AnalysisThe Year in Review 2020
Museums 2020: the year of crashing revenues and anti-racism disputes
Turbulent year draws to a close with sector wracked by pandemic lockdowns and Black Lives Matter challenges
NewsResignations
After controversy over her leadership, Stanford says director of its Cantor Arts Center has resigned
Museum undertook an investigation of Susan Dackerman’s allegedly “toxic” leadership style and departures of many staff members
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Smithsonian and National Gallery of Art will shut down again amid spike in coronavirus cases
Move by Washington, DC museums comes amid a wave of new US closures
NewsArchitecture
Architect Emilio Ambasz’s foundation donates $10m to MoMA to create a green architecture institute
New entity will spur research on the relationship between architecture and nature and work toward “environmental justice”, the New York museum says
NewsMuseums & Heritage
‘From bad to worse’: over half of US museums have laid off or furloughed staff, survey shows
Museums expect to lose an average of 35% of budgeted income this year, plus an additional 28% in 2021
NewsNagorno-Karabakh
Metropolitan Museum of Art appeals for protection of cultural heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh
Plea comes as Azerbaijan moves to take control of swaths of territory under a Russian-brokered peace deal
NewsOpenings
Challenges overcome as Houston's Museum of Fine Arts completes $450m campus expansion
Delayed by just three weeks amid the pandemic, new Kinder Building will dramatically increase space for Modern and contemporary art
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Unesco under fire for using Met objects in anti-trafficking campaign
Advertisements said that the works were looted in recent years, but Met documentation shows that they have a much longer provenance
PreviewExhibitions
When Boston fell head-over-heels in love with Monet
A new show at the Museum of Fine Arts recalls the time when the US city was first captivated by the French Impressionist
NewsPolls
A ‘snapshot in time’: how US museum directors viewed their world before the pandemic
In a sign of how drastically things would change, fewer than half prioritised online offerings in a wide-ranging survey
Newselection 2020
Art world rejoices in Biden’s win of US presidency
Artists, collectors, policy makers and gallery owners share their reactions after the tightly fought election
NewsPhilip Guston
After tumult, museums say that a delayed Philip Guston exhibition will open in 2022
Citing “unease and anxiety” about the show, the director of MFA, Boston predicts it will spur “in-depth discussions about great art”
Newslayoffs
Keith Davis, senior curator at Nelson-Atkins, resigns to protest colleague's layoff
Museum’s drive to cut 36 jobs eliminated the position of photography curator Jane L. Aspinwall, who helped oversee acclaimed collection
NewsArchitectural History
New York preservation group launches online mapping tool to champion former haunts of artists and activists
Organisation hopes the city will protect former home of Jackson Pollock and other buildings south of Union Square by designating a new historic district
NewsDeaccessioning
Baltimore Museum of Art calls off sale of Warhol, Still and Marden after outcry
Last-gasp decision after talks with the US museum directors association comes just before a Sotheby’s auction
NewsDeaccessioning
US Association of Art Museum Directors sends a warning note to its members on deaccessioning
As works head to market, organisation reminds members that its relaxed rules were not adopted to “incentivise” art sales
NewsDeaccessioning
Assailing leadership, two former board chairmen say they are rescinding $50m in planned gifts to Baltimore Museum of Art
Two artists also step down as board trustees amid turmoil over plans to deaccession three paintings
NewsDeaccessioning
Responding to outcry, Baltimore Museum of Art board chair defends deaccessioning decision
“The greatness of the BMA’s collection does not live within three individual paintings,” she says as the sale of a Warhol, Still and Marden approaches
NewsPrizes
Deana Lawson, photographer of highly staged tableaux, wins the Hugo Boss Prize
The artist, the first photographer anointed, will receive $100,000 and a solo exhibition at the Guggenheim
NewsJacob Lawrence
Missing for decades, a Jacob Lawrence painting surfaces in response to a Met exhibition
A visitor makes the connection between the artist’s Struggle series and a work in a neighbour’s home
NewsAppointments & departures
'We are not a suburb of Paris': incoming director of Montreal Museum of Fine Arts champions a North American identity
Stéphane Aquin is taking over after Nathalie Bondil’s controversial dismissal
NewsAppointments
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts appoints new director
Stéphane Aquin faces the challenge of restoring stability after Nathalie Bondil’s disputed removal
NewsDeaccessioning
Former trustees and donors ask state to block sale of three important works by the Baltimore Museum of Art
Letter asks Maryland attorney general and secretary of state to investigate planned deaccessioning of a Warhol, Still and Marden
NewsDeaccessioning
Brooklyn Museum steams ahead on deaccessioning
After netting $4.2m for a Cranach, the museum plans to sell off works by Monet, Dubuffet, Degas, Miró and Matisse
NewsEthics
Inquiry into actions by Detroit Institute of Arts director and board chair found no misconduct, museum says
Law firm hired by the Detroit museum found no conflict of interest in loan of art from director's family, it adds
NewsLos Angeles County Museum of Art
Tom Gores steps down from Lacma board after pressure over prison telecom ties
Billionaire investor argues in his resignation letter that he pushed for reforms
NewsMuseum architecture
Space race: how the pandemic is pushing museums to rethink design
Experts predict bigger galleries, a stronger connection to the outdoors and an end to the expansion juggernaut
NewsExhibitions
Fulfilling a legendary curator’s vision, New Museum will present an exhibition on grief in black communities
Show conceived by Okwui Enwezor will unite works by 37 artists exploring mourning and loss as a response to violent injustice
NewsDeaccessioning
Baltimore Museum of Art will sell important paintings by Warhol, Still and Marden
Acting on relaxed rules, it will use the funds for collection care and salary increases as well as diverse acquisitions
NewsWhitney Biennial
Whitney postpones 2021 biennial by one year
Pandemic complicated organisational efforts by curators and stymied artists
NewsCoronavirus resources
Building on Covid-19 effort, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation details $1.5m in grants for small museums, artists and equity initiatives
Recipients range from Grey Art Gallery at NYU to a truck that transports art books to underserved communities
NewsAppointments
Poet and author to lead National Museum of African American History and Culture
Kevin Young, director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, will succeed Lonnie G. Bunch III
NewsResignations
Director of Rubin Museum of Art will depart in 2021
Jorrit Britschgi, who has led the institution since 2017, will rejoin his family in Switzerland
NewsResignations
MoMA PS1 and the Kitchen announce key leaders’ departures
Chief curator at MoMA PS1 cites coronavirus pandemic, “which moved me to think about the next chapters”
NewsPhilanthropy
Amid pandemic, foundations marshal $156m to support minority arts organisations in the US
Funds are intended to counter the devastation that the coronavirus has wrought in the national arts landscape
NewsConservation & Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation lists 11 most endangered historic sites in US
Locations range from the Chicago church where Emmett Till’s body was viewed, galvanising the civil rights movement, to a ‘Hall of Waters’ in Missouri
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Stone, bronze, glass, pathways: Princeton University Art Museum unveils David Adjaye's design
Pavilions linked by transparent “lenses” will dispense with hierarchies and display renowned collection on a single level
NewsAcquisitions
American Folk Art Museum announces gift of over 500 works by self-taught artists
Trove donated by collector Audrey B. Heckler includes examples of European Art Brut and works by African-American artists
Newsdiversity
Rockefeller Brothers Fund plans $1.5m in grants to help New York museums promote diverse artists
Financial aid will help eight institutions “disrupt dominant narratives” and “build back a more equitable culture” after Covid lockdown
NewsMuseums
Citing pandemic, V&A and Smithsonian drop plan to co-curate a gallery in London
After cancellation of project for V&A East, the institutions say they still plan to cooperate on an internship programme
NewsDeaccessioning
Cranach, Courbet and Corot: a closer look at what the Brooklyn Museum is selling off
The institution is deaccessioning its only Cranach and 11 other works to finance care of its collection
NewsConservation & Preservation
As the world contends with Covid, World Monuments Fund makes a bet on sustainable tourism
Taking a lesson from how the pandemic dispersed crowds, the organisation selects seven sites for preservation and promotion
NewsMuseum trustees
Groups call for removal of Lacma trustee tied to ‘exploitative’ telecommunications company
Organisations target Tom Gores, whose firm invests in a corporation accused of charging prison inmates “egregious” rates for calls
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Activist employee group demands resignations of three Guggenheim leaders
But support for the statement, alleging “oppressive behaviours” by director, chief operating officer and chief curator, is unclear
PreviewContemporary art
Artist transforms Gilded Age pool house into an atmospheric soundscape
To evoke a watershed moment in society, Jorge Otero-Pailos has filled an abandoned natatorium with sounds recorded from bodies of water in New York State
ReviewThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in New York this weekend
From Betye Saar's travel sketchbooks at the Morgan Library and Museum to Rivane Neuenschwander's tapestries at Tanya Bonakdar gallery
InterviewMuseums & Heritage
Director of Yale Center for British Art embraces a global framework
Courtney J. Martin explains why it is time to reposition the Paul Mellon collection
Newsdiversity
After 2019 racial incident, MFA Boston hires a senior director of belonging and inclusion
Appointment follows an agreement with the Massachusetts attorney general to embrace diversity and adopt an anti-harassment policy
NewsSmithsonian Institution
‘Estamos unidos’: proposal for a new Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino awaits Senate consideration
After passage in the House, planners try to line up support for an institution that would fill in an incomplete US narrative
NewsDonors
Smithsonian confirms that its donor data was potentially breached in ransomware attack
Hacking of Blackbaud software systems exposed hundreds of clients, including other US and UK nonprofits
Newsdiversity
Getty announces internship programme to counter lack of diversity among art conservators
Noting barriers to students of colour, it establishes yearlong training stints with $30,000 grants
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Four weeks after blast, rehabilitation work begins at National Museum of Beirut
Louvre collaborates with Lebanon’s antiquities authority on repairs to doors, windows and security system
NewsExhibitions
Brisbane lands mammoth European loan exhibition from the Met
Gallery of Modern Art is sole venue for a show resulting partly from a skylight renovation project at the New York museum
NewsPublic art
Central Park gets its first monument honouring women’s rights advocates on 100th anniversary of suffrage
Hillary Clinton attended the unveiling of the statue depicting Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth
NewsExhibitions
After controversial cancellation in Cleveland, Mass MoCA will exhibit Shaun Leonardo’s images of Black victims
Drawings exploring systemic violence and injustice will also travel to Bronx Museum of the Arts
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Joseph Thompson to step down after 32 years as director of Mass MoCA
Having led the contemporary art institution since its founding, he will serve as a special counsel to the board of trustees
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Four years after closing museum, National Academy of Design envisages a New York exhibition space
Newly appointed executive director sees potential for a wealth of new initiatives
Newsdiversity
Guggenheim adopts a plan to become more inclusive and racially diverse
Initiative follows accusations by employees of entrenched racism at the New York museum
Newsreopenings
New York clears the way for the city's museums to reopen
MoMA, the Whitney, the Morgan, the American Folk Art Museum, the New Museum, the Guggenheim and the Brooklyn Museum announce plans to welcome the public, joining the Met and the New-York Historical Society
NewsAcquisitions
Hirshhorn to unveil two acquisitions as it reopens its sculpture garden
Museum welcomes monumental 2018 works by Huma Bhabha and Sterling Ruby
NewsMuseum directors
Employees at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts argue that director’s ouster was justified
In a letter, over 100 current and former staff members say she presided over chaos, harassment and intimidation
NewsAcquisitions
Oregon foundation acquires Judy Chicago print archive
Over 300 works chart the career of a feminist pioneer in revelatory detail
NewsUnions
Union accuses New Museum of ‘discriminatory’ layoffs and furloughs
Complaint to the National Labor Relations Board accuses institution of retaliating against bargaining unit members
Newslayoffs
Met lays off 79 more employees and furloughs 181, as it faces a ‘very different’ financial picture
Museum hoped to reopen on 29 August but the prospect remains uncertain amid coronavirus restrictions
NewsPhilanthropy
Metropolitan Museum of Art commits to paying all interns after $5m gift
Adrienne Arsht's donation will fund the museum’s internship programme and the MetLiveArts performance series
Newslayoffs
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston lays off 57 employees and says 56 more will take early retirement
The museum notes that the coronavirus outbreak will continue to affect it “in the long term”
NewsRestitution
‘I had lost hope’: The story behind a Nazi-looted Madonna and long-delayed compensation to Jewish heirs
The 93-year-old heir Grete Unger Heinz recalls contemplating a Jacopo del Sellaio painting as a child in Vienna
NewsAntiquities
California man is charged with illegally importing an ancient mosaic, possibly from Syria
Indictment says the paperwork misrepresented the work’s quality and value
NewsMuseums & Heritage
US House votes to establish a National Museum of the American Latino
Bill calls for an institution honouring the contributions of a population that numbers nearly 60 million
NewsArtists
With public programming derailed, Governors Island buildings will be opened to New York artists
Groups invite cultural practitioners to apply for residencies stretching over the next three months
NewsArt education
San Francisco Art Institute says it is reinstating degree programmes
Decision follows the resolution of contract disputes with tenured faculty and an infusion of funds
NewsMuseums & Heritage
One out of three US museums may shut down forever, a survey confirms
Institutions report decline in operating reserves and planned reductions in museum services like education
NewsExhibitions
‘I want people to know how it feels’: quilt exhibitions will explore police brutality and racism
Shows in Twin Cities to offer a historical snapshot of tumult in the US
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Coalition calls for removal of director of Detroit Institute of Arts
Anonymous current and former staff members describe “hostile and chaotic work culture” under Salvador Salort-Pons
NewsMuseums & Heritage
New York's Frick Collection will open at Madison Avenue location in early 2021
After the Met vacates the Breuer building, the Frick will take over with a chronological presentation of masterworks
NewsUnions
In a virtual rally, Carnegie Museums employees launch union organising drive
Goals include a greater role in decision-making at the four Pittsburgh institutions, which reopened Monday
NewsJob losses
Art Institute of Chicago lays off 51 employees
Cuts come as US museums slash costs in response to loss of revenue
NewsKeith Haring
Once hidden, Keith Haring’s Amsterdam mural is ready for restoration
Conservators will repair paint losses and weatherproof a work that the artist executed “in a sort of frenzy” in 1986
NewsJob losses
Philadelphia Museum of Art to eliminate more than 20% of its staff
Loss of jobs comes amid plunge in revenue from coronavirus shutdown
Newsreopenings
Met plans to reopen flagship building on 29 August after five-month shutdown
Other New York museums are expected to follow its lead, but it all depends on the city entering Phase 4 of reopening
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Seattle Art Museum responds gamely to fake news release saying it is dissolving
Institution says announcement that it will be run by organisations led by black and indigenous Americans was “a well-done piece of satire”
Newsdiversity
Curators at Guggenheim demand ‘urgent’ reforms of racial inequities at museum
In a letter to management, they call for minority hiring efforts and an inquiry into the treatment of guest curator
NewsConservation & Preservation
Menokin preservation project offers a literal window onto layers of Virginia history
Structural glass replaces missing walls and floors of a 1769 house, exposing indelible links to slavery
NewsProtests
Protest letter urges New York art institutions to rectify ‘egregious acts’ rooted in white supremacy
Signatories cite “unfair practices”, unequal pay and lack of diversity
NewsProtests
National Trust for Historic Preservation supports removal of Confederate statues that glorify white power
Trust says such monuments “do not reflect, and are in fact abhorrent to, our values”
NewsAcquisitions
Giuseppe Penone presents two big gifts of drawings to Philadelphia Museum of Art and Centre Pompidou
Arte Povera sculptor hopes that his donations of hundreds of works on paper will start a dialogue
NewsPhilanthropy
Citing devastating coronavirus impact, five US foundations plan to increase payouts to strapped nonprofits by $1.7bn
In a novel strategy, at least three of the foundations will borrow money to finance giving
NewsUnions
Labour organising committee assails Philadelphia museum’s use of a ‘union avoidance’ law firm
Employees call on the museum to take a position of neutrality in any union vote
NewsProtests
MCA Chicago renounces future contracts with police until changes are made
Museums calls for policies that “respect black communities”
NewsProtests
Former Whitney vice chairman divests businesses marketing aggressive crowd-control technology
Corporation owned by Warren B. Kanders, whose links to tear gas led to his museum ouster, is selling off divisions associated with aggressive tactics
NewsRacial injustice
MOCA Cleveland apologises to black artist whose show it cancelled
Shaun Leonardo, who depicted victims of police violence, has accused the museum of censorship
NewsThree to see
Three initiatives that explore racial inequality and the long fight for justice in the US
From Google Arts & Culture's digital platform exploring the culture of black experience to the Smithsonian's new Talking About Race portal
NewsWalker Art Center
Citing killing, Walker Art Center says it will suspend use of police services for special events
Museum calls for holding Minneapolis officers accountable for excessive force and treating people of colour with respect
NewsProtests
Nelson-Atkins Museum director pledges to re-establish trust after police use campus to stage response to protests
After asking that squad cars leave the grounds, he says police presence caused deep “hurt”
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Amid turbulent US protests, Smithsonian's African American museum opens a conversation about race
Goal of online portal is to spur dialogue about racism and its “corrosive impact”
Interviewcoronavirus
Putting our heads together: the three Guggenheim directors size up post-Covid challenges
With museums in Bilbao and Venice poised to reopen, while New York remains in lockdown, Richard Armstrong, Juan Ignacio Vidarte and Karole Vail talk about weathering the financial crisis
NewsLandscape architecture
Board will revisit vote that would allow demolition of site-specific work at National Geographic Society’s home in Washington, DC
Board members say they were unaware that renovation plan would sacrifice Elyn Zimmerman’s installation
NewsAcquisitions
A valentine to New York City, in a gift of 130 urban scenes by Chagall, O'Keeffe, Hockney and other artists
Philanthropic couple’s promised donation to New-York Historical Society boosts collection’s 20th-century holdings