“The San Francisco Opera’s 2009-10 season will inaugurate the tenure of Music Director Nicola Luisotti just at the moment when financial pressures have prompted General Director David Gockley to cut back on the scope and variety of the company’s offerings. … ‘There’s no question that this season represents a huge belt-tightening for us,’ Gockley said.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Who Invented Tango? We Both Did, Former Rivals Tell UN.
“For a century, Argentina and Uruguay have duelled over who invented tango, the sultry music and dance synonymous with Latin passion. … At last, however, a truce has been declared. The respective culture ministries of Montevideo and Buenos Aires set aside their rivalry jointly to petition Unesco, the UN’s cultural agency, to grant tango world heritage status.”
Back Stage Founder Allen Zwerdling Dies At 86
“Allen Zwerdling, a founder of Back Stage, the weekly theater newspaper that is widely considered the casting bible for performers, died on Jan. 12 at his home in Rosendale, N.Y.”
Goya’s Colossus Is Actually His Assistant’s, Prado Says
“The giant, fierce figure of The Colossus as he rises above a fleeing crowd of people, carts and animals is one of Spanish artist Francisco de Goya’s most dramatic and famous pictures – at least it was until yesterday, when Madrid’s Prado museum declared he had not painted it. … Experts at the museum now believe The Colossus was painted by one of Goya’s assistants, whose initials may appear in a corner of the canvass.”
Ministry Of Silly Walks: Artists Get Animals’ Legs Wrong
“The way four-legged animals walk has been well known since the 1880s, when Eadweard Muybridge’s motion-capture photographs revealed the sequence of leg movements.” Many artists, evidently, have not been taking note. “After analyzing more than 300 depictions of walking animals in museums, veterinary books and toy models, the researchers report that in almost half of them the leg positions are wrong.”
The 61 Biggest Chunks Of Change Donated In ’08
The Slate 60, ranking the biggest financial donations of the year, is out for 2008, and the late Leona Helmsley — who, if you recall, hated people, loved dogs — tops the list. “In all, 13 of the 61 contributions appearing on our list (we count ties) are bequests, accounting for $11.64 billion of the $15.78 billion total.” Among the living, Michael Bloomberg is at No. 9, while David Koch is tied with Eli and Edythe Broad at 17.
TV Ads Seem Cheesier To You? Blame The Economy.
“Wait a second. What’s this? CashPoint, an outfit that makes quick-fix loans, is advertising in . . . prime time? On some of TV’s most popular programs? … It won’t make most economists’ radar screens, but the rise of such ads might be a leading economic indicator.” As bigger advertisers pull out and airtime prices fall, lower-budget operations seize the opportunity.
Budget Cuts At Smithsonian As New Secretary Installed
“The newly installed secretary of the Smithsonian Institution announced yesterday that he has implemented a hiring freeze and eliminated salary increases and bonuses for one class of its highest-paid employees. G. Wayne Clough has also asked several departments to reduce their current-year budgets by 5 percent to 8 percent.” The Smithsonian’s endowment dropped 25 percent last year.
A Great Time For Museums? Yes, Says The Guy In Charge.
Doomsayers won’t find an ally in Michael Conforti, president of the Association of Art Museum Directors, who argues “that this financially perilous period is ‘a great time for art museums.’ They are, he said, ‘bellwethers for people at moments like this. We saw this happen after 9/11. If we are doing our jobs well, we’re the places that people can turn to in times of instability.'”
At $235 Million, Bloomberg The Biggest US Donor In ’08
“Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg can now claim to be No. 1 in a category he cares deeply about: giving his money away. Mr. Bloomberg, the self-made billionaire founder of the Bloomberg financial information firm, donated $235 million in 2008, making him the leading individual living donor in the United States, according to a list released online on Monday by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.”