Estate Fights Over Paintings – Was The Artist Insane?

Martin Ramírez’s artistic reputation has undergone an extraordinary re-evaluation in the last few years, with his paintings now fetching hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction. Now a multi-million dollar legal battle has begun over the ownership of his paintings, hundreds of which he simply gave away in the hospital ward. An auction of 17 paintings at Sotheby’s was recently halted when lawyers for the Ramírez family claimed them. At the heart of the legal dispute is a conundrum. Was Ramírez, who was diagnosed a “catatonic schizophrenic” really insane?

Remembering A Children’s Lit Legend

“People feel they know Roald Dahl. Most of us have read his books and had our childhoods shaped by his fantastical mind and macabre sense of humour. Dahl’s vision was one of boundless possibility and unfettered imagination; a world where witches had no toes, where giant peaches could float like zeppelins and where friendly giants subsisted on a revolting diet of snozzcumbers.” This week, a new kidlit prize bearing Dahl’s name will be awarded in the UK.

All The Pretty Horses

The climactic scene of the Broadway production of Equus is best known at the moment for the fact that actor Daniel Radclyffe is naked when it begins, but the most interesting figures in the scene are six “horses,” who enact a mesmerizing, terrifying ballet as they are viciously blinded by Radclyffe. The scene is one of the most painstakingly choreographed moments on Broadway.

Broke And Homeless In Chicago

Chicago is legendary for its theatre scene, but many troupes in the city remain homeless, performing wherever they can find available space. And now, with the credit markets nearly frozen and funds for new construction drying up, some organizations with big plans for the future are confronting the scary possibility that they may have missed their window of opportunity for growth.

How To Raise Half A Billion

Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts is in the midst of a $500m endowment drive. Yes, in the middle of a recession, and at the same moment that the Boston Symphony is looking to raise $400m of its own. So what’s the secret to fundraising success in one of America’s toniest cities? “Endless networking, skillful research, deft public relations, and genteel persuasion.”