“I am over hearing from people within jogging distance of the Chelsea galleries that the whole of contemporary art is over; that art is no longer emotionally or intellectually fulfilling; that art is too expensive even for millionaires. I’m done reading articles titled ‘Why Does So Much New Abstraction Look the Same?,’ written by people who haven’t figured out that Manhattan has bridges and tunnels and a subway.”
Tag: 10.07.14
How Many Friends Can You Really Have? (And What Do They Mean To You?)
“With social media, we can easily keep up with the lives and interests of far more than a hundred and fifty people. But without investing the face-to-face time, we lack deeper connections to them, and the time we invest in superficial relationships comes at the expense of more profound ones.”
In Paris, Salle Pleyel’s Purchase By French Gov’t Suspended By Judge – In A Divorce Case
In 2009, the state signed a contract to purchase the venerable concert hall from then-owner Hubert Martigny for €60.5 million. Now his estranged wife (and the hall’s former artistic director), Carla Maria Tarditi, is arguing that the price was artificially low and that the Pleyel is worth at least €110 million (to part of which she would be entitled in the divorce settlement). (in French)
Denver Arts Impresario Henry Lowenstein, 89
“One of the most prominent figures on the Colorado performing arts scene throughout the second half of the 20th century, Lowenstein ran the Bonfils Theater in downtown Denver… Lowenstein produced around 400 plays, operas and ballets at the venue during his time there before retiring as general manager in 1986.”
Miami City Ballet Apprentices At Work
“From professional rehearsals and classes with the Miami City Ballet to training with the Miami City Ballet School, the apprentices experience dance as both students and professionals. They are constantly focused on their ultimate goal: achieving careers as professional dancers.”
Facing Ever-Tighter Budgets, More Paris Institutions Turn To Crowdfunding
In August, the National Library asked the public to help with the purchase of a €2.4 million illuminated manuscript; last week, the Musée d’Orsay began a campaign to raise €30,000 towards restoration of a Courbet painting. This week, the Louvre – who’s been doing this for four years now – launched a €1 million appeal to help buy a bejeweled 18th-century table that Proust wrote about in Swann’s Way.
Virtual Reality Could Change The Ways We Live Our Lives
“You will soon be able to slip on a Rift and be instantly transported to a mall with a couple of girlfriends to do some clothes shopping. Everything you see is your size, and you can try outfits on an avatar that has your identical proportions. You can match items with an online inventory containing a copy of every item of clothing in your real-world closet. See how the skirt goes with the shoes you picked up last week with a click.”
A Reckoning Of Antiquities Lost Last Summer In Gaza During The War
“More than 40 historic sites, including a mosque, a church and an ancient bath, were damaged or destroyed in Gaza during the 51-day war this summer, reports the Middle East news organisation Al-Monitor.”
How Did White Males Become Our Default Role Models For Culture?
“Somehow the Great White Male has thrived and continues to colonise the high-status, high-earning, high-power roles (93 per cent of executive directors in the UK are white men; 77 per cent of parliament is male). The Great White Male’s combination of good education, manners, charm, confidence and sexual attractiveness (or “money”, as I like to call it) means he has a strong grip on the keys to power. Of course, the main reason he has those qualities in the first place is what he is, not what he has achieved.”
How Google Is Killing Our Relationships with Books
“Certainly, digitization and searchability have had an effect similar to that produced by earlier reproductions of the image, that of encouraging the fetishization of the original, and I confess now that my feelings toward manuscripts are beginning to approach something like fetishism. I have begun to feel this even more strongly because comprehensive searchability has introduced a rupture into my relationship with the book.”