Is A Restoration Damaging Chartres Cathedral?

“According to author Stefan Evans, the restoration has made the cathedral’s interior look like it was built just yesterday. Its walls and vaulted ceilings have been covered with historically inaccurate paint and plaster. And many architectural nuances — for instance, the fact the north tower was constructed in the 16th century in a different style from the rest of the church — have become imperceivable.”

New English National Opera Boss: We’ve Lost Our Way

Mark Wigglesworth: “If you get the work right and you get your promoting of it right, then filling this building shouldn’t be a problem, but I completely agree that we have lost our way a little bit — in terms of people coming, frankly. You can’t deny that the work [at ENO] is good and you can’t deny that the box office has become more challenging. And that’s not a price worth paying.”

Gore Vidal, The Citizen Kane Of Literature

Blake Bailey: “Vidal’s life was a tragedy whose great themes put one in mind of Citizen Kane: the story of an insatiable egoist who had everything and lost it. Standing on his balcony in Ravello, overlooking the gorgeous coast, a friend asked him what more he could possibly want out of life: ‘I want to make 200 million people change their minds,’ Vidal replied.”

Has The Louvre Pulled Out Of The Rijksmuseum’ S €160M Rembrandt Deal?

“The Dutch government has pledged to help the Rijksmuseum acquire a pair of rare, full-length Rembrandt portraits from the French businessman Éric de Rothschild for €160m, a record price for a Western museum. … The news follows speculation that the Rijksmuseum would jointly acquire the works with the Musée du Louvre in Paris.” But mention of the Louvre seems to have disappeared from recent reports.