Everyone is investing in culture
Arts & Culture news for the week starting 12/09/24
La Miccia will be going on holiday starting next week until the end of the year. I’ll see you all in 2025. Thank you for your support, I love it here.
If you enjoy reading La Miccia, consider sharing it with a friend.
Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in its culture and tourism. Just this week, several partnerships were announced. In Paris, Saudi Arabia pledged $50M to support the refurbishment of Center Pompidou. In the UK, the kingdom signed a bilateral culture pact. Meanwhile, back home, there’s the Mazra’ah Media Arts Residency, the first ever residency from Diriyah Art Futures, a newly created hub dedicated to new media art and digital art. FIFA officially confirmed that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 men’s World Cup. There’s a lot, and I’m sure we’ll see a lot more in the next few months. As ArtNews writes: King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s “culture washing” campaign is well underway.
The Vatican is balling out ahead of it’s Jubilee in 2025. I’ve already mentioned their massive project in collaboration with Microsoft where they created a digital model of Saint Peter’s Basilica. Most recently, they restored the Apollo del Belvedere and will soon be reopening the Trevi Fountain after a €300k restoration. The Jubilee is set to bring in over 70 million visitors—double the number from a regular year. I’ve discussed the Basilica model in the article below:
Speaking of the Vatican, Pope Francis unveiled a nativity scene featuring baby Jesus wrapped in a keffiyeh. However, after photos of the display circulated online and ignited a wave of backlash, the Vatican quietly removed the keffiyeh. Hyperallergic wrote a wonderful article on the powerful symbolism of nativity scenes.
Dorothy’s red slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ sold for $28M at auction. These are one of four surviving pairs that Judy Garland wore while playing Dorothy. If you don’t have multiple million dollars to spare, you can view a pair at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Warsaw-based non profit Lambda opened Poland’s first LGBTQ museum. According to ILGA-Europe’s 2024 Annual Report, the status of queer rights in Poland is among the worst in Europe. However, ILGA-Europe also reports that public opinion shows growing support for LGBTQ+ rights, with 64% advocating protections against discrimination and a rise in support for equal marriage to 32%. The newly formed government coalition promises a commitment to LGBTQ+ rights, I look forward to seeing what happens.
Photo by Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP
Remember when I said that adding a “tourist tax” to enter famous tourist destinations does nothing to manage tourism flows? Venice clearly didn’t read my essay and has decided to both extend and double its tourist tax, now set at €10 for those who book less than four days in advance. My family is from Venice, and I’ll be traveling there with my partner this Christmas. I actually had to look up the full rules - there are a lot of exceptions.
The Met will open a new wing for modern and contemporary art in 2030. I am so excited - the spaces where their 20th- and 21st-century art (especially the latter) are displayed do not do the art justice. These renderings look incredible.
Artwork of the week
Louise Bourgeois' iconic sculpture Maman (1999) will return to the Tate Modern next spring for the fist time in 25 years.