Neutra’s Kronish House to be demolished?

Rumor has it that Richard Neutra’s Kronish House in Beverly Hills may be headed for demolition very soon. It is unclear whether a permit has been filed yet to raze the 6,891 square foot house off of Sunset Boulevard that was built in 1955 for real estate developer Herbert Kronish. However, the house is currently for sale “as-is” and the architect’s son and former partner Dion Neutra (who was project architect for the house) has stated that the current owner will demolish it if no buyers can be found.

via LA Times and Curbed LA

UPDATE: For now, the house is safe

Ghent Altarpiece IRR images now available online

A first look at the IRR (infrared reflectography) analysis of the Ghent Altarpiece is now available.  The entire altarpiece has been photographed using the IRR technique as a way to study its underdrawings and to determine its different phases and contributors.  It was initiated as part of an urgent conservation treatment in 2010.

Twenty of the IRR high resolution images are available online for study and download; further phases of the project will be posted over the next year.

The project was mainly sponsored by the Getty Foundation, in collaboration with  the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK/IRPA).

Updated Feb. 29, 2012: There’s a new link for this project.

Getty encourages Google Goggles searching

The Getty Museum has partnered with Google to encourage museum visitors to use the smartphone app Google Goggles™ in the galleries. The Getty created mobile versions of some of their collection Web pages, some including audio, which Google then incorporated in their visual search technology. For a sample page, click here. The app also allows you to snap a photo of a museum object label and translate it into over 50 different languages.

Cy Twombly dies at 83

American artist Cy Twombly, a long-standing figure in modern art, has died in Rome at age 83 after a battle with cancer. Twombly is known for creating paintings that combined elements of drawing and writing with gestural abstraction.

via LA Times