Author: Douglas McLennan

I AM A ROCK, I AM AN ARTIST

Eighty-year-old painter Michael Gross won his country’s highest arts honor last week, the Israel Prize for Art, but kept his distance from the week’s celebrations and publicity. He is widely regarded as one of Israel’s most esteemed living artists – his work is held in the Guggenheim and MOMA, he’s shown at the Venice Biennale and Documenta – yet he’s always chosen to live as an “outsider,” as far as he can from the “theory and chatter” in Israel. “All the writers are little people who read other people’s theories, copy them and talk about them without understanding them. I am against all theories apart from one great one – an artist must be entirely free.” – Haaretz (Israel)

ACTORS 1, ADVERTISERS, 0

Three weeks into their strike, morale among members of the Screen Actors Guild is high – and commercial producers seem to be getting their message. More than 500 interim agreements have already been signed, guaranteeing union members pay-per-play compensation during productions shot during the strike. “We’ve done picket lines all week long … Everybody’s pumped up.” – Backstage

AWARD REWARD

The shows that grabbed the most Tony nominations last week got a nice bump in their Broadway box office. Nearly everything else declined last week. But the current season continues to be well ahead of 1999. – Variety

MONUMENT TO MUSIC

Frank Gehry’s swoopy, droopy Experience Music Project (please don’t call it a museum) is opening soon in Seattle. Says Gehry: “This building is supposed to be a lot of fun. That’s what Paul Allen wanted. Fun. It’s supposed to be unusual. The (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum) in Cleveland wanted a straight-forward corporate look. Paul didn’t want that. He wanted what he called a swoopy building. Nobody has seen this before or will see it again. Nobody will build another one.” – Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A BUILDING OR A METAPHOR? “Up close, the latest offering from architect Frank Gehry looks like a cross between a giant spaceship and globs of playdough.” – National Post (Canada)

TRACES OF GENIUS

Scientists plan to test DNA found in smudges and fingerprints in Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks and sketches to better understand the master and distinguish his work from that of his apprentices. “Vezzosi believes that the best traces can be found in ink stains on the handwritten pages of Leonardo’s notebooks, as the master himself recommended using saliva to thicken black ink.” – Discovery.com

PICKING UP THE PIECES

At one time the top spot running Sotheby’s would have been considered a real dream job. But with scandals and investigations and uncertainties, William Ruprecht confesses that he “took a very deep breath and had a moment of hesitation” before accepting the assignment last February. After last week’s successful spring auctions, it appears some of the storm has passed. – Financial Times