Posted on 05/24/2005 3:47:49 PM PDT by Republicanprofessor
WASHINGTON -- Asked to resign by the chairman of the board of trustees, the director of Washington's oldest art museum said Monday he would remain for the next few days. David C. Levy, 67, president and director of the Corcoran Gallery of Art since 1991, submitted his resignation at a board meeting, The Washington Post reported in Tuesday editions. • Board chairman John T. Hazel, who sought the resignation, had clashed with Levy over plans to build a new wing for the museum. The board suspended the project at its meeting Monday, the Post said. Levy emerged from the board meeting an hour after it began and was asked by a reporter if he was still with the gallery.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
How can a museum so in debt plan for such an extension?
If you get sufficient bequests and donations it's not a problem. The Corcoran also suffers from its close proximity to the White House. Parking is tight.
Here are a few pictures of Gehry's Guggenheim Musem in Bilbao, Spain, a true postmodern structure. One nice person on FR said that the interior spaces were all unique and quite interesting.
The interior here is with a sculpture by Richard Serra. Certainly a nice, sweeping photo.
Art Ping.
Maybe they can sponsor another Mapplethorpe exhibit. Or commission a few works by Andres Serrano. Elephant dung statues of the Virgin sell briskly in the gift shoppe, and colorful jars of urine are perennial favorites among the cognoscenti. Hate to see a fine public outhouse ... er, I mean, art facility ... go begging for funds.
I've had the good fortune to visit the Corcoran several times over the last 15 years.
In general, the Corcoran has always struck me a mainstream art gallery. Sometimes, their temporary exhibitions have been a bit out there but I've always believed the force behind their collection has been their landscapes. Take a look at "Niagara" and you'll see what I mean.
The Mapplethorpe exhibit was pure trash. Never got to see it in person but saw enough pics of it. The Corcoran will never live that down. They'll forever be stained by it.
An apt metaphor ...
Sadly, and perhaps unfairly, since I've never had the opportunity to visit the gallery, the only opinion I have formed of it comes from the Mapplethorpe association. I suspect there are many who would say the same, something gallery directors might want to bear in mind when booking "controversial" exhibits.
To see a less than pedestrian collection.
The place was living on an old reputation which has no relevance today except for nostalgia buffs.
Truly hideous.
Reminds me of Oz...
I have to say a word of support for Mapplethorpe, but not necessarily in support of government money for his show. His works create a strong content with original form. Not even the most conservative FReepers could quibble with his flowers.
However, even the homoerotic pieces were powerfully done. By that, I mean that they were meticulously printed. And they did make you catch your breath, even in horror. Well, I think that's the reaction he wanted: the power of the homosexual underworld. He brought it to the viewer in force, whether we like it or not. Sometimes good art makes us uncomfortable; that doesn't necessarily lessen its value as art.
Now, Piss Christ is a different matter. It was not only insulting in its very title, but Serrano claimed that he was criticizing the cheapening of religion in its use of cheap crucifixes. However, since one could not see the crucifix well enough to determine if it was cheap, then it is clear that he only wanted to be sensational, and he succeeded. Some artists only live in infamy. He was one. I've seen other works, and they are just as superficially shocking with nothing else in its favor.
art ping
Let me know if you want on or off the art ping list.
I've been to the Corcoran once.
It was the day of the anti-Iraq war march - the first one. That day, the Corcoran happened to waive the admission charge and they had a huge photography exhibit of related to 9/11. The exhibit was photo after photo of 9/11 and the aftermath. I walked through that exhibit with tears running down my face - totally struck by the irony of those crazy leftists outside screaming about how horrible the US is. I wanted to go outside and make all those ignorant protestors go through the exhibit so they would understand how wrong they were.
Does Gehry ever do anything besides that same curvy sheet-metal thing? Enough, Frank -- what else you got?
Same goes for Richard Serra.
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