“The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that the 88-year-old niece and heir of an Austrian Jewish art collector can pursue her lawsuit against the Austrian government and its national art gallery for the return of six paintings by Gustav Klimt that belonged to her family before the Nazi takeover.”
Tag: 06.08.04
Puppet Time (Endangered)
“While the puppeteers behind the Tony-winning Avenue Q have won over Broadway, their success comes at a time when many puppeteers — and puppets — find themselves being replaced by pixels.”
Korea To Invest In Arts
The Korean government has announced it will make a major investment in culture over the next few years. “The Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on Tuesday that the government plans to invest over 1.7 trillion won into a new arts development policy in the next five years.”
New Theory: Angkor Destroyed By Its Own Problems
Coventional wisdom has it that Angkor Watt was destroyed by a seige in 1431. But researchers now believe that the city was done in by something much more mundane. “They created ecological problems for themselves and they either didn’t see it until it was too late or they couldn’t solve it even when they could see it.”
Unions Protest Scottish Opera Cuts
“Unions representing staff at Scottish Opera have urged company directors to resign following news that almost half the workforce will lose their jobs.”
Why Avenue Q Cleaned Up
How is it that “Avenue Q” won the big awards at Sunday’s Tonys? The wins were a big surpirse to everyone. “Avenue Q,” a modest musical with singing puppets playing in a small Broadway theater, had pulled off what many in the business were calling one of the biggest upsets in Tony history. There even seemed to be a sense of shock inside the producing office for “Avenue Q,” where some were nursing hangovers yesterday from a long night celebrating the show’s three victories, which included awards for best score (the show’s music and lyrics) and best book (its dialogue and structure).”
How About An Artist For Arts Job?
Why should the government’s culture minister be a bureaucrat? How about an artist? “Britain has many suitable candidates. At random, I could suggest Simon Rattle, Elton John, Trevor Nunn or Richard Attenborough, all of whom have spent their lives working in the arts. Surely any one of these would be a better choice of arts minister than a professional politician who perhaps sees the job as a stepping stone and who may have some difficulty telling their Arne from their Elgar?”
The Capital Of Tango
“The preposterous-sounding truth is that, in terms of numbers, if not perhaps artistry, the foremost tango country in the world is actually Finland. The most startling proof of tangomania in Finland is the annual festival in Seinajoki, in which more than 150,000 people take part. The highlight is a tango-singing competition, which is televised, and the winners, the Tango King and Queen, become overnight stars.”
The Business End Of Being A Bestseller
Azar Nafisi, 54, has a book on the bestseller list. Now she’s “learning the pitfalls and conundrums of playing the fame game in her adopted country as she contends with her corporate handlers, her book club fans and jealous former countrymen. “I thought I can live with the snide remarks: `Look at her wanting to become a celebrity, yada yada,’ ” she said. “That is not pleasant, but you can live with it. But one thing I can’t live with, which I would criticize, is to be in competition with my book. A writer should allow the work to speak for itself.”