A $5 million gift to the future
Pittsburgh philanthropists Daniel and Carole Kamin made a $5 million gift to Carnegie Museum of Natural History that will keep on giving for decades: It permanently endows the museum’s director position, currently held by Eric Dorfman, now renamed the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Director of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. “We are pleased to be able to support an iconic and historic Pittsburgh institution,” says Carole Kamin. “We hope our contribution will continue the tradition of excellence exemplified by Eric Dorfman, who is leading the museum in an exciting and positive direction.” The Kamins are long-time supporters of Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, and Carole is a Museum of Natural History board member, a member of the executive committee of the Carnegie Discoverers, and a member of Carnegie Museum of Art’s Women’s Committee. “The Kamins’ generosity comes not just in financial contributions, but their willingness to lend their time and expertise to the museum as well,” says Dorfman.
All that glitters
Andy Warhol was often seen wearing a gold Rolex, but that didn’t stop him from holding on to this 14-karat gold sparkler. Part of the artist’s massive personal collection, it was purchased by watch barron Gedalio Grinberg for $990 at the 1988 Sotheby’s estate sale of the artist’s belongings. The sale of Warhol’s watches and other jewelry took place on April 27, 1988, with a total of 179 watches or groups of watches auctioned. The sale even included three plastic character watches—The Flintstones Fred n Dino, Judy Jetson, and Gumby—all still in their original packaging. Grinberg, the same collector who purchased nearly all of Warhol’s eclectic cookie jar collection, would eventually gift the watch to its most recent owner, who in turn donated it to the museum and wishes to remain anonymous. The watch is just one of an estimated 500,000 objects in The Warhol’s archives. Omega brand gold wrist watch, The Andy Warhol Museum, Anonymous gift
The TOPS in 2016 art exhibitions
Hyperallergic, a popular online forum “for serious, playful, and radical thinking about art in the world today,” named two Carnegie Museums exhibitions among the top 15 U.S. art shows of 2016. At No. 4, the blog’s writers and editors cited Carnegie Museum of Art’s Hélio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium. “The exhibition strikes a nice balance of being fun and inviting, while also rigorous in its scholarship,” they professed. “It is also the first show to delve into Oiticica’s overlooked years in New York City, which are detailed in the exhibition’s thorough catalogue.” At No. 7 was The Warhol’s Andy Warhol: My Perfect Body. “It’s hard to believe that there is anything new to learn about Andy Warhol,” the team at Hyperallergic noted. “But My Perfect Body at the Warhol Museum makes the case that there is … The content of the show is fascinating, and it is sensitively, never sensationally, presented.”
Hélio Oiticica, Filter Project—For Vergara (Projeto Filtro—Para Vergara), 1972, Courtesy of César and Claudio Oiticica, Rio de Janeiro, and Galerie Lelong, New York, All artworks by Hélio Oiticica © César and Claudio Oiticica, Rio de Janeiro
Edward Wallowitch, Andy Warhol with Face in Hands, 1957–58, The Andy Warhol Museum; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. © 2016 Edward Wallowitch Estate
“Whether you stop by for brunch before your museum visit, coffee or wine after your visit, or a full-blown meal mid-gander, you’ll be glad you did.” – Amanda McFadden of eatPGH.com, on The Café Carnegie in Oakland. The full-service restaurant is now open for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
A trip down the Nile
Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Walton Hall of Ancient Egypt wouldn’t be the same without it: the royal funerary boat of pharaoh Senwosret III (c. 1887-1848 BCE), one of four such boats discovered outside of Cairo in what’s known as the Dashur pyramid complex. Thanks to a $29,962 Humanities Digital Project grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the museum has plans to create a virtual journey down the Nile to complement the already popular attraction. It will be the centerpiece of a new Egypt on the Nile exhibition planned for 2020-21, and the grant will fund the initial research and planning stages of the immersive experience.
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