“A two-and-a-half-year-long suspected archaeological fraud involving thousands of forged Greek and Etruscan artefacts, a hospital x-ray machine, a philanthropic aristocrat and a sophisticated network of forgers has come to an abrupt end after police raids late last year on two homes belonging to alleged members of a gang.”
Month: February 2012
Decline Of The Arts? Really?
“Of course decline can be a fairly straightforward descriptive term–in the sense that we say that a person who is old and ill and will probably never entirely recover is “declining.” But to speak of “The Decline of the Arts” is to suggest a development with a philosophical or ideological amplitude, to evoke thoughts about the rise and fall of civilizations and cultures, about periodicity, systemic failure, decadence, maybe even the divine retribution that is sometimes woven into arguments about the collapse of civilizations.”
Mona Lisa Copy Draws Big Crowds At Prado
“Crowds gathered Tuesday at Madrid’s Prado Museum to view a copy of the “Mona Lisa” for the first time since restoration revealed it was almost certainly painted by one of Leonardo da Vinci’s apprentices as he worked on the original.”
Concern About Proposed Recording Industry Consolidation
“If approved, the sales would reduce the number of major players from four to three and give Universal and Sony substantial advantages over Warner. Battle lines have been drawn throughout the industry, with Warner and independent labels lobbying to block the deals and consumer groups expressing concern that the deals would stifle competition and innovation.”
University Abruptly Cancels Workshop By Tim Miller (Of “NEA Four” Fame)
“Villanova University abruptly canceled a weeklong workshop by a gay performance artist whose stage shows are often laced with nudity and simulated sex but who has taught and lectured at numerous colleges, including the nation’s largest Catholic university, DePaul, in Chicago.”
David Foster Wallace Would Have Been 50 This Week
“It would be weak to take Wallace’s tongue-in-cheek humility as definitive evidence of what he was or wasn’t as a writer. Wallace was likely aware, even in his more self-doubting moments, that he was a skilled reporter (he certainly enjoyed it, at least).”
David Brooks: We’ve Become A Talent Society
“It’s more accurate to say that we have gone from a society that protected people from their frailties to a society that allows people to maximize their talents.”
The Problem With Arts CEO Salaries?
“The most common refrain is: If we don’t pay these salaries, we won’t get the best people. But this is rarely true. The people who run the great museums and universities would likely take jobs for half the wage because, actually, they do love museums and universities, and nothing better satisfies their lifelong passion than a top job. Still, if offered a CEO’s salary, who is going to turn it down?”
Colorblind “Oklahoma” Casting Has Seattle Audiences Uncomfortable
“This production has some audience members squirming in their seats. Not only are they struggling with their memories of, and expectations for the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic, they’re seeing on stage one of the ugliest stereotypes in our history: an imposing black man ravaging a petite white woman.”
Taviani Brothers, Now In Their 80s, Win Golden Lion In Berlin
“The Italian docudrama Caesar Must Die from octogenarian sibling film-makers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani won the top prize at the Berlin film festival on Saturday. The film follows real-life inmates of a high-security jail as they rehearse for a performance of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.“