Devon House in 2011 (photograph: Veerle Poupeye, all rights reserved) The National Gallery of Jamaica is turning 50 this year and this article, the first in a series on the subject, reflects on the different moments, personalities and discussions that have defined its history. It is a history of which I have been a part,... Continue Reading →
Travel Report – Revisiting Belgium’s Art Museums – Part 3
Jean Fouquet – Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels (c1452), Collection: Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp In this final post on my recent visits to several Belgian museums, I turn my attention to some of the larger art museums in Oostende, Brussels, and Antwerp (although I already discussed the Ensor Year exhibitions at the... Continue Reading →
Travel Report: Revisiting Belgium’s Art Museums – Part 2
Jan van Eyck - Portrait of Margareta van Eyck, 1439, Collection: Groeninge Museum, Musea Brugge (Photo: Veerle Poupeye) In a previous post, I introduced my recent museum tour in Belgium, in February, and commented on the initial exhibitions for the James Ensor Year. In this post, I take a closer look at the museums I... Continue Reading →
Travel Report: Revisiting Ensor and Belgium’s Art Museums – Part 1
James Ensor – The Intrigue (1890), Collection: Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp On a recent visit to Belgium, I visited several art museums: the Groeninge, Old St Jan, Folklore and Lace Centrum museums in Bruges; the Mu.ZEE in Oostende; the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp; and the Magritte Museum and the Royal... Continue Reading →
The Way Forward for the National Gallery of Jamaica?
Installation view of Dunkley Gallery, National Gallery of Jamaica, May 28, 2023 (photo: Veerle Poupeye) In my review of Narrative Evolutions at the National Gallery of Jamaica (NGJ), I reported that I was promised information on that exhibition, which had opened on May 28, 2023. More than three weeks later, I have still not heard... Continue Reading →
The Art Year in Review – Governance and Leadership in the Public Cultural Sector
At the CAG[e] gallery, circa 2008, Edna Manley College (Photo: Veerle Poupeye) In this second installment of my critical reflections on developments in the art world in 2022, I continue to focus on critical issues of governance, leadership and performance in the public cultural sector. At the core of this is the relentless politicization, in... Continue Reading →