A British MP is trying to close a loophole in the law that would make prosecuting those trying to sell stolen Iraqi art possible. “At the moment if somebody tries to sell an artefact that has been stolen and you can prove who it was stolen from they can be prosecuted for handling stolen goods. But if it can’t be tracked back to the original owner then they can’t be prosecuted. That’s the loophole we’re trying to plug.”
Tag: 04.25.03
SARS Scare To Cancel Toronto BookExpo?
The SARS scare in Toronto has the book industry wondering about cancelling two major gatherings – the annual American Library Association Show and BookExpo Canada, the country’s biggest bookseller event.
Art Grab – Fighting Over Riopelle’s Estate
“A year after Jean-Paul Riopelle died and plunged Quebec into mourning, the heirs of the man considered Canada’s greatest modern artist are locked in a bitter dispute over his substantial estate.”
Saving Chicago’s Buildings
Acknowledging the destruction of hundreds of architecturally important buildings in Chicago over the past decade, Chicago city officials say they’ll find new ways to protect the buildings. “Citing the damaging impact of such cases on Chicago’s physical appearance and cultural legacy, preservationists praised the city’s policy shift but said they were waiting to see the details of whatever programs result.”
A Record Of Destruction
Chicago Tribune reporters drive 1000 miles on Chicago streets documenting architecturally important buildings that have been torn down. The reporters counted 704 structures that had been demolished…
Who Wants To Be A Producer?
Who’d want to be a Broadway theatre producer? It’s a business where 80 percent of projects fail, investors lose millions, and, let’s face it, producers are rarely liked… But more than 300 aspiring producers have signed up for a three-day course in how to become “that rare breed of theater lovers who seldom get credit or a return on the investment.”
Ireland’s Dreams For Scottish Theatre
Kenny Ireland is leaving Edinburgh’s Lyceum Theatre. He’s got lots of criticism for local theatre, but he’s hoping to come back for bigger things. “He has also turned the Lyceum round from a debt-ridden and under-maintained venue into a successful and rather lovely theatre. He wants to do the same for the whole of Scottish theatre and he wants to create a Scottish national theatre to make it happen. When Ireland took over 10 years ago, the theatre owed £1m to the city and had a £400,000 deficit…”
Learning From Reality TV
British drama-makers are learning how to make their projects in a different way, borrowing from lessons learned from reality TV. “Not having words, only outlines, you get a different kind of energy taking off. They are tremendously scary projects — with two or three of these films in the cutting room people have told us they are untransmittable. There is a very fine line between working and not working. That is what is so exciting; this kind of danger in the endeavour has given a new kick of life to the drama scene.”
How Music Was Born In America
“The saga of American music in the 19th century is a tale of outsized personalities, showdowns and rampant can-doism. The American myth has much to do with raising yourself by your own bootstraps, and that is what American music did in the 19th century: beginning with mostly amateur fiddlers, fifers and bawling congregations, ending with some of the best orchestras and opera houses anywhere.”
Berliners Stand Mute As Past Is Ripped Down
Over the past ten years half of Berlin has been thoroughly transformed. Do Berliners have any feelings for their older buildings? If so, they “never even raised their voices when a precious building was torn down by the wrecking ball to make room for a new one. There also was no outcry, just some rather quiet outrage, when the city senate approved the demolition of Admiralspalast, the last building on Friedrichstrasse – across the street from the train station – which still recalls the 1920s, when this street was home to one of the capital’s entertainment districts.” What is the point?