A new biography of Norman Mailer is more interesting than the man himself. “Mailer was judged as an important thinker by his contemporaries, revered intellectuals among them, who praised a substantial amount of his work at the time of its publication. One must accuse them of poor judgment.” – New York Press
Tag: 12.03.99
WHERE ARE ALL THE LAFFS?
When was the last romantic comedy on Broadway? Once a staple of American theater, comedy of all sorts seems to have gone out of fashion. “Everybody thinks this period is a glum, sarcastic, edgy, dark time. Producers don’t feel there are stars in the right alignment to produce comedies,” says one producer. Variety
JOB DESCRIPTION
Artist or manager? Try “mother, father, priest, confessor, psychologist, judge, jury, and executioner.” Six theater artistic directors meet in New York to talk about their roles. Backstage
PRIVATIZING THE PUBLIC
Government-subsidized broadcasting is under attack everywhere – in the US, in Canada and in the UK. A commercial broadcaster tells British MPs that the BBC should be privatized. BBC
O’KEEFFES AMISS
Curators at Washington’s National Gallery have some serious explaining to do. Six years ago they convinced one of America’s richest men to buy 28 Georgia O’Keeffe watercolors for $5.5 million. Now those curators say the paintings are worthless. Washington Post
TURNING ON TURNER
Two English art critics post-mortem the Turner Prize. Just what do we believe art to be? BBC
CARNEGIE INTERNATIONAL
The oldest regular survey of contemporary art in North America opens in Pittsburgh. This edition has work by 41 artists, billed as “emerging and established,” from 22 countries. But to anyone who follows the international art scene, there are more familiar figures here than new discoveries. Toronto Globe and Mail
- And: Five artists to watch. Globe and Mail 12/3/99
ILLICIT ART BOOM
Gangs are linked to art theft. ”As a rule of thumb, if there’s a resurgence in the art market there will be a resurgence in the forgery market,” a fraud squad investigator tells an Australian conference on art crime. Sydney Morning Herald
OLD IN ALL SIZES
It’s antiquities month in New York – beginning with New York University professor Christopher Ratte’s annual illustrated report on his excavations in Aphrodisias in western Turkey. New York Times
A LESSON TO BE LEARNED?
Amazon bans selling “Mein Kampf” to customers with addresses in Germany. German Minister of Justice Herta Däubler-Gmelin sent letters urging both Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com to refrain from shipping the book to Germany. Amazon.com banned such sales, and Barnesandnoble.com asked for a complete list of restricted books. – Wired