A computer simulation of Saadiyat island in Abu Dhabi, where a new Guggenheim outpost will be part of a “cultural district.” (Photo: DPA/Spiegel Online)

In a recent SPIEGEL interview, the departing director of the New York- based Guggenheim Foundation, Thomas Krenz, talks frankly about the Guggenheim’s future outpost in Abu Dhabi. Calling it the “first museum for global contemporary art” and “a truly new step in the evolution of the art museum”, he even uses the term ‘pharaonic’ to describe the vast scale of the project. The exuberant design by Frank Gehry will occupy almost 42.000 square meters and will get a $781 million budget to acquire contemporary works of art.

After telling that the Guggenheim Foundation cannot afford the convenience, the luxury, of simply copying something we already have, he cofesses that by asking Frank Gehry once more to duplicate the ‘Bilbao-effect’, the museum could get into troubles: “It’s as if you, as a director, were shooting the action film ‘Die Hard’ and then ‘Die Hard II’. By the second or third time around, it becomes more difficult to surprise people.”

However, according to Krens the project is too important for Abu Dhabi, and for the Guggenheim Foundation to fail. He defends himself against the insinuations by the SPIEGEL journalist that the museum will merely become a tourist-hub and will be just another McGuggenheim-outlet by telling that he asked Frank Gehry to design a truly unique building with the breathtaking effect of the first cathedrals in medieval times. It remains to be seen whether this analogy will work in a Middle Eastern country.

Read the entire interview (Spiegel Online, March 27, 2008)
Read the latest news on the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi

The Chanel Mobile Art by Zaha Hadid raises curiosity and provides a stunning contrast to the local skyline.  (Photo: Tony Sze/Chanel)

A few weeks ago, a squat, white structure, designed by architect Zaha Hadid, took shape on a car park rooftop in Hong Kong. The container houses a major international art show, which is called Chanel Mobile Art and is being financed by the French luxury goods company. The exhibition in Hong Kong, the first stop of a two-year world tour, runs until April 5 and showcases the works of 20 international contemporary artists.

Chanel required all the artists to produce work inspired by the quilted handbag, the “2.55,” for “February 1955″ when it was designed by Coco Chanel. Exhibit highlights include a film by Nobuyoshi Araki of Japan of a (Chanel) chained woman; tattooed stuffed pigs and matching purses by Wim Delvoye of Belgium. The exhibit moves to Tokyo in July and New York in September. The Chanel boutique nearby sells a limited-edition Mobile Art 2.55 bag in black for about $3,000.

Personal reactions to the show have ranged from comments like “a very nice escape” to “very French, pretentious, verbose, bossy.” However, the show has been fully booked up to the closing date. In 2009, it will be shown in London and Moscow, and will end in Paris in July 2010.

Overview of the the Chanel Mobile Art pavilion on Hong Kong’s harbour front.

Read the in-depth review in the International Herald Tribune (March 24, 2008)
Go to Chanel Mobile Art website

Curator of the National Museum of Iran (NMI), Mohammadreza Kargar described the holding of concerts in Tehran’s palace museums to be a source of damage to the historical monuments.

A metropolis the size of Tehran needs to have several specialized venues for the holding of concerts and currently the only permanent place which the city possesses is the Vahdat Hall, he told the Persian service of ISNA.

According to Kargar, palace museums are not obliged to hold concerts on their premises.

The Iranian band “Shams” accompanied by several dervishes from Konya gave performances at the Sadabad Palace last month.

“The presence of a great number of people in one place will inevitably cause damage to a property, and probably only the open-air areas of these sites should be used for summer performances in order to keep such damage to a minimum,” he added.

Read full article (Tehran Times, September 18, 2007)

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Indonesia has picked an architect to design a museum in Aceh province in memory of the close to 170,000 people who died there during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. But the project is not without controversy. Adamy Aulina, assistant manager for public facilities and building at the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency, says she hopes the museum will help survivors heal. But the museum has its critics who are concerned the project comes too soon after the disaster, and could draw resources away from thousands of people who are still battling to rebuild their lives.

Read article (Voice of America, August 27, 2007)

See photos of the winning design by Ridwan Kamil

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Eight contemporary Chinese artists have been offered their own personal museums in Dujiangyan, in Sichuan Province. The city plans to begin construction on an 18-acre plot of land soon. (photo by Xiao Quan)

For years their work could not be exhibited in China, but in recent years the country’s leading contemporary artists are being courted by major art collectors abroad and their paintings set records at international auction sales. And now, a local government in Sichuan Province (the area in western China) has offered to give eight contemporary artists, all under 60, their own personal museums to operate. In a country with no major museum of contemporary art — not even in Beijing, where most of the eight artists work — this is a novel development.

Read article (New York Times, August 25, 2007)

Official statistics show that Beijing has 140 museums, an average of 1 per 100.000 residents. “At least 40 museums have opened to public in Beijing over the past decade, a fast growing period compared with the fact that 100 museums were established from 1949″ says Shu Xiaofeng, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage.

Read full article (Chinadaily, August 17, 2007)

The most controversial symbol of globalization in Beijing has closed its door.

The Starbucks outlet in the Forbidden City downed its shutters on Friday after months of online protests by millions of people, saying its presence undermined the solemnity of the former imperial palace and trampled over Chinese culture.

The move follows the Forbidden City management’s decision to allow shops to operate only under its brand name.

The Forbidden City was the seat of 24 emperors before the end of imperial rule in 1911. It is China’s top tourist attraction, drawing about 7 million visitors a year.

Vice-president of the palace management board Li Wenru said Starbucks was offered the option of operating under the Palace Museum brand name like the other outlets.

Read full article (China Daily, July 16, 2007)

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Politics and art don’t always mix well, but the combination has yielded a rare chance for Hong Kong residents and visitors to see what is arguably China’s most famous painting.

Trying to foster nationalistic pride in China’s heritage among Hong Kong residents, the Chinese government has sent 32 artworks here for an exhibition to mark the 10th anniversary of Britain’s return of Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997. Among them is Zhang Zeduan’s “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” a scroll painted in the early 12th century.

“Qingming Festival” is famous partly for its involvement over centuries in palace intrigues, theft and wars, and partly for its detailed, geometrically accurate images of bridges, wine shops, sedan chairs and boats beautifully juxtaposed with flowing lines for the depiction of mountains and other natural scenery. It is routinely covered in courses on Chinese history, art and culture, across China and in the West.

Read full article (International Herald Tribune, July 4, 2007)

Bringing ASEAN museums together – that is the aim of Singapore’s National Heritage Board (NHB), which has organised the first ever ASEAN Museum Directors Symposium.

At the symposium, museum leaders from the region are discussing possibilities of combining their strengths to promote ASEAN culture and heritage worldwide.

Read full article (Channel News Asia, July 4, 2007)