What Alain de Botton Doesn’t Understand About Art

“If Alain ruled the world – let’s say he were one of Plato’s philosopher-kings (never mind that Plato distrusted art and wished to banish it) – museum captions would offer more than bland, neutral facts like name and date, but moral instructions ‘appropriate’ to the work of art, prompting us to, for example, ‘remember to be patient’.”

San Diego Opera to Shut Down

Said executive director Ian Campbell, “Over the last several years, we have lost a number of prominent contributors, frequently because of death, but especially during the recent economic downturn … The demand for opera in this city isn’t high enough.”