012. The 37-year-old is to appoint a management team for the institution, which will borrow objects from the Louvre, rather than having its own collection.
Japan: After the 11 March earthquake, national museums were closed for a week, while several exhibitions have been cancelled. These include 300 Years of French Painting, which was due to be shown at the Yokohama Museum, and Giorgio Morandi at the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art. Inadequate climate control and radiation fears have caused concern for lenders.
Tunisia: The Bardo Museum in Tunis is pressing ahead with a major restoration project following the downfall of the Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January. The renovation of the museum, which houses the world’s largest collection of Roman mosaics, is being funded by a World Bank loan of €12.5m. The project is scheduled for completion by November.
US: About 200 museums enjoyed an increase in attendance last year, in spite of cuts in government and corporate funding, according to a report published by the American Association of Museums. The rise in admissions is mainly down to increased demand from schools and “staycationers”. Some survey participants noted that philanthropists have shifted their focus away from museums towards social services.
US: James Cuno, president and Eloise W Martin director of the Art Institute of Chicago since 2004, has been appointed president and chief executive of the Los Angeles-based J Paul Getty Trust. Deborah Marrow, who acted as interim president and chief executive, will resume her position as director of the Getty Foundation following Cuno’s arrival in August.
Seen in the Art Newspaper, Artforum.com, the Australian, STLtoday.com and Agence France-Presse
