It seems as if nearly every big museum in the U.S. has been sucked into the international debate over looted art and rightful ownership that has gripped the art world for more than a year now. But somehow, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has been spared – in fact, not a single Philadelphia museum has had any problems of the variety plaguing the Met, the Getty, and so many others. “Thanks to policies long in place that aggressively discourage trade in cultural booty, this region’s museums and academic institutions have turned their backs on the Indiana Joneses of the art and antiquities market and their dealer middlemen.”
Tag: 04.13.06
His Name Is My Name, Too
We tend to think of book titles as one-shot deals – once you’ve used it, it’s yours. But in reality, there’s nothing prohibiting publishers from reusing old titles if it suits their purposes – just go look up “The Island” on your favorite online bookseller, and see how many hits you get. “Romance, mystery and other genre books are particularly likely to have recycled titles because of the vast numbers that are published and their brief lives in the public’s memory — meaning a name can be brought back within a few years.”
Turning On The Charm
It is a modern reality of running an arts organization that one must not only be a good administrator and competent executive, but also an expert gladhander whose very presence in a room causes rich sorts to open their checkbooks. The Royal Ontario Museum’s William Thorsell could be the prototype for such an executive, and his success at ROM has largely hinged on his seemingly effortless ability to charm supporters.
Six Canadian Labels Break From Industry
“Six leading independent record companies, including those representing Rush and Sarah McLachlan, have left the Canadian Recording Industry Association over a disagreement about radio content rules and grant programs for emerging artists.” Specifically, new government requirements on the amount of Canadian music required on the radio seem to have precipitated the split.
Two Quebec Luminaries Rethink Sovereignty, Cause Furor
Artists and celebrities frequently gather on the cutting edge of controversial issues, and in Quebec, that’s always meant a general consensus among the province’s artists in favor of gaining independence from Canada. “So when two of the province’s artistic luminaries questioned their sovereigntist faith this week, their remarks fell like a bombshell. Michel Tremblay, the world-acclaimed playwright whose works have helped capture Quebec’s soul, declared that he was no longer a separatist. It was as if the Pope were renouncing Catholicism. Mr. Tremblay’s words were front-page news. Then another light of the Quebec stage, Robert Lepage, enjoined that he, too, was ‘less convinced’ about independence.”
Brazilian Wins Pritzker Prize
“Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha has been awarded the 2006 Pritzker Architecture Prize. Mr. Mendes da Rocha – renowned for designing bold, open structures that blend with their surroundings – will receive a $100,000 grant and bronze medallion on May 30 at a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey.”
Playing Arts & Politics In Beantown
Boston is known as a city where patronage and politics travel hand in hand, but still, many in the Hub’s arts community were surprised and bemused when longtime Mayor Tom Menino appointed a political ally with no arts experience to head Boston’s Office of Arts, Tourism, and Special Events. But some say that, in a city like Boston, what the arts community really needs is an advocate who knows the area’s political labyrinth inside out, and can negotiate from a position of strength.
Is Shanghai About To Lose Its Modernist Face?
Shanghai is experiencing a building boom like few other cities have ever seen, and within a few years, the entire city will be utterly transformed. “Many feel, though, that what Shanghai is losing is even more vital than what it will gain. Shanghai was China’s first, and remains its most distinctive, experiment in modern urbanism, and conservationists say that much of what made it so special in the last century will soon fall victim to the wrecking ball.”
The Man Who Gave Beckett To America
Nearly everyone knows the name Samuel Beckett, whose centenary is being observed this year. But how many avid fans of Beckett’s plays remember the name Barney Rossett? “It was Mr. Rosset, alive and well at 83 and living on Fourth Avenue, who discovered the Irish novelist and playwright, for Americans, more than half a century ago.” Rossett, a publisher, paid Beckett a $150 advance for the American rights to Waiting For Godot, which quickly sold over a million copies in the 1950s. “Grove Press and Mr. Rosset became famous, not just for championing Beckett in this country but also for introducing Eugène Ionesco, Harold Pinter and Jean Genet to American readers.”
Fired Orchestra Chief Forces Bankruptcy
Six years ago, Joseph Rescigno was fired from his position as artistic director of Orchestre Metropolitain du Grand Montreal. “Rescigno sued for lost salary, moving expenses, defamation of character and moral damages. The Quebec Superior Court ruled in Rescigno’s favour in 2003 and this year the Quebec Court of Appeal upheld the lower court judgment in January. The orchestra now owes Rescigno more than $250,000. Early last week, demands for payment escalated. Letters of seizure were sent to the orchestra’s bank,” and the organization filed for bankruptcy protection. A benefit concert raised $200,000 for the orchestra, but like the rest of the orchestra’s assets, that money can’t be touched until the dispute with Rescigno is settled.