— art, museums and life: “I think basically I’m not interested in people following my work or making work like my work. But what does interest me is the notion that if you do a lot of work it means there’s a potential for other people to understand that a lot of things are possible with a sustained effort and that the broadening of experiences is possible and I think that’s all art can be.” – Coagula
Category: people
LEAVING ON A HIGH NOTE
Lofti Mansouri prepares to retire from the helm of San Francisco Opera after next season, and the tributes have already begun. – Los Angeles Times
MORE OF BLAKEMORE
After a long time in the trenches, director Michael Blakemore scored big with a double Tony win a few weeks ago. Now come the opportunities. “I’ve turned down other offers in order to make the most of this while I can,” he says. “At my age, it would be stupid not to.” – The Telegraph (UK)
RUSSELL CROWE AND A SIDE OF RIBS
Women from all around the world are in a bidding frenzy, hoping to get their hands on the much-coveted tickets to see Australian actor Russell Crowe’s band “Thirty Odd Foot Of Grunts.” The concert will be held at Stubbs BBQ restaurant in Austin, Texas – tickets are presently going for around $200 on internet auctions. – The Age (Melbourne)
ALAN HOVHANESS —
— dies at age 89 in Seattle. The prolific American composer “embraced melody in an atonal age and drew heavily on music of the East.” – New York Times
RAGS TO RICHES
Scottish painter Jack Vettriano’s life story reads like Horatio Alger: a miner’s son, he only started painting at 21 and was rejected from art school repeatedly. But now he’s Britain’s most commercially popular artist, with original work selling for up to £40,000 and posters of his work outselling those of Monet. – The Telegraph (UK)
ACTRESS NANCY MARCHAND DIES —
— in Stratford, Connecticut at age 71. Broadway veteran and four-time Emmy Award winner for her role on “Lou Grant,” Marchand was famous most recently as Livia Soprano on “The Sopranos.” – New York Times
THE LINE KING
Al Hirschfeld turns 97 on Wednesday, and he’s still going strong, regularly caricaturing the worlds of stage, dance, music, and film. “I’m enchanted with line, what makes it work, how it communicates recognition to the viewer,” roars the man they dubbed The Line King. “That sounds like a ridiculous, insane kind of thing to devote your life to, but that’s what I’ve done. I find it fascinating, and I’m closer to a definition of it than when I started.” – MSNBC
GETTY DIRECTOR RESIGNS
John Walsh announced he will step down this fall after heading the J. Paul Getty Museum for 17 years, during which he broadened the Getty’s collections and oversaw the museum’s transition to its lavish new Brentwood home two years ago. Getty chief curator Deborah Gribbon will step into Walsh’s position in September. – New Jersey Online (AP)
NINA BALLERINA
Nina Ananiashvili is taking the US by storm on the Bolshoi’s current tour. After years of fighting for her artistic freedom, she’s now trying to juggle her “insane” perfectionism with a busy international career. – Los Angeles Times