Herbert Muschamp writes that the competition to design a memorial for the World Trade Center site illustrated what’s wrong with the WTC design process: “Too much symbolism. Not enough time. A breakdown of cultural authority. Until precise steps are taken to resolve all three issues, the design process will continue to sink deeper and deeper into political quicksand.”
Tag: 11.29.03
Remembering Hugh Kenner
Hugh Kenner, who died last week at the age of 80, was one of America’s finest critical writers, writes Benjamin Ivry. “His 25 books are charmingly written, intellectually alive excursions. They have a scientist’s eye for elegance, clarity and specificity.”
Bolshoi Ballerina Feels Vindicated
Anastasia Volochkova, the glamorous ballerina fired by the Bolshoi on the grounds that she was too heavy, says a court ruling that would reinstate her to the company is proper vindication. “I’ve had to endure much in all these legal processes, but on the other hand it shows that in our country there’s a law that defends the rights of performers.”
Best-Selling Caravaggio Author Excluded From Confab
An Australian expert of Caravaggio is miffed that he hasn’t been included in the Caravaggio Confab. Author Peter Robb, who wrote the award-winning fictional biography of Caravaggio, M, will not be taking part. “He has been ‘excluded’ from the line-up, claimed his publisher. He has also been ‘excluded’ as a contributor to the catalogue of essays that accompanies the exhibition. ‘We have here someone … acclaimed around the world as a Caravaggio expert. But here they fly in people from elsewhere when they have someone on hand who is just as much an expert’.”