Maastricht’s art fair of Old Masters is modernizing. “In an effort to capitalize on the tremendous growth of the modern-art market, the show’s organizers are out to carve a niche that they hope will make the European Fine Art Fair a new destination for lovers of modern and contemporary art. This year, in addition to the usual world-class collection of old-master paintings there are prime examples of works by Picasso, Magritte, Mondrian, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenburg. They are being shown by blue-chip galleries, all newcomers to the show this year.”
Month: March 2006
Juilliard Library Gets Ready For New Role
Juilliard’s library is getting ready for an unfamiliar role after landing a major trove of important music manuscripts. “Many of the manuscripts await the scrutiny of salivating scholars, who are ready to mine them in service to musicology. Juilliard has promised to make them available. ‘Julliard, to my knowledge, has never been in the position of having to share such a treasure trove with the public, which will be beating a path to their door’.”
A Skyscraper Where It Ought Not To Be?
Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino proposes a skyscraper in a place Robert Campbell calls the worst possible place for it. “The question we ought to be debating, perhaps, is whether we want to be America’s Florence or its Milan — a cultural and educational capital, or a business one. Or both? Exactly how much do we want to grow, anyway? And with what kind of growth cells? That’s a debate that should be public and vociferous.”
Ringtones Under Glass
As a fundraiseer, the American Composers Orchestra is auctioning mobile-phone ringtones created by Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Laurie Anderson, and other composers as part of its spring fundraiser.
Canadian Arts Groups Score Big Tax Win
Canadian arts groups have won a court ruling that allows them to classify the artists they hire as contract workers rather than employees. The ruling will save the arts groups a lot of money. “Earlier Revenue Canada rulings had hit arts groups such as the Thunder Bay Symphony hard, demanding thousands of dollars in Employment Insurance and pension contributions that drove them near bankruptcy.”
The Missing (Unauthenticated) Pollock
“On Nov. 18, 2005, “Winter in Springs,” a 40-by-32-inch drip painting attributed to Jackson Pollock, was stolen from the Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science and Art in Scranton, Pa. But “Winter in Springs” was never authenticated and is not in the the four-volume catalogue raisonné, or complete listing, of Pollock’s work, regarded as the definitive word on authenticity. Nor was it insured. Authenticated Pollock works of similar size sell for about $10 million.”
Miles Davis In The Rock Hall Of Fame… Really?
“This seems provocative for a second, and then a little meaningless. It is not some sort of timely argument for underappreciated work; adventurous musicians like those in the Black Rock Coalition have been claiming Davis’s electric period as an inspiration for decades. There are some jazz adherents who never liked Davis’s long electric phase and will be mildly outraged. But after all the jagged turns of his career, and its thorough box-set gilding, most of us have long since let Davis’s body of work just assume its own meaning.”
Big Step – Pacific Symphony’s Europe Tour
Orange County’s Pacific Symphony is heading to Europe for its first tour. The orchestra has been talking about going on a tour for about a decade. But until recently it wasn’t thought that the orchestra was ready for one, financially or artistically.
A Popular LA Radio Figure In Legal Limbo
Chris Douridas made a name for himself in Los Angeles with his musical taste, first as musical director for KCRW and then in his work on a number of movies. But it all threatened to unravel earlier this year. “Though many details of what happened are unknown, law enforcement officials paint a lurid picture of events that led to Douridas’ arrest Jan. 6 on suspicion of drugging and trying to kidnap a 14-year-old girl.”
A Women’s Music Fest Looking For An Audience
Cal State University at Fullerton throws a women’s music festival and few people show up. “Is it the women themselves who are scary? Their music? Ironically, this annual festival, created five years ago by Pamela Madsen, a composer on Fullerton’s faculty, strives for inclusion. The attitude, and one rehashed in the panel, is that no one can really say what women’s music is. Some women address gender issues, some don’t.”