ideas + images

curated by sierra gonzalez 
Filed under

museum expansion

 

SFMOMA plans to expand

The San Francisco Chronicle's art critic announced today that SFMOMA hopes to double its exhibition space by adding to its current footprint. However, the museum is still in the exploratory phase and is investigating the necessary permits and funds to make the expansion possible. Says museum director Neal Benezra,

It's an optimistic announcement, but we're being very modest about it. It's important that people don't think we're announcing a capital campaign in the middle of a recession.

Filed under  //   economy   fundraising   museum   museum expansion   san francisco  

Comments [0]

Slow growth at the Gardner


Because the will of museum founder Isabella Stewart Gardner stipulates that nothing in the collection ever be moved and no new works brought in, the frame of a Rembrandt stolen 19 years ago still hangs empty today. Photo credit: Keith Meyers/The New York Times

If a painting were stolen out of a contemporary art gallery where the walls are all white, you might say it’s a shame for that artwork. But the way that people who visit this place feel violated, it’s like somebody stole this art out of their own living room.

Ulrich Boser, author, The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World’s Largest Unsolved Art Theft

Last Sunday's New York Times looked at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and some of the difficulties it faces due to its founder's strict will, which basically requires that no changes be made to the collection and the building that houses it. A recent ruling from the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts allows the museum to begin plans for a new expansion designed by Renzo Piano; this "reasonable deviation" from the will allows the museum to protect the current building from too much wear and tear.

The New York Times profile also dives into the story of the theft of 13 artworks that have remained missing for 19 years. In accordance with Gardner's will, the frames that housed the missing paintings are displayed bare. Gardner's wishes also preserve her curatorial eye and personal arrangements, and the missing paintings evoke an intimate and emotional response as hinted in the picture above.

Filed under  //   art theft   art market   boston   museum   museum expansion  

Comments [0]