“Even before Marcel Proust died in 1922, ordering iced beer from the Ritz on his deathbed, his monumental novel about art and memory was being dissected for wisdom on a stunning variety of topics… So it’s remarkable that before now no one has focused at book length on painting, a subject that dominates his novel… like almost no other.”
Author: sbergman
NY Auction Houses Fear For The Worst
“As Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips de Pury brace for their big fall auctions in New York, starting with a sale of 71 Impressionist and Modern paintings, drawings and sculptures at Sotheby’s on Monday night, anxiety is the dominant mood.”
The Pirates On Britain’s Airwaves
“Every major city in Britain fizzes with unofficial broadcasters… Though the popular image of a pirate DJ is of a teenager in his bedroom, spinning tracks and spitting rhymes, the better pirates are no amateur affair… Pirates are unlikely to go away because they give listeners – and those who work on them – something that legal stations never can. Everyone involved in a pirate feels like they’re close to and representing a scene.”
Beckett Back In West End With Two Megastars In Tow
“Rumours have been circulating on the internet for some time, but it has been confirmed today that Godot will be turning up in British theatres next year, courtesy of Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. The two venerable stage actors… will be taking a new production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot on a short regional tour in the new year, before opening for a longer run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London’s West End.”
Cincinnati Symphony Teetering Between Red, Black Ink
“Expense cuts, personnel layoffs, and some banner summers at Riverbend are helping to keep the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in the black – at least for now.” Attendance at the CSO’s main concert hall declined 10%, but the drop was offset by a strong showing at the orchestra’s outdoor summer venue. Still, a deficit is possible when final fiscal 2008 numbers are released.
Aussie Minister Kills Music Academy Over “Efficiency”
“On October 22, federal Arts Minister Peter Garrett told the Australian National Academy of Music by fax that it would not receive its Government funding of $2.64 million for 2009, effectively truncating its activities from the end of this year… The minister’s reasoning — ‘ANAM no longer represents the most efficient way of delivering support for elite classical music training’ — used deadening language to sound the death knell for this unique institution.”
When Speaking Well Was A Good Thing
“It’s strange to remember there was once a time when highly literate speeches were all the rage. Tragically, that was almost four centuries ago.” Author Sarah Vowell’s latest book explores the language used by America’s earliest settlers, and how it impacted the way we still talk today.
Bringing Art & Pop Music Together Again
“Two major, fortuitously concurrent exhibitions in Montreal this fall explore the relationship between art and music: Warhol Live, organized by curator Stéphane Aquin at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (examining the Pop artist’s musical affiliations and tastes) and Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967, touching down at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. Both shows attempt to bridge the gap between sound and sight.”
Riedel To NY Theatre Critics: You Won’t Be Missed
With newspapers struggling nationwide, it’s no surprise that theatre critics are in danger of joining the endangered species list, even in New York. “But is it such a bad thing for the theater if a tiny group of older, mostly male critics no longer have make-or-break power? Many bloggers on All That Chat write as well as members of the New York Drama Critics Circle. And who’s to say their opinions are any less valid?”
Cleveland Art Institute Prez Retiring
“David Deming, president of the Cleveland Institute of Art since 1998, announced Friday he will retire from leadership of the four-year independent art college in two years… On Deming’s watch, the art institute began the transition from a five-year undergraduate degree program to a four-year one, aimed at making the college more affordable and more competitive with peer institutions.”