How Subhash Kapoor allegedly got stolen treasures out of India and (for hefty prices) into collections all over the globe – and how U.S. and Indian authorities finally caught him.
Author: Matthew Westphal
The Contraband Circuit: How A 1,000-Year-Old Statue Traveled From A Small Tamil Temple To A Park Avenue Penthouse
An infographic traces the route, complete with decoy statues, fake documents and money transfers.
Yes, The Hush-Hush Sale Of South Florida’s Classical Radio Stations Was Appalling. But What Now?
“Classical radio is a business like everything else, and the American Public Media Group has the right to sell a station to any entity they like and for any price they deem acceptable. But the manner in which the company went about doing so was wrong, unconscionable and, frankly, despicable. … But what are the prospects for a new classical station arising from the ashes of Classical South Florida? To be honest, not great.”
Why The Push To Require Paying Actors In Fringe And Showcase Productions Is A Terrible Idea
“It’s been horrible to watch our otherwise splendid union’s desperate attempt to boost membership by pretending there was enough money to be made in 50-seat fringe venues to convert [unpaid] productions into paying jobs. And so many of us swallowed it, seduced by the absurd idea that closing down voluntary fringe collaborations in tiny makeshift theatres would lead to paid employment.”
Requests For Personal Advice, Gifts Of Cookies, Empty Chairs, And Someone Begging For David Sedaris’s Phone Number: Authors Tells Tales Of Book Tours
Junot Díaz, Gary Shteyngart, Nell Zink, Sloane Crosley, Tayari Jones, and John Scalzi recount memorable encounters.
The Nine Types Of People You’ll Date: Simone de Beauvoir Solves Your Tinder Problems
“In part two of The Ethics of Ambiguity, Beauvoir details a series of common responses people have to the loss of childhood. … The truth is, most people you meet are struggling with that horrifying mix of freedom and lack of freedom that comes with adulthood. But they’re all grieving in different ways. Beauvoir is taking subtle shots at some of the greatest thinkers of the era – she’s no fan of Friedrich Nietzsche – and her categories are uncannily applicable to recent Tinder dates.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 07.23.15
Harry Partch’s sonic cathedral – and what others have built around it.
AJBlog: Condemned to Music Published 2015-07-23
Conover And The VOA: A Response
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-07-23
FAILE Fail: Brooklyn Museum as Gaming Arcade (with video)
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2015-07-23
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Police Pull ‘American Psycho’ From Shelves In Australia
An Adelaide bookstore was raided following a complaint that the notorious Bret Easton Ellis novel didn’t have the sealed plastic cover required for all “restricted classification” titles (meaning for 18-and-older individuals only).
California Arts Council Bumps Up Community Grants By $1 Million
“The round of grants issued this week … gives boosts to ‘Local Impact’ projects that are aimed at helping small arts organizations work in poor and rural communities that lack cultural resources. Another category is Creative California Communities, in which nonprofit arts organizations use grant money to connect with neighborhoods in ways aimed at helping economic development or community cohesiveness. The third is an Artists in Schools program.”
National Library Of France Employee Arrested For Thefts Of Engravings
“The French police have detained a low-level employee of the National Library of France in connection with the disappearance of a collection of 43 engravings by 16th-century artists valued at up to $4.4 million. It was the second theft uncovered at the library this year.”