The George Lindemann Journal by George Lindemann

Jorge Pérez has made what appears to be a generous gift to the Miami Art Museum, an act that has been billed as one of the most generous in the city’s philanthropic history. In return, the museum sold him its name. Before we break out the Champagne, let’s do the math on this gift.

The headline gift totals $35 million: $20 million in cash and $15 million in art from his collection. Let’s start with the cash, because that’s what the museum needs immediately to fund construction of its new building. When the project began in 2005, Mr. Pérez made a $5 million pledge, which remains part of the $10 million cash gift he proposes to pay by 2012. He also proposes to pay another $10 million in 2022, 10 years from now, so let’s say the present value is $5 million. That’s a cash total of $15 million. This compares to Miami-Dade giving $100 million of its citizens’ money and the city giving land worth $50 million for a total of $150 million. Mr. Pérez’ gift amounts to 10 percent of Miami’s gift and he gets the name of the museum. And this doesn’t consider the risk of a substantial loss of funding from existing and future donors. Something doesn’t compute.

The $15 million worth of art was added to bring the headline gift to a level commensurate with the Frosts’ and Adrienne Arsht’s recent cash gifts. Until now, MAM’s capital campaign policy was “cash only.” Any professional fund raiser will tell you that a gift of art (which the museum can’t sell for ethical reasons) doesn’t pay for construction costs and doesn’t count towards naming rights.

When the MAM board approved the renaming there was no discussion of the longterm implications of the name change. No one mentioned that the American Association of Museum Directors, which accredits MAM, cannot find a single instance of a civic art museum selling its name to a donor, for any amount of money.

MAM’s leadership and Mr. Pérez have turned a deaf ear to the outpouring of negative responses to the name change, ignoring the constituency they ostensibly serve. The citizens of this great community paid for the museum and it should bear their name. How about a wing, Mr. Pérez? That would compute.

Howard S. Frank, Miami

Image: Maya Lin's plan model for Queen Anne Square in Newport, R.I.

You may have missed it during Art Basel. Interesting article. Old vs. New...

"Doris Duke Memorial Plan by Maya Lin Splits Newport"
By RANDY KENNEDY
Published: November 28, 2011

NEWPORT, R.I. — When Doris Duke was clearing a patch of derelict buildings here in the late 1970s to create a modest patch of open space known as Queen Anne Square, she was sometimes spotted personally directing the backhoe drivers at dusk, acting as both foreman and steward of the enormous fortune that she lavished on such restoration projects.

The same kind of New England pluck and perspicacity is now stoking an unusual battle, 18 years after Ms. Duke’s death, over a plan to create a permanent, minimalist art installation in honor of her legacy on this swath of green that she left behind in a former commercial area near the harbor...

By Jordan Levin

jlevin@MiamiHerald.com

The King of Pop is back. No, not Michael Jackson — Andy Warhol. The white-wigged godfather of pop art and celebrity culture, who passed away in 1987, is the subject of three exhibits and an influence on two others at various events around Art Basel Miami Beach.

On tap this week is a screening of San Diego Surf, a-never-before-released film shot by Warhol and Paul Morrissey in 1968, at a VIP party at The Standard Spa on Thursday, sponsored by Interview Magazine, the publication launched by Warhol.

Occupy Art Basel Miami Beach, Now!

I’m not going to Art Basel Miami Beach this year. I’m through with it, basta. It’s become a bit embarrassing, in fact, because why should I be seen rubbing elbows with all those phonies and scenesters, people who don’t even pretend they are remotely interested in art?

And so, here it is, in print, just so no one has to ask me again.

More Miru Kim, from the series "The Pig That Therefore I Am"

Miru Kim's "NY 1" from the series "The Pig That Therefore I Am"

by ARTINFO

Published: November 23, 2011

Days of Swine and Poses: Artist Miru Kim caused a bit of a stir at Chelsea's Doosan Gallery earlier this year when she displayed photographs of herself crawling nude amid a herd of pigs, but that's nothing compared to the attention she's going to get next week when she recreates the work at Art Basel Miami Beach… live. Inspired by French philosophy, the artist says she's ready to jump back in the pen. After all, she's taken the worst the pigs can dish out. "Once, when I was focused on getting into position, one chomped down on my butt, which made me jump and run," she recalls. "It was very strange to have teeth marks and bruises there." Call her Francesca Bacon. [Societe Perrier]

The one percent is going to roost in Miami later this week for the Art Basel Miami Beach fairs, and the 99 percent just might follow them. Yesterday, ABMB’s PR staff sent out an email to participating gallerists warning of a possible Occupy protest planned for the fair. Read the email in full — and an updated response from the fair — below.

 

An Occupy Art Basel protest would fit exactly with the movement’s message, but it’s difficult to imagine ABMB staff allowing protesters to set up camp anywhere near the major fair. What could be worse for one-percent collectors’ art buying appetites than getting chanted at?

Here’s the email:

Dear Gallerist,

I hope this email finds you well, and we look forward to welcoming you very soon at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

As you may have read or heard, there is the possibility of an Occupy protest taking place in the vicinity of Art Basel Miami Beach and/or its coinciding events.

I wanted you to know that we are monitoring the situation and working closely with local authorities to ensure the show’s operations, while at the same time respecting the First Amendment.

Please direct any media inquiries regarding this issue to me.

With best regards,

Dorothee Dines
PR and Media Manager

Look for more updates as the fair approaches.

UPDATE, 2:45pm: ABMB representative Sara Fitzmaurice said the e-mail to gallerists was not prompted by any concrete knowledge of a protest in the works. “Anyone organizing an art event to this level is proceeding with the knowledge that such protests could potentially take place, so it’s not specific to any noted information that was passed on to us,” she said. “It’s just common practice in these days since we’ve seen this at a few art world events.” She added that the fair is not planning to add any additional security presence, but that fair organizers have had conversations with existing security to let them know that they should “add this to the mix of things to consider.”

A representative from Occupy Miami has not yet responded to a request for comment on what plans, if any, the group might have for the fair.

via blogs.artinfo.com