On Saturday Germany and Russia met in St. Petersburg to swap art they had stolen from one another during World War II. “In exchange for the intricately inlaid chest and glistening mosaic from Peter the Great’s famed Amber Room, Russia has agreed to return 101 artworks looted from Germany by Soviet troops after World War II. A Russian law largely bans repatriating booty art, seen by Russians as compensation for an estimated several hundred thousand items destroyed or lost during the Nazi occupation.” – Chicago Tribune
Month: May 2000
NO MADAME TUSSAUD’S, BUT…
London’s Royal Academy show of Monet last year raked in the visitors, making it the eighth most-visited attraction in the UK. Visitor numbers at the RA leapt from 912,714 in 1998 to 1.39m last year, boosting the academy from 19th to eighth place. But before anyone gets too excited, consider that Madame Tussaud’s at No. 2 on the list logged more than twice as many visitors. – BBC
ANTONIO BUERO VALLEJO DIES AT 83
Spanish playwright, widely revered in Spain, was known for his opposition to the country’s former fascist dictatorship. – CBC
CONTROL YOUR BRATS!
New York Magazine theater critic John Simon loses it at a performance of “Music Man” and screams at the parent of noisy kids to shut them up. “Simon said he ‘smelled trouble’ as soon as he saw several young children – between the ages of 4 and 8 – sitting in front of him.” – New York Post