“One of the great contradictions of the art market is that it simultaneously has a thirst for publicity and an obsession with secrecy… Once a work of art has been sold, a veil begins to descend. Auction houses often trumpet big prices, yet they rarely reveal details about buyers. Meanwhile, dealers at fairs often refuse to confirm that a sale has taken place, let alone identify their clients. Artworks suddenly move out of sight into the discreet world of anonymous collectors, sometimes vanishing for generations.” So a new book devoted entirely to some of the world’s more reclusive collectors is bound to make a big splash.
Tag: 03.01.06
The Perfect Operatic Protagonist?
Opera being the deranged parade of dysfunctionality that it is, there are certain literary characters to which composers find themselves inexorably drawn, and the more licentious and distasteful the rogue, the better. Perhaps the king of all operatic louts is Falstaff, “a fat everyman who gleefully clings to life, despite its often appalling cruelties.”
Jowell Inquiry Wider Than First Thought
The investigation of UK Culture Minister Tessa Jowell and her husband has widened beyond its initial scope, which was focused on a bribe alleged to have been paid to the couple by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The newly broadened inquiry will also now focus on a “secretive offshore investment fund” in which the Jowells had invested as much as £400,000. At issue is not only whether the couple’s financial activities were legal, but whether they adhered to the UK’s code of conduct for elected officials.
UK Playwright Recovering From Stroke
Well-known British playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn has suffered a stroke and is recuperating in a hospital. “The 66-year-old’s best-known works include The Norman Conquests trilogy and A Chorus of Disapproval.”
Juilliard Given Priceless Collection
New York’s Juilliard School has been given a treasure trove of original scores, notes, and manuscripts by some of the greatest composers who ever lived. “Many of the manuscripts have been unavailable for generations and could be a significant source of new insight for scholars and performers.” The 139-piece collection, which is considered priceless and includes an original score for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, “is so large that Juilliard is building a special room for the manuscripts” as part of a larger renovation to be completed in 2009.