Museums & Institutions An Italian Museum Director Has Resigned, Saying the Country’s New Vaccine Mandate Exploits Cultural Institutions The director of the Sansevero Chapel Museum in Naples, Fabrizio Masucci, says museums should not be forced to bar any visitors. By Naomi Rea, Aug 6, 2021
Museums & Institutions The Largest-Ever Astronomy Museum Just Opened in Shanghai, and It’s Out of This World An observatory, a planetarium, and a 78-foot-tall solar telescope are included in the new Shanghai Astronomy Museum. By Artnet News, Aug 5, 2021
Museums & Institutions The Spanish Government Has Officially Sealed a $115.4 Million Deal to Keep Carmen Cervera’s Collection in Madrid for the Next 15 Years The agreement ensures that Gauguin’s masterpiece, Mata Mua, will return to public view. By Naomi Rea, Aug 5, 2021
Museums & Institutions Art Institute of Chicago Employees Are Trying to Unionize, Saying They Are Overworked and Underpaid 60 workers issued a letter this week announcing their plans. By Taylor Dafoe, Aug 4, 2021
Museums & Institutions Philadelphia Museum of Art Director Timothy Rub Will Retire After a Series of Scandals and Staff Turmoil The last two years of Rub’s tenure have been defined by sexual harassment scandals, staff cuts, and a $233 million expansion project. By Taylor Dafoe, Aug 2, 2021
Museums & Institutions ‘All We Want Is Some Respect’: Overworked Museum Guards at the Met Say They’re Being Asked to Do More Work With Less Help Than Ever Employees say that the department responsible for keeping the Met and its visitors safe is struggling to function. By Zachary Small, Aug 1, 2021
Museums & Institutions The National Gallery of Australia Returns to India 13 More Works Bought From Now-Imprisoned Art Dealer Subhash Kapoor The museum also officially outlined its new guidelines for repatriating art. By Taylor Dafoe, Jul 29, 2021
Museums & Institutions The Centre Pompidou Has Tapped 39-Year-Old Xavier Rey to Direct the Museum as It Embarks on a Crucial Three-Year Revamp The appointment surprised some observers who had been expecting a woman to be named to the prestigious role. By Anna Sansom, Jul 28, 2021
Museums & Institutions Russia’s Hermitage Museum Will Auction Off NFTs of Prized Works by Leonardo, Van Gogh, and Other Artists in Its Collection The museum says it has developed a special model for selling NFTs that complies with Russia’s strict cryptocurrency laws. By Taylor Dafoe, Jul 27, 2021
Museums & Institutions British Museum Conservators Will Painstakingly Piece Together Eight Ancient Vessels Destroyed in the 2020 Beirut Explosion The project is supported by a $29,500 grant from TEFAF. By Naomi Rea, Jul 26, 2021
Museums & Institutions Two Leading Spanish Academics Have Have Resigned From Barcelona’s MACBA in Protest of the Firing of Two Senior Curators The museum dismissed curators Tanya Barson and Pablo Martínez as part of an organizational restructuring. By Naomi Rea, Jul 21, 2021
Museums & Institutions After a Wave of Protest Against Its Deaccessioning Scheme, the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art Has Halted Its Plans The museum has cut staff and launched an art summer camp to save and raise urgently needed funds. By Sarah Cascone, Jul 19, 2021
Museums & Institutions MoMA Survived Ten Weeks of Protest. But Inside the Museum, Some Employees Are Feeling the Strain A protest movement questioning the MoMA board's ties to “toxic philanthropy” came in the midst of a staffing crisis. By Zachary Small, Jul 18, 2021
Museums & Institutions Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Controversial Redesign Plan for the Hirshhorn Museum’s Sculpture Garden Gets an Important Green Light The decision was made in a split 5–2 vote. By Sarah Cascone, Jul 16, 2021
Museums & Institutions Jeff Bezos Is So Obsessed With Outer Space He Just Gave $200 Million to the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum Bezos is boarding a space flight on July 20th. By Caroline Goldstein, Jul 15, 2021