Friday, February 19, 2010

the tintinnabulation of the rubells, rubells, rubells

So the Rubells continue their DC artworld takeover: After getting bought by the Corcoran in 2006 for yet another never-realized expansion (see the abandoned Frank Gehry wing; see the completely-invented-by-me Big Top Wing) the former Millennium Arts Center will now go to Don and Mera Rubell, who snapped it up for 6.5 million.

The building will become (another) Rubell hotel and a satellite art museum for the Rubells’ Miami venue—although the Corcoran apparently will still keep a hand in arts and education programming for the site somehow.

Kriston has the story at AiA here; Tyler ponders the relationship between the October arrival of the 30 Americans show at the Corc and the sale of the building here; Lenny, in a totally impartial verdict, declares this a good thing for DC art.

Me, I'm optimistic: I like people spending money on art more than I like people not spending money on art.


And I don’t mind collectors showing their stuff—or building a place in which to show their stuff—as long as there’s no thin conceptual framework or scholarly window dressing tarting up what ought to be a transparent enterprise.

Shoot, I think we could settle all possible future ethical disputes if museums would agree to give every collector show they mount the same title: Fabulous Stuff Owned by a Wealthy Person Who Is Being (or May One Day Be) Nice to Us.

But maybe my take on this sort of thing is too simplistic.

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