maxwell museums
@maxwellmuseums.bsky.social
🟦 🚨 news + views from museums, galleries, art, exhibitions | creator of maxwell museums newsletter 📩 | + 🟨 PR at the Design Museum (own views)
🔗 https://maxwellmuseums.substack.com/
🔗 https://maxwellmuseums.substack.com/
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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...
maxwellmuseums.substack.com
🟦 i’ve been writing my museums and art newsletter for over SIX years
it was named as one of the world’s best by the Observer newspaper (i was stoked!). this year it's been featured on BBC News too
4,500+ readers trust me to keep them in-the-know!
you can join them! sign up — for FREE — here 👇
it was named as one of the world’s best by the Observer newspaper (i was stoked!). this year it's been featured on BBC News too
4,500+ readers trust me to keep them in-the-know!
you can join them! sign up — for FREE — here 👇
🟦 NEWS 🚨 | Pokémon has arrived at the Natural History Museum!
The much anticipated collaboration opened its doors on-site and online today — and there's currently 89,000 people in a queue to purchase items from the museum's web store 🤯
📍 @nhm-london.bsky.social
The much anticipated collaboration opened its doors on-site and online today — and there's currently 89,000 people in a queue to purchase items from the museum's web store 🤯
📍 @nhm-london.bsky.social
January 26, 2026 at 5:37 PM
🟦 NEWS 🚨 | Pokémon has arrived at the Natural History Museum!
The much anticipated collaboration opened its doors on-site and online today — and there's currently 89,000 people in a queue to purchase items from the museum's web store 🤯
📍 @nhm-london.bsky.social
The much anticipated collaboration opened its doors on-site and online today — and there's currently 89,000 people in a queue to purchase items from the museum's web store 🤯
📍 @nhm-london.bsky.social
🟦 Why this week’s announcement of £1.5bn in cultural funding was not quite the transformative moment it claimed to be
DCMS pledges £1.5bn funding. Is it enough?
PLUS: V&A director wants more gratitude from government
open.substack.com
January 24, 2026 at 12:17 PM
🟦 Why this week’s announcement of £1.5bn in cultural funding was not quite the transformative moment it claimed to be
🟦 my latest newsletter:
🚨David Hockney vs British Museum
🚨Prado says NO MORE VISITORS
🚨National Trust's record cash donation
+ my 2026 exhibitions to see outside the UK
🚨David Hockney vs British Museum
🚨Prado says NO MORE VISITORS
🚨National Trust's record cash donation
+ my 2026 exhibitions to see outside the UK
Hockney slams British Museum "madness"
PLUS: Prado says no more visitors
maxwellmuseums.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 1:06 PM
🟦 my latest newsletter:
🚨David Hockney vs British Museum
🚨Prado says NO MORE VISITORS
🚨National Trust's record cash donation
+ my 2026 exhibitions to see outside the UK
🚨David Hockney vs British Museum
🚨Prado says NO MORE VISITORS
🚨National Trust's record cash donation
+ my 2026 exhibitions to see outside the UK
🟦 "Some things are too precious to take a risk with. Moving the Bayeux Tapestry is one of them."
David Hockney slams the plan to bring the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum.
Writing exclusively in the @the-independent.com, he calls the move "madness."
David Hockney slams the plan to bring the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum.
Writing exclusively in the @the-independent.com, he calls the move "madness."
David Hockney: Why it’s madness to move the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain
Writing exclusively for The Independent, David Hockney fears that the British Museum is taking too much of a risk by moving the fragile tapestry to these shores – and any damage could be irreparable
www.independent.co.uk
January 15, 2026 at 9:32 AM
🟦 "Some things are too precious to take a risk with. Moving the Bayeux Tapestry is one of them."
David Hockney slams the plan to bring the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum.
Writing exclusively in the @the-independent.com, he calls the move "madness."
David Hockney slams the plan to bring the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum.
Writing exclusively in the @the-independent.com, he calls the move "madness."
🟦 Britain's regional museums are in crisis
"There’ll come a point when the Mr Micawber school of management will become untenable" says Tony Butler OBE, Director of Derby Museums
Tony pens a wake up call column in my newsletter today, on what must be done to save our local museums
Read here ⬇️
"There’ll come a point when the Mr Micawber school of management will become untenable" says Tony Butler OBE, Director of Derby Museums
Tony pens a wake up call column in my newsletter today, on what must be done to save our local museums
Read here ⬇️
Regional museums are in crisis
Tony Butler's fears for the future
maxwellmuseums.substack.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:24 PM
🟦 Britain's regional museums are in crisis
"There’ll come a point when the Mr Micawber school of management will become untenable" says Tony Butler OBE, Director of Derby Museums
Tony pens a wake up call column in my newsletter today, on what must be done to save our local museums
Read here ⬇️
"There’ll come a point when the Mr Micawber school of management will become untenable" says Tony Butler OBE, Director of Derby Museums
Tony pens a wake up call column in my newsletter today, on what must be done to save our local museums
Read here ⬇️
🟦 This is a STAGGERING deep-dive into the civil war within the leadership of the Philadelphia Art Museum
The war that's led to the brutal ousting of Director Sasha Suda, which is heading to court
A must-read on the somewhat opaque (and sometimes murky) world of museum governance
🗞️ @phillymag.com
The war that's led to the brutal ousting of Director Sasha Suda, which is heading to court
A must-read on the somewhat opaque (and sometimes murky) world of museum governance
🗞️ @phillymag.com
Inside the Philadelphia Art Museum’s Epic Meltdown
The exclusive story behind the brutal ouster of Sasha Suda and the new civil war at Philadelphia’s premier cultural institution
www.phillymag.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:36 PM
🟦 This is a STAGGERING deep-dive into the civil war within the leadership of the Philadelphia Art Museum
The war that's led to the brutal ousting of Director Sasha Suda, which is heading to court
A must-read on the somewhat opaque (and sometimes murky) world of museum governance
🗞️ @phillymag.com
The war that's led to the brutal ousting of Director Sasha Suda, which is heading to court
A must-read on the somewhat opaque (and sometimes murky) world of museum governance
🗞️ @phillymag.com
Reposted by maxwell museums
The White House says the Smithsonian Institution must submit materials about current and upcoming exhibitions and events for a review that will determine whether they express "improper ideology." n.pr/4583d8f
Today is the Smithsonian's deadline to give thousands of documents to the White House
The White House says the Smithsonian Institution must submit materials about current and upcoming exhibitions and events for a review that will determine whether they express "improper ideology."
n.pr
January 13, 2026 at 11:54 AM
The White House says the Smithsonian Institution must submit materials about current and upcoming exhibitions and events for a review that will determine whether they express "improper ideology." n.pr/4583d8f
🟦 NEWS | The Mauritshuis museum is moving Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring to Japan in a rare loan
Mauritshuis moving Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring to Japan in rare loan
Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring is going to the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka.
www.maxwellmuseums.com
January 10, 2026 at 1:50 PM
🟦 NEWS | The Mauritshuis museum is moving Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring to Japan in a rare loan
🟦 The Telegraph have called him "one of Britain’s finest living painters"
Now he's getting his first ever major retrospective, at Tate Britain no less
Here's all the info on Hurvin Anderson's upcoming exhibition of his colour-drenched landscapes and interiors ✨
Now he's getting his first ever major retrospective, at Tate Britain no less
Here's all the info on Hurvin Anderson's upcoming exhibition of his colour-drenched landscapes and interiors ✨
Tate Britain to open Hurvin Anderson's first ever major retrospective exhibition
Opening in March, 80 Anderson paintings will be brought together at Tate Britain
www.maxwellmuseums.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:03 PM
🟦 The Telegraph have called him "one of Britain’s finest living painters"
Now he's getting his first ever major retrospective, at Tate Britain no less
Here's all the info on Hurvin Anderson's upcoming exhibition of his colour-drenched landscapes and interiors ✨
Now he's getting his first ever major retrospective, at Tate Britain no less
Here's all the info on Hurvin Anderson's upcoming exhibition of his colour-drenched landscapes and interiors ✨
🟦 A definitive account of the President's assault on the Smithsonian — if you read one thing today, make it this
Another excellent (and vital) Guardian long-read from Charlotte Higgins
Another excellent (and vital) Guardian long-read from Charlotte Higgins
Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian: ‘The goal is to reframe the entire culture of the US’
The long read: The president has vowed to kill off ‘woke’ in his second term in office, and the venerable cultural institution a few blocks from the White House is in his sights
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026 at 10:47 AM
🟦 A definitive account of the President's assault on the Smithsonian — if you read one thing today, make it this
Another excellent (and vital) Guardian long-read from Charlotte Higgins
Another excellent (and vital) Guardian long-read from Charlotte Higgins
🟦 One of the most anticipated UK exhibitions of 2026 is the first exhibition ever staged in Britain devoted to the Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli
Here's what to expect inside the V&A show — and why you should pre-book your tickets 🎟️
Here's what to expect inside the V&A show — and why you should pre-book your tickets 🎟️
V&A to open huge Schiaparelli fashion exhibition in March 2026
A major Schiaparelli exhibition will open at the V&A in London’s South Kensington in March 2026
www.maxwellmuseums.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:08 AM
🟦 One of the most anticipated UK exhibitions of 2026 is the first exhibition ever staged in Britain devoted to the Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli
Here's what to expect inside the V&A show — and why you should pre-book your tickets 🎟️
Here's what to expect inside the V&A show — and why you should pre-book your tickets 🎟️
🟦 Read more art books in 2026! 📚
Here's my round-up of the best new art publications coming our way in the coming year — from a landmark book on Andy Warhol to a deep-dive into Antony Gormley's drawings
⤵️
Here's my round-up of the best new art publications coming our way in the coming year — from a landmark book on Andy Warhol to a deep-dive into Antony Gormley's drawings
⤵️
8 best new art books to read or gift in 2026
From Tracey Emin to Andy Warhol — the new art books you need to read in 2026
www.maxwellmuseums.com
January 3, 2026 at 4:53 PM
🟦 Read more art books in 2026! 📚
Here's my round-up of the best new art publications coming our way in the coming year — from a landmark book on Andy Warhol to a deep-dive into Antony Gormley's drawings
⤵️
Here's my round-up of the best new art publications coming our way in the coming year — from a landmark book on Andy Warhol to a deep-dive into Antony Gormley's drawings
⤵️
🟦 A major Tracey Emin exhibition opening at Tate Modern next month will be "a true celebration of living" according to Dame Tracey
Tracey Emin exhibition at Tate Modern will open in February 2026 and will be a "celebration of living"
A major Tracey Emin exhibition is coming to Tate Modern in 2026.
www.maxwellmuseums.com
January 2, 2026 at 4:32 PM
🟦 A major Tracey Emin exhibition opening at Tate Modern next month will be "a true celebration of living" according to Dame Tracey
🟦 Frida Kahlo, Anish Kapoor and the Bayeux Tapestry...
These are all the 11 exhibitions in London in 2026 I think you must see!
⬇️⬇️⬇️
These are all the 11 exhibitions in London in 2026 I think you must see!
⬇️⬇️⬇️
11 best London exhibitions you need to see in 2026
Tracey Emin, Anish Kapoor and Frida Kahlo are some of 2026 highlight exhibitions
www.maxwellmuseums.com
January 1, 2026 at 12:17 PM
🟦 Frida Kahlo, Anish Kapoor and the Bayeux Tapestry...
These are all the 11 exhibitions in London in 2026 I think you must see!
⬇️⬇️⬇️
These are all the 11 exhibitions in London in 2026 I think you must see!
⬇️⬇️⬇️
🟦 NEWS 🚨 | Arise, Sir Tristram. HM The King awards a knighthood to the Director of the V&A 🏅
V&A Director Tristram Hunt knighted by King in New Year Honours
Tristram Hunt — Director of the V&A museum since 20217 — has been knighted by His Majesty The King in the 2026 New Year honours
www.maxwellmuseums.com
December 30, 2025 at 9:34 AM
🟦 NEWS 🚨 | Arise, Sir Tristram. HM The King awards a knighthood to the Director of the V&A 🏅
🟦 a huge Henry Moore exhibition is coming to Kew Gardens. it'll be the artist's largest ever outdoor display
i *cannot* wait for this 2026 show!
here's everything we know so far ⬇️
i *cannot* wait for this 2026 show!
here's everything we know so far ⬇️
Henry Moore exhibition at Kew Gardens is artist's largest ever outdoor display
Kew Gardens will open a vast Henry Moore exhibition in May 2026
www.maxwellmuseums.com
December 29, 2025 at 12:17 PM
🟦 a huge Henry Moore exhibition is coming to Kew Gardens. it'll be the artist's largest ever outdoor display
i *cannot* wait for this 2026 show!
here's everything we know so far ⬇️
i *cannot* wait for this 2026 show!
here's everything we know so far ⬇️
🟦 NEWS 🚨 | victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal have dismissed a planned Postal Museum exhibition on the affair as a PR stunt — and many victims are refusing to endorse it
‘A PR stunt’: Post Office scandal victims dismiss plans for museum exhibition
Many victims and families advising inquiry’s legacy project are highly suspicious of idea of Postal Museum exhibition
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:04 PM
🟦 NEWS 🚨 | victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal have dismissed a planned Postal Museum exhibition on the affair as a PR stunt — and many victims are refusing to endorse it
🟦 Marilyn Monroe, Lucian Freud, Tim Walker and more will all star in blockbuster solo exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery in London in 2026 💫
here's the full rundown on what's on at the NPG next year — written by me!
it's never too early to start planning what to see ⤵ 💕
here's the full rundown on what's on at the NPG next year — written by me!
it's never too early to start planning what to see ⤵ 💕
National Portrait Gallery exhibitions 2026: What’s on now and what’s coming soon
From Marilyn Monroe to Lucian Freud, here's every exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in 2026
www.maxwellmuseums.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:40 PM
🟦 Marilyn Monroe, Lucian Freud, Tim Walker and more will all star in blockbuster solo exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery in London in 2026 💫
here's the full rundown on what's on at the NPG next year — written by me!
it's never too early to start planning what to see ⤵ 💕
here's the full rundown on what's on at the NPG next year — written by me!
it's never too early to start planning what to see ⤵ 💕
🟦 NEWS | 170 Lucian Freud drawings will star in a National Portrait Gallery exhibition in 2026 — many will be seen for the first time
170 Lucian Freud drawings star in National Portrait Gallery exhibition in 2026
Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting is a major new exhibition that will open at the National Portrait Gallery in February 2026
www.maxwellmuseums.com
December 22, 2025 at 11:20 AM
🟦 NEWS | 170 Lucian Freud drawings will star in a National Portrait Gallery exhibition in 2026 — many will be seen for the first time
🟦 National Portrait Gallery to stage Catherine Opie’s first UK museum retrospective
Catherine Opie: To Be Seen will be the very first museum exhibition in the UK dedicated to the celebrated American photographer
www.maxwellmuseums.com/post/nationa...
Catherine Opie: To Be Seen will be the very first museum exhibition in the UK dedicated to the celebrated American photographer
www.maxwellmuseums.com/post/nationa...
National Portrait Gallery to stage Catherine Opie’s first UK museum retrospective
Catherine Opie: To Be Seen will be the very first museum exhibition in the UK dedicated to the celebrated American photographer Catherine Opie
www.maxwellmuseums.com
December 16, 2025 at 8:06 PM
🟦 National Portrait Gallery to stage Catherine Opie’s first UK museum retrospective
Catherine Opie: To Be Seen will be the very first museum exhibition in the UK dedicated to the celebrated American photographer
www.maxwellmuseums.com/post/nationa...
Catherine Opie: To Be Seen will be the very first museum exhibition in the UK dedicated to the celebrated American photographer
www.maxwellmuseums.com/post/nationa...
Reposted by maxwell museums
Help! Banbury Museum has been told that Cherwell District Council is cancelling ALL of its core funding.
There is a very tight deadline - Friday 19th December - to tell the Council what you think.
Please respond to the consultation and share this post
www.banburymuseum.org/news/no-fund...
There is a very tight deadline - Friday 19th December - to tell the Council what you think.
Please respond to the consultation and share this post
www.banburymuseum.org/news/no-fund...
December 16, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Help! Banbury Museum has been told that Cherwell District Council is cancelling ALL of its core funding.
There is a very tight deadline - Friday 19th December - to tell the Council what you think.
Please respond to the consultation and share this post
www.banburymuseum.org/news/no-fund...
There is a very tight deadline - Friday 19th December - to tell the Council what you think.
Please respond to the consultation and share this post
www.banburymuseum.org/news/no-fund...
🟦 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 | Arts Council England should abolish is ten-year Let's Create strategy and establish a completely new model for funding the National Portfolio Organisations, says an independent review by Baroness Margaret Hodge
December 16, 2025 at 1:07 PM
🟦 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 | Arts Council England should abolish is ten-year Let's Create strategy and establish a completely new model for funding the National Portfolio Organisations, says an independent review by Baroness Margaret Hodge
🟦 the British Museum thinks 2026 could be a record-breaking year. Beating even the 1972 Tutankhamun blockbuster
it's all thanks to the loan of Bayeux Tapestry of course. But here's my roundup of all of the museum's exhibitions planned for the year ahead ⤵️
it's all thanks to the loan of Bayeux Tapestry of course. But here's my roundup of all of the museum's exhibitions planned for the year ahead ⤵️
Current and upcoming British Museum exhibitions (2026)
Here's all the exhibitions which are on at the British Museum in 2026
www.maxwellmuseums.com
December 16, 2025 at 12:35 PM
🟦 the British Museum thinks 2026 could be a record-breaking year. Beating even the 1972 Tutankhamun blockbuster
it's all thanks to the loan of Bayeux Tapestry of course. But here's my roundup of all of the museum's exhibitions planned for the year ahead ⤵️
it's all thanks to the loan of Bayeux Tapestry of course. But here's my roundup of all of the museum's exhibitions planned for the year ahead ⤵️
🟦 NEWS | the Louvre will remain shut today as a rolling strike by staff begins
unions say “staff feel today like they are the last bastion before collapse”
unions say “staff feel today like they are the last bastion before collapse”
Louvre museum closed as workers begin strike
Crisis-hit Paris institution still reeling from jewel heist in dispute over staffing, renovations and ticket price rises
www.theguardian.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:43 AM
🟦 NEWS | the Louvre will remain shut today as a rolling strike by staff begins
unions say “staff feel today like they are the last bastion before collapse”
unions say “staff feel today like they are the last bastion before collapse”
🟦 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 | Maria Balshaw will step down as Director of Tate in Spring 2026 after 9 years
Balshaw said: “It has been an absolute privilege to serve as Director of Tate over this last decade and to work with such talented colleagues and artists."
Balshaw said: “It has been an absolute privilege to serve as Director of Tate over this last decade and to work with such talented colleagues and artists."
December 12, 2025 at 11:24 AM
🟦 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 | Maria Balshaw will step down as Director of Tate in Spring 2026 after 9 years
Balshaw said: “It has been an absolute privilege to serve as Director of Tate over this last decade and to work with such talented colleagues and artists."
Balshaw said: “It has been an absolute privilege to serve as Director of Tate over this last decade and to work with such talented colleagues and artists."