The Headlines
HISTORY WILL TELL? On July 4, as Americans celebrated the nation’s 250th anniversary, the White House published a scathing attack on the Smithsonian Institution, in particular its National Museum of American History, reports the New York Times. Titled “Saving America’s Story: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage,” the 162-page report by the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, led by Vince Haley, formally accuses the institution of bias. The Smithsonian Institution “has not met its obligations to the American People,” states the report, adding that National Museum of American History director Anthea Hartig promotes “an ideological agenda contradictory to the museum’s founding purpose of fostering patriotism.” The document alleges the history museum puts a suspicious spin on “traditional patriotic narratives,” while endorsing illegal immigration and transgender issues, as well as portraying Christianity as “an instrument of conquest, exclusion or cultural erasure.” Additionally, the report argues America’s founding fathers are neglected in programming, which focuses instead on their connections to slavery, while fronting a US historical narrative characterized by “regret, tragedy and shame.”
PAPER PROJECTS. Early on Sunday, thieves stole about €4 million ($4.57 million) worth of jewelry from northeastern France’s Lalique Museum, forcing it to temporarily close, reports Le Monde. An estimated 20 objects were snatched from the institution, in a country still reeling from the dramatic theft of its crown jewels from the Louvre in October. Following that incident, authorities had even begun reviewing security at the museum dedicated to the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements. The museum was equipped with protective measures that were “not sufficient,” according to a source speaking to the AFP. “An alarm went off, but by the time the security company had completed its checks, it was a cleaning lady who arrived first on the scene, who called police,” per the source. Elsewhere in France’s southwest region, yet another museum fell victim to thieves, who made off this time with archaeological treasures in silver and gold from the Gallic and Roman period, reports Le Journal des Arts. On the night of June 30 to July 1, robbers broke into the Centre archéologique du Montans and stole a clay vase full of ancient coins, once again, with what appears to be minimal difficulty, according to the French report. The archaeological museum has no video surveillance system but had planned to install one.
The Digest
Swiss art dealer and collector Angela Rosengart, who founded Lucerne’s Sammlung Rosengart Museum, has died at age 94. [SWI swissinfo]
In its defense in a high-stakes copyright lawsuit, Midjourney hopes to prove that plaintiffs Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. “are doing the very thing they seek to punish” by using AI tools to create and market movies and television shows. [Variety]
Curator Beth McKillop, who successfully pushed for the recognition of Korean art at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Library, has died at age 72. [The Guardian]
Yemen’s General Authority for Antiquities claims the country’s looted artifacts are headed for sale at Bonhams and Apollo Art Auctions in London, while others are in the British Museum. [Yemen Online]
Several works by the plagiarism-plagued Indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau were auctioned at Heffel. [Halifax City News]
The Kicker
MOTHER’S MILK. Paintings and sculptures of Mary breastfeeding her baby Jesus are common art-historical motifs, particularly in Europe. So why is it still regularly frowned upon when women breastfeed in public? That is a question many are asking in Germany, and answering with a new campaign labeled #ichstillwoichwill (I breastfeed where I want), reports Monopol. To make their point perfectly clear, women are sharing photos of themselves breastfeeding in front of Old Masters paintings in museums that depict the very same mothering act. So far, about 100 women are participating in the social media campaign, sparked by a recent incident involving a mother barred from breastfeeding at a German shopping center. “The problem isn’t breastfeeding women,” said one participant. “The problem is a society that accepts female bodies as long as they are decorative — but reacts with irritation as soon as they fulfill their actual biological function.”
