Uber-collector Charles Saatchi is famously reticent about giving interviews. But Andrew Renton takes him out shopping and for a chat. “I’ve been buying and selling art for 30 years. It’s what I do. There was a time when I was accused of creating a Xanadu, and of hoarding. I can’t win. I don’t mind selling work – even by artists I like. It’s more important to make sure I have the best works.”
Tag: 06.10.03
Korean Pianist Snubs Piano Competition
A Korean pianist has turned down the third prize he was awarded at this year’s Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels because “he felt his performances throughout the month-long competition were demonstrably better than those given by the second-place winner, Shen Wen-Yu, 16, from China. Severin von Eckardstein, 25, from Germany, won first prize.”
Used Up – Used Book Sales Rising
New book sales may be struggling, but sales of used books are on the rise. According to a new study, “one out of every 10 book buyers bought a used book in the last nine months. One of the few growing areas of the retail book business, used books now account for about $533 million in sales annually — 13% of overall book units sold and 5% of total revenue — and could lead to as much as $1.5 billion lost in new sales.”
Priced Out At Edinburgh Fringe?
Prices for Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival are climbing, and some are complaining. “We do try to keep prices as low as possible but producing a show in Edinburgh seems to cost more than in any other city in the world. For some reason, venue costs in Edinburgh are almost twice as much as anywhere else – and that includes London’s West End.”
A Kiss Is Still A Kiss
A lingering kiss between gay partners and their declaration of love in front of the cameras at the Tony Awards, stole the show Sunday night. “It was certainly the most prominent assertion of gay confidence at the awards yet, and comes at a time of a backlash against gay and lesbian relationships. ‘I thought, ‘No, no, no, this is the whole point.’ The whole point is that we all have to risk something personal to make something happen. The more it’s talked about the more it becomes commonplace, the less it becomes freakish. I think it’s a good thing’.”
More Choice, Smaller Audiences?
There is more choice for classical music in Scotland than ever before. “Things have changed dramatically. For a start, more people are actually listening to classical music, thanks largely to the populist phenomenon of Classic FM. The radio station that rams lollipops down your lughole with the systematic Pavlovian persuasiveness of Radio 1 may chop up the classics into snippets that match the diminishing concentration span of today’s average listener – and may be driven by blatant commercial forces such as one-sided Faustian contracts with artists and recording companies – but it has had the astonishing effect of shaking up BBC’s Radio 3.” One problem thoug – many of the live concerts don’t sell many tickets, and that’s because…
World Through The End Of A Bow
Yo-Yo Ma has had remarkable success attracting audiences to hear his latest musical explorations. So does he ever think about slowing down? “There have been times at the end of the year when I can’t even remember where I’ve been. I’m trying to spend more time with my family and only to go to places there’s a good reason for going and do only things I really care about.”
Who Said What About Iraq Museum Looting?
It is obvious now that the Iraq Museum was not looted of all its art. So what accounts for the reports that it had been, and statements made by t6he museum’s director, Donny George? Says George: “There was a mistake. Someone asked us what is the number of pieces in the whole collection. We said over 170,000, and they took that as the number lost. Reporters came in and saw empty shelves and reached the conclusion that all was gone. But before the war we evacuated all of the small pieces and emptied the showcases except for fragile or heavy material that was difficult to move.” This indictment of world journalism has caused some surprise to those who listened to George and others speak at the British Museum meeting. “Donny George himself had ample opportunity to clarify to the best of [his] knowledge the extent of the looting and the likely number of missing objects. Is it not a little strange that quite so many journalists went away with the wrong impression, while Mr George made little or not attempt to clarify the context of the figure of 170,000 which he repeated with such regularity and gusto before, during, and after that meeting.”