Matthew Westphal – Page 2086 – ArtsJournal Wayback

Is This The Future Of Ballet Photography?

Ingrid Brugge spent a two-season residency with the Royal Danish Ballet creating collages and manipulated images. “These have been collected within Bugge’s print book The Essence of Ballet. But they’ve been given an alternative life in a complementary interactive ibook in which Bugge both records and re-enacts aspects of her working process.”

San Francisco Ballet Principal Makes Foot Paintings At The Barre

Damian Smith, a 40-year-old principal dancer who is preparing to retire after an 18-year career, is dipping his feet in paint while taking class and then doing his exercises on canvas. The resulting abstract artwork will be auctioned to support a local museum.

New York Public Library Scraps Controversial Redesign

“In a striking about-face, the New York Public Library has abandoned its much-disputed renovation plan to turn part of its research flagship on Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street into a circulating library and instead will refurbish the nearby Mid-Manhattan Library, several library trustees said.”

Poisoned Gift? Cornelius Gurlitt Leaves Entire Art Hoard To Swiss Museum

The Bern Art Museum’s director says he’s thrilled but mystified by the gift, since Gurlitt, a reclusive Munich resident, had no connection at all to the museum or city. The collection, estimated to be worth roughly $1 billion, includes many works thought to have been looted from Jewish owners during World War II, so sorting out ownership issues will be long and messy.

The Tortured Rise of the All-American Bro

“Where did this strange American Bro come from, this alien, fist-pumping, Jager-bombing avatar of modern sexism, racism, and nihilism? … At what point did all strong homosocial relationships between men become conflated with the most vile and socially abhorrent behavior and egregious sartorial choices?” Jared Keller has a theory.

New Hollywood Production Company Plans Films Based On Hard-Hitting Journalism

“An Oscar-winning screenwriter, a billionaire film financier and a well-known magazine editor have come together to form a movie and television company built on a journalism foundation.”

Opera San Jose’s Founder/Director Retires After Three Decades

“Now 88 years old, sharp as a tack and still the motivating force behind Opera San Jose, which she founded 30 years ago, [Irene] Dalis … is retiring. On June 30, she will let go of ‘my baby,’ … ceding her position as general director to Larry Hancock, her hand-groomed successor.”

Going To A Play Feels As Good As Getting A Raise (Says Study)

“People who attend plays have a level of wellbeing equivalent to the amount of happiness derived from a £1,000 annual income increase, new research on the social impacts of culture has found.”

The Importance Of Staging Noël Coward

“Michael Blakemore, aged 85, is directing Angela Lansbury in … Blithe Spirit in the West End. Meanwhile the director Blanche McIntyre, 33, is staging Coward’s Tonight at 8.30, a series of nine one-act plays, on tour. Here, they swap ideas about his plays and his politics.”

Author: Matthew Westphal