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THE HEADLINES
JUST ASK TAYLOR SWIFT how museums can attract more young visitors. As ARTnews reported earlier this month, the pop star’s new album features the track titled “The Fate of Ophelia,” in a nod to the Shakespearean narrative, which has inspired many a tableau. But hand it to Swifties to find the very painting most clearly referenced in the singer’s music video of the hit song. And nope, it’s not the famous John Everett Millais painting Ophelia (1851–52) at Tate Britain, that often comes to mind. A quick comparison shows strikingly strong similarities between Friedrich Heyser’s painting Ophelia (ca. 1900) and the opening scene in Swift’s video, where she plays the role of Ophelia in a painting. The background scenery, Swift’s white dress, and pose all match. This is old news, however, to the singer’s fans, who have been descending on the Wiesbaden State Museum in Hamburg by the hundreds to see Heyser’s Art Nouveau painting, reports dpa. “We’re surprised and happy that Taylor Swift chose this painting from the Museum Wiesbaden as a model for her video,” said museum director Andreas Henning. In the video, Swift also steps into another painting that could reference a Renaissance artwork. Can any Swifties out there ID it?
DEI CRACKDOWN. A street mural that says, “Black Artists Matter” and a rainbow crosswalk in Austin, Texas, are at risk of removal in compliance with President Trump’s directive against DEI initiatives, reports the Art Newspaper. Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the state’s transportation department to enforce the directive, and “remove any and all political ideologies” from streets. “Texans expect their taxpayer dollars to be used wisely, not advance political agendas on Texas roadways,” stated Abbott. In response, Austin’s mayor, Kirk Watson, has proposed a plan to put similar artworks and displays on alternative, city-owned property. “We’ll demonstrate our love for all Austinites in other ways. We have a lot of pride. We’ll live it and we’ll show it,” stated Watson.
THE DIGEST
Art Basel has renamed the VIP section of its business as the department for “collector and institutional relations,” headed by newly hired Carly Murphy. The fair’s chief executive, Noah Horowitz, said the Swiss group has ditched the term because it had become “a little bit empty,” and “lost its gravitas and specificity,” while some could find it “off-putting.” [ The Financial Times]
Five of seven gilded 18th-century snuffboxes stolen from the Cognacq-Jay Museum in Paris last year have been recovered following a police investigation. The intricately decorated boxes were on temporary loan for an exhibition of precious miniature objects by the Louvre, Britain’s Royal Collection, and the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert collection. [AFP and Le Figaro]
Who is Chiara Camoni, the artist who will represent Italy at the forthcoming Venice Biennale? A descriptive profile begins to answer that question. [Finestre sull’Arte]
“Why aren’t Chinese collectors paying for their art?” asks reporter William Langley. As the market drops sharply in the region, a worrisome trend has seen more buyers failing to pay auction houses for artworks. [The Financial Times]
THE KICKER
KIDS CURATING. As cash-strapped museums brainstorm ways of attracting broader audiences, several US museums are trying a novel approach: inviting children to curate exhibits, reports the New York Times. UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art recruited teenagers to curate “Piece of Me,” running through January 4, and organized by the Orange County Young Curators program. “I feel like this is bringing an insight into the teenager’s mind, something you might not have necessarily seen before,” said Helen Han, a teen who participated in the program. At the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, children were also given the keys to create new exhibitions, under the guidance of museum staff. “It’s a real show and we ran it through our full museum process,” said Chris Atkins, director of the Center for Netherlandish Art at the Boston museum, referring to their current exhibit titled, “Curated by Teens: Death as a Constant Companion.” As to whether or not these child-curated shows are critical successes, readers are left mostly guessing. But whatever learning experience and exposure to artworks these kids gained from trying their hand at curation, seems undeniably invaluable.
