Lee Rosenbaum takes a look at claims by one scholar that the Metropolitan Museum’s Duccio (for which it paid $50 million last year) is a fake. “None of this proves that the painting is a fake from the 19th century, as Beck somewhat recklessly claims, or even that it’s not by Duccio. The Met’s conservation lab has done a technical examination of the painting that it says provides additional support for the attribution. It should release those findings in detail (including any attempts to date the painting scientifically), to help clarify these matters.”
Tag: 07.11.06
UNESCO Delists Four
Four sites have been taken off UNESCO’s endangered list. “UNESCO’s World Heritage List, created in 1972, includes some 812 sites around the world, from the Giza pyramids in Egypt to the Great Wall of China to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in Alberta.”
Hollywood’s Better Summer
A year ago Hollywood was anxious about a string of bad weeks at the box office. But “as of early July the picture has brightened for Hollywood with a slight surge in profits. The news comes as a big relief – just weeks ago the figures were not encouraging, according to film industry analysts.”
Abu Dhabi Guggenheim Motive?
So Abu Dhabi is to get a Guggenheim Museum. “If there’s one place that doesn’t need an economically regenerating ‘Guggenheim effect’ it’s surely oil-rich Abu Dhabi. Is this a genuine cultural initiative, or just a ploy to lure Middle East shoppers away from Dubai’s designer boutiques? But what will they actually put in the new museum?”
What Your Ringtones Say About You
“Ringtones used to suffer the reputation of music’s annoying little cousin. The frustratingly raw, digitized song sketches often recalled the early days of synthesizers and video game soundtracks. But as the technology has come into its own, so has the range of uses, transforming ringtones into a bona fide cultural phenomenon.”
Lose Weight And We’ll Rehire You (Disturbing)
“There are potentially disturbing implications in the rehiring by the London Royal Opera House of American soprano Deborah Voigt after she lost 135 pounds. If major opera companies are going to start requiring their stars to be svelte – well, 135 pounds closer to svelte – this could kill one of the last stages where artists don’t have to apologize for not being a size 2.”
SF Museums, Victoria & Albert Museum To Share Collections
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London have made an agreement to share collections. “Under the new arrangement, the Fine Arts Museums and the V&A will have preferential position for sharing exhibitions they respectively organize.”
Nielsen To Measure Ratings For TV Commercials
The ratings company Nielsen “plans to measure how many people actually watch TV commercials starting in November, a move that could result in a decline in advertising rates…”
Canadian Government Declines Help For Quebec Fim-makers
The Canadian government has declined to give Quebec filmmakers $20 million in “emergency” aid. Last month 20 representatives of the Quebec industry went to Ottawa to complain about “Telefilm Canada’s recent announcement that, because of lack of funds, it could help bankroll only four or five Quebec features this year, leaving more than two dozen projects without support.”
CBC In Hot Water Over Mini-series
Canada’s CBC is embroiled in a dispute over a mini-series about Tommy Douglas, a 20th Century political leader. Descendants of one of Douglas’s opponents are protesting the depiction of their ancestor. The CBC seems willing to accommodate the protest, but not to the protesters satisfaction. Meanwhile researchers for the series stand by their portrayals and are angry that CBC is considering the protests. “Is there only one accepted version of history? It’s shocking that this is coming from a public broadcaster.”