“As chairman of the Commission for Art Recovery of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder has been a patron of scattered efforts to help Jews reclaim what had been theirs. In testimony before Congress, he called these stolen artworks ‘the last prisoners of war.’ But in an interview he also conceded that he had artworks in his collection whose provenance was at best ambiguous and at worst unknowable.”
Tag: 02.27.03
They Still Fund Orchestras In Northern Ireland
While small North American orchestras seem to be shutting down left and right foir lack of funds, the Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland has come into something of a public windfall. The ensemble, which has been struggling financially, will receive a £1.69 million grant from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to help in its efforts to secure more reliable “core funding.” The grant is a 26% increase on what the orchestra had previously received from the council.
Hollywood Sues DVD Copier
Hollywood movie studios are in court suing the maker of a software program that makes backup copies of DVDs. The company being sued says it’s really not about piracy at all. “This is about whether or not it is legal for consumers to make backup copies of DVDs they own. Either it is or it isn’t. We say it is legal for consumers to do whatever they want in the privacy of their own homes.”
Congress To Investigate Payola
Senator Orrin Hatch says he’ll start Congressional hearings into payola to radio stations for playing music. Current payola deals include exclusive arrangements between radio stations and independent promoters who guarantee the station a fixed monthly or annual payment. In return, songs ‘suggested’ by such an independent promoter are the most likely to be added to playlists. This allegedly is used by Clear Channel and Radio One.”
Savannah Symphony Folds
The 49-year-old Savannah Symphony, stuck with a $1.3 million deficit, has canceled the rest of its season. “I think the community has spoken. Savannah residents desire a symphony orchestra, I think, but there’s been too much history with this organization as it stands today. The community sent us signals that [an orchestra] should start again with a new slate.”
Scottish Government Helped Save Titian
The Scottish government gave £2.5 million of the £11.6 million needed to buy the Scottish National Gallery’s Titian acquired this week. “I am most impressed with the Scottish Executive and Mike Watson in particular for giving us £2.5 million at a difficult time. It’s a very enlightened thing for a government to do. A direct treasury grant in Scotland for something as rarefied and distinguished as this is a splendid thing.” But the director of the National gallery warns that other art treasures are in dancer of being sold and taken out of the country.
A Binding “Kiss”
The most-talked-about work at this year’s Tate Britain show of contemporary work is Cornelia Parker’s “The Distance (A Kiss with String Attached)” that binds up the lovers in Rodin’s famous sculpture “The Kiss” in string. “It’s my homage to two artists and a way of showing that love is more complicated than just a kiss. In fact, Dante’s punishment of the illicit lovers was to condemn them to be entwined in an embrace for eternity. ‘The Kiss’ used to be considered indecent. People thought it should be covered up, which in effect is what I’ve done. I don’t think I’ve hidden the eroticism. If you conceal things, they become more charged.”
National Book Critics Circle Awards
” ‘Atonement,’ Ian McEwan’s unlikely best seller about the meaning of fiction, was among the winners Wednesday night of a National Book Critics Circle prize. In the general nonfiction category, which included William Langewiesche’s controversial ‘American Ground,’ Samantha Power won for ‘A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide’.”
Progressive Pricing
When “The Play What I Wrote” opens on Broadway next week, it will cost $1 to get in. The next night it costs $2. The next $3. “The Play What I Wrote,” which revolves around a comedy act that’s breaking up, features a surprise celebrity guest star each night. In London, those guests included Roger Moore, Jerry Hall, Sting and Twiggy.
Hip Hop – Not Just The Music Anymore
“The billion-dollar music genre, which already has the advertising and fashion businesses bouncing to its beat, has now infiltrated one of pop culture’s less-frequented markets — book publishing. Ranging from pricey coffee-table eye candy to practical reference and history books, the tomes are an effort to preserve hip-hop culture in more than just CDs and music videos.”