Blockbuster exhibitions return, Baselitz's golden Elkes, and museum expansion resistance
A notable comeback of major exhibitions is apparent, highlighted by Tate Modern's Frida Kahlo display, which sold over 41,000 tickets prior to its opening, setting a new record for the venue. Meanwhile, the National Gallery's Van Gogh showcase has become its most successful ticketed event. Catherine Wood, the interim director at Tate, asserts that the anticipated decline of blockbusters is unfounded, as audiences crave cultural engagement. Bernard Donoghue points out a resurgence of 'fear of missing out.' In the US and Europe, resistance to museum initiatives is rising, as noted by Daniel Grant, citing examples like the Lucas Museum and the halted Centre Pompidou satellite. Critics accuse museums of being 'billionaire projects,' while thriving institutions connect with their communities. Stefan Trinks pays tribute to Wulf Herzogenrath, a trailblazer in German video art. John-Paul Stonard reviews Georg Baselitz's final exhibition in Venice.
Key facts
- Tate Modern's Frida Kahlo exhibition sold over 41,000 tickets before opening, a museum record.
- National Gallery's Van Gogh exhibition became its most successful ticketed show.
- Catherine Wood says predictions of blockbuster decline have been disproven.
- Bernard Donoghue says 'fear of missing out' has returned.
- Resistance to museum expansions is growing in the US and Europe, per Daniel Grant in the Observer.
- Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opened after years of disputes; Centre Pompidou satellite in Jersey City was abandoned.
- Stephen Reily: 'I have never experienced a community asking for a larger museum. Many donors and collectors, on the other hand, have.'
- Wulf Herzogenrath, pioneer of video art in Germany, died; he championed Nam June Paik and Bill Viola.
- Herzogenrath aimed to establish museums as 'third places'—open social spaces.
- Georg Baselitz's final exhibition at Fondazione Giorgio Cini features golden paintings of his wife Elke.
- John-Paul Stonard calls Baselitz's late works 'one of the most consistent protest actions in art history.'
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- Tate Modern
- National Gallery
- Fondazione Giorgio Cini
- Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
- Centre Pompidou
- Cologne Kunstverein
- Documenta 6
- Neue Nationalgalerie
- Kunsthalle Bremen
- Observer
- FAZ
- Guardian
- London Review of Books
- Monopol
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Venice
- Italy
- Jersey City
- United States
- Cologne
- Germany
- Bremen