What determines the differences between “high” and “low” art? Hard to tell anymore. “It is so difficult to evaluate arts, compare their virtues and weigh their achievements and the entire debate over what was once called high culture is so politically charged that it is tempting simply to say that different entertainments attract different audiences. No aesthetic distinctions are needed. Mozart and Spears do not have different statures, just different devotees. There is no high, no low, only differing cultural attitudes toward what is high and what is low.” – New York Times
Tag: 05.27.00
“BUT IT’S MY LIFE”
Dancers of the Martha Graham Dance Company are stunned by the suddenness of the company closing last week. – New York Times
STAR SEARCH
Hollywood’s on the hunt for new faces (the old ones are fading at the box office). “Yes, there’s a changing of the guard, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the days of the Brat Pack. Everywhere you look, producers and casting directors are scrambling for fresh new faces to plug into their prefabricated teen comedies and slasher films – each hoping to stumble onto the next Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt or Winona Ryder.” – National Post (Canada) 05/27/00
THE DARTH VADER OF BOOKS
“As one of Canada’s most controversial CEOs, Chapters Books’ Larry Stevenson has undoubtedly learned to be careful. And, in many ways, it’s funny that such a correct and controlled man should be considered one of the more malevolent forces on Canada’s cultural landscape. Then again, if you hatch a bold business plan that can be summarized quickly as a war against the quaint neighborhood bookstore, you can’t expect to be loved.” – National Post (Canada)
WRITERS AGAINST WAR
A few years ago it seemed like a good idea to hold the international PEN conference of writers in Russia. But the war in Chechnya has changed all that and the meeting this week in Moscow has been marked by bubbling anger over the war. – New York Times
MOMA NO-NO
Media Mogul S.I. Newhouse has been forced to give up his priuzed seat on the Museum of Modern Art board of directors (he’s been a member for 27 years). “One of the world’s most prolific art collectors, Newhouse stepped down to avoid being expelled for breaking a rule barring trustees from buying a painting from the museum. He bought a 1913 Picasso, Man with Guitar, that the museum had decided to de-acquisition to fund new buys. The picture, in the museum’s basement, was sold to an unidentified art dealer who sold it to Mr Newhouse for $10 million.” – The Times (UK)
NYET EXCHANGE
Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a law banning the return of stolen WWII artwork to Germany. “The works in question include a rare Gutenberg Bible, gold artifacts from the ancient site of Troy, a drawing by Rembrandt and paintings by Claude Monet and Henri Matisse.” – Washington Post
PUBLIC ART PROTEST
For two months neighbors of the University of Massachusetts in Boston have been protesting the pending installation of a new piece of public art. The sculpture was due to be installed this weekend, but this week someone took a sledgehammer to the work’s support piers, forcing a postponement. – Boston Globe