“Graffiti artist Alan Ket, whose real name is Alain Mariduena, has been criminally charged in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan with various counts including criminal mischief, making graffiti, and possession of graffiti tools. Mr Mariduena, whose work has been displayed in galleries, has pleaded not guilty to all charges and says … that the graffiti was done by copycat artists.”
Tag: 06.28.07
Hermitage, Iran Close To Cultural Agreement
“The Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg is close to signing a cultural agreement with Iran which will see the Russian institution collaborating with its Iranian counterparts on a series of joint exhibitions. The agreement will also increase scholarly exchange between the two countries.”
At $2.76 Billion, Sotheby’s Sales Are 41 Percent Higher
“Sotheby’s, the world’s No. 2 auction house, sold 41 percent more art in the first half as buyers from the U.S., Russia and Asia flocked to London, according to preliminary figures on Sotheby’s Web site. Sotheby’s first-half art auctions amounted to $2.76 billion, compared with $1.96 billion a year earlier….”
News Corp. Challenges YouTube With MySpace TV
“MySpace plans to expand its video offerings this week with a new site that combines amateur and professional material. The new pages, available at MySpaceTV.com, will be the first MySpace spinoff accessible to those who don’t register with the main site. But the new site is also intended as a gathering spot for the wide array of videos that get posted to personal profiles and viewed there.”
Paris Opera Embraces A “Gypsy Punk” Production
“Gérard Mortier, the director of the Paris National Opera, was taking a risk when he invited the Serb film director Emir Kusturica to create a new work here. Put simply, Mr. Mortier, who will take over as general manager and artistic director of the New York City Opera in 2009, was also asking a traditionally conservative audience to embrace a so-called Gypsy punk opera…. Well, the gamble appears to have paid off….”
Asymptote Architects’ New Experiment: Luxury Condos
“Aren’t these architects a bit too avant-garde for a luxury condo building in the West Village? But Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture, the husband-and-wife principals of Asymptote, say the eight-story structure taking shape at 166 Perry Street is intricately related to their ongoing experimental work.”
The Anonymous Rebellion Against NYC’s Street Art
“The covert campaign targeting street art began about seven months ago, with blobs of paint that appeared overnight, obscuring murals and wheat-pasted art on walls in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. Arcane messages were pasted at the sites, but it was difficult to ask for an explanation. The author was never identified.” Paint splashings, fliers, stink bombs: What’s going on, and who’s behind it?
At 75, Jacob’s Pillow Is Thriving, If Not Cutting-Edge
“After a rocky period in the 1990s when the Pillow was near foreclosure, it has had a resurgence. Under [Ella] Baff in the last 10 years, the institution has experienced a 38 percent increase in ticket sales, with a 77 percent increase in attendance…. Even more indicative of the organization’s financial health is its first endowment campaign. The goal for its first phase, which ended in June, was $6 million; $6.1 million was raised.”
How The Eames House Shaped California Living
“Hear the name ‘Eames,’ and you probably picture bent plywood ‘potato chip’ chairs, or midcentury tables resting on ‘paper clip’ legs — iconic home furnishings that shaped the legacy of their designers. Less celebrated is Charles and Ray Eames’ 1949 Pacific Palisades home, though it has profoundly influenced how Southern Californians nest, even to this day.”