As the major auction houses gear up for their big fall sales over the next two weeks, a third player is giving them a run for their money. “The historical tug-of-war between Sotheby’s and Christie’s has turned into an expensive three-way fight. Since LVMH bought Phillips, the London-based auction house a year ago, it has been going after property at any cost, dipping into LVMH’s deep pockets to become a major player.” – New York Times
Month: November 2000
WELCOME BACK, DEALERS
Once the center of the art auction world, France has handled only 5% of international art sales in recent decades due to an antiquated, protectionist system that has prohibited foreign auction houses from selling in Paris. But now imminent reforms will soon end French auctioneers’ monopoly and open the door to a more vibrant art market. “Many new foreign dealers have already opened branches in Paris in recent months and are eagerly awaiting the starting gun.” – The Age (Melbourne) (DPA)
THINK YOU’VE GOT PROBLEMS
The new musical now in development about the life of Minnesota governor/wrestler Jesse Ventura is full of special needs. As in – “We’ll need to find someone who can sing, act, dance – and wrestle.” – St. Paul Pioneer Press
ESCAPE FROM AUSTRALIA
Eleven dancers are leaving the Australian Ballet. “It is known that among those departing are three of the eight senior artists and two of the three leading soloists.” – Sydney Morning Herald
DO THE MATH
“Music, you would think, is manufactured in the Old Economy, and the distributed free of charge as common property by the New. Yet in that case, is the New Economy an economy at all any longer? Who would go on providing music if buyers want to purchase at one price only, namely that of zero, getting it for free? The Net’s great promise – that every ware should preferably be shareware – does it not overlook that this ‘everything’ has to be produced before it can be distributed?” – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
THE MORE THE MERRIER
Now that the dust has settled, a detailed explanation of how protesters in Berlin managed to save the city’s three opera houses from the government’s proposed consolidation. “Berlin had been a vital stronghold in the war between low-culture politicians and high-brow institutions. To have lost Berlin would have meant that no city in Europe could consider itself entitled to more than one opera house.” – The Telegraph (UK)
MONEY AND REALITY
A $9 million mega-production of “Madam Butterfly” in Australia scheduled for next season has been canceled. Poor ticket sales and the falling value of the Australian dollar is to blame. “One makes allowances for things like a falling dollar – but you don’t allow it to go down to 52¢,” Coad said. “We’re bitterly disappointed that we’ve now had to unravel it but the acute financial situation means this is the only sensible decision to be made.” – Sydney Morning Herald
ACOUSTIC MAKEOVER
People generally like the way Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall looks. But acoustically… it has frustrated musicians for years. Now, “Toronto’s “premier concert hall – which cost $39 million to build in 1982 – will undergo a sweeping $18 million makeover to be completed in time for its 20th anniversary celebrations in the fall of 2002.” – Toronto Star