Perhaps no museum has done so much for the popularity of contemporary art as London’s Tate Modern. Open for only five years, the museum has racked up an astonishing 22 million visitors, far outdistancing its peers on the international art scene. “Of course, not charging for admission helps, but it has offered more than sensational architecture. And as a result, the Tate has changed the way that Britain sees art, and the way the world sees Britain.”
Tag: 05.01.05
Dark Days For Children’s Theatre (Not Necessarily A Bad Thing)
Children’s theatre is booming in the UK. But all is not sweetness and light, as the new crop of plays and musicals has traded traditional treacle for an increasingly dark and foreboding view of the world, along with “a suspicion of all those who wield power, which for children of course means grown-ups.” The kids are, of course, eating it up, but their grown-up chaperones may find more disturbing subtext than they are ready to handle.
Do Art Auctions Sell Women Short?
It’s an unpleasant fact that artwork by women consistently sells for less money than the work of men, particularly at contemporary art auctions. So are the auctions and those who participate in them biased? The truth is far more complicated, but not terribly comforting…
Scotland’s Next Great Composer?
Composing is an art that usually requires great practice and refinement before a practitioner can be judged to have reached the upper echelons. But among Scotland’s crop of hot young composers is a 28-year-old who is already being compared to composing’s elder statesmen. Stuart MacRae is not a relentless self-promoter, but as official composer of the BBC Scottish Symphony, his work is becoming known throughout the UK and beyond.
The Art-Collecting Sheikh Lands In Jail
Sheikh Saud Al-Thani of Qatar went on an eight-year shopping spree that made the 38-year-old the biggest art buyer in the world. He bought more than $1 billion worth of art before he was done. But now? He’s under arrest, accused of mis-spending public money…
Why Can’t High Art And Pop Culture Coexist?
UK composer Peter Maxwell Davies recently made waves when he accused television’s addiction to pop culture of being one of the root causes of the decline of classical music. But the arbitrary setting of “cultural standards” like these drive some in the arts sphere up the wall. “There is as much rubbish passed off as a serious creative endeavour in high art as ever disgraces a TV screen… I like John Keats as much as I like Bob Dylan. I’m fond of cheap Hollywood movies and Matisse – is this allowed? – simultaneously. I can discuss any sept of the Marx clan, from Groucho to Karlo, you care to mention. In a few small areas of art and ideas I am almost, but never quite, an expert. I am also a disgrace, culturally speaking, and proud of it.”
Recording Companies Rev Up For DualDisc
“Until a few years ago, labels automatically took their shiny bread-and-butter format for granted and all the way to the bank. Customers had few other options and rarely balked when list prices were raised. But the unlimited possibilities of music downloads have transformed the playing field, turning the glamorous CD into a badly aging star that needs a major face-lift. For a music business desperate to steer people into stores and away from illegal download sites, that cosmetic surgery couldn’t come soon enough. Infamous for infighting and contentious disagreements, all four major record labels are setting their differences aside and supporting DualDisc, a new format that they believe offers the best of the audio and visual worlds.”
The Lyrical Andrew Davis
Andrew Davis, 61, may be “the most forthcoming, honest and human conductor in the business. It may be the Brit in him (even the Financial Times called him “the quintessential English conductor”), but he politely and sincerely answers questions that other conductors would run from.”
Can Picture Books Teach Children To Read?
“Graphic novels for young adult readers have been popular for many years, but recently have grown from Spiderman and Superman into a global phenomenon of much more artistic and sophisticated products. Publishers have jumped on the lucrative bandwagon, as sales have mushroomed to meet the demand. It’s no surprise that kids who have grown up with a visual connection — TV, movies, videos and video games — also love graphic novels. Many young adult readers, in fact, prefer graphic novels to conventional books. Today all varieties of graphic books are available — original stories, biographies, and even the classics.”
Good Money After Bad?
Camden, New Jersey is a struggling city, plagued by poverty and violence and haunted by comparisons to thriving Phialdelphia, just across the Delaware River. Back in 1996, the state subsidized the construction of a major performing arts center inside Camden’s massive Clear Channel-owned Tweeter Center. But while the for-profit arm of the Tweeter has thrived, the non-profit arts center has been a dismal failure, and some are questioning the massive taxpayer subsidies that continue to be pumped into the project.