“No one ever pretended that King Kong or Bruce the Shark in Jaws were real, but they were grounded in the physical world (often by the limitations of technology), whereas now Kong is a highly sophisticated piece of digital animation in the new Kong: Skull Island, and crappily rendered sharks fall from the sky every summer on SyFy. It’s especially important for theatre that this distinction be made, because if people come to accept and even believe that what they’re seeing on screen is reality, how can theatre compete without giving itself over to holograms?”
Tag: 02.27.17
Why The Highly Respected Art Magazine Parkett Is Closing
“Founded in 1984 by the foursome of Curiger, Jacqueline Burckhardt, Walter Keller, and Peter Blum, the magazine was known for both multiple essays on each of the artists it focused on and, later, innovative multiples by the same artists who were the subjects of the quarterly issues. As a measure of the respect the magazine garnered, consider that the editioned works were the subject of a show at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 2001.”
Sotheby’s Income Down Substantially As Art Market Softens
“Full-year adjusted net income at Sotheby’s for 2016 was $99.6 million, compared with $143.1 million in 2015, reflecting a softening in the market that Sotheby’s has been trying to counter by diversifying its business.”
A Tour Of August Wilson’s Hill District In Pittsburgh
A visit to the building where the playwright and his six siblings grew up (Seven Guitars is set in its backyard), the neighborhood’s Catholic church, the house where Fences is set (and the film was shot), and other spots and scenes from Wilson’s Century Cycle.
Smashing Pumpkins: Selfie-Taker Breaks One Of Yayoi Kusama’s Sculptures
It took less than a week from the show’s opening at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum for this to happen – and the value of the unfortunate spotted yellow pumpkin is roughly $800,000.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 02.27.17
Are Orchestras Better than Ever? Why Riccardo Muti is Wrong
Are orchestras better than ever? Riccardo Muti thinks so. Recently, … he said: “The level of the orchestras in the world – especially in the seventies and eighties — has gone up everywhere.” … read more
AJBlog: Unanswered Question Published 2017-02-26
Burying the Bad News: Sotheby’s Earnings Call Ignores 30% Drop in 2016 Adjusted Net Income
“I feel good,” Tad Smith repeatedly declared during Sotheby’s earnings call with securities analysts this morning. Buoyed by New Year’s hopes for better performance in 2017 after a lackluster 2016, Sotheby’s president and CEO enumerated … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2017-02-27
The Serene Eye of a Storm
Danspace Project presents Julie McMillan in Benjamin Kimitch’s KO-BU. … read more
AJBlog: Dancebeat Published 2017-02-27
DC’s Arena Stage Doubles Down On Political Plays And Lands A Major Gift
“The $2.5 million is the initial splash in what will plainly need to be a very deep bucket. The Power Plays, first announced in November, are new works focused on politics and power – one for each decade of America’s existence. The 10-year, 25-work series will be composed of five related cycles: Presidential Voices, African-American Voices, Insider Voices, Musical Theater Voices and Women’s Voices.”
Oscars Ratings Are In – Slight Decline From Last Year
“In the 56 overnight markets, the Oscars show averaged a 22.4 rating, just below last year’s figure of 22.5. Each rating point represents the percentage of households tuned in.”
Why Paste Magazine Decided To Return To Print
The magazine had abandoned print in 2010 but stayed online. But print now seems a viable strategy again. “This isn’t a return to Paste Magazine. We’re not reliant on getting 200,000 people to be part of our rate base so we can go sell ads to Ford, BMW and Jack Daniels. Though we do have some advertising in the quarterly, it’s a small portion of our model. We’re reliant on our subscribers to foot the bill for what we do.”
That Whole Bringing Tourists Into The Oscars Telecast Thing? Here’s What Went Wrong…
“Our relationship with the icons of culture has changed, refracted through our politics. At the Oscars, the people who made those movies look out of touch in their Harry Winston jewelry and blue velvet dinner jackets. When they declaim a wall on the Mexican border, or quote the Koran, it sounds naïve, even insulting, to a good-sized number of people. Somehow not even movies about the emotional pain of working class Massachusetts townies or tough modern Texan cowboys shooting it out against the backdrop of economic disaster could get over that hump.”