Vasari Art Codex

article news schedule Oct 22, 2025 visibility 2 link 1 gallery

louvre laurence des cars senate hearing 1234758381

On Wednesday, Laurence des Cars, president and director of the Louvre Museum, testified before the French Senate about the theft of nine pieces of France's crown jewels from the Apollo Gallery. The heist occurred on Sunday when robbers used a cherry picker and angle grinder to steal jewelry worth an estimated $102 million in under eight minutes. Des Cars revealed that security cameras were outdated and inadequate, with only one camera covering the breached balcony, and that she offered her resignation afterward, which the French Minister of Culture refused. The museum had previously faced criticism over security, including a staff walkout in June over staffing and safety concerns, and an official report had flagged outdated systems and lack of CCTV.

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article policy schedule Jul 17, 2025 visibility 2 link 1 gallery

yale art gallery rejects federal grants for africa migration show citing new anti diversity stipulations 1234747708

The Yale University Art Gallery has withdrawn two federal grant applications totaling $200,000 for an upcoming exhibition on the migration of Nguni peoples from southeastern Africa, scheduled to open in fall 2026. The museum rejected new anti-DEI stipulations attached to grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, which require applicants to certify they do not operate programs promoting diversity, equity, or inclusion that violate federal anti-discrimination laws. The gallery will instead use its endowment to fund the show, marking the second time it has forfeited NEA grants under similar circumstances.

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article policy schedule May 2, 2025 visibility 1 link 1 gallery

neh dismantling lawsuit acls mla aha 1234740476

Three humanities-focused organizations—the American Historical Association, the Modern Language Association, and the American Council of Learned Societies—have filed a lawsuit against the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over the dismantling of the NEH. Filed on May 1 in the Southern District of New York, the suit seeks to reverse cuts made in April by the Trump administration, which slashed $65 million from the NEH's $210 million budget and fired approximately 65 percent of its staff. The plaintiffs argue the NEH has been reduced to a shell of its former self, and they name as defendants NEH acting chairman Michael McDonald, DOGE acting administrator Amy Gleason, and DOGE employees Nate Cavanaugh and Justin Fox, who allegedly demanded lists of open grants and terminated most of them without legal authority.

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person people schedule Apr 3, 2026 visibility 12 link 2 galleries

The Louvre’s new director is inheriting a troubled, traumatised museum—can he repair the damage?

Christophe Leribault has been appointed as the new director of the Musée du Louvre, taking over an institution reeling from a major security breach. The theft of the crown jewels in October exposed severe systemic failures, including neglected security upgrades and a management culture criticized as autocratic under his predecessor, Laurence des Cars. The museum has also been plagued by strikes, ticket fraud scandals, and damaging parliamentary reports.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 23, 2026 visibility 7 link 2 artists, 2 galleries

Stories That Shape Us: Building Stories Reflections

Staff at the National Building Museum share their favorite children's books in celebration of World Book Day, as part of the exhibition 'Building Stories.' Each staff member selects a book that has influenced their imagination or professional work, ranging from century-old illustrated alphabets like C.B. Falls' 'ABC Book' to contemporary picture books such as Christian Robinson's 'Another' and Tony Hillery's 'Harlem Grown.' The selections highlight how storytelling and the built environment intersect, with books like 'Goodnight Moon,' 'Eloise,' and 'The Snowy Day' offering personal and professional insights.

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article news schedule Apr 7, 2026 visibility 17 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

Art museum paints a picture of despair

The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum in Gqeberha is facing a catastrophic institutional collapse due to years of municipal neglect and a 64% staff vacancy rate. A recent report reveals that the museum’s priceless collection—which includes works by George Pemba, Gladys Mgudlandlu, and LS Lowry—is being threatened by leaking roofs, spreading mold, and failing fire and security systems. While the galleries have been closed to the public for over a year, the facility currently lacks a qualified conservator to address the mounting damage to its historical and contemporary holdings.

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article news schedule Jan 19, 2026 visibility 6 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

Workers at the Metropolitan Museum vote to form union

Workers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art voted overwhelmingly to unionize with the United Auto Workers (UAW), with 542 in favor and 172 against, following nearly four years of organizing efforts. The election, overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, will see 100 challenged votes resolved through arbitration. The new union, part of UAW Local 2110, represents over 50 departments including conservators, curators, librarians, and digital staff, driven by concerns over job security, pay, and policy transparency.

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article policy schedule Nov 24, 2025 visibility 4 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

A Holistic and People-Centered Approach to Accessible Exhibition Design: Walker Art Center Case Study

The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis developed a holistic, people-centered set of guidelines for accessible exhibition design, moving beyond legal ADA compliance. The project involved collaboration across curatorial departments, artists, d/Deaf and disabled staff and community members, and the Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD). The guidelines were created in three stages: identifying the need, drafting and revising, and implementing, with strategies including cross-departmental working groups, targeted interventions for bottlenecks, shared terminology, and embodied learning for staff.

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article news schedule Nov 3, 2025 visibility 4 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

Lacma staff move to unionise as $720m new building nears completion

Staff at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma) announced their intent to unionize as part of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The new union, Lacma United, will represent over 300 museum employees across curatorial, visitor services, education, and publications departments. Workers cite fairer compensation, expanded benefits, and increased transparency as key motivations, and have requested voluntary recognition by November 5. The effort joins AFSCME Cultural Workers United District Council 36, which has supported union campaigns at other Los Angeles institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

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museum exhibitions schedule Sep 4, 2025 visibility 5 link 8 artists, 2 galleries

Rooted in Place: Humboldt Alumni and Staff Shine at de Young’s New Indigenous Art Exhibition

Cal Poly Humboldt alumni and staff are prominently featured in "Rooted in Place: California Native Art," a new exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco that highlights Northern California’s Indigenous artists. The show includes works by the late Karuk painter Brian D. Tripp, Hupa artist and gallery director Brittany Britton, and other contributors such as Robert Benson, George Blake, Lena R. Bommelyn, and Shoshoni Gensaw-Hostler. Britton's beaded chair and Gensaw-Hostler's dentalium-shell cape are among the pieces displayed in the newly reinstalled Arts of Indigenous America galleries, which focus on the Hupa, Karuk, Tolowa, Wiyot, and Yurok peoples.

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museum exhibitions schedule Aug 29, 2025 visibility 5 link 14 artists, 2 galleries

Hunterdon Art Museum presents Annual Members Show

The Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, New Jersey, will host its Annual Members Show from September 21, 2025, to January 11, 2026, featuring 35 artists working in ceramics, sculpture, glass, wood, fiber, printmaking, painting, photography, and collage. The exhibition was juried by Donna Gustafson, a freelance curator and critic with a PhD in Art History, who selected works from 84 artists and nearly 400 slides, noting themes of nature, identity, community, and politics. An opening reception is scheduled for September 21.

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article policy schedule Apr 28, 2025 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

‘It’s much more extreme’: US institutions and artists enter a new culture war

Since President Donald Trump took office, his administration has rapidly dismantled parts of the U.S. cultural infrastructure through executive orders and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk. Key federal funding bodies—the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)—have faced staff cuts, grant cancellations, and threats of further reductions. Trump has also replaced leadership at the Kennedy Center and signaled similar moves against the Smithsonian Institution, while DOGE visited the National Gallery of Art to discuss its legal status. Arts organizations and advocates are scrambling to assess the damage and find alternative funding.

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article policy schedule Oct 6, 2025 source 7 sources visibility 5 link 1 gallery

where to go what to expect amid us government shutdown 2025 1234755512

The United States government shutdown, which began on October 1 after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement, has forced the closure of numerous federally operated museums, historic sites, and national parks. While some outdoor monuments and parks remain accessible, many are understaffed and operating with limited services. In Washington, D.C., sites like the Library of Congress, National Archives Museum, and Washington Monument are closed, while Smithsonian-run institutions remain open only through October 11 using prior funds. In New York, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island remain open, but the lack of uniformity across agencies has created confusion for visitors.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 16, 2026 visibility 16 link 9 artists

Norton Museum showcases women artists like few others

The Norton Museum of Art is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its "Recognition of Art by Women" (RAW) series with a solo exhibition by painter Danielle Mckinney titled "Shelter" and a retrospective of past participants. Since its inception in 2011, the RAW initiative has provided a significant platform for mid-career women artists, featuring notable figures such as Jenny Saville and Rose B. Simpson. Mckinney’s exhibition, curated by J. Rachel Gustafson, explores themes of domestic and mental interiority through intimate, spotlighted paintings that often reference art historical canon.

newspaper The Palm Beach Post open_in_new Read original

article policy schedule Apr 14, 2026 visibility 14 link 45 artists

An open letter to La Biennale di Venezia calls out inaction in the face of global atrocities

A group of 74 artists and curators invited to the 61st Venice Biennale have issued an open letter to the institution's president, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. The signatories are protesting the decision to relocate the Israeli Pavilion to the Arsenale, placing it in close proximity to the central exhibition 'In Minor Keys' curated by the late Koyo Kouoh. The letter demands the exclusion of official delegations from countries accused of war crimes—specifically Israel, Russia, and the United States—and accuses the Biennale of complicity through its silence on global atrocities.

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article policy schedule Mar 9, 2026 visibility 14 link 2 artists

Comment | What is the role of art museums in times of civic stress?

The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis is navigating the civic distress caused by 'Operation Metro Surge,' a federal immigration enforcement initiative that has disrupted the lives of local artists, staff, and residents. In response to the atmosphere of fear and the shift to virtual schooling, the museum has positioned itself as a sanctuary, offering art-making kits, indigenous-led workshops, and public screenings to foster community resilience.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article policy schedule Feb 13, 2026 visibility 5 link 3 artists

London’s National Gallery to cut staff as it faces £8.2m deficit

London's National Gallery is implementing significant staff cuts and restructuring its operations to address a projected £8.2 million deficit for the 2026-27 financial year. The institution will first offer a voluntary exit scheme to its nearly 500 staff, with compulsory redundancies possible if savings are insufficient. The financial crisis stems from rising operational costs, stagnant income, and visitor numbers that have not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, despite a recent boost from a popular Van Gogh exhibition.

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person people schedule Dec 12, 2025 visibility 9 link 6 artists

Maria Balshaw to step down as Tate director

Maria Balshaw, director of the Tate, will step down in spring 2026 after nearly a decade leading the institution. She joined in 2017, succeeding Nicholas Serota, and oversaw blockbuster exhibitions including Van Gogh and Britain, Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind, and Sargent and Fashion. Her final project will be a major survey of Tracey Emin. The Tate credited her with diversifying the collection, improving gender and geographic balance, and growing membership to 150,000, the largest arts membership globally.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

person people schedule Nov 14, 2025 visibility 6 link 2 artists

The Crocker Art Museum’s CEO Wants the World — and People of Sacramento — to Love His Newly Adopted City

Agustín Arteaga, the new Mort and Marcy Friedman director and CEO of the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, discusses his first months on the job, including extensive meetings with staff, board members, and community stakeholders. Arteaga, who previously led the Dallas Museum of Art, the Museo Nacional de Arte in Mexico City, and the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico, emphasizes the need to balance fundraising, donor relations, educational programming, and political transparency while maintaining the museum's relevance as the oldest art museum in the American West.

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article news schedule Nov 12, 2025 visibility 8 link 21 artists

A new hope: Lucas Museum of Narrative Art sets September 2026 opening date

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has announced its opening date of September 22, 2026, more than a decade after the project was first conceived by filmmaker George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson. The museum, which moved from San Francisco to Chicago before settling in Los Angeles's Exposition Park, has grown from a $700 million budget to a reported $1 billion and will house over 40,000 works across 100,000 square feet of exhibition space. The collection spans ancient artifacts, canonical artists like Frida Kahlo and John Singer Sargent, comic book legends such as Jack Kirby and Alison Bechdel, photography by Gordon Parks and Dorothea Lange, and the Lucas Archives of film memorabilia.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Nov 5, 2025 visibility 5 link 4 artists

National Gallery Singapore celebrates 10 years

National Gallery Singapore (NGS) celebrates its 10th anniversary with a weekend event on November 15-16, 2025, featuring extended hours, free exhibitions, a rave, a pop-up market, and food trucks. The gallery, housed in the restored Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, opened on November 24, 2015, after a delayed launch, and has since welcomed over 14 million visitors. Highlights include the blockbuster show "Into The Modern: Impressionism From The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston," with works by Monet, Cézanne, and Degas never before shown in Singapore, plus exclusive merchandise from local brands.

newspaper The Straits Times open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Oct 15, 2025 visibility 4 link 3 artists

One Way to Shake Up Museum Curation? Hand the Keys to the Kids.

Museums across the United States are experimenting with youth-curated exhibitions, handing curatorial authority to teenagers and children. The Orange County Museum of Art's "Piece of Me" exhibition, part of its larger biennial, was organized by 15 members of the Orange County Young Curators program, who surveyed the museum's collection, selected a theme and artworks, collaborated with conservators and designers, and wrote wall text. Similar initiatives are underway at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where young people are curating shows with staff guidance.

newspaper The New York Times open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Oct 9, 2025 visibility 10 link 8 artists

A ‘town square for the arts and humanities’: The new Princeton University Art Museum shares opening details

The Princeton University Art Museum will open its new building to the public with a 24-hour celebration from 5 p.m. on Oct. 31 to 5 p.m. on Nov. 1, 2025. The event includes tours, artmaking, live performances, film screenings, poetry readings, and yoga, all free of charge. Planning began in 2012, and the museum has also scheduled preview days for Princeton students, faculty, staff, and members before the public opening.

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article policy schedule Sep 4, 2025 visibility 5 link 5 artists

Smithsonian leader asserts ‘authority over our programming’ in letters to staff and Trump White House

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III sent letters to the White House and staff asserting the institution's independence after President Donald Trump ordered a comprehensive review of eight Smithsonian museums. The review, initiated by an August 12 White House letter, targets exhibitions, collections, and programming for alleged bias and divisive content. Bunch stated the Smithsonian is conducting its own internal review to ensure nonpartisan, factual programming, emphasizing that the institution retains authority over its content. The letters follow Trump's social media attack on the Smithsonian and an earlier executive order directing Vice President J.D. Vance to remove what the administration calls 'race-centred ideology.'

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trending_up market schedule Sep 2, 2025 visibility 9 link 13 artists, 9 galleries

A former director at Lower Manhattan galleries goes it alone Uptown

Christiana Ine-Kimba Boyle, a former director at Lehmann Maupin, Canada, and Pace, has launched Gladwell Projects, a nomadic gallery with a staff of one. The gallery's second show, "The Spirituality of Color," opens October 3 in a Harlem townhouse, featuring works by Sam Gillam, Kylie Manning, and others. Its first show, "The Metroplex," was held in collector Christie Williams's Dallas home during the Dallas Art Fair, resulting in acquisitions by the Dallas Art Museum. Ine-Kimba Boyle aims to present blue-chip rigor at a smaller, community-focused scale, part of a "Domestic Interventions" series in private homes.

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article policy schedule Aug 28, 2025 visibility 9 link 5 artists

Van Gogh Museum claims it could be ‘forced to close’ amid funding feud with Dutch state

Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum has publicly warned it could be forced to close unless the Dutch government increases its annual subsidy from €8.5m to €11m to fund essential renovations. Director Emilie Gordenker announced the museum cannot guarantee the safety of its collection, visitors, and staff without the additional funding for climate control, elevators, fire safety, security, and sustainability upgrades. The museum has filed a legal complaint against the state, arguing it is in breach of a 1962 agreement that committed the government to fund the museum's construction and maintenance in exchange for the Van Gogh family's collection. The case is set to be heard on 19 February 2026.

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article culture schedule Aug 12, 2025 visibility 6 link 4 artists

Comment | US museums are finally going bilingual: here's why it matters

US museums are increasingly adopting bilingual and multilingual programming, primarily adding Spanish translations to wall texts, websites, and catalogs. Institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) and MoMA PS1 in New York have led this shift, with MCA hiring bilingual staff and developing a bilingual website, while MoMA PS1 offers texts in Spanish, simplified Chinese, Arabic, Tagalog, and Bisaya for specific exhibitions. This trend responds to the fact that 14% of the US population speaks Spanish at home, and Latinx people represent a growing demographic in cities like Chicago.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 19, 2025 visibility 7 link 13 artists

Renewed Bern Kunsthalle works to reframe Switzerland's history

The Kunsthalle Bern has reopened after a year-long transformation led by director iLiana Fokianaki, marked by a new entrance designed by ALIAS architects and a trio of exhibitions by Black artists. The reopening follows a symbolic intervention by Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama, who wrapped the building in jute sacks referencing the colonial history of Swiss cocoa extraction in Ghana, echoing Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 1968 wrapping of the same building. The inaugural shows feature solo exhibitions by Melvin Edwards, Tuli Mekondjo, and Tschabalala Self, with Edwards's retrospective traveling from the Fridericianum in Kassel to the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 6, 2025 visibility 8 link 5 artists, 31 galleries

Which galleries are returning to Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2025—and which are not?

Frieze London and Frieze Masters have announced their 2025 exhibitor lists, with nearly 290 galleries set to participate in Regent's Park from October 15 to 19. Frieze London's 22nd edition will feature over 160 exhibitors, including blue-chip names like Gagosian, Pace, Goodman, and Sprüth Magers, alongside London staples The Approach and Corvi-Mora. Notable absentees from last year include Tanja Wagner, Magician Space, and Lia Rumma, while newcomers such as Carbon 12, Anat Ebgi, and Simões de Assis join the main section. The Focus section for emerging galleries debuts eight first-time participants, and a curated section organized by Jareh Das will highlight artists from Brazil, Africa, and their diasporas. Across the park, Frieze Masters, under new director Emanuela Tarizzo, will host around 120 galleries, with first-timers including Champ Lacombe and Vito Schnabel Gallery, and the Studio section curated by Sheena Wagstaff.

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article local schedule May 1, 2025 link 3 artists

Celebrating the 2024–25 Academic Year Interns

The Bowdoin College Museum of Art (BCMA) celebrates its 2024–25 academic year intern cohort, highlighting the contributions of six student interns: Audrey Fillion, Pilar Saavedra-Weis, Karime Borrego, Neiman Mocombe, Julia Smart, and Chris Zhang. Interns worked on projects ranging from co-curating the exhibition "John McKee: As Maine Goes" to developing campus engagement surveys, leading gallery tours, and organizing community events. Emily Jacobs, Curatorial Assistant and Manager of Student Programs, authored the piece, noting the interns' diverse academic backgrounds—from art history and English to biochemistry—and their collaborative work with museum staff.

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