Oxford University is considering banning child prodigies from the school and declaring a minimum age of 17 for admittance. “Despite an almost perennial flurry of headlines on children barely in their teens being offered places, the university is considering an unprecedented blanket rule on minimum ages for undergraduates.”
Tag: 08.21.05
Lists, Lists, And More Damn Lists!
Rachel Cooke hates the pointless exercise of a poll to pick the “best” art in Britain. “I am thoroughly sick of lists, but this one takes the biscuit, being neither a true reflection of public taste nor the result of hours of debate by a committee of learned experts. What happened was this: the public voted, then their choices were whittled down by a ‘panel’ consisting of art critic Martin Gayford, society portraitist Jonathan Yeo, and dancer Deborah Bull.”
Maker Of Reputations (Who Decides?)
Why does some art stick around, touted as great, while other art – maybe just as good or better, even – sinks into oblivion? “Who makes the rules? Who manages the reputations of artists? Who decides what gets taken from the past, and what just stays there?”
A Surge In French Art Thefts
Art thefts are on the rise in France, as the country threatens to become the most-looted in Europe, surpassing Italy. “There has been a huge spike in these kinds of cases recently, largely due to the wrong people realising that there are easy pickings to be had. Few law enforcement agencies prioritise art theft, despite it being linked to drugs, arms and people-trafficking and prostitution. It is only going to get worse.”