“Wisdom of the Earth is a 50cm (20in) tall sculpture carved from limestone in a primitive modernist style. … Dating to 1907 or 1908, it is one of just a few Brâncuşi works remaining in his homeland. The government has pledged €5m towards the €11m price, much lower than its estimated value of €15m-20m, and is seeking the rest from private contributions by 30 September.”
Tag: 06.15.16
‘Frankenstein,’ Climate Change, Refugees, A Bountiful Baroness, And The Biggest Volcanic Eruption In History
“It is 200 years since ‘The Year Without a Summer’, when a sun-obscuring ash cloud – ejected from [Mount Tambora] – caused temperatures to plummet the world over. Gillen D’Arcy Wood looks at the humanitarian crisis triggered by the unusual weather, and how it offers an alternative lens through which to read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a book begun in its midst.”
Can Netflix Survive In The Business It Created?
“At the moment, Netflix has a negative cash flow of almost $1 billion; it regularly needs to go to the debt market to replenish its coffers. Its $6.8 billion in revenue last year pales in comparison to the $28 billion or so at media giants like Time Warner and 21st Century Fox.”
David Gockley’s Exit Interview: The State Of Opera
“Certainly I think the HD gets people to focus on the Met, appearing at the Met. But it’s expensive, and it doesn’t make its money back. It makes some of it back. And I think we agree that DVDs, their days are numbered, and even HD, the days may be numbered, and that streaming into the home onto devices is the way it’ll go. And a lot of streaming is free. And there’s a lot of operas on YouTube now.”
I Went Bankrupt Paying Actors Minimum Wage, Says Producer
“Producer Paul Taylor-Mills has claimed he was forced to wind up his production company after being financially crippled by a duty to pay actors … consistent with [Equity’s] fringe guidelines.”
Is Trying To Diversify A Waste Of Time In The Arts?
“The performing arts audience in the vast majority in this city and country is white, middle class. And when we look to attract a new audience and new people into our audience, we have to acknowledge that we usually end up with a white, middle-class audience… That doesn’t mean we can’t make constant efforts to say ‘Here is something on stage that will bring you a different way into this art form’. Even if they come once it’s better than not coming at all.”
Mobile Armageddon: The Future Of News In The Balance
“In a sentence, digital is eating legacy media, mobile is eating digital, and two companies, Facebook and Google, are eating mobile. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing that advertising is declining as a share of the economy if news publishers held a steady or growing percent of the market. But the opposite is happening.”
Why Are We So Hard On Stupid People?
“Even in this age of rampant concern over microaggressions and victimization, we maintain open season on the nonsmart. People who’d swerve off a cliff rather than use a pejorative for race, religion, physical appearance, or disability are all too happy to drop the s‑bomb: Indeed, degrading others for being “stupid” has become nearly automatic in all forms of disagreement.”
Can Even A Prizewinning Young Playwright No Longer Afford To Stay In New York?
“Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has made a name for himself writing plays including Neighbors and An Octoroon. This year he won the Wyndham-Campbell Literature award, one of the biggest financial prizes for writers. But a seeming windfall only goes so far. As he puts it, ‘Can anyone really say they’ve made it in New York? … It feels like New York is a game about keeping up. You can’t get too comfortable in any avenue here.” (audio)
Brutalism Is Beautiful, Man!
“I love Brutalism, and am increasingly clear that it is not merely the equal of any other period’s architecture, it is better. There has never been a more remarkable period of architectural achievement.” Barnabas Calder makes the case.