The retirement of a longtime senior exec at Canada’s CBC signals major rethinking of the public broadcaster’s programming. “The news of Harold Redekopp’s departure, expected later this year, has given rise to a groundswell of talk that a major shakeup is in the works at the public broadcaster – one that will affect a number of key executive positions as well as many facets of its programming, from arts and entertainment to news and current affairs.”
Tag: 03.11.04
How The 60s Changed The Way America Communicates
“Not only did we come to regard political speech as manipulative, but we started to see formality in general as old-fashioned and insincere. The culture that bred casual Fridays and microwave dinners came to value ‘doing your own thing’ over older standards of propriety, and this attitude has shaped our language.”
The Best-Selling Artist Of All
Who is the best-selling artist of all time? Picasso? Van Gogh? “The truth could hardly be more different or more surprising, at least according to the publisher HarperCollins, which says the world’s bestseller is a Swiss religious artist by the name of Annie Vallotton. Even if the name is unfamiliar, chances are you may have seen her work or own an unopened copy of one of her books.”
Greece Halts Acropolis Museum Construction
Greece has put a halt to building the Acropolis Museum. “The country’s highest administrative court ruled that a Culture Ministry decision approving plans for the 94-million-euro building could cause irreversible damage to ancient building remains found on the plot in Makriyianni, under the Acropolis.”
NY Dealer Charged In Art Fraud
A Manhattan art dealer has been arrested on fraud charges for “a multimillion-dollar international art scam in which he bought up works by 19th century French artists, forged them and sold off the fakes through prestigious auction houses. The brazen forgery racket, which spanned the globe from New York to Paris, London and Toyko, involved more than 25 paintings by masters such as Monet, Marc Chagall, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Gaugin, court documents charge.”
African-American Art Market Heats Up
“Prices for African-American art have been steadily increasing as more and more lower-end black memorabilia have shown up in flea markets, antique shows and auctions for the past 15 years. While offensive items like vintage mammy and minstrel cookie jars, salt-and-pepper shakers and dolls may sell for up to $500 each, slave documents, books and other printed matter fetch four figures at auctions. At the top, art commands tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars.”
Artists For Livingstone
How many politicians do you know that artists will get behind and support? So London mayor Ken Livingstone must be one special guy. “With mayoral elections just three months away, a prestigious group of artists have banded together to get Ken Livingstone re-elected as mayor of London.”
Amis Available – No Big Bidding War
Martin Amis is a certified literary star. But his latest book was a critical failure and a dud in the bookstore. And now? Amis is without publisher, and available…
UK Museums – Victims Of Their Own Success
So UK museums want a big block of added government funding. There’s something horribly familiar about this cri de coeur, heard again and again from different parts of the arts community over the years. But they do have a strong case. Since the government-directed abolition of admission charges in 2001, museums have become victims of their own success.” Millions more are coming through the doors, and it’s put a strain on museums.
Hip-Hop Under Police Stakeout
“The Miami and Miami Beach police have a black ring-binder six inches thick that starts with 50 Cent and ends with Ja Rule. In between come photographs, arrest records and other information on all the other major rappers in the US, from P Diddy to DMX. The police photograph them arriving at Miami airport, stake out hotels and video shoots and scrutinise their lyrics and connections in search of hints of potential violent conflict. It is the latest development in a nationwide effort to place every aspect of hip-hop culture under state surveillance.”