“The event was called to order by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, banging a gavel to quell the applause that greeted her appearance, and then provoking laughter with her witty (and knowledgeable) observations about the links between opera and the legal profession, citing all the operas that have courtroom or jail scenes.”
Tag: 11.16.09
In Rome, Hadid’s Maxxi Is Exhilarating (And Nearly Done)
“There have been at least six changes of national government in Italy since the [museum] was first announced in 1998, from left to centre to right, and the future of many such public projects has often seemed doubtful. But now here it stands … almost exactly as [Zaha] Hadid and her team first imagined it.”
Now European, Now American: Tracking LA Phil’s Violins
“Sometime after moving to Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003, Esa-Pekka Salonen decided to shake things up by placing the second violin section on the opposite side of the stage from the first violins, in what is known as European seating — and it has stayed that way for the most part ever since.” Then came Verdi’s Requiem this month….
LA-Area Cities Vie To Be Home Of Eli Broad’s Museum
Broad will “create a $200-million endowment that would generate $12 million a year to operate the privately run, nonprofit institution. The only bigger single cash donation to the arts in Southern California history would be J. Paul Getty’s initial $700-million 1976 bequest to establish the J. Paul Getty Trust — $2.65 billion in today’s dollars.”
Longtime NYT TV Critic John J O’Connor, 76
“O’Connor joined The Times as a television critic in 1971 and retired in 1997. His tenure coincided with sweeping industry changes, beginning with the advent of the mini-series.”
Taking The Temp Of The Art Auction Market
“While prices for the best works seemed high and bidding was often deep, the volume of sales — nearly $600 million between the two companies — was vastly diminished from a year ago, when Sotheby’s and Christie’s sold a combined $729 million or two years ago when the market peaked at $1.6 billion. But the relief that prices are crawling back up was palpable.”
Studying Aboriginal Art To Death
“Modernity both exalts and threatens remote Aboriginal societies, yet there is no path of retreat back to some gilded pre-contact time. In fact, the academic penetration of the north is now at its height, our knowledge of the Yolngu, the clan groups round Oenpelli and the people of Groote Eylandt is incomparably greater.”
Songwriter Offers To Personalize His Music For Each Fan
Ezra Furman is “writing a song for every fan who buys his latest album, Moon Face: Bootlegs and Road Recordings 2006-2009. More than 100 albums have been ordered since it became available a few weeks ago. Each consists of 10 tunes culled from Furman’s voluminous archive plus a customized song written directly to and for each paying customer.”
Have Money, Will Dangle Museum…
“Eli Broad is ready to build himself a west side museum to house his 2,000-piece contemporary art EliBroadClendenin collection, and send it into the world with a $200 million endowment that he reckons will give it a $12 million a year budget before another penny is earned or raised. That would be the largest single hunk of cash ever bestowed on the arts in Southern California.”