Art History Today

Equestrian Art Historians Need Only Apply!

Now here’s one of the strangest art history job advertisements I’ve ever come across! I just had to share it with you.

It starts normally with the usual requirements of art history knowledge experience and expertise, but then begins to widen its job description by stipulating that the candidate needs to be fully conversant with the art market. So far, so what. But then we read that the post holder needs to be able to draw well, be knowledgeable about theories of proportion, and be an expert on digital photography and internet databases. But the requirement that will almost certainly put the post out of the reach of most art historians is the very final need. The candidate must be able to ride a horse including walk, trot, canter, gallop and jump. I’ve put a Velasquez equestrian portrait so you get the idea.

So what sort of art researcher is being sought here? From the requirements printed below, I would summarise thus. A knowledgeable and well dressed art historian, with a excellent grasp of classical mythology and digital imaging;  he/she must be able to speak basic Italian while selling pictures and managing clients. Finally, our art historian must be a good draughtsman, knowledgeable about art theory/ proportion as well as being fluent in all branches of horse riding including show jumping.  I left out a few things like a driving licence, but presumably you wouldn’t need that if you were riding round on a horse.

Any art historians out there who feel like applying?

Exhibition Charges at the Met?

In an interview with the Art Newspaper, the new director of the Metropolitan Museum Thomas Campbell pledges his commitment to full admission but doesn’t rule out the possibility of imposing entry charges for exhibitions. 

“TAN: Museums in London charge admission for exhibitions, but de Montebello often emphasised that it takes multiple visits to absorb a show and admission charges can be an impediment. Also he did not want the museum to be driven by the prospective revenues from successful special exhibitions, so he did not charge a fee. Will you maintain that policy?

TC: Our admission fee is a recommended fee. But the truth is that this year’s operating budget is some $220m of which we get around 15% from the city. The other 85% comes from either our operating endowment or funds we generate ourselves, including what we take from the recommended admission fee. We need every cent that we can get.”

In the U.K., exhibition charges are levied to claw back monies lost through free admission, which is a cornerstone of museum policy over here. Usually admission charges range from about £8-13 for an adult. For example, the up and coming baroque Spanish show is charging about £8, somewhat less than what I paid for the Picasso exhibition in London earlier this year- that set me back £13. In the States, the museum admission charge covers the exhibitions and individual shows within. I’ve lost my ticket but I think in February I must have paid something like £8 to get into LACMA in Los Angeles, which got me into everything. That seems fair to me- but I don’t see how you could justify having to pay again to get into individual shows.

Obviously exhibition charges are just one of the thorny topics that are going to challenge the new Met incumbent, a surprising appointment at only 31. Time will tell how he will deals with this and other issues.  

Resurrecting Lazarus: Art History Today lives again!

  

About 18 months ago I was the proud owner of an art history blog called Art History Today. It proved to be a wonderful educational resource and networking tool, so what did I do- I accidentally deleted it! Since then I have come close to reviving my dead blog, but the act of resurrection has always been put off, that is until now. Most of my old blog exists in the form of isolated documents and images within the innards of my computer. From time to time, I will be re-posting articles that appeared on the original blog, in order to make the new blog more substantial; but inevitably, there’ll be many new topics to write about. This won’t be easy as I’ve been absent from the art history blogosphere for nearly two years! A great deal has happened in that time, so there’ll be a lot of catch-up for me. Looking around the web I see that the art history virtual scene is vibrant. Bloggers who grew faint of heart- like me- have re-started websites and I just want to be a part of all that again.

So like Lazarus risen from the dead, Art History Today lives again.  It only remains for me- over the next year- to nurse it back to its full strength.