A Dutch thief known as “the Monkey” has been arrested inconnection with the theft of two Van Gogh paintings from Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum in 2002. “Investigators were baffled by the theft at the time because guards patrolled the premises at night and there was tight security inside, including infra-red systems and cameras. The thieves got in through the roof and police found a rope and a 4.5-metre (15-foot) ladder leaning against the rear of the building.”
Tag: 12.17.03
Scottish Ballet’s Housing Furore
Scottish Ballet thought it ha found a perfect new home at Glasgow’s struggling Tramway. “It seems like a good idea. Scottish Ballet could fill empty spaces, it could open up possibilities of engagement with local communities and give Tramway a firmer purpose in Glasgow’s cultural landscape. But it has caused a furore. Part of the scheme would be to turn Tramway’s largest hall, currently an exhibition space, into a scenery store. This has enraged Glasgow’s visual artists. It’s a shoo-in, they say, rigged without proper consultation or process, and the accusations of conspiracy are flying.”
Why Nutcracker Nation
There are lots of reasons American dance companies mount Nutcracker year after year. But “no ballet company mounts a “Nutcracker” primarily to strengthen ties among its volunteers, to bring families together at Christmas, to provide a growth chart of a dancer’s progress. Laudable as these aspects of the work are, they are byproducts of a financial imperative. Lacking any better way to fund our ballet companies – faced with scarce government support, declining corporate backing and unreliable ticket sales for more adventurous dancing – we have become a “Nutcracker” nation indeed.”
French Court Rules In Favor Of Nasty Novelist
A French tribunal has ordered a company to pay a former employee who was wrongly dismissed after he wrote a novel that portrayed his co-workers in unflattering light. “The computer pervert, the dumb blonde secretary, the alcoholic and the boss with “the bloated face and the little black eyes of a pig” were among the characters described by Bruno Perera in his first novel, Petits Meutres Entre Associés (Little Murders Among Colleagues).”
Oscar Peterson At 78
At 78, pianist Oscar Peterson has personified jazz piano for more than 50 years. “Personifying mainstream jazz piano isn’t, however, the same thing as being the most significant pianist. Earl Hines, Erroll Garner, Tommy Flanagan and Bill Evans are merely a handful of the dozens of stylists who exceed Peterson in creativity and sheer beauty of playing. But Peterson, in his international stardom and through-the-years box office success, far eclipsed nearly all of these other stalwarts.”