In the age of the blockbuster exhibition, museums pack the crowds with exhibitions that present popular, headlining-grabbing artists. Two recent Old Masters shows demonstrate how this curatorial approach can sometimes produce stimulating results and at other times, head-scratching ones.
Turner to be compared to Masters [BBC]
“Turner and the Masters” [Tate Britian official website]
On the heels of the major career retrospective held stateside, the Tate recently announced a new exhibition of Turner’s art, “Turner and the Masters” which places it against the Old Masters that he was influenced by/considered himself equal to. This sounds to be an intriguing and academically sound exhibition worthy of a prestigious museum.
Rijksmuseum to Show Damien Hirst’s Celebrated Diamond Encrusted Skull in November [Art Daily]
Damien Hirst’s diamond skull on show at the Rijksmuseum for six weeks [Rijksmuseum website]
On the flip side of the coin, the Rijksmuseum’s recent announcement of the exhibition of Damien Hirst’s diamond encrusted skull, entitled “For the Love of God,” in conjunction with 17th century art from the Rijksmuseum’s collection, is a bit vexing. The concept behind the exhibition which deals with the themes of death and mortality throughout the ages seems legitimate enough. OMNP for one, has supported seeking the thematic parallels between Contemporary art and Old Masters.
What appears to be objectible is the sheer opportunism behind such a move-the Rijksmuseum looks like it is capitalizing upon an artist who has developed an infamous reputation in the art world, for better or for worse. While the Rijksmuseum’s press release totes the words of Dutch art historian Rudi Fuchs, as describing the work as a “a supernatural skull, almost heavenly,” the work has been mainly been recognized for qualities far less ethereal. Its exorbitant purchase price of an estimated $120 million USD was leveraged buy a group of buyers that included the artist.
A friend of OMNP’s pointed out that in the finance world, this type of illegal transaction is called “painting the tape.” Most recently, Hirst has garnered criticism from art world purists, OMNP included, towards what can be seen as the art world’s version of printing money-by arranging the sale of works straight from Hirst’s production line at Sotheby’s auction in mid-September. Such a controversial move is a big gamble for the artist and, as Scott Reyburn reported for Bloomberg, could have serious ramifications for the Contemporary market. It is peculiar that in the midst of such hubbub, the Rijksmuseum would want to put their prestigious name on the line.
More journalists weigh in on the apparently momentous issue of the Titian debate. OMNP has yet to see a story like this gain so much attention from the press. David Randall provides interesting insight to the geneology of its owner, while Bruce Anderson makes an impassioned plea to Britain’s leaders to retain the works in the interest of cultural civility.
Sometimes one can have just too many Titians [David Randall, UK Independent]
Great art is priceless, so £100m is a bargain [Bruce Anderson, Telegraph UK]
[...] of JMW Turner’s scheduled debut with the titans of European painting (covered by OMNP here,) the most prolific painter of them all is the first to be honored with a show of such ilk in [...]