“Even before Marcel Proust died in 1922, ordering iced beer from the Ritz on his deathbed, his monumental novel about art and memory was being dissected for wisdom on a stunning variety of topics… So it’s remarkable that before now no one has focused at book length on painting, a subject that dominates his novel… like almost no other.”
Tag: 11.02.08
NY Auction Houses Fear For The Worst
“As Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips de Pury brace for their big fall auctions in New York, starting with a sale of 71 Impressionist and Modern paintings, drawings and sculptures at Sotheby’s on Monday night, anxiety is the dominant mood.”
The Pirates On Britain’s Airwaves
“Every major city in Britain fizzes with unofficial broadcasters… Though the popular image of a pirate DJ is of a teenager in his bedroom, spinning tracks and spitting rhymes, the better pirates are no amateur affair… Pirates are unlikely to go away because they give listeners – and those who work on them – something that legal stations never can. Everyone involved in a pirate feels like they’re close to and representing a scene.”
Cincinnati Symphony Teetering Between Red, Black Ink
“Expense cuts, personnel layoffs, and some banner summers at Riverbend are helping to keep the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in the black – at least for now.” Attendance at the CSO’s main concert hall declined 10%, but the drop was offset by a strong showing at the orchestra’s outdoor summer venue. Still, a deficit is possible when final fiscal 2008 numbers are released.
Did A Disastrous Presidency Beget Great Art?
“George W. Bush’s reign has been controversial from the start, but they say troubled times yield great art. As Americans prepare to pick his successor, we look at movies, books, music, theatre and visual arts and ask: what is his artistic legacy?”
Are The Arts Worth A Constitutional Amendment?
Minnesotans will be voting Tuesday on a constitutional amendment to dedicate significant new sales tax revenue to the arts, and many in the state are wary of the idea. But Dominic Papatola says it’s vital to preserving Minnesota’s way of life: “It took decades to nurture and grow Minnesota’s unique aesthetic environment to its current point. But a recession here and ill-advised government cuts there can and will jeopardize it much faster and in as just an irreplaceable way.”