Today, of course, the contents of Lot 664 are worth far more than that: The picture has since sold once for $127.5 million and again, in a record-setting auction at Christie’s, for close to half a billion dollars. It has been held up as the “male Mona Lisa” and the “Holy Grail of old-master paintings” and derided by this magazine’s art critic, Jerry Saltz, as a “two-dimensional ersatz dashboard Jesus.” – New York Magazine
Tag: 04.15.19
American Museum Of Natural History Backs Out Of Event For Brazilian President Bolsonaro
When word got around last week that a private group was renting the AMNH for an evening honoring Jair Bolsonaro, who has been making aggressive plans to open the Amazon rainforest for logging, mining, and farming, museum staffers, donors, and even board members objected. It seems they’ve been heard. – The New York Times
On April 16, 100 Solos For Merce Cunningham’s 100th Birthday (And You Can Watch Them Anywhere)
“One night. Three cities. Seventy-five dancers. And three unique sets of 100 solos, all choreographed by Merce Cunningham.” And if you can’t be in London, New York, or Los Angeles to watch in person, here’s how to stream them live. – Dance Magazine
Nôtre-Dame-De-Paris Fire: What We Do And Don’t Know About The Damage
As President Macron said, “The worst has been avoided” — meaning that, at least, the walls and the twin front towers didn’t collapse and there were no deaths. Here’s the current info. – The New York Times
An Eyewitness Account Of The Nôtre-Dame-De-Paris Fire
Rachel Donadio: “I was standing in a hushed, pained throng along the Quai d’Orléans of the Ile Saint-Louis facing the back of the basilica, and when I watched the spire fall, I gasped and choked back tears. In this, I was not alone.” – The Atlantic
Actress Georgia Engel, Known For ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’ And ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’, Dead At 70
“She could get a laugh on literally every line you gave her,” remembered Raymond‘s creator. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” She received three Emmy nominations for her work on that series and two others for her performance as Georgette, the sweet-but-dim girlfriend of anchorman Ted Baxter, on MTM; she had an extensive stage career as well. – The New York Times
Ellen Reid’s ‘p r i s m’ Wins Pulitzer Prize For Music
“The Pulitzer jury described the winning piece as a ‘bold new operatic work that uses sophisticated vocal writing and striking instrumental timbres to confront difficult subject matter: the effects of sexual and emotional abuse.'” Here, along with sound samples, is a Q&A with the composer and reporter Tom Huizenga. – NPR
Jackie Sibblies Drury’s ‘Fairview’ Wins Pulitzer Prize For Drama
And Vox‘s Constance Grady says the play “made me the most uncomfortable I have ever been inside a theater. In a good way.” – Vox
Aretha Franklin Awarded Special Posthumous Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer board gave the late singer a Special Citation “for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades.” She is the first individual woman to receive the Special Citation in its 89-year history. – Detroit Free Press
Carlos Lozada Of Washington Post Wins Pulitzer Prize For Criticism
The Post‘s nonfiction book critic was honored “for his ambitious and innovative essays that range across politics, presidential history, immigrant memories, national security reporting and feminist analysis to probe national dilemmas.” – The Washington Post