The Art Newspaper reported that the founder of MoCA China, Jeffrey du Vallier d’Aragon Aranita, has still not returned to Hong Kong to deal with his creditors and debts. With an ambitious plan to open up several MoCA museums across China that would share collections and programming, the artist/entrepreneur defied skeptics when he was even able to open the one and only MoCA on October 3, 2008. But shortly after the museum’s opening, Aranita skipped town, leaving behind debts upwards of a quarter of a million dollars.
Skeptics perhaps had a right to their hesitation: after three months and three exhibitions, MoCA China had to close because they ran out of money and couldn’t pay the rent. They also didn’t follow through on payment to artists after fundraising auctions.
All in all, it sounds like it was a poorly run operation—not surprising when your founder is tummy surfing in Hawaii. The Art Newspaper has tracked Aranita on his facebook page, which he updates with conflicting stories (he claims he went to Hawaii for healthcare). But facebook status messages apparently say he still has time for surfing. Aranita’s background is elusive and strange, and no one has any strong hopes he’ll make good on his debts. Jackass.
For the full story on Aranita and MoCA China, click here. For information on Aranita the artist, click here.
2 years ago | Tags: MoCA China Jeffrey du Vallier d’Aragon Aranita Museum of contemporary art hong kong museum art debt
There is an interesting article in the NY Times Arts section today about the importance of University art museums. This article is no doubt spurred by the recent uproar with the proposal closure of the Rose Museum at Brandeis University. All that aside, the article makes some excellent points: University museums don’t need to generate visitors in the same way public museums do, University museums are primarily scholarly and educational whereas public museums have shifted into the realm of entertainment, etc.
Here is an excellent excerpt:
University museums are unlike other museums. They are not intended to be powerhouse displays of masterworks, though some have their share of these. They are, before all else, teaching instruments intended for hands-on use by students and scholars. As such, they often house objects that are considered of second- and third-tier value at auction but that fill out a deep and detailed account of cultural history.
The whole point should be that there are many different museum and educational experiences and to say that everything has to be like MOMA or like the Met really depreciates the true power of these other institutions. And Yale’s museum, about which the article is written, really is a top tier collection, but there are other university museums which may not be so high profile but still have a lot of value to our art education.
PS: YSL auction starting now. Be prepared for updates!
3 years ago | Tags: education museum university Rose Museum
Apparently a social experiment started in the 1950s is coming to an end. The experiment, meant to expose corporate and factory workers, was a big hit among workers and staff alike. BAT (British American Tobacco), the world’s second largest tobacco company employs 55,000 people in 180 countries. Workers lobbied to keep the art collection but management seemed sure to sell it off. They have contracted the auction through Sotheby’s auction house
The collection was started as a social and industrial experiment in the late 1950s, with works acquired for exhibition in the production halls of the Turkish and Macedonian Tobacco Company (Turmac) cigarette factory, the town’s largest employer with as many as 1,400 workers making 25% of Holland’s cigarettes. The experiment was a success on every level: factory staff enjoyed the paintings, while the collection won critical plaudits, with works regularly loaned for exhibition in public galleries, from the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam (1962 and 1991) to the Fundación Miró in Barcelona (1992).
The Art Newspapers story on this is very good.
3 years ago | Tags: art museum auction sothebys art newspaper BAT
The Met has started a new ad campaign. The museum will be plastering city buses and buildings with amateur photos of people at the Met which were posted to flickr. I think this says a lot about the new administration and how they’re trying to be cool and hip and reach a new breed of visitors.
This photo, of Gene and Cindy Russell was taken by their daughter Laura while they were all on holiday to the museum. Laura then posted the photo to flickr and the Met’s marketing team came across it:
There has been quite a debate on the subject of fair use and undermining professional photographers by going to a free source and amateur photographers for their campaign. I think its a very interesting way to do business and I certainly don’t think that this sort of photo sharing will ever get rid of the paid photographer. Photography is many things to many people (just as other forms of art are as well…think of the Sunday afternoon painter versus Degas) and while we may use amateur photography for things like this - we’re doing so with a purpose: for it to look amateur.
Any thoughts? Any photographers angry about the appropriation of their profession?
3 years ago | Tags: marketing, art museum the met fair-use advertising amateur photography
