A set of 92 Botticelli drawings illustrating Dante’s “Divine Comedy” has been gathered and reunited in Rome after more than five centuries of being dispersed throughout Europe. – The Guardian
Author: Douglas McLennan
GROWING THE GETTY
When the Getty opened its new billion-dollar home three years ago in Los Angeles, there were those who thought a period of more modest art acquisitions might follow. But though some Getty programs have quietly gone away, the museum is continuing to collect aggressively, says the museum’s new director. – The Art Newspaper
APOCALYPTIC SENSATION
The Royal Academy’s “Apocalypse” is the successor to “Sensation” and the RA hopes to shock on the order of what the first show provoked. But a lot of what’s up is pretty feeble, writes one critic. – The Times (UK)
BACK-SPRAY
- Graffiti artists claim work in a new Brooklyn Museum show belongs to them and not the museum. – New York Times
HARVARD MUSEUMS DRAW OPPOSITION
Harvard University has plans to build two ambitious new museums. “One would be a museum of modern and contemporary art, the other would relocate Harvard’s Sackler Museum, with its rich collection of ancient, Asian and Islamic art.” But neighbors, worried about crowds and congestion, are protesting the plans. – Boston Herald
DISSENTING VIEW
“The Tate Modern, which opened in May and is a branch of the older Tate Gallery up the river, is surely the most hyped building of the year. Modern art doesn’t thrive in demure surroundings, and the notion of placing it in the gritty venue of an abandoned power station seemed appropriate. Unfortunately, the architects of the renovation, Herzog & de Meuron of Switzerland, a respected firm, have succeeded in bleeding away most of what should have been a thrilling confrontation of art with architecture.” – Boston Globe
THE LITTLE THEATRE THAT COULD
There is a regional theatre crisis in England. But one theatre has managed to flourish with little public funding and a lot of hard work. But at considerable cost… – The Guardian
PAVAROTTI WITH YOUR PETROL?
In an odd marketing move, Universal (which controls the Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, and Philips labels) will release classical CDs in England and Germany at rock-bottom prices. “Those neon-lit shops where you exchange a week’s wages for 10 litres of unleaded and a bunch of stale flowers are going to be swamped with classical CDs at an irresistible price.” – The Telegraph (UK)
HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES
A rare interview with Simon Keenlyside, one of the world’s leading baritones, and the most internationally successful British classical singer of his generation. – The Telegraph (UK)
WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME
At a time when mega-music and bookstores seem to be taking over the market, a small music shop in Baltimore proves that personal attention still counts. – The Idler