“A new X Factor style television talent show will attempt to discover the next British art sensation. The BBC Two show, presented by advertising boss and art collector Charles Saatchi, is open to all aspiring artists. Finalists will be tutored by leading contemporary artists before exhibiting their work in St Petersburg, Russia.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Guernica Tapestry, Long At UN, Will Visit Whitechapel
“A tapestry of Picasso’s Guernica, which was at the centre of a row just before the invasion of Iraq, is to go on display at the Whitechapel Art Gallery on 5 April. It currently hangs at United Nations headquarters in New York, just outside the Security Council chamber.”
Nederlander Buys Rights To Jacko Jukebox Musical
“The Nederlander Organization has acquired the rights to produce a musical version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ the organization announced today.” Based on the “Thriller” video, the musical is authorized by Jackson, which sets it apart from the current Michael Jackson tribute show in the West End.
Online Sniping Has Art Dealers Fearing For Livelihoods
“As if art dealers weren’t upset enough about falling prices, now there’s short-selling of galleries. Last fall, the How’s My Dealing? blog (which rates gallerists’ treatment of their artists according to anonymous informants) began a gallery ‘DeathWatch’ thread–and dealers are on edge over its retailing of unsubstantiated rumors.”
In Triumph For Moderates, SAG Chief Is Ousted
“Doug Allen is stepping down as national executive director and chief negotiator of the Screen Actors Guild following a brutal internal battle over how he’s handled SAG’s long-stalled negotiations. … The move came a few hours after SAG’s elected delivered a ‘written assent’ document to SAG headquarters in Hollywood authorizing the replacement of Allen as national executive director.”
Streaming Video Boosts Netflix’s Revenue Stream
“Netflix showed little sign of the economic slowdown that’s been nailing other companies this corporate earnings season. But it attributed its fourth-quarter jump in revenue, profit and subscribers to a surprising factor: surging popularity of its online video streaming service.”
What New Publishing Will Look Like
“A lot of headlines and blogs to the contrary, publishing isn’t dying. But it is evolving, and so radically that we may hardly recognize it when it’s done. … The novel won’t stay the same: it has always been exquisitely sensitive to newness, hence the name. It’s about to renew itself again, into something cheaper, wilder, trashier, more democratic and more deliriously fertile than ever.”
In Lawsuit, Artist Richard Prince Accused Of Lifting Images
“French photographer Patrick Cariou has launched a lawsuit against Richard Prince, claiming that the artist improperly lifted images from Cariou’s photographic survey of Rastafarian culture for a recent series of paintings. The suit, filed in New York, also names as defendants Larry Gagosian, Prince’s dealer who displayed the series in a recent show titled ‘Canal Zone’, and publishing house Rizzoli, which co-produced the catalogue.”
Cheap, Imported Pictures Threaten Paris Street Painters
“Street painters are part of the romantic lure of Montmartre. … Today, some 300 officially licensed artists work here. Almost all of their customers are tourists. They may not produce great art but they are skilled painters. And now they say their livelihoods are at risk because many of the souvenir shops in the area are selling cheap, mass-produced paintings from China and Eastern Europe.”
Portrait Of Firth As Mr. Darcy Fetches £12,000 At Auction
“A portrait of actor Colin Firth as Mr Darcy has fetched £12,000 at Bonhams in London, double its estimated price. The oil painting, a prop from the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, received a number of advance bids. The painting was accompanied by a signed letter from Firth, in which the 48-year-old star claimed Mr Darcy ‘has weathered better than most of us’.”