“On Wednesday, just a day before its unveiling for media from around the world, (LACMA’s) revamped campus was still a work in progress. Buzzing around its centerpiece, the $56-million Renzo Piano-designed, travertine-covered Broad Contemporary Art Museum, an army of workers fine-tuned metalwork from cherry pickers, dealt with a forest of two-story palms and worked all night on an elevator shaft that frames a Barbara Kruger mural….”
Tag: 02.08.08
Preservation Target: Tower Records’ Stucco Shed
“They’re going to tear down the Tower Records on Sunset. What are you going to do about it? … This is the spot that has been the beating heart of Los Angeles rock ‘n’ roll since 1971. 1971! That’s, like, ancient history. And that’s what they’re trying to do: Destroy our ancient history.”
Studios, Writers May End Strike This Weekend
“Hollywood could be back on its feet as early as Monday. The major studios and the Writers Guild of America are putting the finishing touches on a deal that could bring an end to the costly walkout. Today the two sides are expected to finalize a three-year contract that guild leaders plan to present to thousands of writers in Los Angeles and New York on Saturday.”
A Chemist Restores The Music Of Notre-Dame’s Bells
At the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, the musicality of Stéphane Urbain “has led to a minor revolution in the way that the bells have been rung since he became the chief sacristan three years ago. … The (bells’) caretakers want less music, to diminish wear on the centuries-old bells. Mr. Urbain wants more, to restore the art to what it must have been when the bells were young.”
The Secret Passions Of NYT’s Classical Critics
What do New York Times classical music critics listen to for fun? “They may be works deemed trivial by the lofty day-to-day standards of the art, performances that are dated and thus scorned or condescended to, manifestations of musical personalities that attract a fascination bordering on unseemly obsession. … But it is hard to be high-minded all the time.”
London Auctions Assuage A Nervous Market
“Reassurance. That’s what motivated so many dealers and collectors from around the world to flock here this week for the big February art auctions. Reassurance that, despite the shaky state of world financial markets, there are still plenty of people willing to spend millions of dollars to put Impressionist, Modern or contemporary art on their walls.”
One Of The Grand Old String Quartets To Disband
The Alban Berg Quartet is calling it quits after nearly four decades of performing. “Born of a delicate balance of personal chemistry and musical empathy, the dynamic within a quartet is elusive to an outsider. Rehearsals are a battleground as musical ideas are fought over with gladiatorial passion.” Long partnerships are rare, as any musician can tell you.
Bafta Blasted After Pulling “Freakshow” Film
The British Academy of Film & Television Arts (Bafta) “has been drawn into a bitter row with the organisers of a disability film festival after refusing to screen a documentary about a group of disabled artists touring America… The row comes only two days before the academy’s biggest event of the year, the Bafta film awards.”
Banksy Moss Portrait Sells For $191K
“English graffiti artist Banksy’s screen print of supermodel Kate Moss sold for $191,000 at a street-art auction in London. The work, inspired by Andy Warhol’s iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe, was one of 75 pieces of ‘urban art’ on sale.”
Time Running Out For Oscars?
“Academy Award organisers have said they are ‘running out of time’ in the search for a deal to avoid the Oscars being hit by the Hollywood writers’ strike,” even as the guild prepares to present a tentative deal to its members this weekend.