“[His] cerebral novels about radical politics, most famously The Company You Keep, challenged readers with biblical parables and ethical dilemmas.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Guerrilla Artist Called ‘Invader’ (And His Flamenco Dancer) May Have Invaded The Wrong Spot – A Bishop’s Palace
“Invader” is the nom de guerre (if you will) of a French artist who sneaks pixel-mosaic works (inspired by, yes, the old video game Space Invaders) onto buildings. A lot of places – for instance, the Standard Hotel (of course) on the Bowery in New York – are happy for the hipster cachet of an “invasion”, but the diocese of Málaga in Spain is not one of them, and the city government may well agree.
Ex-Director Of Ukrainian Library In Moscow Convicted Of Inciting Hatred Of Russians
“Natalia Sharina was arrested in 2015 after a search of her Library of Ukrainian Literature found what officials described as anti-Russian propaganda. She denied the charges” and claimed that the books were planted by police. After spending 20 months under house arrest, she was convicted of inciting ethnic hatred and embezzling public funds; she was given a four-year suspended sentence.
New $100,000 Art Prize In Australia Has Its First Winner
The bi-annual Ramsay Art Prize, worth $100,000 Aus. and based in Adelaide, went to Sydney-based artist Sarah Contos for a giant quilt called The Long Kiss Goodbye. Michael Cogger looks at the new award, its winner, and several of the finalists.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 06.05.17
Discovery At The National Gallery
While I was in London recently (returning before the latest terror attack, thank God), I stopped in at the National Gallery to see its marvelous exhibition, Michelangelo & Sebastiano, … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2017-06-05
A Call to Action
At least since 1600 leaders have been most afraid of two things: comedy and the theater. Both have helped America in the recent past. … read more
AJBlog: OperaSleuth Published 2017-06-05
The problem with “no problem”
I was amusing myself on Twitter before turning off the light and going to sleep last Friday night, and had occasion to post this deliberately curmudgeonly sentiment: “For the gazillionth time: ‘No problem’ is NOT the correct reply to ‘Thank you very much.’” … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2017-06-05
Monday Recommendation: Bengt Hallberg
Bengt Hallberg Trio, Dinah (Phillips)
When the Swedish pianist Bengt Hallberg died four years ago at the age of 80, most of his obituaries included a quote from a 1950s Miles Davis … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2017-06-05
Sublime: Country House Opera in Real Time
Our more or less local country house summer opera season has started with a pair of pieces at Garsington Opera at the gorgeous Getty estate, … read more
AJBlog: Plain English Published 2017-06-05
Conductor Jeffrey Tate, 74, Collapses And Dies During Rehearsal
Tate made his career – which includes a large discography as well as guest appearances with almost every major orchestra on Earth – in spite of disabilities resulting from spina bifida. His served, over the years, as chief conductor of the English Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Opera House in London, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, and the Hamburg Symphony.
Design For MoMA’s Expansion Rethinks Entire Approach To Displaying Art
“The final design for the Museum of Modern Art’s $400 million expansion project … is striking and provocative less because of its look than its implicit message: MoMA isn’t modern yet. Under the new plans, the museum is moving away from discipline-specific galleries that feature established artists – many of them white men – and toward more chronological and thematic approaches that include multiple formats as well as more minority and female artists.”
Ken Lam Named Music Director Of Illinois Symphony In Springfield
“After a season-long search, Ken Lam has been announced as the new music director for the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, replacing Alastair Willis, who left the position vacant when he ended his contract early back in 2015. … Lam will continue with his current position as music director with the Charleston [South Carolina] Symphony Orchestra and will be commuting between the two cities.”
West Virginia Symphony Names Lawrence Loh Music Director
“The new conductor comes to the WVSO from Pennsylvania (he and his family live in New York), where he serves as the music director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. He’s also the music director of Symphoria, founded by former members of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, and is the artistic director and principal conductor for the Syracuse Opera.”
‘Ibsen Cross-Pollinated With The Marvel Cinematic Universe’ – Only It’s About Nigerian Immigrants
Diep Tran profiles actress/playwright Mfoniso Udofia and her “Ufot Cycle,” a planned series of nine plays. (About two of them, the New York Times‘s Jesse Green wrote, “[they] offer a moving and powerful corrective to the notion that what immigrants leave behind is always awful, and that what they find is always worth the trip.”