“Mr. Levett became a voracious buyer, assembling one of the world’s largest private collections of ancient arms and armor. Today, his scores of Greek hoplite helmets, Roman greaves and shields, along with Egyptian sarcophagi, Greek statues and ancient glass, are the crown jewels of his Musée d’art classique de Mougins.”
Tag: 09.02.14
Here’s One Famous Writer Who’s Very Happy With Amazon (And Pleased To Say So In Print)
Neal Pollack: “When I waded into one conversation to say, ‘Hey, Amazon’s not so bad,’ someone referred to me as being like ‘the Vichy French, taking money to cover up crimes.’ What in the name of Bezos is going on here? There are obviously a lot of issues at play … But while everyone seems to hate Amazon, my personal experience with this supposedly evil corporate behemoth has been fantastic.”
Study: People Eat More When Watching Action Movies
“The faster paced TV seemed to distract viewers more, contributing to mindless eating, said Cornell researcher Aner Tal, the study’s lead author. The results, published today in the American Medical Association’s journal Internal Medicine, suggest that a steady diet of action TV could raise risks for packing on pounds.”
Icelanders, Laplanders, Turks, Oh My! Excellent Orchestras In Unexpected Places
David Patrick Stearns: “Symphony orchestras draw great cachet from their geographical homes: Any group with Vienna, Berlin, or Amsterdam in its name is going to command immediate attention from audiences … So can an orchestra from Turkey, Iceland, or Lapland hope to be noticed at the world’s busiest orchestra festival, [the BBC Proms]? Actually, it can.”
“The 20th Century’s Most Important Writer” (Don’t Be Afraid)
“Reading the work of Jorge Luís Borges for the first time is like discovering a new letter in the alphabet, or a new note in the musical scale.” Jane Ciabattari explains why she thinks everyone should read him (and not worry that his work might be “difficult”).
Paris’s Nouveau Yiddish Culture
“In France, which houses the biggest Jewish community in Europe, the Ashkenazi legacy has been sadly shrinking.” (What, the Sephardim are chopped liver?) “In the latter half of the 20th century, what French Jews call their imaginary Yiddishland has been reduced to a small patch. … However, there is reason for hope. In Paris, a new generation of entrepreneurs are launching initiatives to perpetuate the Yiddish way of life.”
Science Weighs In On The Idea Of “Tortured Genius”
The idea that “great art comes from great pain” has long-standing roots in public opinion, rumored to date back to ancient philosophers and poets, but our modern idea of the tortured genius likely stems from a glamorization of mental illness that took hold during the Romantic Era.
Is South African Artist’s “Human Zoo” Piece Racist?
“The Barbican in London plans to show Exhibit B at the end of September but, as I write, 12,801 people have signed a statement calling for it to be withdrawn. The petitioners describe the Barbican’s involvement as ‘an outrageous act of complicit racism’ because the show is an ‘exercise in white racial privilege’.”
Another Study Details How Kids’ Brains Are Rewired By Music Education
“This research demonstrates that community music programs can literally remodel children’s brains in a way that improves sound processing, which could lead to better learning and language skills.”
What Happened To Ballet San Jose As It Was Cresting A Wave
Last season Ballet San Jose was riding a high. Well received season, a planned all-expenses-paid tour to world capitals… And then – the tour was canceled, the budget was broken, and…