“Lack of coin has put the future of the Ingmar Bergman archive in jeopardy, just a few days after the multihyphenate’s death. The annual budget for the archive is 2 million kroner ($250,000), provided by the Swedish government. But execs say they need $600,000 more to digitize Bergman’s papers. His early notes are written on paper so thin that it is almost impossible to leaf through them.”
Tag: 08.03.07
When Using Kids’ Art As Evidence, Tread Carefully
Drawings by Darfuri refugee children, submitted as evidence in court, demand skepticism, however counterintuitive that is. “20th century art has attuned us to the communicative power of children’s drawings, a power we attribute to their uncontrived innocence. … But, like all representations, including photographs, they require careful scrutiny before they can be used as evidence.”
Would Erasing Bolshoi Blackface Harm “La Bayadère”?
“The Bolshoi may have toned down the black face paint for what can only be described as the ‘golliwog’ dancers in its current staging of La Bayadère, but is it time to get rid of them entirely? For those who haven’t seen or have blanked all memory of these exotic cuties, they are the eight little girls who are deployed as ‘native’ fan bearers in the first two acts of the ballet, and who are periodically let loose in capering, flat-footed dances that barely stop short of them scratching under their armpits. … If we find them difficult to stomach, however, what do we want to happen?”
Carnegie Hall Tenants Sue
“Artists facing eviction from their Carnegie Hall studio space are taking their fight to court, asking a judge to block the music venue from forcing them to move out.”
The Jeremy Blake and Theresa Duncan Story
“The double suicide of this glamorous, well-connected and attractive couple has baffled and fixated branches of the Hollywood film community, the art world and the blogosphere. In the days since their deaths, a clearer picture has emerged of a couple bound very tightly but suspicious of outsiders and increasingly losing touch with reality.”
Spoleto Festival Ends In Big Mess
This year’s Festival of Two Worlds was an artistic and box-office calamity. “Prior to a performance, musician- and stagehand-representatives read a prepared statement to the audience, explaining that they had not been paid for the festival’s entire six-week duration, and blaming all parties involved in funding the festival, including the Fondazione, the Associazione and the City. The following day, the stagehands refused to dismantle the on-site structures as scheduled, essentially calling a strike and preventing the next event in the ‘Spoleto Estate’ [Spoleto Summer] series, the Russian Army Ballet, from setting up.”
Will The “Super” V-Chip Save You?
The Senate Commerce Committee approved legislation Thursday asking the Federal Communications Commission to oversee the development of a super V-chip that could screen content on everything from cell phones to the Internet.
What’s Killing Rock Music?
The over-30 set. “That’s right: rock is dead, or it definitely might be. One or other must be true, because Glastonbury wasn’t very good. The main problem, to hear some people talk, was the preponderance of those responsible for our Great Rock Crisis: people over 30, who are apparently buying most of the tickets for great musical events, taking the kids and a hamper, and thereby ruining their essential ambience.”
Australian National Gallery Van Gogh Declared Fake
“National Gallery of Victoria says tests reveal a key work is not by legendary impressionist Vincent Van Gogh, as thought for more than 60 years. The gallery today announced the results of authentication tests of the work Head of a Man, which British art experts have called a fake.”