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curatorialista · 5 years

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Corona Virus Times in 5 Lines (and more)

There’s a virus with weird DNA It has us all staying away Coronavirus Highly contagious Not funny, but we’re shut in all day.

We’ve been hit by a pandemic of historical proportions that’s changed our culture and our lives. It’s changed everything: art, families, people, time, and the way we think.

Since its emergence in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus COVID-19 has upended numerous cities and countries across the globe. Among the various sectors that have been heavily affected is the art world—an industry fueled by perpetual itinerancy as well as social gatherings of mass scale and close proximity. As the public health crisis escalates, art organizations have shut down events, have announced postponements, or are carefully trying to trudge forward. Here is a continually refreshed list of major events and institutions that have made such decisions due to the virus, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a pandemic:

[Last updated at 2:52 PM on March 23]

CANCELED EVENTS

Metropolitan Opera House, New York: The theater has canceled the rest of its 2020 season.

Frieze New York: The fair has canceled its ninth edition, which was originally scheduled for May 6–10. The satellite event Frieze Sculpture at Rockefeller Center will still be held but will be moved to the summer.

Park Avenue Armory, New York: All performances of Deep Blue Sea, originally scheduled to run April 14–25, have been canceled.

Cleveland International Film Festival: Originally scheduled for March 25–April 5. The event will be back next year.

Brooklyn Academy of Live Music, New York: All live programming has been suspended through March 29.

Lincoln Center, New York: All programming has been suspended for the month of March.

LA Art Book Fair: Originally scheduled for April 3–April 5.

TEFAF Maastricht, the Netherlands: Originally scheduled for March 7–March 15. The fair opened as planned but called off the event on March 11 after an exhibitor tested positive for the virus.

South by Southwest, Austin, Texas: The thirty-fourth annual festival was originally scheduled for March 13–March 22.

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC: All events have been canceled through the end of March.

Yale Architecture: The school announced on March 11 that it is suspending all events and programming through at least April 5.

London Book Fair: Originally scheduled for March 10–March 12.

Salon du Livre Paris 2020: Originally scheduled for March 20–March 23.

Tucson Festival of Books, Arizona: Originally scheduled for March 14–March 15.

Jingart, Beijing: Originally scheduled for May 21–May 24.

Art Central Hong Kong: Originally scheduled for March 18–March 22.

Art Basel Hong Kong: Originally scheduled for March 19–March 21.

RESCHEDULED EVENTS

Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA2): Originally scheduled for May 16–October 11, the exhibition has been postponed.

Biennale de Sydney: The twenty-second edition of the exhibition, which opened on March 14, has closed. Organizers are teaming up with Google to launch a virtual edition of the biennial for the public, which will remain live until the physical exhibition is able to reopen.

Manifesta 13, Marseille: The biennial which was set to open on June 7 has been indefinitely postponed. Organizers have also closed the event’s two project spaces in Marseille—Espace Manifesta 13 at 42 La Canebière and Tiers QG at 57 rue Bernard du Bois—until at least April 15 and closed the show at its headquarters in Amsterdam until further notice.

TEFAF New York: Originally scheduled for May 8–11, the fair will now take place October 31–November 4, with a preview day on October 30.

Cannes Film Festival, France: Originally scheduled for May 12–May 23, the festival will announce new dates in the coming weeks.

sonsbeek 20→24, Arnhem, the Netherlands: Originally scheduled for June 5–September 13, the twelfth edition of sonsbeek will now be held in 2021.

1-54 New York: Originally scheduled for May 8–10, the fair will now take place in 2021.

Photo London: Originally scheduled for May 14–17, the fair will be held in the fall.

Object & Thing, New York: Originally scheduled for May 7–10, the fair has been moved to November 13–15.

MIA Photo Fair, Milan: Originally scheduled for March 19–22, the fair will now be held September 10–September 13.

Art on theMART, Chicago: The fair’s spring launch has been postponed.

Glasgow International: Originally scheduled for April 24–May 10. The visual arts festival will be restaged in 2021.

NYCxDESIGN: The May festival will instead present programming in October.

Sotheby’s: The auction house has closed its auction houses in Dubai, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Milan, New York, Paris, and Zurich until further notice and has announced changes in its spring sales schedule.

The Met Gala: The Metropolitan Museum of Art has indefinitely postponed its biggest annual fundraiser. The event, which is one of New York’s biggest annual fashion events, was supposed to take place on May 4.

Christie’s, New York and Europe: The auction house has postponed sales scheduled for March and April. New dates have yet to be determined.

Phillips: The auction house has postponed all of its sales and events globally until May.

Art Brussels: Originally scheduled for April 23–April 26. The fair will now take place June 25–June 28.

SP–Arte, São Paulo: Originally scheduled for April 1–April 5. New dates have yet to be announced.

Affordable Art Fair, Brussels: Originally scheduled for March 20–March 22. New dates have yet to be announced.

Affordable Art Fair, New York: Originally scheduled for March 26–March 29. New dates have yet to be announced.

Eye of the Collector, London: Originally scheduled for May 13–May 16. The inaugural fair will be staged September 8–September 11.

Dallas Art Fair: Originally scheduled for April 16–April 19. The fair has been moved to October 1–October 4.

ART COLOGNE: Originally scheduled for April 23–April 26. The fair will now be held November 19–November 22.

Paris Photo New York: Originally scheduled for April 2–April 5. New dates to be announced.

Sharjah Art Foundation’s 2020 March Meeting, UAE: Originally scheduled for March 21–March 23. The event will be postponed until further notice.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, California: Originally scheduled for April 10–April 12 and April 17–April 19. The festival will now take place October 9–October 11 and October 16–October 18.

DRAWING NOW Art Fair, Paris: Originally scheduled for March 26–March 29. The fair has been moved to May 29 through June 1.

Berlin Gallery Weekend: Organizers have downsized the event, which is scheduled for May 1–May 3, and have moved large-scale programming to September 11–September 13, coinciding with Berlin Art Week.

The Photography Show and the Video Show, Birmingham, UK: Originally scheduled for March 14–March 17. The event will now be held September 19–September 22.

MiArt, Milan: Originally scheduled for April 17–April 19. The fair will now take place September 11–September 13, with a VIP preview day on September 10.

Málaga Film Festival: Originally scheduled for March 13–March 22. The twenty-third edition of the festival has yet to announce new dates.

Art Paris: Originally scheduled for April 2–April 5. The fair has been moved to May 28–May 31.

Venice Architecture Biennale: The opening of the seventeenth edition of the biennial has been pushed back three months; the event will now kick off on August 29 and run until November 29.

Art Dubai: Originally scheduled for March 25–March 28. New dates to be announced.

Lille Art Up!, France: Originally scheduled for March 5–March 8. It will now take place June 25–June 28.

Salon del Mobile, Milan: Originally scheduled for April 21–April 26. The exhibition has been moved to June 16–June 21.

Gallery Weekend Beijing: Originally scheduled to take place from March 13–March 20. The event will announce whether it will cancel this year’s edition or reschedule it on March 15.

Design Shanghai Fair: Originally scheduled for March 12–March 15. The fair will now be held May 26–May 29.

CAFAM Techne Triennial, Beijing: Originally supposed to begin on January 18, the inaugural edition has been suspended.

UNITED STATES: TEMPORARY MUSEUM AND GALLERY CLOSURES

NORTHEAST

Albright-Knox Northland, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. American Folk Art Museum, New York: Closed March 13–March 31. Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York: Closed March 14–March 24. Artists Space, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine: Closed until further notice, beginning March 16. Brooklyn Museum, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh: Closed for a minimum of fourteen days, beginning March 14. Casey Kaplan, New York: Closed until further notice. Center for Italian Modern Art, New York: Closed March 13–March 31. Chart, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. The Clark, Williamstown, Massachusetts: Closed until at least April 1. Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire: Closed March 16–April 3. David Zwirner, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Dia Art Foundation, New York: Closed March 13–31. The Drawing Center, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Edward Hopper House, Nyack, New York: Closed March 14–March 22. El Museo del Barrio, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine: Closed through April 5. The Frick Collection, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 12. Gagosian, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Grey Art Gallery at New York University: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Hauser & Wirth, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. The gallery will receive visitors by appointment only. The High Line, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 16. Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. International Center of Photography, New York: Closed for at least two weeks, beginning March 13; the ICP’s school will close on March 15 and its classes will be moved online as of March 16. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston: Closed for a minimum of fourteen days, beginning March 13. Japan Society, New York: Closed March 13–March 31. Jewish Museum, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Judd Foundation, New York: Closed for a minimum of four weeks, beginning March 13. Kasmin, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Lehmann Maupin, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Lesley Heller Gallery, New York: Open by appointment only, beginning Sunday, March 15. Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire: On March 13, the residency program announced that current artists-in-residence will be assisted with early departures and no new fellows would arrive until the “danger of virus transmission is contained.” Magazzino Italian Art, Cold Spring, New York: Closed March 12–March 26. Mana Contemporary, Jersey City: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams: Closed through March 31. MassArt Art Museum, Boston: Closed March 12–March 24. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York: Open by appointment only, beginning Sunday, March 15. Michael Werner Gallery, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Morgan Library and Museum, New York: Closed March 13–March 30. Museum of Arts and Design, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Museum of the City of New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Closed for a minimum of thirty days, beginning March 13. Museum of the Moving Image, New York: Closed March 14–March 29. Museum of Modern Art, MoMA PS1, and MoMA Design Stores, New York: Closed March 13–March 30. Nassau County Museum of Art, New York: Closed until further notice. Neue Galerie, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 12. New Museum, New York: Closed for a minimum of two weeks, beginning March 13. New York Historical Society Museum and Library: Closed March 13–March 31. Noguchi Museum, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 12. Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, Massachusetts: Closed from March 13 until at least April 1. Pace Gallery, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Paula Cooper Gallery, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Perrotin, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Peter Blum Gallery, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Philadelphia Museum of Art: Closed March 13–March 30. Pioneer Works, New York: Closed March 14–March 31. Portland Museum of Art, Maine: Closed through April 13. Queens Museum, New York: Closed March 13–March 20. Rhode Island School of Design Museum: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts: Closed until further notice, beginning March 16. Rubin Museum of Art, New York: Closed March 13–March 31. SculptureCenter, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 12. signs and symbols, New York: Open by appointment only, beginning Sunday, March 15. The Shed, New York: Closed March 12–March 30. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Studio Museum in Harlem, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Swiss Institute, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Van Doren Waxter, New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York: Closed, beginning at 5 PM on March 13, for a minimum of fourteen days. The Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut: Closed until further notice, beginning March 12. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut: Closed March 13–April 15.

MIDWEST

Akron Art Museum, Ohio: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Art Institute of Chicago: Closed March 14–March 27. Chicago Architecture Center: Closed March 14–March 31. Children’s Museum of Cleveland: Closed through April 5. Cincinnati Art Museum: Closed March 13–April 3. Cleveland Museum of Art: Closed March 13–March 30. Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati: Closed March 13–April 3. Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Missouri: Closed until further notice, beginning March 16. Detroit Institute of Arts: Closed March 13–April 5. DuSable Museum of African American History, Chicago: Closed until March 31. Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Intuit: The Center For Intuitive And Outsider Art, Chicago: Closed March 15–March 31. Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha: Closed March 16–April 6. Mana Contemporary, Chicago: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: Closed March 13–March 29. Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland: Closed March 16–April 6. Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago: Closed March 14–April 8. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri: Closed through April 3. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University, Bloomington: Closed until further notice. Smart Museum, Chicago: Closed March 15–March 30. Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati: Closed March 13–April 3. The Arts Club of Chicago: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. The Renaissance Society, Chicago: Closed until further notice, beginning March 15. Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio: Closed March 15–April 3. Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Closed March 12–March 31. The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Wexner Art Center at Ohio State University: Closed March 13–April 6.

SOUTH

Arkansas Arts Center, Riverdale: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Ballroom Marfa, Texas: Closed March 12–March 31. The Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama: Closed until further notice. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art: Closed March 15–March 31. Chinati, Marfa, Texas: Closed March 12–March 24. Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia: Closed March 14–March 29. Contemporary Arts Museum Houston: Closed until further notice, beginning March 16. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas: Closed March 16–March 31. Dallas Contemporary, Texas: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Dallas Museum of Art, Texas: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Denver Art Museum: Closed March 14–March 31. Frist Art Museum, Nashville: Closed March 16–March 31. The Gallery at University of Texas at Arlington: Closed until March 22. Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia: Closed until further notice, beginning March 17. Greater Reston Arts Center, Virginia: Closed March 13–March 16. High Museum, Atlanta: Closed until further notice, beginning March 12. Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond: Closed March 14–April 1. Judd Foundation, Marfa, Texas: Closed for a minimum of four weeks, beginning March 13. Knoxville Museum of Art, Tennessee: Closed until further notice, beginning March 16. Mana Contemporary, Miami: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami: Closed until further notice. Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia, Virginia Beach: Closed March 15–April 1. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC: Closed March 14–April 4. National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC: Closed March 14–31. New Orleans Museum of Art: Closed until further notice, beginning March 16. Oolite Arts, Miami Beach: Closed March 13–April 1. Pérez Art Museum Miami: Closed until further notice, beginning March 16. Salvador Dalí Museum, Saint Petersburg, Florida: Closed until March 31. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, and New York: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Speed Art Museum, Louisville: Closed through March 31. Telfair Museums, Savannah, Georgia: Closed until March 31. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond: Closed March 14–March 27. The Wolfsonian at Florida International University, Miami Beach: Closed unitl further notice.

WEST

Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles: Closed March 12–March 31. Asian Art Museum, San Francisco: Closed March 14–March 27. Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, California: Closed March 17–March 31. The Broad, Los Angeles: Closed March 13–March 31. Burke Museum at the University of Washington, Seattle: Closed March 12–March 31. CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Frye Art Museum, Seattle: Closed March 12–March 31. The Getty Center and Villa, Los Angeles and Pacific Palisades: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Hammer Museum, Los Angeles: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Hauser & Wirth, Los Angeles: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. The gallery will receive visitors by appointment only. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, Greater Los Angeles: Indoor spaces closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. MoPOP, Seattle: Closed until further notice, beginning March 12. Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California: Closed until further notice, beginning March 15. Orange County Museum of Art, Santa Ana, California: Closed until April 28. Oakland Museum of California: Closed March 13–March 27. Palm Springs Art Museum, California: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center, California: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. Portland Art Museum and Northwest Film Center, Portland, Oregon: Closed March 14–March 31. Roberts Projects, Los Angeles: Closed until further notice, beginning March 13. San Diego Museum of Art, California: Closed until further notice, beginning March 14. Seattle Art Museum and Asian Art Museum: Closed March 13–March 31. SFMoMA, San Francisco: Closed until March 28. Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles: Closed March 14–May 3. Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, California: Closed through April 5. USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California: Closed March 16–April 14. Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City: Closed March 13–March 27.

GLOBAL UPDATES:

[List includes countries with the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19]

Austria - All federal public museums have been closed and will remain shuttered until the end of March. The grand opening of the new Albertina Modern has also been postponed. As of March 11, the country has decided to close schools until April and has implemented border checks—travelers from Italy, the epicenter of the virus in Europe, will not be permitted to enter Austria. On Tuesday, the government banned gatherings of one hundred people or more.

[Update:] On Sunday, March 15, the government banned gatherings of more than five people. Restaurants have closed, and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is urging people to self-isolate. Parliament will meet in Vienna to vote on a $4.4 billion financial package.

Belgium - On Thursday, March 12, the federal government ordered the closure of schools, cafes, and restaurants and urged businesses and shops to reduce their hours in response to the coronavirus. Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes stressed that the country is not under lockdown—as of March 16 it reported that the number of coronavirus cases surpassed 1,000. The country’s culture ministry suspended all cultural activities that were scheduled to take place between March 14 and April 3. Among the institutions that have closed are the Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent, where the blockbuster exhibition “Van Eyck. An Optical Revolution,” billed as the largest exhibition ever dedicated to the Flemish Old Master, was on view; the Magritte Museum in Brussels; and S.M.A.K., Ghent’s municipal museum of contemporary art.

Canada - As of Wednesday, March 11, Canada reported having just over one hundred cases of the coronavirus. The majority of those who tested positive recently traveled to countries with outbreaks. Art Vancouver currently plans to stay on schedule, running from April 16 to April 19. The contemporary art fair welcomes approximately ten thousand people each year from around the world.

[Update:] As of March 16, Canada has 370 presumptive and confirmed cases and is closing its borders to most non-citizens. On Sunday, March 15, Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, urged Canadians to “act now and act together.”

China - While the spread of the coronavirus in China has slowed—the country still has more than eighty thousand confirmed cases—it is now concerned about the possibility of sparking a new wave of infections from Chinese nationals returning from trips abroad and foreigners traveling to the country. Arts institutions across the mainland remain closed, but many have committed their resources to opening online viewing rooms and launching digital exhibitions such as the M Woods Museum in Beijing, which has staged the online show “Art Is Still Here: A Hypothetical Show for a Closed Museum.” Curated by artistic director and chief curator Victor Wang, the show is a long-term visual project that will allow visitors to virtually visit both of its locations over the course of several weeks. According to The Guardian, experts are worried that the state, which has increased mass surveillance in an attempt to contain COVID-19, will not reduce the heightened government scrutiny once the number of cases starts to fall.

[Update:] The number of infectees in China has slowed. While the number of cases is more than 80,860, as of March 16, only sixteen new cases were reported. Some museums in the country have tentatively begun reopening. The government is now trying to roll out relief measures to counter the virus’s devastating impact on the economy.

Hong Kong - After months of political unrest due to the continuous, large-scale anti-extradition and pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, the demonstrators were forced to curb their activism following COVID-19’s arrival in the region. The virus led to one of the first major cancelations when Art Basel Hong Kong pulled the plug on its 2020 edition. Earlier today, the fair announced the participants in its new Online Viewing Rooms, which will be live from March 20 to March 25. Hong Kong’s public museums have been shuttered since January 29, the same week that China was initiating a lockdown in Wuhan. Sotheby’s has since relocated its modern and contemporary auctions in Hong Kong to New York; they will take place in April.

France - The country, which has the second highest number of cases in Europe after Italy, is preparing for that number to continue to climb. Gatherings of more than one thousand people have been prohibited. The outbreak, which reached parliament, has also affected French Culture Minister Franck Riester, who tested positive for the virus on Monday, March 9. While fears of the coronavirus shuttered the Louvre for three days, the institution reopened last week after addressing the staff’s safety concerns. It is now going cashless and restricting entry to online ticket holders. Other major museums are still welcoming people but have capped the number of visitors; the Paris Philharmonie, the largest classical music venue in France, has canceled all upcoming events; and the Paris Opera, which suspended a series of ballets and other performances, is intending to continue to operate by filming programming behind closed doors. Madonna also announced that she has called off the last two dates of her “Madame X” tour. The Cannes Film Festival’s president, Pierre Lescure, said that the festival, which is supposed to take place from May 12 to May 23, will go on as planned. “We remain reasonably optimistic in the hope that the peak of the epidemic will be reached at the end of March and that we will breathe a little better in April,” he told Le Figaro.

[Update:] On March 13, the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay closed their doors to the public until further notice. The announcements followed new restrictions on public gatherings implemented by the Ministry of Culture. As of Friday, all museums and libraries cannot have more than one hundred people in attendance. Those who have already purchased tickets to the Louvre will be reimbursed.

Germany - All cultural institutions in Berlin—including the Berlinische Galerie, the State Museums of Berlin, and the Volksbühne—will shut down on Friday, March 13, and will remain closed until at least April 19. Art Cologne, which was slated to kick off in the third week of April has been pushed back to November. As of Thursday, the cases in Germany have surpassed two thousand. The German culture minister, Monika Grütters, has pledged financial assistance to arts museums and organizations as well as to artists and arts professionals. “It’s clear to me that the situation is a massive burden for the cultural and creative sectors and that small institutions and freelance artists could face considerable distress,” Grütters said in a statement. “I won’t leave you in the lurch!”

Iran - Of all the countries in the Middle East, Iran has been hit the hardest by COVID-19, with over nine thousand confirmed cases—a number surpassed only in China. On March 12, the Iranian minister of cultural heritage, handicrafts, and tourism, Ali-Asghar Mounesan, ordered that all museums be shut down during the country’s new year Nowruz festivals, which begin on March 20 and last a couple of weeks. Museum hours will be severely restricted before then.

Italy - The country currently has the largest number of cases in all of Europe, with more than twelve thousand cases as of Thursday, March 12. The Italian government made an unprecedented decision on Monday, March 9, to restrict the movement of sixty million people. Nearly all commercial activity throughout the country has come to a halt—supermarkets and pharmacies remain open—bringing the economy to a near standstill. Major museums and historic sites, including the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, the Galleria Borghese, the Uffizi, the Fondazione Prada, the Pirelli HangarBicocca, the Palazzo Grassi, and the Punta della Doganaare, are closed. According to the Washington Post, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said, “Right now the whole world is looking at us.” He is telling Italians to leave their homes “only when strictly necessary.”

Japan - All Japanese museums are closed until March 17. The crisis reached the archipelago last month and continues to deepen, with over six hundred confirmed infectees. While it’s business as usual for many Tokyo galleries (including Perrotin, whose Jean-Michel Othoniel show will remain on schedule), Blum & Poe’s Tokyo outpost decided to postpone its Asuka Anastacia Ogawa and Kenny Schachter openings. “Masterpieces From the National Gallery” at the National Museum of Western Art has been delayed until further notice. Whether the capital will still host July’s Summer Olympics—a potential boon to the country’s now-devastated economy—remains uncertain, but plans have not changed yet.

Netherlands - In a sudden turnabout, organizers of the annual Dutch TEFAF fair in Maastricht announced on March 11 that it would shut down the event, which commenced on March 7 and was expected to run through March 15. The decision arrived after organizers of the fair—a premier showcase for works by Old Masters and a pillar of the local economy—learned that an exhibitor had tested positive for COVID-19. On March 12, the country called a ban on gatherings of over one hundred people, and Amsterdam museums, including the Rijksmuseum National Gallery and the Van Gogh Museum, decided to close.

South Korea - South Korea is testing more people for COVID-19 per capita than any other country. Although Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (KCDC) reported a decline in the number of new coronavirus infections in recent days, galleries and museums, including the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and the National Museum of Korea, remain closed until further notice.

Spain - Major museums—including the Museo del Prado, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza—in Madrid, where the country’s coronavirus is concentrated, are closed indefinitely. Other cultural destinations, including La Sagrada Familia, the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, the Picasso Museum, and Fundació Joan Miró, in Barcelona are still open. The city’s Park Güell, the Antoni Gaudí–designed public park, which draws an average of fourteen thousand visitors a day, is also still open. Contemporary art institutions elsewhere, including Guggenheim Bilbao, are still open and are monitoring the outbreak.

United Arab Emirates - Earlier this month, Art Dubai organizers announced that the international fair would no longer be held from March 25 to March 28; new dates haven’t been decided yet. The fair averages around twenty-eight thousand visitors from around the world each year and will now be downsized to a localized program of yet-to-be-decided talks, shows, and events. Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual March Meeting will probably not occur in March; organizers said it would reschedule its March 21–March 23 dates. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is still open, despite the UAE’s advisory against large crowds. The Middle East currently has over ten thousand confirmed cases of COVID-19, most of them in Iran.

United Kingdom - As of March 12, the BBC reports 596 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the UK. However, unlike in many other affected areas across Europe, major institutions, including the National Gallery, the British Museum, the ICA London, and the Tate Museums, will remain open as usual until government guidelines advise otherwise. The Art Newspaperreported on Thursday that one member of the Tate Modern staff is in self-quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. A Tate spokeswoman told the publication that the employee does “not work in a front-of-house role” and that “all areas with which they have come into contact have been deep cleaned.” The Photography Show and the Video Show in Birmingham, originally slated to run from March 14 to March 17, has been postponed until September 2020 (exact dates TBA). At the time of writing, Masterpiece London is slated to go ahead as scheduled from June 25 to July 1.

[Update:] After facing criticism for not reacting quick enough to get in front of the coronavirus, as of Monday, March 16, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for everyone to work from home and to avoid restaurants and pubs. Museums and galleries are also beginning to close, including the South London Gallery and the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, which are both shuttered until further notice, as well as David Zwirner’s, Gagosian’s, Galerie Thaddeus Ropac’s, Hauser & Wirth’s, Pace’s, and Sprüth Magers’s London outposts. On Tuesday, March 17, the Tate announced that all of its galleries are now closed and will be shut down until at least May 1. The announcement was followed by the closure of the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.

United States - On Wednesday, March 11, President Donald Trump announced a thirty-day suspension of travel to Europe (with the exception of the UK). The ban, which goes into effect on Friday, March 13, has sent citizens abroad scrambling to book return flights. As of March 12, COVID-19 has sickened more than one thousand people in the US, and thirty-three people have died. Congress is expected to vote on a sweeping spending aid package on Thursday that will establish a national paid leave program, expand food assistance, and offer free testing for the virus. As of this afternoon, a series of institutions have announced temporary closures, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Shed, the Solomon R. Guggenheim, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; the Harvard Art Museums, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; and the Frye Art Museum in Seattle.

[Update:] As of March 16, most major museums nationwide—including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Pérez Art Museum Miami, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art—have shuttered for either a period of two weeks or until further notice. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national public health institute of the United States, has recommended all public gatherings be capped at fifty people for the next eight weeks. More than 3,700 people were confirmed to have COVID-19 at the time of publication, and the death toll has risen to sixty-nine people.

Combating the Coronavirus at Home:

The CDC advises household members to prepare for a coronavirus outbreak in their communities. Among the steps that should be taken are creating a list of nearby aid organizations, making an emergency contact list, inquiring about workplace action plans, preparing for temporary closures of schools or childcare facilities, and educating one’s family on preventative measures.

As of now, the CDC states that the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus, which is spread mainly from person to person, and recommends social distancing. It also urges people to disinfect their homes and to wash their hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; before eating; and after visiting a public space. If soap and water are not readily available, hand sanitizer with 60 percent or more alcohol can be used as a substitute. If you are sick, stay home and do not go out unless it is to seek medical care. Since face masks are currently in short supply, the CDC says that only caregivers and people who are already ill need masks.

To learn more about what preventive measures you can take, you can visit the CDC’s website here.

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