New book charges that Canadian museums have become too populist in trying to compensate for cutbacks in government funding in the 1990s. – CBC
Author: Douglas McLennan
FIRE SALE
The Barnes Collection, deep in financial trouble, considers selling some objects. “Envisaged for the block are not the Matisses and Cezannes that the now disgraced former Barnes director Richard Glanton wanted to sell for $200 million, but pottery and other personal property which remain in the offices and other locations that belong to the foundation.” – The Art Newspaper
ART OF PROTEST
“Artists don’t understand politics better than anyone else. Why should they? So when they turn their political views into art, something often goes wrong. Not always, of course. Goya and Picasso made great art out of political protest, but did so by going beyond the issues of the moment.” A new show in London looks at protest art from the 1960s and ’70s. – The Telegraph (UK)
PHOTOS AND MORE PHOTOS
Two of the U.S.’s major photography institutions – New York’s George Eastman House and the International Center of Photography – have entered an alliance to maximize the strengths of both collections. Educational programs, joint cataloging, and a new Web site are all planned. – New York Times
RUMORS OF ITS DEATH…
Even before the British Arts Council promised £37 million in additional funding, there were plenty of signs that regional theater is already thriving. Audiences are growing, communities are showing support, and theaters are discovering that their power is in numbers. “If one regional theatre thrives, so will others. If one closes, it threatens others. If you’ve got leprosy and your hand drops off, it doesn’t benefit the rest of the body. It’s still dying.” – The Guardian
STILL IN THE ORCHARD
The hottest playwright in Chicago this season is… Chekhov. Why? “Theaters may be turning to Chekhov, who wrote at the turn of the last century, as a way of exploring similar issues confronting us in the new millennium.” – Chicago Tribune
DRINK UP
German Chancellor Gerhard Shroeder is about to become a pop star. “Earlier this year Mr Schroeder joked to an autograph hunter ‘Get me a beer or I’ll go on strike!’ as he toured eastern Germany to rally support for his centre-left Social Democrats. But his remark was recorded, and comedian Stefan Raab mixed it into a drinking song called Get Me A Beer!” – BBC
ORCHESTRAS ARE NOT DYING
A music critic who wrote about the “dysfunctionality” of the modern symphony orchestra hears plenty of dissent from readers. – National Post (Canada)
STERN STUFF
Carnegie Hall spends the weekend paying tribute to Isaac Stern, the violinist who became one of the most powerful movers in the music world. – New York Times
THINKING ENGLISH
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is quintessentially English. So how does Leonard Slatkin, renowned for championing American music, fit in as BBC’s new music director? – The Telegraph (UK)