France: The Louvre had 9.2 million visitors in 2013, compared with 9.7 million in 2012. More than 70% of visitors came from abroad, but about 1.3 million were from Paris and the surrounding Ile-de-France region. Significantly, almost 50% of visitors were aged under 30. The new Louvre-Lens satellite branch in northern France attracted almost 900,000 visitors.
Morocco: The philanthropist Karen Ruimy has announced plans to open the Marrakesh Museum of Photography and Visual Art by 2016. The venue, which will house a permanent collection of lens-based art from the 19th century to today, will be designed by UK architect David Chipperfield. Museum officials have, meanwhile, set up a temporary exhibition space in the city’s El Badi Palace.
The Netherlands: Alain de Botton is to co-curate an exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The London-based philosopher will present new captions for 150 works drawn from the permanent collection, in collaboration with British art historian John Armstrong, for Art as Therapy, which will run from 25 April-7 September. The museum website calls the exhibition an “anti-blockbuster”.
Spain: The mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, has announced that the Centre Pompidou in Paris plans to open a satellite branch in the southern Spanish city. About 70 works from the French museum’s collection are due to go on show in a new glass and steel structure called The Cube in 2015. But a spokesman for the Centre Pompidou said “nothing is confirmed and negotiations are still ongoing”.
US: The Sultanate of Oman has donated $1.8m to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC. The funding will go towards initiatives focusing on the art and culture of the Middle Eastern state, such as a series of lectures and exchanges between the Smithsonian and museums in Oman.
US: The Museum of Modern Art in New York has unveiled controversial plans to demolish the building next door, which once housed the American Folk Art Museum. Moma plans to expand into the adjacent space, adding 40,000sq ft of gallery and public spaces. The expansion is due to be completed in 2019.
Compiled by Gareth Harris. Seen in the Art Newspaper, Guardian, Huffington Post and El Pais
Morocco: The philanthropist Karen Ruimy has announced plans to open the Marrakesh Museum of Photography and Visual Art by 2016. The venue, which will house a permanent collection of lens-based art from the 19th century to today, will be designed by UK architect David Chipperfield. Museum officials have, meanwhile, set up a temporary exhibition space in the city’s El Badi Palace.
The Netherlands: Alain de Botton is to co-curate an exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The London-based philosopher will present new captions for 150 works drawn from the permanent collection, in collaboration with British art historian John Armstrong, for Art as Therapy, which will run from 25 April-7 September. The museum website calls the exhibition an “anti-blockbuster”.
Spain: The mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, has announced that the Centre Pompidou in Paris plans to open a satellite branch in the southern Spanish city. About 70 works from the French museum’s collection are due to go on show in a new glass and steel structure called The Cube in 2015. But a spokesman for the Centre Pompidou said “nothing is confirmed and negotiations are still ongoing”.
US: The Sultanate of Oman has donated $1.8m to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC. The funding will go towards initiatives focusing on the art and culture of the Middle Eastern state, such as a series of lectures and exchanges between the Smithsonian and museums in Oman.
US: The Museum of Modern Art in New York has unveiled controversial plans to demolish the building next door, which once housed the American Folk Art Museum. Moma plans to expand into the adjacent space, adding 40,000sq ft of gallery and public spaces. The expansion is due to be completed in 2019.
Compiled by Gareth Harris. Seen in the Art Newspaper, Guardian, Huffington Post and El Pais
