Opening of Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza postponed until 2021

Our daily round-up of news from the art world 

Opening of Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza postponed until 2021 | The opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which was first slated to open in 2011, has been pushed back until 2021. The new institution, which is costing around $1bn, was scheduled to open its doors in late 2020. Yesterday it was announced that the Egyptian president is ‘direct[ing] the postponement of activities and openings for major national projects until 2021’ in light of the implications of the Covid-19 crisis.

Jeffery Camp (1923–2020) | The British painter and draughtsman Jeffery Camp has died at the age of 96. Born and raised in Suffolk, Camp was inspired by the East Anglian coast, which he depicted in ethereal landscapes and beachside scenes. He also taught, first at Chelsea College of Art and later at the Slade in London, where he settled in 1982. He was elected a Royal Academician in 1984.

Laura Raicovich appointed interim director of Leslie-Lohman Museum | Last week it was announced that Laura Raicovich has been appointed interim director of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, a museum focused on queer art in New York. Raicovich stands in for Gonzalo Casals, who takes up his role as commissioner of cultural affairs for New York City next week. Raicovich is the former director of the Queens Museum, from which she resigned in 2018, citing differences between her own political vision for the museum and that of its board members.

Recommended reading | Catherine Hickley and Cristina Ruiz, reporting for the Art Newspaper, examine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on museum security. In the Telegraph, Colin Gleadell asks which commercial galleries will weather the crisis. And the New Yorker’s Peter Schjeldahl reflects on museums, mortality and the Old Masters.