The Russian government has ruled that a Rubens looted by the Nazis and now in Russia, should not be returned to Germany. “Its owners have included Frederick the Great, Joseph Goebbels’ lover, a Red Army soldier and finally, and most controversially, Moscow real estate tycoon Vladimir Logvinenko. The German authorities desperately want it back but Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has ruled that Mr Logvinenko is the painting’s rightful owner and that he did not break any Russian law in acquiring it.”
Tag: 03.30.04
Art From 9/11 Dust Wins Prize
“A handful of dust, gathered from the streets of New York in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, last night won the first £40,000 Artes Mundi prize for the Chinese artist Xu Bing.”
French Rock Star Jailed For Murder
“The celebrity murder case that has held France in thrall since last summer reached its conclusion yesterday when Bertrand Cantat, one of the country’s biggest rock stars, was found guilty of killing his lover, the film and TV star Marie Trintignant, and was jailed for eight years in Lithuania.”
It’s Emin Vs. The 8-Year-Olds
Tracey Emin is locked in a dispute with a school of eight-year-olds. “The Britart star, whose first experiment with bed linen was snapped up by Charles Saatchi for £150,000, is demanding the return of a blanket made with eight-year-olds as part of an art project after the school involved tried to auction it.”
American Scholar Editor Is Out
The American Scholar magazine is a player. “Its witty essays by leading writers on subjects as varied as jigsaw puzzles and diabetes have sparked intellectual discussion, lured fresh talent and earned this quarterly three National Magazine Awards in six years. But a high profile and a healthy circulation of about 28,000 were apparently not enough to safeguard editor Anne Fadiman’s job. Last week a budget deficit for the journal, which costs $1.25 million a year to produce, left Ms. Fadiman and her publisher, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, at loggerheads, with Ms. Fadiman contending that she had been dismissed.”
Denver: Can’t We Be Austin?
Austin’s South by Southwest festival has put the city on the map as a center of live music. “Austin’s scene generates about $616 million annually, and 11,200 jobs are directly related to the city’s live music scene, according to a study by the Austin Music Commission.” So music fans in Denver are petitioning the city for “more visible promotion of its live music scene and touting figures that show its economic strength. However, the Mile High City has a long way to go to match Austin’s musical clout.”
Alistair Cooke, 95
Alistair Cooke, who broadcast his Letter from America for 56 years, has died at his home in New York. Earlier this month, he announced his retirement on health grounds following advice from his doctors. Leading the tributes, Prime Minister Tony Blair described him as “a remarkable man” and “one of the greatest broadcasters of all time”.
Painting Declared An Authentic Vermeer
A Painting long dismissed as a fake has been “reattributed” as a Vermeer. “Young Woman Seated at the Virginals, to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in July, will be the first Vermeer to come on the market for 80 years and is expected to fetch more than £3 million. Researchers have spent more than ten years studying the painting, which languished in near-obscurity after being “deattributed” to Vermeer in 1947.”
NPR Stations Wanted Edwards Out?
National Public Radio has been feeling the brunt of listener unhappiness over the announcement that Bob Edwartds would be leaving as host of Morning Edition. “NPR, based in Washington, has received more than 17,000 calls and e-mail messages from angry listeners, its officials said.” So why was the move made? “In recent years, several station managers confirmed, some member stations have voiced concerns to NPR management that Mr. Edwards, who has served as host of Morning Edition from its beginnings in 1979, often seemed less engaged on the air.”
Remembering Peter Ustinov
“He wrote 23 plays, 13 books, nine films and numerous memoirs, acted in 40 films and 20 plays, and directed eight films, eight plays and 14 operas. He spoke five languages. His entry in Who’s Who was seven inches long. According to Michael Parkinson, Sir Peter was ‘God’s gift to a talk show host’.”