Time was, artists honed their craft in school and by learning from the skills of masters of the day. No more, writes Laurie Fendrich. “Art education (by which I mean the education of artists for the professional contemporary art world, as opposed to the education of high-school art teachers, which is an entirely separate matter) has become a hodgepodge of attitudes, self-expression, news bulletins from hot galleries, and an almost random selection of technical skills that cannot help but leave most art students confused about their ultimate purpose as artists. This mishmash approach has been going on for so long that it amounts to an orthodoxy…”
Tag: 06.03.05
Legal Threat Against “Springer”
A Christian group says it will take legal action against a planned production of Springer, The Opera, if it plays in Birmingham. “If you wanted to be deliberately offensive and provocative to Christians, you couldn’t do much better than put Jerry Springer: The Opera on at the Birmingham Hippodrome.”
Pair Arrested In Theft Of New Harry Potter
Two men who stole copies of the new Harry Potter book due out later this summer and tried to sell them to newspaper reporters have been arrested. When one reporter tried to recover the book from the men for police, shots were fired…
Liquidating Wildenstein?
A court has said one of the biggest private art inventories may have to be sold. “Unless the sons of the late art dealer Daniel Wildenstein, Alec and Guy, reach a settlement with Daniel’s widow, Sylvia Wildenstein, a significant collection of paintings and drawings will be sold at auction in early July.”
Nothin’ Says Fringe Like Feet And Tongues
The Minnesota Fringe Festival is in its twelfth year of existence, and boasts of being the largest such fest in America. Naturally, organizers felt it was time for a new logo that reflects such a reputation. And naturally, the logo sports a giant pair of lips. And a giant tongue. And a tiny foot. And, um… okay, does anyone know what the hell this thing is supposed to be?
Newly Discovered Munch Work Unveiled
“The Bremen Kunsthalle art museum on Friday put on display a previously unknown painting by Norwegian master Edvard Munch, depicting a naked girl appearing to be threatened by a vision of the faces of three men… The painting was discovered while restoration work was being done on the Munch painting ‘The Dead Mother’… The symbolist-style painting, measuring 90 by 100 centimetres, is estimated by art experts to date to around 1898.”
Do The Arts Still Matter In A 5000-Channel Universe?
Are the arts falling behind in a cultural universe that is expanding exponentially? “The culture is constantly evolving, under the pressures of changing demographics, audience behavior, seductive new technologies and the nature of making and consuming art. No organization, no artist can afford to assume that anything that’s working today will do so tomorrow.”
Why Corcoran Turned Its Back On Gehry
Why did the Corcoran abandon its Frank Gehry addition and ask for the resignation of David levy, its director? “Mr. Levy believed that there was still a way to get the Gehry building done. Its price tag had soared to about $200 million, but ‘we’d raised $110 million, more money than any institution in this city has ever raised,’ he says. But the board felt the task of fund raising was eating up all the institutional oxygen, so it asked for his resignaton.”
Art In The ‘Burbs
Suburban communities across the US are getting into community art projects. “Some of those forms aim for the sublime. Some are utilitarian. And some are all about community pride and boosterism.”
LACMA Gives New Music The Boot
The LA County Museum of Art is dropping the residencies of two of LA’s most important contemporary music groups. The California EAR Unit and Xtet — as well the annual Rosalinde Gilbert Concerts, which cover a broader repertory, are being cut loose. “We’re going to concentrate on programs that enhance the core mission of an art museum, which is to present the visual arts to the public.”