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The Headlines
PLANNING A GRAND TOUR OF EUROPE? Bring along your proof of vaccination. Hot on the heels of France’s decision to mandate Covid-19 inoculation (or a negative test) to access museums and other high-capacity cultural activities, Italy has followed suit. “The use of vaccine certificates is needed to keep the economy open,” Prime Minister Mario Draghi told press, Bloomberg reports. “An invitation not to get vaccinated is an invitation to die, or to let others die.” The measure takes effect August 6 and applies to museums, theaters, gyms, and other venues. A key difference: France requires full vaccination, while Italy only mandates a single shot.
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THE U.K. GOVERNMENT HAS SLASHED ITS SUBSIDY for art and design classes at English universities and colleges by 50 percent, and allocated additional money to STEM and adjacent fields, the Guardian reports. It is “one of the biggest attacks on arts and entertainment in English universities in living memory,” according to the general secretary for the University and College Union. A University of the Arts London rep told the Art Newspaper, “This will affect student preparedness for the workplace.” The U.K. is also ending additional funding to London schools that offsets the high cost of operating there. Altogether, the new structure “threatens to have a devastating impact on London universities,” Frances Corner, the warden of Goldsmiths, told the Guardian, saying that it would cost the school the equivalent of about $2.75 million annually.
Sponsored Content by the BMW Art Guide
Summer is the time for road trips and The BMW Art Guide takes visitors to a variety of locales with stunning collections worldwide. In its latest release for a film series launched to share some of the jaw-dropping locales the guides suggests, curator Joey Lico and artist Alexis Diaz explore the one-of-a-kind collection at the Rubell Museum in Miami. [ARTnews]
The Digest
Another big days for museum-director hiring: Virginia Shearer, a 16-year veteran of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, has been tapped to lead the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College in Florida. The new chief of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, in Sydney, will be Suzanne Cotter, who currently helms the Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean in Luxembourg. And another high-profile job is opening up soon: Dorothy Kosinski, director for the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., will step down at the end of 2022. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, The Sydney Morning Post, and ARTnews]
During a public meeting of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s board (on Zoom), speakers criticized its recent announcement that it will cut its film program and other offerings. Among those voicing opposition was artist Tauba Auerbach, who will have a show at the institution later this year. [KQED]
The boys are (about to be) back in town. The National Gallery in London said it will acquire Thomas Lawrence’s vaunted Red Boy (1825) for about $12.7 million from a private collection. Just a few weeks ago, the museum said it plans to exhibit Thomas Gainsborough’s Blue Boy (ca. 1770) early next year, on loan from the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, for the first time in 100 years. [ARTnews, July 22 and June 30]
The fashion designer, musician, and artist (remember that unusual two-day show at Blum & Poe in Los Angeles?) Kanye West hosted a listening party for his forthcoming album, Donda, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Thursday night. [Vulture/New York]
The financially beleaguered Kansong Art Museum in Seoul is planning to mint and sell NFTs of key artifacts it holds to raise money. Last year, the museum offered two ancient Korean sculptures designated as national treasures at auction. [The Korea Herald]
The Kicker
THE MUSICIAN JACK ANTONOFF has written hits for Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey, has a new album coming out with his band Bleachers (with guest vocals by Bruce Springsteen), and is a fan of dealer Frank Maresca’s 1993 book American Self-Taught. Antonoff mentions the volume in an interview with the New York Times about 10 of his cultural touchstones, and discusses so-called outsider artists like Martín Ramírez, William Hawkins, and Bill Traylor. “All these artists mean a great deal to me, because there’s something really incredible about seeing work that nobody asked anyone to make,” he said. Antonoff is also into Magic: The Gathering cards, J.F.K. memorabilia, and “not speaking.” [The New York Times]