Entries by Kenn Richards
Water Problems Persist at the Scrovegni Chapel
In the spring of 2002, ArtWatch made the following forecast, as the restoration of Giotto’s Scrovegni chapel frescoes in Padua came to a close: This past winter has been a dry one, but when the rains come as they usually do, one can again expect that the subterranean water condition will continue to be the […]
Examine the Visual Evidence
The Getty’s Restoration of Titian’s Portrait of Cristoforo Madruzzo
Getty to Restore Titian
In 2003 the Getty Museum acquired Titian’s 1533 portrait of the Neapolitan commander Alfonso d’Avalos, Marchese del Vasto, from a French collection, touting it as one of the most important works now housed at the Getty. On the Getty’s website is a press release regarding the acquisition, and the institution’s planned cleaning of the portrait, […]
A workshop remembering Michele Cordaro and discussing current Restoration Practices
On February 20-21, 2004, the Rome University “La Sapienza” held a two day workshop on current restoration practices, Il corpo dello stile. Cultura e lettura del restauro nelle esperienze contemporanee, dedicated to Michele Cordaro, student and follower of Cesare Brandi and later director of the famous Italian Istituto Centrale del Restauro in Rome. The first […]
Ship lost at Clark. Many records feared missing. Establishment unfazed.
In 1932 a black and white photograph of the picture was supplied with other material to Sterling and Francine Clark by the dealers Knoedler as an inducement to buy the picture – which they did that same year. This photograph and later color photographs were shown by Mr. Bull in support of his claim that […]
J. M. W. Turner’s Rockets and Blue Lights
From June 17th until September 7th this year, the Clark Art Institute of Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA, mounted a major exhibition “Turner – The Late Seascapes”. Since November 1st (and until January 25th, 2004) the exhibition has been at the Manchester Art Gallery. Press releases issued by the Tate Gallery for the latter hail Turner’s 1840 […]
ArtWatch: A documentary film
Download film trailer in MP4 format (5 megs) ArtWatch: The Movie will be showing at the Salmagundi Club on Friday, April 16th at 8pm. For more information, see the link below. This follows its previous showings at the New York Independent Film Festival, Anthology Film Archives, Columbia University, and Columbia University Law School. ArtWatch is […]
The Metropolitan and the Oxus Treasure
For years ArtWatch has called upon the world’s museums, including New York’s own venerable Metropolitan Museum, to move towards “transparency” and to be open with information regarding art works, particularly in the context of restoration projects and provenance for objects in its collection. Implicit in this call is the need for intellectual and academic freedom, […]
ArtWatch Alert: David in Danger!!
Call it a catfight. That is what the British press has labeled the latest dispute regarding Michelangelo’s David. The diagnostics on the famous statue began with minimal fanfare last September, with Agnese Parronchi at the helm of the project. The issue only recently re-surfaced in the Italian press, when Parronchi, whose restoration credits include Michelangelo’s […]