“Jeff Koons, a US pop artist whose works can fetch millions, is facing allegations he used a New York photographer’s commercial photo” – in an ad for Gordon’s Gin – “from the 1980s in a painting without permission or compensation, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
UK Affirms That All Photographs Of Public Domain Art Are Fair Use
“The UK Intellectual Property Office … clearly acknowledges that the use of ‘specialist skills’ to improve images cannot ‘be considered as ‘original’.'”
Quebec Symphony Locks Out Musicians For 36 Hours, Then Settles New Contract
Sunday night at midnight, the management of the financially troubled orchestra ended negotiations that had gone on since January. The lockout was clearly expected to be short: concerts scheduled for this weekend weren’t cancelled. The agreement-in-principle announced on Tuesday afternoon – between the small increases in pay in years 3 to 5 and the reduction in weeks – results in a net increase in base pay (currently around C$34,000) of .25% by 2019-2020. (in French; Google Translate version here)
England’s Public Artworks Are ‘Disappearing Before Our Eyes’
“Historic England is launching a campaign to raise awareness of how much [postwar] art is being lost, whether metal sculptures being stolen and sold for scrap or architectural friezes being deliberately ripped down by developers.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 12.15.15
Transformative Engagement
In Artcentric Engagement I discussed a kind of engagement in which an arts organization is attempting to bring people to it. As I said there, nothing is wrong with that; it’s simply not the goal … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2015-12-15
Bach at the Armory with gongs, noise-canceling headphones and deck chairs
Every concert should be like this. Bach’s Goldberg Variations was heard in a piece created by the famous performance artist Marina Abramovic that was a marriage made in…well, the … read more
AJBlog: Condemned to Music Published 2015-12-15
Quality is job one
So the Declassified show at the National Symphony a week ago didn’t strike me as a success. Declassified, as I said in my last post, is a series that the orchestra and its parent … read more
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2015-12-15
Monday Recommendation: Halie Loren
I know – I’m posting the Monday Recommendation on Tuesday. Some Mondays are like that. With a subdued manner and undercurrents of strong feeling, the Oregon singer ranges across … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-12-15
Branford Marsalis and Kurt Elling in New Orleans, ready for recording
Saxophonist Branford Marsalis’s quartet and singer Kurt Elling prepared for their upcoming recording in a … read more
AJBlog: Jazz Beyond Jazz Published 2015-12-15
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Itzhak Perlman Wins Israel’s $1M Genesis Prize (And He’s Giving Away The Money)
“Perlman joins former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the actor Michael Douglas as recipients of the annual $1 million prize that has been dubbed the ‘Jewish Nobel.’ … Established in 2012 by a consortium of Russian Jewish philanthropists, the prize is presented annually to someone who has achieved international renown in their professional field and serves as a role model through their commitment to Jewish values.”
Cleveland Orchestra Ratifies Three-Year Musicians’ Contract
“The agreement marks a smooth end to a lengthy so-called ‘play and talk’ period, and extends the peace that has reigned at Severance Hall since 2010, when orchestra members waged a brief strike.”
The 25 Best Books Of The Year, According To Booksellers
“We asked nearly 150 booksellers from 20 bookstores across America to send us their favorite books of the year. The result: 750 suggestions, nearly 100 of which were recommended more than once. Following some very complicated math, we determined the 25 most bookseller-beloved books of the year.”
Win This Essay Contest And Get Your Own Movie Theater
“Tired of commuting 150 miles each way, the owner of a movie theater in Maine is holding an essay contest to give away his restored, nearly 100-year-old cinema. … The contest requires a typed 250-word essay describing why the entrant would make the best new owner. No name, address or other identifying details are attached to entries to ensure impartiality; that information is on a separate form.”
They’re Everywhere: The Five Guys Dominating New Ballet Choreography
Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Justin Peck, Wayne McGregor, and Liam Scarlett. “All five men are wonderfully accomplished choreographers. … But are companies oversaturating the market with these [brand names], and making ballet too safe?”