The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is the next in a string of major institutions planning exhibitions of Iranian art, as lifted sanctions see continued engagement with the country. “The V&A is in the early stages of planning an exhibition that will showcase an important private collection of Iranian art supplemented by the V&A’s own holdings,” a museum spokeswoman said. (more…)
The recently opened David Bowie Is… exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum is smashing all attendance records for the museum, early reports say. Chronicling the creative life of rock star David Bowie, more than 42,000 advance tickets had already been sold when the exhibition opened last week, and merchandise from the show is already off to a booming first week of sales. (more…)
Former curator for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Sir Roy Strong has called British art galleries and museums to task for presenting exhibitions avoiding criticism of British policy. The harsh words come as the V&A gears up for an exhibition on David Bowie. He says: “I always saw the role of director as primarily to lift people to paradise and to give them information and delight – and then, at another moment, claw them, so they were absolutely shocked and they were made to think about what was going on around them.”
Scandinavian artists Elmgreen and Dragset have announced their partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum for an installation project that will open this fall. Titled “Tomorrow,” the piece will imagine the residence of a fictional architect, exploring the disconnect between the character’s architectural vision and actual living arrangements. “We really wonder what goes on inside architects’ heads,” said Elmgreen. “They have all sorts of ideas about creating places for people to live, and yet they are often completely detached from these people’s everyday lives. What does it mean for posh people to be designing social housing?” (more…)
William Turnbull in 1956 via The Guardian
Artist William Turnbull has died at the age of 90. His diverse artistic production included abstract painting, figurative and minimalist metal sculpture. He was considered a forerunner to the Pop Art movement and was one the Abstract Expressionist’s earliest adopters. His work is part of major public collections including the Tate, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and the Victoria and Albert Museum, among others. (more…)
