“Thieves have snatched a trio of valuable artworks from Greece’s National Art Gallery in Athens, staging a devious pre-dawn heist and making off with paintings by Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian.”
Tag: 01.09.12
West Australian Ballet’s Director Leaving For Europe
“WA Ballet Artistic Director Ivan Cavallari is calling it quits at the end of 2012 after overseeing five highly successful seasons which have seen Australia’s oldest ballet company reach unprecedented artistic heights. In 2013 he will take up the position of Artistic Director with Ballet du Rhin in Alcase, France.”
Bosnia’s National Museum Gets Temporary Emergency Funding
The government of the Bosniak-Croat federation has provided €25,000 to cover the museum’s unpaid utility bills, though an agreement with the Bosnian Serb republic to fund national cultural institutions over the long term remains elusive.
Neil LaBute Tries His Hand At Visual Art
“Neil LaBute – visual artist? Well, sort of. The playwright-filmmaker known for his oft-disturbing and provocative works has applied his subversive wit to a new collaboration with photographer Gerald Slota.”
Study: How Cultural Choices Spread Through Online Networks
“Students who share certain tastes in movies and music – but not in books – are more likely to friend each other on Facebook, according to a study released in November that has been getting attention in academic circles.”
Heir-Heads – Broadway Revivals Increasingly Driven By Composer Estates
“Few recent Broadway seasons have had as much estate-driven handiwork as this one, a reflection of the rising entrepreneurship of heirs and the affection of audiences for song standards. Heirs are increasingly hands-on in trying to wrest moneymaking shows out of their ancestral trunks.”
For First Time, Digital Music Sales Top Traditional CDs In 2011
“Digital downloads accounted for a record 50.3% of all music sales in the US last year, according to an annual report by Nielsen and Billboard, contributing to a rise in total album sales for the first time since 2004.”
Troubled Music Retailer HMV Sees Eight Percent Drop In Christmas Sales
“HMV, which owns 252 stores in the UK, said its plans to shift its focus to technology products, by refitting stores with an extended gadget range, saw group like-for-like sales fall 8.1% in the five weeks to 31 December. But in the 144 stores refitted with an increased range of portable digital products, like-for-like technology sales were up 51%.”
NBC To Create Musical Theatre Program For Schools
“The pilot programs are in cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Houston, Nashville, Tenn., and Seattle, with specific schools to be announced Jan. 15, NBC said.”
Whimsical, Cute Art – Quit It! There’s No There There
If you love Miranda July’s movies or Jeff Koons’ Puppy, get a life. “If I see one more knitted effing toy at a gallery, I may take a needle and hurt the next ‘craft practitioner’ foolish enough to offer me a cupcake.”