The Getty Trust has elected Louise Bryson as chairman of the board. “We’ve had some lapses in oversight, and as a member of the board I would acknowledge that,” Bryson said Tuesday. A member of the Getty board since 1998, she was elected chairwoman during a Saturday morning trustee conference call.
Tag: 08.16.06
Russian Museums Decry “Witch Hunt” After Hermitage Thefts
Are Russian authorities using the recent thefts at the Hermitage Museum as a way to purge museums? “The Union of Museums of Russia protested what it described as an attempt to use the thefts of 221 objects from the St. Petersburg institution to push the government to privatize national museums.”
How Literature Really Works
“It’s a truism that great novels have something to tell us not only about life but about our own lives. But for decades literary criticism has neglected or scorned this useful truth in favor of ‘theory’ and its barbarous jargon. How refreshing then to read a study which dwells without apology, and with genuine insight, on the ways in which novels impinge upon our own experience. This is Edward Mendelson’s ‘The Things That Matter: What Seven Classic Novels Have to Say About the Stages of Life’.”
Irrational Exuberance? (That Is An Expensive Klimt)
Gustav Klimt is important historically, writes Mario Naves. “But in the greater scheme of things, Klimt is small potatoes. Forget Modernism: If $135 million is considered a commendable investment for a picture by a minor artist, what price tag do we put on a painting by Fra Angelico, a sculpture by Donatello or a drawing by Durer? The question is undoubtedly lodged in the overexcited minds of museums, collectors and auction houses the world over.”
A Threat To Artists And The Internet
“The Internet allows artists to create and distribute projects outside the entertainment mainstream, if only as a means of one day securing a place within it. There is concern, however, that this self-empowerment could become more costly or disappear altogether if legislation now under consideration in Congress does not safeguard high-quality Internet access at affordable prices.”
Pavarotti’s Fight With Cancer
The singer is battling pancreatic cancer. “I was a fortunate and happy man. After that, this blow arrived. And now I am paying the penalty for this fortune and happiness. I feel the tumor inside. I’m working on it,” he said “However, I am and will be optimistic until death.”
Oregon Symphony Cuts 10 Jobs
Following two years of million-dollar deficits, the Oregon Symphony has to take action. “To stem a continuing deficit, the Oregon Symphony cut 10 positions from its administrative staff of 55 on Tuesday. The layoffs, the largest in the orchestra’s history, affected employees in the orchestra’s marketing, development and education departments, but did not affect the musicians or conducting staff.”
NY’s Atlantic Theatre Has A Great Year On Stage And Off
“It has been an unusual year for the Atlantic. As medium-size nonprofit theaters go, it has been unusually successful. Two of its shows — half of its season — were picked up for commercial runs on Broadway. The company has a paid membership of 3,500. How the Atlantic found itself there is a tale of nimble negotiating and real estate jujitsu that could almost be the subject of a David Mamet play, albeit one in which the little guys come off pretty well in the end.”
Getting To Know You…
Ensemble dance companies have a rhythm to them that repeat visitors learn to enjoy. But watching such companies when one is unfamiliar with the dancers provides a different expereience, writes John Rockwell.
Director Lawrence Sacharow, 68
“From the early 1960’s, Mr. Sacharow was an active director of Off and Off Off Broadway productions, winning an Obie for his production of Len Jenkin’s “Five of Us.” Much of his success came from an association with Edward Albee; Mr. Sacharow directed “Beckett/Albee” at the Century Theater in 2003 and won a Lucille Lortel Award in 1994 for his direction of Mr. Albee’s “Three Tall Women” at the Vineyard Theater.”