“Considering the Guggenheim’s latest proposal, to appropriate a sizable portion of lower Manhattan for the purpose of creating a mammoth fun-and-games cultural emporium: The Guggenheim Museum is itself no longer a serious art institution. It has no aesthetic standards and no aesthetic agenda. It has completely sold out to a mass-market mentality that regards the museum’s own art collection as an asset to be exploited for commercial purposes.” – New York Observer
Tag: 12.06.00
THE CAT SWINGS BACK
The “Seussical” cast has written a “Cat in the Hat”-like review of critics in verse: “I do not like reviews that pan, I do not like them, actor I am. Could I, would I like to see Clive Barnes swinging from a tree? Could I, should I, hope in vain To see them writhing in such pain? I could, I would, oh what the heck, Make them go through four months of tech.” – New York Post
GOING AFTER THE GUY AT THE TOP
The US government is aggressively going after Bernard Taubman, formerly chairman of Sotheby’s, trying to tie him to the price-fixing scandal with Christie’s. The government is attempting “to build its case against Mr. Taubman with the testimony of assistants who could confirm meetings between top executives from each company.” – New York Times
NUNN SPEAKS OUT
The press continues to dog Trevor Nunn and speculate over his departure, despite the National Theatre’s continued success – including earning five of nine “Evening Standard” Awards last week. Nunn’s response: “Some of the suggestions about what should happen are the equivalent of somebody offering help to a brain surgeon by giving them a hammer and chisel.” – The Independent (UK)
MORE POSSIBLE NAZI LOOT
The National Gallery in Ottawa says it has 100 works of art with undocumented provenance during the Nazi era. The museum is posting the artwork to its website in an attempt to track down details. – Ottawa Citizen
BOOM TIMES AT STRATFORD
Canada’s Stratford Festival, leaning on popular theatre fare, is in a boom time. “The festival made a record profit of $4.3 million this summer, with a biggest-ever attendance of 639,000. Festival attendance has been rising steadily over the past seven years. In 1994, it was 440,000, last year it topped 590,000.” – Toronto Star
SCHOLARSHIP TAKES A BACK SEAT
The British Museum’s redesign is certain to drive up attendance and draw viewers who care more about the architecture than the collection. “A more fundamental question, however, is how much the museum’s rush to modernize itself will threaten its scholarly mission.” – New York Times
WHERE’S A YENTA WHEN YOU NEED ONE?
The New York Philharmonic’s search for a new music director has turned into agony. “The search could be likened to the plight of picky single New York women. It’s like being a marriage broker. You ask, ‘Are you interested?’ Then you go out on a date. But it seems the best ones are always taken.” Handicapping the field. – New York Observer
WRITE-INS
At a London charity auction, some of Britain’s bestselling authors auctioned off the names of characters in their next books to the highest bidders. One catch: the writers wouldn’t guarantee any character would be a “good guy.” – BBC
THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CREDIT
Did Clement Clarke Moore steal credit for writing “The Night Before Christmas?” “Many clues – including the original names for two of the reindeer, Dunder and Blixem – support the idea that a Revolutionary War major named Henry Livingston Jr. penned the poem, as his descendants have contended for about a century and a half.” – Philadelphia Inquirer