The Week’s Muse: 26 July

A round-up of recent news and comment from the Muse Room

The Irish Cabinet Reshuffle

Jimmy Deenihan, the outgoing Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, won’t be greatly missed, but Robert O’Byrne wonders whether the newly appointed Heather Humphreys and Joe McHugh will be an improvement.

ZERO Group co-founder Otto Piene has died

Portrait of Otto Piene in 2014. Otto Piene died in Berlin shortly after the opening of two exhibitions of his work. The conceptual artist was renowned for his ‘fire paintings’ and his sky art events, one of which took place last Saturday in his honour.

Are encyclopaedic museums concentrating too much on contemporary art?

The Whitney Museum's landmark Breuer building is to be used by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to display its contemporary collection. In Apollo’s July/August issue Forum, Louise Nicholson argues that ‘institutions [should] be cautious about acquiring… contemporary art’, while James Cahill contends that they have ‘a duty to give prominent…emphasis to contemporary displays’.

Magnus Renfrew leaves Art Basel for Bonhams Asia

‘It’s rare that you have the opportunity to really build something in your career’. We spoke to Renfrew about his decision to return to Bonhams as Deputy Chairman, Asia and Director of Fine Arts, Asia.