Living the California Modern style

From October 1, 2011 to March 25, 2012, LACMA will run its new exhibit ”California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way.” The exhibit is the first major study on California mid-century modern design, and with more than 300 objects on view, this exhibit promises to be significant and eye-opening.  Perhaps the most exciting installation will be the (temporarily) relocated and reassembled living room of the Charles and Ray Eames House (Pacific Palisades, 1949). The LA Times has a video clip of the packing and reassembly of the room in the LACMA gallery. To read more on the exhibition and the conservation efforts of the Eames House, go to LA Times, “Conserving the Charles and Ray Eames House” and “Charles and Ray Eames’ living room makes an interim home at LACMA”.

Neutra’s Kronish House saved?

Richard Neutra’s Kronish House has been temporarily spared from a planned demolition until October 10 to give the local community time to present a restoration plan. In April, the historic Beverly Hills house was sold as a $14 million ‘tear down’ but pressure from the  community as well as the LA Conservancy, American Institute of Architects and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, stalled the demolition plans of the new owners. To stay up-to-date on this story, follow the Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design blog and biography of media coverage. Take a photographic tour (via Curbed Los Angeles) of the Kronish House as it exists today in its run-down condition.
(sources: LA Now, August 3, 2011; ArchDaily, August 18, 2011)

Conservation images of Ghent Altarpiece available

The Getty Foundation and the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage have released high resolution images of Jan Van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece taken while the work was undergoing conservation in 2010. The project utilized high resolution macro photography under visible and infrared light, infrared reflectoography, X-radiography and dendrochronolgy to reveal valuable information on underdrawing, layer paint layer structure and other technical aspects of the altarpiece. Additional images of the conservation project will be made available over the next year.

Buddhist relics in danger in Mes Aynak, Afghanistan

According to Art Newspaper, the world’s largest archaeological excavation is underway as archaeologist attempt to rescue ancient Buddhist monasteries in Mes Aynak, Afghanistan before the site is turned into an open-cast mine.  The site, a former training camp for Osama bin Laden, is now leased to a mining company in China and, at $3 billion, is the largest business opportunity in Afghanistan’s history.  The Buddhist monasteries date from the 3rd to 7th centuries. Archaeologists have uncovered a 260 foot walled complex with a stupa, a 25 foot reclining Buddha and wall paintings. Recovered artifacts are being moved to the National Museum in Kabul for conservation. Mining is scheduled for 2014.
For additional information on the excavations at Mes Aynak, visit Penn Museum Blog.

Japanese National Treasures damaged by tsunami

Matsushima

The Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs has released a list of cultural landmarks damaged by the recent Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. As of March 24, their list contained 353 vulnerable cultural properties. Among the damaged landmarks are Amida Hall (Iwaki, Fukashima Prefecture), Zuigan Temple (Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture) and Matsushima, one of the worst hit areas and an officially designated Special Place of Scenic Beauty.

'Waves at Matsushima' by Tawaraya Sotatsu

Exhibition cancelled due to Japanese radiation

“The Birth of French Impressionism”, an exhibition scheduled for April 5 at the Prefectural Art Museum in Hiroshima City, has been called off because art loans from France have been withdrawn. The reason: potential (or fear of potential) radiation damage to the artworks as a result of the damaged nuclear power plants impacted by the recent Japanese earthquake.  The French Ministère de la Culture notified the local Japanese government that all loans of art work to Japan were terminated (until further notice). To read about the withdrawn exhibition, go to the museum’s site here (in Japanese). According to Kayla Chayka of the Hyperallergic blog, the French are greatly overreacting and posts a map to illustrate her point.

Collection spotlight: Unreported Heritage News

In my effort to keep up with events in Egypt, I ran into Unreported Heritage News: Reporting on the heritage stories that are not in the media — yet. Owen Jarus, a correspondent for Heritage Key, a multimedia website that publishes history and archaeology articles, uses his blog to report on unreported or breaking world heritage news. A sample of his reportage includes his conversation with Dr. Gerry Scott from the American Research Center in Egypt on the crisis in Egypt and its impact on conserving Egypt’s cultural heritage; the discovery of a Greek coin from 210 BCE marking an eclipse in ancient Syria; and a study of a 3800-year old tablet from Larsa, Iraq revealing the business dealings of a tycoon.
A big thanks to my friends at UCSB’s Image Center for directing me to this great blog.

Egypt’s antiquities during mass protests

National Museum at Tahrir Square

While it is difficult to keep up with events in Egypt, according to the Associated Press (February 1), Egypt’s museums and antiquities are for the moment secured. Zahi Hawass, antiquities minister in Mubarak’s new Cabinet, reported that looters broke into the National Museum (Egyptian Museum) on Saturday, ripped the heads off 2 mummies and damaged 10 artifacts before they were caught and detained by soldiers. Fears of looting has resulted in the Egyptian military being dispatched to other archaeological monuments as well. Al Jazeera video stills, photographs and the latest updates of the damage to the museum and its antiquities are available at Hypoallergic: Sensitive to Art & its Discontents.

The latest from Associated Press can be viewed here.

Collection spotlight: Internet Archive

The Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library, ‘collects’ internet sites and cultural artifacts in digital form. Founded in San Francisco in 1996 with the goal of providing researchers, historians, the general public and people with disabilities with permanent access to digital content, the Internet Archive contains moving images, software, texts, audio and archived web pages. Here is a tiny list of some of the archives’ amazing content: the Wayback Machine (an archive of over 150 billion web pages from 1996 to now), Prelinger Archives (2,000+ ephemeral films), Universal Newsreels, Media Burn (5,000 non-fiction tapes covering historical, political and social topics) and Animation Shorts.

The Dead Sea Scrolls go online

AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner

Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Google are collaborating to upload newly digitized images of the 2,000 year old biblical texts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Dating from the third century B.C.E. to the first century C.E., the Dead Sea Scrolls contain the earliest known copies of the Hebrew Bible. Digital copies as good as or even clearer than the original texts will support continued scholarship and protect the original, fragile fragments of parchment and papyrus from further exposure. The project began over two years ago but the development of a new digital imaging process that captures various wavelengths in the highest resolution possible will be in IAA labs soon. IAA expects the first version to go online within six months. Read more and see the project in action.