CSBJ Daily

Nope, I didn’t have advance notice of Michael De Marsche’s impending exit - even though, in retrospect, last week’s column seems eerily prescient.

I just remembered the wise words of the favorite author of my youth, A. Conan Doyle, whose most famous creation, Sherlock Holmes, once said : “When you have eliminated the impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, is the truth.”

De Marsche is clearly afflicted by a rare, and perhaps untreatable, malady-Museum Director Attention Deficit Disorder. He comes, he builds, he leaves. It’s fun to re-create, re-imagine, and reinvigorate-not so much fun to plod along from day to day and run a museum.

He’s moved from a challenging, difficult job to a supremely exciting, interesting, and exotic job, in a delightfully unlikely place. Yerevan??!! Armenia??!! When I talked to De Marsche yesterday, he was confident, optimistic, even giddy - sure that he was going to create one of the greatest art museums in the world.

I wouldn’t bet against him, and when it’s time for that opening gala, I’ll be there. You know that Mike can throw a fabulous party, and he’s promised me acouple of seats at the head table. Getting there is another thing…anyone know exactly where Yerevan is?