Tag: 11.01.05

How Google Print Helps Books

“Imagine a card catalog that (a) lists every book in every library anywhere, (b) shows you the title of every such book containing the search phrase of your choice (‘Crimean War,’ ‘HIV genome,’ ‘clown fetish’), and (c) gives you this information whether you’re online in your bedroom or at an Internet café in Ulaanbaatar. This index is what Google Print is poised to be, and yes, it does stretch the definition of ‘card catalog’ to the breaking point. Just keep in mind the one way in which Google’s version scarcely differs from the classic: If you want to read more than a snippet or two of the texts you’ve located, you still have to go get books.”

St. Paul’s Arts Mayor Loses Artists Over Bush Support

By most accounts St. Paul’s Randy Kelly has been a terrific mayor for the arts. “But artists, who generally lean to the left of center politically, are weighing that steadfast support against what many consider to be an unpardonable sin: The Democratic mayor endorsed Republican George W. Bush in the last presidential election. ‘I know he’s well-intentioned and a good guy, but that kind of collapse shows the lack of vision and strength that we need.”

The Line Between Knowing And Knowing Too Much

“Do you understand a piece of music better if you know its secrets, or does illumination destroy mystery just as explaining a joke defuses its humor? Might audiences at classical music concerts be more receptive, not less, if they didn’t read program notes? Is there a reason why so many people who profess to believe in the Bible haven’t actually read it?”

Art Cologne Racks Up Sales

“Art Cologne closes tomorrow after a six-day run on the tail of London’s Frieze, which sold 26,000 tickets. The German fair’s sales may reach 70 million euros ($84 million) this year, up from 60 million euros in 2004, preserving its status as Europe’s No.2 modern and contemporary fair after Art Basel.”

LA County Museum Unloads Some Art

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is selling off $10 million worth of art. “Exactly why the museum has decided to sell them now is not known, although income from the auction will be restricted to future acquisitions. (Rumors have circulated that a war chest is being assembled for a major purchase, but they remain unsubstantiated.) LACMA’s plan to construct a new building — the Broad Contemporary Art Museum — is no doubt one force driving the idea, as construction of the Anderson Building for Modern and Contemporary Art was at the time of the museum’s last big de-accession, in 1982. Bizarrely, one LACMA official said the museum was merely pruning redundancies, as if unique works of art were not — well, unique.”

Cleveland Orchestra Tries Out Budapest’s New Hall

Budapest’s new concert hall is part of a $153 million Palace of Fine Arts, and the Cleveland Orchestra took it for a test drive. “It is a state-of-the-art building, splashily modern without being ostentatious, with all sorts of pastel colors to catch the eye. The lobbies are sweeping spaces made airy by tall windows that provide stunning views of the Danube and the new National Theatre – itself an architectural dazzler – just across the plaza.”

Boston’s MFA Has Stolen Italian Artifacts?

That’s the charge of Italian authorities, who are said to have proof. “The claim, contained in court documents connected with the cases against a pair of art dealers and a former Getty curator with links to Boston, could put pressure on the MFA and a host of other museums to consider returning objects to Italy, according to antiquities experts who have been critical of the way museums acquire artifacts. Prosecutors list 22 MFA objects, including a 2,500-year-old Greek vase currently on display in a museum gallery.”