Israeli writer Amos Oz has been awarded Germany’s top cultural prize, the Goethe Prize for culture. “Oz, a peace activist, was honoured for his literary work and impressive moral responsibility, according to Petra Roth, mayor of Frankfurt and president of the jury awarding the prize.”
Month: April 2005
The Art Of Libraries
The announcement that the New York Public Library will sell off some of its art brings attention to the fact that New York’s public libraries have a lot of art in them…
UK Music Ed Stabilises
Music education in English schools is not well supported. But at least a long decline has been slowed, writes Julian Lloyd Webber.
Maazel Takes On 1984
Composer/conductor Loren Maazel’s first opera is about to debut. It’s an adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984. “Whether 1984 works or not depends, however, on Maazel’s music. Few of his works have been performed in the UK, and as a composer he remains an unknown quantity.” The score is described as “a mixture of atonal and lyrical, with dramatic crises.”
John Olsen Wins Archibald Prize
Veteran Australian painter John Olsen has won the 2005 Archibald Prize for his painting Self Portrait Janus Faced.
Was Munch’s “Scream” Burned?
A report says Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”, stolen from an Oslo museum last year, might have been burnt. “The newspaper Dagbladet, quoting a criminal source, reports that the paintings have been burnt, in order to destroy evidence. The police denies any knowledge of this, but the newspaper also quotes a confidential police report which allegedly confirms that the investigators also have the same information.”
What Should The New Barnes Look Like?
“If the Barnes Foundation is going to relocate and construct a new building, how should it interpret—or update—its founder’s specific intentions about how the collection should be displayed? The best solution might be to not even try. Why not treat the galleries of the Barnes as an artistically significant artifact, and simply move them to the new location, burlap-covered walls and all? The result would resemble the transplanted historical interiors exhibited in many large museums.”
Are Newspapers Dying? Hmnn – Depends On How You Define It)
“Yes, it’s true that newspapers are steadily losing readers and that younger people will undoubtedly choose the web. Ultimately, the printed word will die off. Not tomorrow or the next day, but in the coming decades. It’s inevitable since it will be more cost-effective (not to mention better for the environment) to distribute news over the web and via cell phones and PDAs than by printing it on paper and relying on trucks to deliver it to newsstands and subscribers’ doorsteps. What is not true, however, is the notion that newspapers are dying. They aren’t. In fact, more people read traditional news outlets today than ever before. But they are doing it on a screen.”
Litblogging Into Relevance
Literary blogs can be addictive for those interested in the written word. And there are so many litblogs to catch up on. “Reading other writers’ writing about writing is hardly what most people would consider “connecting with others.” In fact, maybe I’m even more isolated when I carry around this illusory notion that I’m interacting with people simply because we’re reading the same blog. It’s like celebrity stalkers who think being slapped with a restraining order is as fine and true a connection to fabulousness as being invited to stay in the guesthouse for the weekend.”
Barnes Move Cleared By PA Supremes
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has rejected on a technicality an appeal of the decision which cleared the way for the Barnes Foundation to move from its home in suburban Philadephia to the city’s thriving downtown. The appeal had been filed by an art student, but the high court ruled that he waited too long to file it. Opponents of the move say that they will continue to look for ways to continue their fight, but they would appear to be out of legal options.