Two major art institutions are making headlines for vastly different reasons, with New York's Frick Collection celebrating its successful renovation while China's UCCA Center for Contemporary Art struggles with a severe financial crisis. The contrasting fortunes highlight the varying challenges facing art museums worldwide in the current economic climate.
The UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, one of China's oldest and most prominent nonprofit contemporary art institutions, has reportedly withheld employee wages for six months amid mounting financial difficulties. According to Art Asia Pacific, most UCCA staff members did not receive their full salaries from January through June of this year. The crisis facing China's private art museums has been attributed to corporate backers tightening their financial support and the Chinese government's reluctance to fund art that doesn't align with Communist Party-approved cultural expressions.
Meanwhile, the Frick Collection in New York is taking a decidedly different approach to attract visitors following its major renovation. The museum has enlisted comedian Steve Martin to create promotional content highlighting its collection and history. In a video posted on the museum's website and social media platforms, Martin strolls through the ornate galleries, offering a playful commentary on the museum's artwork and its founder, steel magnate Henry Clay Frick, whose legacy remains controversial due to his history of labor suppression.
In the promotional video, Martin provides an entertaining perspective on the collection, noting quirky details such as "the gilded beard of a 15th-century Hercules sculpture." He muses about what visitors might be drawn to on any given day at the Frick Collection, combining humor with art appreciation in his characteristic style.
The Frick Collection's investment in star power appears to be paying dividends following its extensive renovation, which cost $220 million. The museum had operated from temporary quarters in the Marcel Breuer-designed building on Madison Avenue, the former home of the Whitney Museum of American Art, for five years while its Fifth Avenue location underwent major improvements.
Since reopening at its original Fifth Avenue location in April, the Frick Collection has welcomed 231,972 visitors, suggesting that both the renovation and Martin's promotional efforts are successfully drawing crowds back to the beloved New York institution. This visitor count demonstrates the effectiveness of combining architectural improvements with celebrity endorsements to revitalize museum attendance.
In other art world news, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has upheld a $2.5 million sanctions ruling in favor of artist Peter Doig, concluding a legal dispute that spanned over a decade. The case originated when Robert Fletcher, a retired Canadian prison officer, claimed he had purchased a painting in the 1970s from an inmate he believed was Doig. However, Doig successfully proved he had never created the work and had never been imprisoned in Canada, as he was a teenager living in Toronto at the time of the alleged incident.
Additionally, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced the recent repatriation of several antiquities to Italy, Spain, and Hungary, with some artifacts dating back to the 6th century BCE. These objects were recovered during criminal investigations into multiple antiquities trafficking networks, highlighting ongoing efforts to combat the illegal art trade and return cultural treasures to their countries of origin.
