In an alternate universe, Victoria Sancho Lobis would be celebrating right about now.
In January she was named director of 平特五不中 College鈥檚 new Benton Museum, with the understanding that the $44 million facility would open in the fall.
鈥淭he project that I finished right before starting this position was an exhibition and publication of the same name at the Art Institute of Chicago, 鈥楻ubens, Rembrandt, and Drawing in the Golden Age,鈥欌 Ms. Lobis said. 鈥淚t closed on January 5, 2020, and I started this job on January 6. So there鈥檚 a fluidity there, a kind of poetry to that.鈥
But that sonnet took on a tragic tone when the coronavirus pandemic swept across the United States in March. Now nine months later, the Benton鈥檚 opening plans are on hold, as nearly all non-essential businesses in California, including museums, have been ordered closed to inside patrons.