London’s National Gallery is considering expanding its collecting activities into the 20th Century. “At present its remit runs until 1900, following a 1996 agreement with Tate. Under the terms of the deal, the NG transferred 14 post-1900 pictures to Tate on long-term loan, with Tate lending 51 pre-1900 European works to Trafalgar Square.”
Tag: 11.01.05
Google Gets Back To Digitizing
After a pause to assess opposition, Google has resumed its book digitizing project. “But in an apparent attempt to reassure critics, the search giant said on its blog that it would focus on books that were out of print or in the public domain. Google is pumping $200m (£110m) into creating a digital archive of millions of books from four top US libraries – the libraries of Stanford, Michigan and Harvard universities, and of the New York Public Library – by 2015.”
“The Producers” Doesn’t Pay Off In Australia
“The Producers” has shut early in Australia, running only six months. “The show has made a modest profit but only because it ran for eight months in Melbourne last year. It’s a far cry from Disney’s family extravaganza, The Lion King, which packed out the Capitol Theatre for almost two years and is playing to full houses in Melbourne.”
Scotland’s National Theatre Opens For Business
“Scotland, for better or worse, has no great weighty theatre tradition behind it. There is no Shakespeare or Marlowe, no George Bernard Shaw or Wilde. Scottish theatre has always been demotic and vital, led by great performances, great stories or great playwrights. This is a chance to start building a new generation of theatre-goers as well as reinvigorating the existing ones; to create theatre on a national and international scale that is contemporary, confident and forward-looking; to bring together brilliant artists, composers, choreographers and playwrights; and to exceed our expectation of what and where theatre can be.”
NY Public Library Unloads Art
The New York Public Library has been selling off some of its art treasures to bolster its budget. What’s wrong with that, asks Lee Rosenbaum? “The library’s art disposals were marred by undue haste and inadequate oversight by its trustees and the New York State Attorney General’s office. By selling the public’s patrimony to buttress the budget, rather than contributing or raising the money themselves as should have been their first priority, the library’s board and administration took the easy way out.”