maxwell museums

museumsassociation.orgHalf-term strike at V&A suspended after unions receive improved offer - Museums AssociationStaff halt planned industrial action to enable further talks to take place

27 Mar

🟦 Thrilled that my Substack newsletter gets a mention today by @stephenkb.bsky.social in his own excellent Inside Politics newsletter for the FT It's on why a tourist tax is a better way to fund national museums than charging international visitors (£) www.ft.com/content/2cba...

maxwell museums reposted

Museums Association

@museumsassociation.org

News | Half-term strike at V&A suspended after unions receive improved offer Staff halt planned industrial action to enable further talks to take place Prospect Union, Public and Commercial Services Union

maxwellmuseums.comNational Gallery audio guide is now free to access with new Bloomberg Connects partnershipThe £7 fee to access the National Gallery's audio guide has been abolished

🟦 A £7 charge for the National Gallery's audio guide has been abolished 🎧

🟦 Bayeux Tapestry Update: Two hours in, tickets are now limited according to the British Museum. Still 240,000 people in the queue. My v v ball park estimation is there were probably around 100k-200k tickets put on sale today in total

🟦 Over 170,000 people in the queue as tickets go on sale for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum Anyone joining now…I’m unsure you’ll get tickets I’m afraid

heraldscotland.comInside the £68.7m museum revamp helping to transform a Scottish town centreFinishing touches are being made to the £68.7million redevelopment of Paisley Museum ahead of its reopening early next year.

Now over 200,000 in queue...

maxwell museums reposted

Brian Ferguson

@brianjaffa.bsky.social

👀 This exclusive feature on the new-look Paisley Museum has been one of the most-read pieces on The Herald website over the last few days. www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2... @heraldscotland.bsky.social

🟦 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 | The government abandons any moves to introduce admission charges to England's national museums — it commits to entry being "free, forever, for everyone to access."

Lisa Nandy, Culture Secretary, said: “Our museums are the places that light up the world. They remind of us our shared history, and enable us to step outside the confines of our lives. There is something incredibly special about that. "That’s why they must be free, forever, for everyone to access.

Nandy: "I’m delighted that we’re continuing that transformative policy pioneered by the last Labour government, opening up access to our excellent museums for generations.” SoS announced the commitment to free entry at an event hosted by Art Fund at Tate Liverpool during the Labour conference

maxwellmuseums.comSpace-themed Pokémon trail and shop coming to the Science MuseumPokémon is taking over the Science Museum in London this autumn

🟦 A space-themed Pokémon trail and shop is coming to the Science Museum next month

artsprofessional.co.ukExclusive: V&A launches voluntary exit scheme ahead of scheduled strike action - Arts ProfessionalThe V&A has opened a voluntary exit scheme open to all staff, Arts Professional can reveal, with the news coming as staff represented by Prospect and

🟦 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 | The V&A will make voluntary redundancies in order "to reduce costs" The PCS union believe an operational deficit in the millions is expected in the coming years

🟦 NEWS 🚨 | Talks about the future of the Parthenon Sculptures have collapsed, reports the Telegraph www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09...

FWIW this was all but apparent after the extensive updates on the negotiations went completely silent in past year or so

21 Sept

🟦 We Brits love to queue—and the Bayeux Tapestry queue is the talk of the (London) town! V excited to be quoted in the New York Times about what it's like to visit the Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum. TLDR: yes there's a long line, but it's worth it www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/a...

maxwellmuseums.substack.comPhotos banned at Bayeux Tapestry exhibitionPLUS: Manhunt for Renoir museum thieves

21 Sept

Here's my initial write up of my visit — including queue talk and photo bans ❌ 📸

maxwell museums reposted

maxwellmuseums.comAs The Hay Wain arrives in Ipswich, here's how to explore Constable CountryInspired by the Hay Wain, explore the Suffolk landscape that John Constable painted

19 Sept

🟦 It's the final weeks to see Constable's The Hay Wain in Ipswich — the first time its ever been shown in Suffolk, the place it depicts I explored the show and Constable Country earlier this year 🌱

maxwellmuseums.comAs The Hay Wain arrives in Ipswich, here's how to explore Constable CountryInspired by the Hay Wain, explore the Suffolk landscape that John Constable painted

19 Sept

maxwellmuseums.substack.comPhotos banned at Bayeux Tapestry exhibitionPLUS: Manhunt for Renoir museum thieves

15 Sept

🟦 I went to see the Bayeux Tapestry on its second day open to the public to see what the visitor experience is like One big thing: photography has been banned. Permissions to take your own snaps lasted one day ❌ 📸 Here's what I else I thought of the exhibition of the century at the British Museum👇

12 Sept

🟦 NEWS 🚨 | The government has told National Museums Liverpool that its International Slavery Museum will be exempt from any policy forcing England's national museums to charge foreign tourists for entry

ft.comBritain thinks twice about free museumsThe UK government is considering charging tourists entry fees. The sector is vehemently opposed

12 Sept

The news is revealed in a *very* eye-opening piece on the growing calls to abolish universal free entry for England's national museums in today's @financialtimes.com

nytimes.comSmithsonian’s Secretary to Resign as Trump Tries to Rule the InstitutionIn the face of escalating White House attacks about how museums present American history, Lonnie G. Bunch III has announced his decision to depart.

8 Sept

🟦 NEWS 🚨 | Lonnie G. Bunch III resigns as head of the Smithsonian In the face of White House attacks, he says he will depart at the end of the year

8 Sept

“My goal has been to win, not to make me feel good,” he said. “To win — to protect the Smithsonian — there were times I would fight, make clear what the red lines were. And there were other times I let things go.”

bbc.co.ukRenoir: Four works of art stolen from museum in FranceTwo thieves broke into the museum in on Tuesday, stealing "four works of art" - one of which they dropped as they fled, a local mayor says.

8 Sept

🟦 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 | Four works of art by Renoir are stolen in a museum heist in France www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...

7 Sept

🟦 History. Made. After all the build up — and after 1,000 years! — I can’t believe it’s finally here Astonishing to have got so close to this remarkable treasure this morning ✨

maxwellmuseums.comBayeux Tapestry curator Michael Lewis takes us behind the scenes of the British Museum's blockbuster exhibitionThe Bayeux Tapestry exhibition curator reveals how this landmark loan to the UK was achieved

5 Sept

🟦 Michael Lewis gave the King a tour of the Bayeux Tapestry this week 👑 Before that honour, Michael spoke to me about how this landmark exhibition at the British Museum has all come about, and what its legacy will be 💬 "I am still rubbing my eyes a bit!" he told me

3 Sept

🟦 💬 "To see this astonishing artefact back in Britain for the first time in 1000 years is the most moving moment of my career" Reviews for the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum are in. And its ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from the Telegraph "This is vivid, involving storytelling" www.telegraph.co.uk/art/reviews/...

maxwellmuseums.substack.comCurating the Bayeux Tapestry exhibitionINTERVIEW: British Museum’s Professor Michael Lewis

2 Sept

🟦 As HM The King unveils the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum tonight, I’ve been speaking to the show’s curator In my latest newsletter, I speak to Michael Lewis about his role in securing this history-making loan to Britain and what it means to him after all these years 🇬🇧 🇫🇷

france24.comMacron in Britain to help unveil Bayeux tapestry for historic exhibitionFrench President Emmanuel Macron will be the first EU leader to meet new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a two-day visit to the UK that began Wednesday. Macron will first inaugurate a histo...

2 Sept

🟦 NEWS 🚨 | Later today, HM The King and President Macron will officially open the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum The museum will close at 1pm in preparation

maxwellmuseums.comClaudia Winkleman stars in British Museum Bayeux Tapestry film as new tickets revealedTV icon Winkleman stars in trailer announcing the next Bayeux Tapestry ticket release

29 Aug

🟦 NEWS 🚨 | Claudia Winkleman stars in British Museum's new Bayeux Tapestry film — as new tickets revealed

maxwellmuseums.substack.comREVEALED: Next Bayeux Tapestry ticket dropPLUS: Strikes will shut V&A sites

29 Aug

🟦 The date of the next Bayeux Tapestry ticket drop has been revealed As have the closure dates for 3 of the V&A sites due to strike action And there's news of a huge museum raid in Spain, and a £71m Rembrandt could be leaving the UK It's all here in my latest newsletter! 💫👇

28 Aug

🟦 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 | The next tranche of tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum will go on sale on 21 October at 10am. The news was announced tonight at Piccadilly Circus, where the famous screens debuted a new trailer for the exhibition starring museum trustee Claudia Winkleman

28 Aug

🟦 A big surprise — I'm in the Times! 🗞️ 💫 It was an early morning visit to the newsagent today after I discovered I get a mention in today's The Times: print and online thank you very much 😆 The paper's Art Critic Laura Freeman highlights my newsletter 'maxwell museums' in her column 🙏

maxwellmuseums.substack.commaxwell museums | SubstackNews, views and interviews from the world of museums, galleries, heritage and art | One of the world's "33 best Substack newsletters" according to the Observer newspaper. Click to read maxwell museums...

28 Aug

After also being featured in the Financial Times earlier this year, I'm going to bang my own drum and say that if you want to reach people who care deeply about what's going on with museums, galleries, and heritage (including Times writers!) then subscribe, pitch and/or sponsor 'maxwell museums'!

gov.ukMinister acts to help save Rembrandt masterpiece from leaving the UKThe government has temporarily banned a Rembrandt painting worth £71 million from being taken out of the UK permanently

🟦 NEWS 🚨 | Rembrandt’s 1657 ‘Portrait of Catrina Hooghsaet’ is at risk of leaving the UK for second time in 11 years Saving it will cost a museum £71m If it can be acquired, it will be one of the most expensive purchases for a British institution ever This will be v hard to keep here

🟦 Farewell then, Yayoi Kusama, arguably the world's most famous contemporary female artist She died two weeks ago aged 97, with her death announced today 🟡 🔴 🟢 🔵 ⚪️ Her career absolutely boomed in the 21st century, and she was hugely prolific even in the past few years

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Her largest permanent public sculpture came to Liverpool Street station in London in 2024 too And there was the Louis Vuitton collaboration at Harrods in 2023 which saw a giant sculpture of the artist tower next to the department store and peer into the window (the jury's still out on this one tbh)

In just 2 weeks time, a landmark retrospective of her career will open at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. The Director Rein Wolfs says it'll be "a feast for the eyes where one can truly lose themselves in her extraordinary art." A visit will be the perfect tribute to say goodbye to one of the greats ✨

Her Infinity Mirror Rooms became Tate Modern's most-visited exhibition ever after running for three years from 2021 While her 2024 exhibition at National Gallery of Victoria become the best-attended ticketed art exhibition in Australian history 🎟️

thetimes.comShow me the Monet! How the art blockbuster came backThe arrival of the Bayeux Tapestry in London and the Tate’s unprecedented Monet show may herald the beginning of a new golden age of museum loans

26 Aug

"In 2022 Frances Morris, then director of Tate Modern, warned that big loan shows were over in the age of tough budgets and the climate emergency... Well, after a challenging few years, the big-loan blockbuster is back." Fab celebration of the blockbuster exhibition by Laura Freeman in the Times

maxwellmuseums.substack.comCalling all art world outsiders 🚨GUEST COLUMN: London’s new art club for ‘normal’ people

25 Aug

🟦 "Our greatest achievement probably came when quite a prominent person from the industry told us...that they’d never really seen this many normal people in an art gallery" 📝 I'm stoked that @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com is the latest guest columnist in my newsletter 📩

maxwellmuseums.substack.comCalling all art world outsiders 🚨GUEST COLUMN: London’s new art club for ‘normal’ people

25 Aug

In the piece, journalist and Outsider Arts Club founder Marie Le Conte explains why she’s on a mission to transform art viewing and buying into a sociable event (that won’t break the bank) And for those new to the newsletter, I cover the goings on in museums, art and heritage every week 👨‍💻

maxwell museums reposted

National Trust

@nationaltrust.org.uk

12 Aug

ANNOUNCEMENT: All our sundials will be out of order this evening between about 6pm and 8pm, we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Normal service will resume tomorrow. In unrelated news, enjoy the eclipse later... Photos: Mike Selby, Annapurna Mellor, Chris Davies, John Millar

maxwellmuseums.comV&A's Burberry trench coat display will mark 170 years of fashion brandA Burberry display is coming to the V&A in London in September 2026

3 Aug

🟦 A Burberry display is coming to the V&A in London — and it will shine a spotlight on the fashion brand’s much-loved and enduring trench coat 🧥

open.substack.comV&A strike over ‘Amazon-style’ conditionsPLUS: “Cultural vandalism” as glass museum closes

1 Aug

🟦 My latest post dives into the biggest UK and global stories from museums, art and heritage. This week’s headlines include: 🗞️ V&A staff strike over ‘Amazon-style’ conditions 🗞️ “Cultural vandalism” as British glass museum closes 🗞️ Philadelphia Museum of Art shocks with $10m deficit

maxwellmuseums.comLisa Nandy survived, but will free museum entry last under Andy Burnham's new government?Charging foreign tourists for museum entry might be a tempting quick financial win for Andy Burnham

27 July

🟦 Lisa Nandy survived, but will free museum entry last under Andy Burnham's new government?

maxwellmuseums.substack.comTate's new director takes a pay cutPLUS: Shock as Nandy keeps culture job

25 July

🟦 The new director of Tate has been announced — and they’re taking a big pay cut British curator Jessica Morgan will take up the role in Jan 2027. She’s led the New York-based Dia Art Foundation since 2015. 📩 This is the top story in my weekly museum, art and heritage news Substack👇

22 July

🟦 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 | British curator Jessica Morgan — currently Director of Dia Art Foundation in New York — has been appointed the new Director of Tate, succeeding Maria Balshaw

maxwellmuseums.substack.comWham! and chintz! lead V&A's 2027PLUS: Legionnaires' bacteria found in NYC museums

21 July

🟦 A packed week of news from the world of museums, art and heritage ⤵ ✨ A first look at the Bayeux Tapestry as it’s unpacked in Britain ✨ Wham! chintz! And clay! lead the the V&A’s 2027 shows ✨ The Beatles birthplace gets Liverpool blockbuster ✨ Closure of Cardiff’s national museum “realistic”

20 July

🟦 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 | Lisa Nandy REMAINS culture secretary in Andy Burnham’s cabinet WOW! 🤯