Archinect - News

Yale pivots away from a Euro-centric art history curriculum

2020-01-24T13:23:00-05:00

Decades old and once taught by famous Yale professors like Vincent Scully, “Introduction to Art History: Renaissance to the Present” was once touted to be one of Yale College’s quintessential classes. But [its cancellation] is the latest response to student uneasiness over an idealized Western “canon” — a product of an overwhelmingly white, straight, European and male cadre of artists.

Margaret Hedeman and Matt Kristoffersen, writing in The Yale Daily News, shed light on a recent decision by the Yale University Art History Department to retool and refocus its foundational survey course with the aim of lessening the class's "singular focus in Western art."

The move comes as many disciplines, including writing, history, and art, move to "decolonize" and broaden the scope of their respective "canons" in the educational setting amid a renewed awareness of under-privileged histories, perspectives, and authors.

The Met is hiring its first Native North American Art curator

2019-09-16T15:45:00-04:00

The successful candidate will be tasked with overseeing the museum’s vast collection of indigenous American artifacts, including the Charles and Valerie Diker Collection of more than 116 objects hailing from 50 different Native American cultures, from the 2nd century to the early 20th century. [...] The commitment to hire the new curator also came as part of the Diker gift.

In a recent job listing on the American Alliance of Museums website, The Met in NYC appears to be hiring its first full-time Native North American art curator to lead the museum's new Native Arts program, artnet News reported earlier this month. Hiring the new curator is part of the museum's efforts to revamp its approach to Native American art and culture.

The job listing (which has since been removed) states that the chosen candidate would be in charge of establishing “‘demonstrable connections with descendent communities’ and the ability to ‘develop robust collaborations and partnerships with Indigenous community members,’” Smithsonian.com reports.

Revisiting the “surreal, weirder” spirit of the Bauhaus

2019-03-15T14:32:00-04:00

Many imitators have missed the element of Bauhaus that breathed life into what might have become sterile functionalist designs; the surreal, sensual, irrational, and instinctual spirit of the Bauhaus. [...] If one seeks to emulate the Bauhaus today, it is vital to remember the elements of weirdness, pleasure, and even organized chaos that made it what it was. And, also, the moments where it failed to rise to fulfill its own ambitions and principles.

Many people today recognize the Bauhaus — which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year — for its clean lines and minimalist aesthetic. In this piece, writer Darran Anderson delves into the history of the “other, weirder, irrational” side of the infamous art school.

When in Rome

2018-07-10T22:46:00-04:00

"Along with their monumental role in Rome's urban fabric, the architectural status of fountains has long been uncertain. It can be hard to determine when they ceased to be viewed as public water utilities, and came to be regarded as purely artistic objects."

In the same week in 2016, a group of tourists were denounced as trespassers for splashing around in one of Rome's historic fountains, while Fendi was praised for its tribute to Italy's artistic legacy by staging a fashion show across another. Anatole Tchikine is prompted by these contrasting reactions to examine the complicated relationship between architecture, water, and the body in the city — from early modern laundresses to La Dolce Vita.

Using lasers to decode Gothic architecture

2015-06-23T15:13:00-04:00

[Andrew] Tallon, 46, wasn't the first to realize that laser scanners could be used to deconstruct Gothic architecture. But he was the first to use the scans to get inside medieval builders' heads. "Every building moves," he says. "It heaves itself out of shape when foundations move, when the sun heats up on one side." How the building moves reveals its original design and the choices that the master builder had to make when construction didn't go as planned...

Old Royal Naval College aims to restore 40,000 sq.ft of its Painted Hall, plan to be unveiled in NYC next month

2015-04-28T19:44:00-04:00

Arts patrons continue to support the restoration of the Painted Hall at the Christopher Wren-designed Old Royal Naval College at the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London. Over the next three years, the ORNC's three-stage conservation project would clean and restore the remaining 3,700 sq.m. (approx. 40,000 sq.ft) of the Painted Hall, sometimes dubbed "the Sistine Chapel of the U.K." The first phase restored 560 sq.m. of paintings in the Upper Hall back in 2013. The second phase focuses on the Lower Hall, the Vestibule, and the semi-underground King William Undercroft directly beneath the Painted Hall.

Housed inside King William Court, the Painted Hall was originally built as a dining hall for British naval veterans who lived at the Royal Hospital for Seamen. Once the hall was built, English painter James Thornhill began his 19-year endeavor of painting the interior from 1708 to 1727. As instructed, Thornhill's paintings largely pay tribute to the British Navy a...

Mid-century Norwegian design pieces make their way to New York’s Openhouse Gallery in Soho

2014-05-21T20:38:00-04:00

After success in Oslo and Tokyo, the Norwegian Icons: Important Norwegian Design exhibition is ready to make its U.S. debut in New York's Openhouse Gallery starting May 23. Highlighting Norway's contribution to mid-century Scandinavian design, the selling exhibition will showcase over 500 high-end designer objects created by 44 Norwegian designers between 1940-1975.

The objects will be arranged with iconic Norwegian artworks, including those by renowned artist Edvard Munch. Works will be presented so as to showcase the artists' various roles in shaping the traditions of Norwegian design and architecture during the 20th century.

Find more event details on Bustler.

5 Pointz "graffiti mecca" in Long Island City faces imminent destruction

2013-11-11T18:21:00-05:00

The artists behind New York’s graffiti haven 5 Pointz have learned that their last-ditch legal effort to save the outdoor gallery will likely fail. “The building, unfortunately, is going to have to come down,” federal judge Frederic Block said in New York’s eastern district court on Friday. [...] “I’m getting the sense that the traditional academic way of looking at things needs to be updated,” Block said.