“Fourteen stolen portrait miniatures were inadvertently sold in Christie’s King Street saleroom [in London] on 10 June, because their loss from a UK public gallery had not been publicised.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Hollywood on Lake Huron
“Once considered a relative backwater as a film destination, Michigan has lured more than 60 features and made-for-TV movies this year, up from just three last year, according to the Michigan Film Office.”
More Drama Over MD at Opera Australia
Another singer has gone public with allegations that, under music director Richard Hickox, the company is sliding into “an abyss of mediocrity” due to declining musical and ethical standards, nepotism and bullying. But what really upsets bass-baritone Bruce Martin is a recent live recording he claims was “manipulated beyond recognition” and made his voice sound “like the bleating of a goat.”
Rambert Dance Company’s Planned HQ in Jeopardy
“Plans for Rambert Dance Company’s new £14 million purpose-built home [in south London] have been thrown into question, following English Heritage and Westminster City Council’s decision to legally challenge a proposed 144-metre tower block development which will house the venue.”
Where Conspiracy Theories Come From
According to new research, “[a] perfectly healthy human mind can trick itself into seeing things that are not there… It turns out that the less control a person feels, the more likely they are to see patterns or make connections that don’t exist.”
At Least One Contemporary Art Event Goes All Out for Beauty
“While the Shanghai Biennale… [is] looking at urban growth and migration and their social and cultural consequences, and the Yokohama Triennial has… [chosen] to highlight the performative time-based aspects of current art practice, the Singapore Biennale has opted for the theme of ‘Wonder’.”
André Previn Is Annoyed
By lifetime achievement awards. (“But I’m still working!”) By mention of his Hollywood career. (“Do you know I haven’t set foot in a movie studio in, wait a second, 30 … in 43 years? There is a statute of limitations. People shouldn’t bring it up.”) By Lang Lang. (“It’s a circus act, you know? Why doesn’t he just come out and juggle?”) By travel. (“You get shunted around. Too awful.”) By technology. (“I don’t even have a cell phone. I don’t know how they work.”) And so on…
‘The Seven Habits of Highly Ineffective Terrorists’
A Stanford researcher has laid out seven reasons that terrorists so often fail to achieve their ostensible goals – and suggests that the primary reason people join terrorist groups is not at all what we might have thought.
Gehry’s First Work in England
This summer’s outdoor pavilion at London’s Serpentine Gallery is, believe it or not, the first project Frank Gehry has had built in England. Time‘s Richard Lacayo swung by to have a look and take some pictures. (The surprise: No curves, just angles.)
Apple Threatens iTunes Shutdown over Royalty Dispute
“‘If the [iTunes music store] was forced to absorb any increase in the … royalty rate, the result would be to significantly increase the likelihood of the store operating at a financial loss – which is no alternative at all,’ wrote Apple iTunes vice president Eddy Cue in a statement.”