“This year’s artists include one who made an 18ft sculpture of a man’s bare buttocks, another obsessed by corrugated shop window shutters, another whose sculptures are described as ‘slippery and elusive’ and a fourth who allowed thrilled visitors to ride around the gallery on a choo-choo train.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Artist François Morellet Dead At 90
“Industrially-produced neon tubes served as Morellet’s material of choice for six decades, but his sculptures and light installations have only gained commercial and international recognition relatively recently.”
Behind The Scenes At Liam Scarlett’s Controversial New Ballet Of ‘Frankenstein’
“In the rehearsal room, ominous props clutter the floor’s perimeter: an alarmingly incomplete cadaver lies on a table; Georgian-era surgical equipment is strewn here and there; the odd body part sits pickled in a jar.”
He Danced His Way Out Of A South African Township, And Now He’s Helping Others To Do The Same
Dane Hurst, a star of the British contemporary company Rambert, bought the sprung dance floor from the company’s old studio when it moved, shipped it home to Port Elizabeth, and asked an architect to design a dance studio made out of shipping containers – where he’ll be teaching other young people from his home township professional-level dance skills.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 05.11.16
“Contemporary Confidence” Game: Brett Gorvy Tells How Christie’s Got it Done
The headline for my last post was: Christie’s Gets It Done. At the press preview for last night’s confidence-restoring contemporary sale, Brett Gorvy, Christie’s chairman of Post-War and Contemporary art, told me how he had … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-05-11
Competition Lives! My Storify on Sotheby’s Creditable Contemporary Sale
After its rocky night Monday, it looked like Sotheby’s could become a distant also-ran in the art-auction sweepstakes. But tonight, with a little help from some late-breaking irrevocable bids (likely accompanied by lowered reserves), … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-05-11
Snapshot: Louis Armstrong performs “A Kiss to Build a Dream On”
Louis Armstrong and His All Stars perform “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” in concert in 1962. … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2016-05-11
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Chicago’s Baroque Band To Cease Operations
“Garry Clarke, the period-instrument ensemble’s founder and artistic director, had previously announced that he would leave his position at the end of the current season. In a statement posted on the Baroque Band website, board president Evan Trent said the board voted unanimously to shutter the group after Clarke’s departure.”
The Weird, Brilliant Names Charles Dickens Invented For His Minor Characters
“Allow me to introduce Mr Plornishmaroontigoonter. Lord Podsnap, Count Smorltork, and Sir Clupkins Clogwog. Not to mention the dowager Lady Snuphanuph. As for Serjeant Buzfuz, Miss Snevellicci, Mrs. Wrymug, and the Porkenhams … They are the best of names, they are the worst of names, from an age of onomastic wisdom and hypocoristic foolishness, an epoch of … well you get the picture.”
Another Selfie Disaster: Tourist Climbs Onto And Destroys Statue At Historic Lisbon Train Station
“[A] 24-year-old man climbed onto the pedestal of the stone figure of Dom Sebastião, which stood in a niche flanked by large, ornately decorated horseshoe-shaped arches at [Rossio] station’s Neo-Manueline-style façade.” Of course the statue couldn’t support the man’s weight; it toppled to the ground and shattered.
‘Antiques Roadshow’ Punks Itself, Assessing 1970s High School Art Project As $50,000 1890s Jug
“Owner Alvin Barr had bought the pot, decorated with six beast-like faces, at an estate sale in a barn in Eugene, Oregon, for $300. He was naturally short of breath when Antiques Roadshow’‘s bespectacled expert appraiser Stephen L. Fletcher (specializing in clocks, decorative arts, folk art, and furniture) revealed its alleged market value.”
Paris Wants To Make The Seine Swimmable By 2024
The plan was announced as part of Paris’s bid for the 2024 Olympics, and there’s even talk of staging the triathlon’s swimming event in the river. But cleaning up the Seine will be complicated and expensive, and it’s not certain that the city could pull it off.