The agreement between Italy and the Getty for longterm loans is becoming a trend. “Though long-term loans have been around for decades, the new twist is that the loan is becoming part of a resolution. That has to be a good thing, in that it allows the object still to have a very broad degree of public access in more than one country. That’s what museums are all about: providing a way for people to experience great works of art directly — unmediated through their computer screens and books and other things — in the context of other great art.”
Tag: 06.23.06
Theatre Critic Wants Warnings For Audience Noise
A London theatre critic is upset that “a performance of musical Into the Woods was spoiled by involuntary noises made by a group of mentally-disabled people. He has called for performances where such disruption is likely to be flagged up so others can choose whether to go. But managers at Derby Playhouse said their shows were open to all and the idea was unworkable and unfair.”
Bacon Portait Sells For £3.8 Million
“A recently discovered self-portrait by Francis Bacon has sold for £3.8m at a Christie’s auction in London. The triptych, titled Three Studies, had never been seen by the public until it came to light last month.”
Independent Misery
“Independent booksellers in the Bay Area share a common lament over a grim or nonexistent future for some of the most cherished havens for book lovers and strongest venues for visiting authors. Many cite Amazon.com and the proliferation of big chain bookstores. But there are other factors, they say, that have piled straw on the backs of businesses that face thin profit margins and stiff competition from discounters. They range from the dot-com blowup to bad city planning, to a societal turn toward laptop literacy.”
French Politicians Back Off On New Copyright Law
“The future of iTunes in France looks more secure after MPs watered down a draft of its new copyright law. The bill had aimed to ensure digital music could be played on any player, regardless of its format or source. But the MPs have amended the draft, to allow copyright holders to set compatibility restrictions.”
Where’s The Outrage?
Lately, a few prominent pop musicians have begun speaking out, both musically and verbally, against the war in Iraq and the Bush Administration’s policies in general, but with the notable exception of the Dixie Chicks (who paid dearly for their opinions a few years back,) nearly all the dissenting voices belong to older rockers from the Vietnam generation. So why aren’t today’s musicians speaking up?
Massive £25m Rings Musical To Hit West End
The stage adaptation of Lord of the Rings, which debuted this spring in Toronto, is coming to London in June 2007. “The show promises to be a spectacle on a big scale with a cost to match – £25m. It will have a cast of more than 50 actors and about 90 musicians and crew. Seventeen hydraulic lifts will be used underneath the huge stage… [The] announcement comes against a backdrop of change in the industry. The budgets for theatre productions are getting bigger for an obvious reason – audiences want spectacle if they are paying up to £60 for a ticket.”
Books On The Block
A magnificent collection of antique books collected by the heir to a Cincinnati brewery fortune is to be sold at auction next week. “The sale features books in all forms, including ancient papyri fragments, Persian manuscripts, European books of hours and Hebrew manuscripts, as well as book-related curiosities, like the only known round bookbinding of the Renaissance, made in leather in 1590 by Caspar Meuser of Dresden for Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn, Prince-Bishop of Würzburg… The sale is expected to raise $4.5 million.”
The Face Of Shakespeare
Few figures have captivated humanity across the centuries like William Shakespeare. But as much as we know about the Bard, much remains murky. For one thing, what exactly did Shakespeare look like? “Since Shakespeare’s time, eight portraits have seemed to be genuine likenesses, but today only three of them stand up, and even those are not indisputable.”
Conducting & Leadership: Together At Last
When the UK’s Cheltenham Festival appointed conductor Martyn Brabbins to be its new director last year, all involved knew they were taking a chance. “Conductors lead busy, peripatetic lives; they are far from obvious candidates to run music festivals… A year on, the appointment seems an inspired choice. Not only had Brabbins made his home in Gloucestershire, but he had the reputation of being a conductor with an unusually wide range of musical sympathies.”