Turner Winner: Enough With Hirst, Emin, And Shock Art

“The Young British Artists (YBAs) who drove the contemporary boom were a bad thing for British art, the new Turner Prize winner said last night.” From the podium, artist Mark Leckey criticized the artistic discourse: “‘I kind of hate the relationship the press in Britain has towards art,’ he said. ‘I hate the way it’s all Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin and Banksy.'”

Condi Plays Brahms For Queen At Buckingham Palace

“Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, gave a piano recital for the Queen yesterday during her visit to Buckingham Palace. Dr Rice performed music by Johannes Brahms accompanied on violin by Louise Shackleton, the wife of David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary. Three members of the London Symphony Orchestra offered backing to the high-profile duo.”

Even Renoir & Degas Go Unsold At Paris Auction

“A benchmark Paris sale of Impressionist and Modern paintings that belonged to French fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin fell well short of pre-sale expectations Monday…. Christie’s auction house said in a statement it raised $9.67 million at its evening sale of works by artists including Pablo Picasso and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It had originally valued the collection at $25.2 million.”

Not Everyone Has Ceded Digitized Books To Google

“Google executives sound like they are doing the world an immense favor by digitizing books, rarely mentioning that they are in business to sell stuff, not give it away.” One early alternative group devoted to open access, the Open Content Alliance, “is morphing into the Open Knowledge Commons, now supported by the Sloan Foundation, which will hold an organizational meeting at the Library of Congress next week.”

Visitor Center Disfigures The U.S. Capitol

“The ‘truth to power’ side of the Capitol, the East face, has been demolished by the new Visitor Center, a tragically misconceived and overscale addition, which opens today. The East face has become something entirely new, with a false and slick pomposity created by an impressive promenade over an imposing bridge, which seems to cross a kind of moat. It is a historical and aesthetic jumble, a nonsensical place and a gross disfigurement of one of this country’s most important and iconic buildings.”