“The truth is that applying words such as ‘worth’ and ‘value’ to art is an abuse of language. They are terms not of art but of a science, that of economics. They describe price in a market in which supply is fixed but demand exorbitant. Nobody does Klimts any more. The picture was expensive because, unless Christie’s was pulling a fast one in a “negotiated” secret deal, there must have been another buyer prepared to pay nearly as much. Getting journalists to hype a work of art to legitimise its market price is playing with words.”
Tag: 06.23.06
All’s Well At AGO (Or Is It?)
“This week, even as an information picket went up around the Art Gallery of Ontario (its 266 staff represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees could strike after June 29) management told the annual meeting that all was well. Although the AGO is undergoing a major reconstruction, its annual attendance topped 475,000 visitors, and it is on budget and acquiring new works. The upbeat report communicated management’s positive attitude to the picketers, but it bears scrutiny.”
Norwegian Strike Ends In Mediated Settlement
Norway’s musicians’ union has called off a month-old strike that could have crippled the nation’s many state-supported symphony orchestras, after musicians accepted a draft settlement proposed by a mediator. “The strike began in Bergen in late May, disrupting the opening of the west coast city’s annual music festival. It later spread to the national Opera and the Oslo Philharmonic, which was forced to cancel its Asian tour. The musicians were protesting annual salaries that average NOK 350,000 ($58,300) and the fact that they have to pay for their own instruments and their own gala clothing that’s worn during performances.”
US Invasion Video Game Irks Venezuelans
“A video game which features mercenaries invading Venezuela to guarantee oil supplies for the United States has become the latest source of tension between the two nations.”
In Toronto: What A Difference a Theatre Makes
Toronto’s National Ballet of Canada moves in to its new home at the Four Seasons. “Even for those accustomed to good seats at the ballet, the dancers’ personalities are suddenly more evident in the Four Seasons.”
Wrangling Over A DC Theatre
“In Washington DC “theater activists at least temporarily derailed a plan to create a roughly $2 million endowment for small area theaters. The endowment would have come from the sale of the Source Theatre’s longtime home, which is being bought by Bedrock Management for $2.8 million. The activists argued that the funds would be quickly dissipated and forgotten and that the artistic community would be better served by preserving the stage.”
Up Late For Michelangelo
The British Museum’s Michelangelo show has been so popular the museum has stayed open as late as midnight to accomodate the crowds. “Youths in black carried their skateboards, iPods playing the British rave band Arctic Monkeys shoved into pockets. Elderly people leaned on their canes. In the dim light, thousands stood in silence to focus on the artist’s 90 drawings, ranging from Annunciations to Crucifixions to male figure studies.”
That’s So Immature! (And That’s Good)
“New research shows a growing number of people are retaining the behaviors and attitudes associated with youth. As a consequence, many older people simply never achieve mental adulthood, according to a leading expert on evolutionary psychiatry.” But don’t fret: A “child-like flexibility of attitudes, behaviors and knowledge” is probably adaptive to the increased instability of the modern world.
Casinos Make A Bet On Books
Casinos are booking authors to give readings. “It is one thing to see Siegfried & Roy or even Cirque du Soleil between playing the slots, but an author? For casinos, which are trying to attract visitors interested not so much in gambling as in a broad range of entertainment, it can make sense.”
NY’s Morgan Library Scores Concert Plans
“In a coup, the Morgan has lured away the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble from Zankel Hall by offering a bargain-basement price. The prestigious Boston Early Music Festival will present three concerts, a shot in the arm for New York’s relatively modest early-music scene. Glimmerglass Opera will bring previews of its offerings for next summer. And the library hopes to play host to a small contingent from the Vienna Philharmonic.”