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maxwell museums

@maxwellmuseums.bsky.social
1.2K followers 314 following 356 posts

🟦 🚨 news from museums, galleries, art, exhibitions | creator of maxwell museums newsletter 📩 | + 🟨 PR at the Design Museum (own views) 🔗 maxwellmuseums.substack.com

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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
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
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
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.
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
🟦 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."
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🟦 A space-themed Pokémon trail and shop is coming to the Science Museum next month
maxwellmuseums.com
Space-themed Pokémon trail and shop coming to the Science Museum
Pokémon is taking over the Science Museum in London this autumn
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🟦 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
artsprofessional.co.uk
Exclusive: V&A launches voluntary exit scheme ahead of scheduled strike action - Arts Professional
The 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
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
ah excellent to see, i'll let the retail team know we need to deliver for the BlueSky fandom!
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
👏👏👏
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
FWIW this was all but apparent after the extensive updates on the negotiations went completely silent in past year or so
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
🟦 NEWS 🚨 | Talks about the future of the Parthenon Sculptures have collapsed, reports the Telegraph www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09...
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Here's my initial write up of my visit — including queue talk and photo bans ❌ 📸
maxwellmuseums.substack.com
Photos banned at Bayeux Tapestry exhibition
PLUS: Manhunt for Renoir museum thieves
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
🟦 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...
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
🟦 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.com
As The Hay Wain arrives in Ipswich, here's how to explore Constable Country
Inspired by the Hay Wain, explore the Suffolk landscape that John Constable painted
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
🟦 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.com
As The Hay Wain arrives in Ipswich, here's how to explore Constable Country
Inspired by the Hay Wain, explore the Suffolk landscape that John Constable painted
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
🟦 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👇
maxwellmuseums.substack.com
Photos banned at Bayeux Tapestry exhibition
PLUS: Manhunt for Renoir museum thieves
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
YES! it shows when people say "get the treasures out of the BM and on tour" as if local/civic museums have nothing (they have world class treasures!) — also nationals loan items and tour exhibitions all the time. Bristol Museum, had the NG's Hay Wain in 2024. It's getting V&A's Bowie tour next year
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
exactly — we need to see the modelling, because charges have been scrapped twice before so why would a third time work tbh I don’t think for advocates for charging it’s much deeper than “well people pay to go to the Louvre.” That’s it
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
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
ft.com
Britain thinks twice about free museums
The UK government is considering charging tourists entry fees. The sector is vehemently opposed
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
🟦 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
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“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.”
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
🟦 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
nytimes.com
Smithsonian’s Secretary to Resign as Trump Tries to Rule the Institution
In the face of escalating White House attacks about how museums present American history, Lonnie G. Bunch III has announced his decision to depart.
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
🟦 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 | Four works of art by Renoir are stolen in a museum heist in France www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...
bbc.co.uk
Renoir: Four works of art stolen from museum in France
Two 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.
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
🟦 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 ✨
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
🟦 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
maxwellmuseums.com
Bayeux Tapestry curator Michael Lewis takes us behind the scenes of the British Museum's blockbuster exhibition
The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition curator reveals how this landmark loan to the UK was achieved
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
🟦 💬 "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/...
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
🟦 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 🇬🇧 🇫🇷
maxwellmuseums.substack.com
Curating the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition
INTERVIEW: British Museum’s Professor Michael Lewis
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
🟦 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
france24.com
Macron in Britain to help unveil Bayeux tapestry for historic exhibition
French 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...
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
🟦 NEWS 🚨 | Claudia Winkleman stars in British Museum's new Bayeux Tapestry film — as new tickets revealed
maxwellmuseums.com
Claudia Winkleman stars in British Museum Bayeux Tapestry film as new tickets revealed
TV icon Winkleman stars in trailer announcing the next Bayeux Tapestry ticket release
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
🟦 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! 💫👇
maxwellmuseums.substack.com
REVEALED: Next Bayeux Tapestry ticket drop
PLUS: Strikes will shut V&A sites
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
🟦 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
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
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'!
maxwellmuseums.substack.com
maxwell museums | Substack
News, 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...
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
🟦 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 🙏
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
🟦 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
gov.uk
Minister acts to help save Rembrandt masterpiece from leaving the UK
The government has temporarily banned a Rembrandt painting worth £71 million from being taken out of the UK permanently
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
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 ✨
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
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)
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
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 🎟️
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
🟦 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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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
"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
thetimes.com
Show me the Monet! How the art blockbuster came back
The 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
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
oh really?! forever?
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
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 👨‍💻
maxwellmuseums.substack.com
Calling all art world outsiders 🚨
GUEST COLUMN: London’s new art club for ‘normal’ people
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
🟦 "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.com
Calling all art world outsiders 🚨
GUEST COLUMN: London’s new art club for ‘normal’ people
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National Trust @nationaltrust.org.uk · 12/08/2026
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
A wall-mounted sundial inside a walled garden. Text on the sundial reads: "fear god, obey ye king"A traditional sundial on a plinth, formal gardens surround itThe sun beams down on a traditional sundial, with heather visible in the backgroundA shot of a sundial from above. It's mounted on a stone plinth. Text on the side reads "KEW BRIDGE"
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
👏
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
🟦 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 🧥
maxwellmuseums.com
V&A's Burberry trench coat display will mark 170 years of fashion brand
A Burberry display is coming to the V&A in London in September 2026
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
🟦 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
open.substack.com
V&A strike over ‘Amazon-style’ conditions
PLUS: “Cultural vandalism” as glass museum closes
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
agree — and it's worse now because people are addicted to vertical video! both the people playing it out loud on the train, and the people watching it as they alight trains, change trains, walk around v busy stations!
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
ah brilliant, so pleased to hear that Mike! Glad you enjoyed it
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
good question! apparently she wanted housing as first choice!
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
🟦 Lisa Nandy survived, but will free museum entry last under Andy Burnham's new government?
maxwellmuseums.com
Lisa 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
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
agree!
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maxwell museums @maxwellmuseums.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
🟦 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👇
maxwellmuseums.substack.com
Tate's new director takes a pay cut
PLUS: Shock as Nandy keeps culture job
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