“How many paintings and sculptures in Vietnam’s national art museum are actually copies, nobody knows. But rumors have swirled for years that many treasured originals by Vietnamese artists like Niet have been either lost or sold off, and reproductions have taken their place. The copies aren’t exactly forgeries.”
Tag: 05.04.09
Whimsy And Innovation (Or ‘R. Crumb Meets R. Buckminster Fuller’)
An admiring look at the man behind such ideas as the Nod Office (a sleep-in cubicle), the Dashboard Toaster Oven, the Self-Shortening Sedan (makes parking in tight spaces a snap!), Automobile Abandonment Zones (for bailing out of a traffic jam and onto a train), Homes Purchased by the Room, and so on.
I’ll Donate $20 Million If You Don’t Put My Name On Your Building
After years of one naming gift after another after another (even the escalators at Walt Disney Concert Hall have donors’ names on them), anonymous giving is growing at a fast clip. This may not be an entirely good thing …
A Film Festival For The State Department
Three prominent writers (two international relations professors and a national defense correspondent) compile their lists of “what they regard as the best movies ever made about international relations,” war and diplomacy.
It’s Not Good Business To Spend $5M On A Film Premiere?
“While studios may still be splurging on a few of the major summer tentpoles like ‘Star Trek’ and the sequel to ‘Night at the Museum,’ the big [opening-night] bashes are fewer and farther between. … What studios have figured out is that they can get bigger bang for their buck by focusing less on excessive events that exist just to stroke cast, crew and invited guests — and instead focus on the media attention that the red carpet can bring.”
Why Beginning Playwrights Need Our Financial Support
Because playwrights write on spec, they tend to be “white, male, middle-class graduates from south-east England – the group who can most afford to take this financial risk. It follows that most plays they write will inevitably reflect the world view and concerns of this narrow group. A system has evolved that ensures plays and playwrights are developed by a process of financial natural selection.”
English Chanel: Lagerfeld Designs For National Ballet
“The English National Ballet’s principal dancers will be gracing the stage in Karl Lagerfeld-designed Chanel haute couture this summer, for a special production to celebrate the centenary of the influential troupe Ballet Russes.”
Art Historians: Gauguin Lopped Off Van Gogh’s Ear
“[T]wo German art historians, who have spent 10 years reviewing the police investigations, witness accounts and the artists’ letters, argue that Gauguin, a fencing ace, most likely sliced off [Van Gogh’s] ear with his sword during a fight, and the two artists agreed to hush up the truth.”
S.F. Has No Great Buildings? That’s OK, AIA Members Say.
“Talk to San Francisco architects for any length of time and unless they worship at the shrine of Victoriana, the complaints begin. Our buildings are too conservative. Our skyline lacks drama. Sharp designs are dulled by small-minded neighbors and planners. Talking to out-of-town architects is a much different story….”
This Year’s Special Tonys Go To …
“Jerry Herman, Phyllis Newman, publicist Shirley Herz and the Signature Theater in Arlington, Va., will receive the annual Tony honors in noncompetitive categories.”