Although the BBC’s recently announced plans to enhance its arts programming have met with popular approval, one critic at least sees only flaws: “BBC4, the new outlet for eggheads and art-lovers, is foredoomed to failure. Among arts leaders, the BBC is viewed with suspicion verging on contempt. Its credibility vanished years ago, along with all its best producers.” – The Telegraph (UK)
Month: August 2000
FILMING FRIDA KAHLO
“No Mexican cultural figure has ever been as sought after by Hollywood. For years, filmmakers here have tried to make a movie based on Kahlo’s gripping and tragic life story, but they have found their projects derailed by bickering parties, mediocre scripts, lack of financing and controversy about casting decisions.The latest chapter in the making-of-the-Frida-Kahlo-movie saga is the fierce competition between three bio-pics rushing to be the first in production. They involve some of the biggest Latino names in filmmaking.” – Los Angeles Times
RAISING MONEY FOR POLITICS
Seventy American artists including Chuck Close, Robert Rauschenberg and Roy Lichtenstein have donated artwork to raise money for the Democratic National Committee. Some 1,500 works will be put up for sale on a web art auction. – CNN
TANKS AND BOMBS AND PLANES, OH MY
“Britain’s art world is shaking its head over an unknown British artist who spent a decade chronicling the Gulf War. The artist is about to sell his entire output to a Saudi Arabian prince for £17million.” – The Herald (Scotland)
DECLARING YOUR SYMPATHIES
Under pressure, Austrian state governor Jorg Haider is having Nazi artwork removed from the state parliament buildings. But instead of painting over the fresco, he’s having a new museum built for it so it can be restored to its former glory. – Ananova
PAYING FOR MUSEUM ART
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s new Eames show has raised charges of conflict-of-interest. The show is sponsored by makers of some of the Eames furniture in the show. LACMA’s gift shop also sells copies of some of the furniture in the show. “If the museum has a problem funding the Eames exhibition without the sponsorship of the company that makes the furniture, they oughtn’t to do the show. The conflict of interest is too blatant.” – Los Angeles Times
FILMING FRIDA KAHLO
“No Mexican cultural figure has ever been as sought after by Hollywood. For years, filmmakers here have tried to make a movie based on Kahlo’s gripping and tragic life story, but they have found their projects derailed by bickering parties, mediocre scripts, lack of financing and controversy about casting decisions.The latest chapter in the making-of-the-Frida-Kahlo-movie saga is the fierce competition between three bio-pics rushing to be the first in production. They involve some of the biggest Latino names in filmmaking.” – Los Angeles Times
ART BEHIND THE POLITICS
News stories are almost never about the art itself; they’re almost always about the people that make art happen, or try to take it down. That’s why I had my doubts about the artistic interest of the stuff I was likely to see in Dust on the Road, the show of Indian art activism now on at Toronto’s York Quay Gallery; despite its very modest scale and ambitions, it has sparked a widespread controversy over the last few weeks. Many of the pictures on display were no great shakes, but the issues that they raised are so important to how art works these days that the stuff is worth a good close look.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
SHELL GAME
Heritage preservationists and music lovers are pitted against one another over the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s proposal to replace the famous Hollywood Bowl’s outdoor orchestra shell. The 71-year-old shell has notoriously poor acoustics and is so small sometimes one-third of the musicians have to sit outside. – CBC
WHERE MONEY TALKS
“Everything boils down to money in Dallas,” at least in the eyes of conductor Andrew Litton who became music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1994 and has been fighting to bolster the DSO’s reputation ever since through an ambitious touring and recording schedule. – The Times (UK)