The controversial portrait painter Jonathan Yeo’s design for a deck chair for London’s parks has been rejected on the grounds that it is too pornographic.
Tag: 05.27.08
Huntington Gallery Gets A Makeover
“In an age of ever-expanding mega-museums, the restored gallery, which holds an exceptional collection of European art, stands out as a thoughtful alternative to high-design gigantism. When it comes to the essential character of an art museum, after all, there is a sweet spot between intimacy and impressive scale that the re-imagined house, at 55,000 square feet, comes remarkably close to hitting.”
What Happened To Publishing’s Backlists?
“In a very competitive culture that emphasizes newness and fashion, and promotes the reading of a current blockbuster which is forgotten in a moment’s time, the backlist is a vanishing phenomenon. The volume of sales of one-year-old or older books is shrinking, while newer books capture an increasing share of the market.”
Experts To Examine Newly-Found Scores Said To Be By Mozart
“The scores could be compilations from various Mozart works, or compositions by other authors just signed in his name, or — in the luckiest case for us — they could be unknown authentic Mozart. In that case we could talk of a sensation.”
Indiana Proposes Law To “Discourage” Explicit” Books
A new Indiana law — due to take effect July 1 — would force any bookstore that sold even one book that could be broadly described as “sexually explicit” to pay a $250 license fee and be classified as an “adult bookstore.”
Lee Siegel Versus The Blogosphere
“Critics worth their salt earn their reputations by taking on established taste, whether it appears in stuffy form, or – less obviously – as a kind of adversarial posturing. It amused and then exasperated me that, week after week, I was vilified online as arrogant, elitist, someone who was threatened by dissent, when, week after week, I was taking on the judgments of the New York Times, the New Yorker and other mainstream institutions.”
The Street Musician, The Reporter, And Mental Illness
“Steve Lopez was walking to his downtown Los Angeles office when he saw a man dressed in rags playing Beethoven on a two-stringed violin. Beside him was a shopping cart filled with all his worldly possessions.” He was pretty good…
LA High School Principal Tries To Ban Student Laramie Project Production
“Taking matters into their own hands, the students pushed ahead, securing the Colony Theatre, where the show will play Thursday and Friday, attracting unexpected high-profile support and, eventually, the blessing of the principal for what remains an independent production not sanctioned by the school.”
UK Artists Lobby For Extending Royalty Payments; Auction Houses Protest
“Britain’s artistic community is battling against leading auction houses and dealers to bring in a law forcing the payment of a royalty on artists’ works for 70 years after their deaths — in line with writers and musicians. Most auction houses and dealers are opposed to the law — claiming that it would have a devastating impact on Britain’s £8.5billion art market.”
A World View On Cultural Property
“In its statement Unesco asserted that ‘cultural property’ was part of the ‘cultural heritage of all mankind’ and deserved special protection. But the framers of that doctrine with its universalist stance would hardly recognize cultural property in its current guise. The concept is now being narrowly applied to assert possession, not to affirm value. It is used to stake claims on objects in museums, to prevent them from being displayed and to control the international trade of antiquities.”