The Week’s Muse: 7 June
A response to the Jewish Museum shooting; Marina Abramović in trouble over nothing; connoisseurship now; Outsider Art; and Matisse at the cinema
Mermaid, Manuel Lanca Bonifacio, pencil crayon on paper
Comment and opinion from this week’s Muse Room
A response to the shooting at the Musée Juif de Belgique
The news of the shooting at the Musée Juif de Belgique in Brussels on 24 May was sickening, but Abigail Morris of the Jewish Museum in London insists that Jewish institutions must stay open and welcoming.
Fuss over nothing?
Marina Abramović’s plan to ‘do nothing’ at the Serpentine this summer may not be as radical as she asserts; but is the fuss over her failure to acknowledge artistic precedents a bit premature?
The role of connoisseurship
In his Editor’s Letter Thomas Marks discusses the future of connoisseurship and its popular uses, while Danielle Thom asks whether it is still the role of museums to champion ‘good taste’.
Outsider Art in the UK
Outsider art is gaining prominence in the UK. But, as Marc Steene of Pallant House Gallery points out, it’s still a long way behind Europe and the USA, where such art has been exhibited and collected for years.
Matisse Live
Tate staged its first live cinema event this week. But did ‘Matisse Live’ actually benefit from being a live event? Imelda Barnard discusses the strengths and flaws of the show and its format.