“The Neo-Renaissance structure [in Budapest] has been closed for the past 18 months due to extensive restoration and modernization works. Newly released images reveal the full extent of the project, which has a whopping budget of $30 million. The behind-the-scenes photographs show the vast reconstruction works taking place on the roof, where new tiles have been added, along with a substantial overhaul of the auditorium with a ‘smart’ concept.” – CNN
Author: Matthew Westphal
Blaming the Victim: The Shocking “Green Vault” Assault at Dresden’s Royal Palace
Any burglarized homeowner knows that a five-minute response time isn’t good enough when you’re dealing with grab-and-go criminals. Art museums should not be lured into false complacency with high-tech gadgetry. They are no substitute for the most basic, essential component of art stewardship — human guards. – Lee Rosenbaum
Audiences Are Choosing ‘Immersive Experiences’ Over Looking At Objects In Museums. How Will The Art Business Handle This?
“Performance and installation pieces are now the preferred media of just such moments at biennials and museum shows. For the second edition in a row, the top prize for a national pavilion at the Venice Biennale was won by a performance. … But where does all this leave the commercial art world, which for centuries has relied on the passive contemplation of painting and sculpture to forge careers, reputations and fortunes? How do you monetise experiential art?” – The Art Newspaper
This High-Stress Competition Is The Only Way To Get Promoted At The Paris Opera Ballet
“Welcome to POB’s annual ‘concours de promotion,’ or competitive promotional exam. In a company that employs 154 dancers, it is the only way to climb the ranks. Outsiders are often baffled by this system because it is so different from how other companies promote their dancers. This year, Pointe was invited to take an inside look at this high-stakes event and spoke with two of the 14 dancers awarded promotions that go into effect in January 2020.” – Pointe Magazine
Biographer Robert K. Massie, Author Of ‘Nicholas And Alexandra’, Dead At 90
“In monumental biographies of Peter the Great (1672-1725), Catherine the Great (1729-96) and Czar Nicholas II and Czarina Alexandra, who were assassinated with their five children and others in 1918, Mr. Massie captivated audiences with detailed accounts that read to many like engrossing novels. One was even grist for Hollywood: Nicholas and Alexandra (1967) was adapted into a film of the same title in 1971.” – The New York Times
‘Existential’ Is Dictionary.com’s 2019 Word Of The Year
The site’s editors wrote that the word “captures a sense of grappling with the survival — literally and figuratively — of our planet, our loved ones, our ways of life. … But, existential also inspires us to ask big questions about who we are and what our purpose is in the face of our various challenges.” (The runner-up: nonbinary.) – CNN
Reports Of ‘The Simpsons’ Death Are Greatly Exaggerated
Composer Danny Elfman, who wrote the theme music for the long-running series, told an Irish podcaster that “from what I’ve heard, it is coming to an end. … I don’t know for a fact, but I’ve heard that it will be in its last year.” The Guardian picked the news up, and rumors spread quickly until showrunner Al Jean shut them down: “No disrespect to Mr. Elfman but we are producing season 32 starting next year and have no plans to end after that.” – Metro (UK)
The Guardian Is Asking Readers To Report Looted Benin Bronzes Held In UK Museums
“The British Museum and other UK institutions with Benin bronzes in their collections are facing growing pressure to return them to Africa. Now, the Guardian newspaper has increased the heat by launching a public appeal to map the location of sculptures looted by the British in the late 19th century.” – artnet
At ‘Slave Play’ Q&A, Woman Shouts That Playwright Is ‘Racist Against White People’
“According to witnesses, the woman, whom [playwright Jeremy O.] Harris has nicknamed ‘Talkback Tammy’ on Twitter, stood up from her seat and loudly interrupted the Q&A just as it was finishing up. She accused the queer black playwright of being ‘racist against white people.’ At one point, she complained that she didn’t want to hear that white people are the fucking plague all the time.'” Harris patiently responded to her and even sort of defended her reaction afterward, saying “Rage is a necessary lubricant to discourse.” – Gothamist
Nine Black Actresses Have Now Been Cast As Hermione In ‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’, But The Producers Refuse To Discuss Race
“The play’s producers, Sonia Friedman Productions, declined to comment for this article, noting that the subject of Hermione’s race had been discussed at length when the play opened in London. But that was eight Hermiones ago. When asked to discuss the cultural significance of the casting decision in the era when diversity and inclusion have become priorities in theater, the producers rebuffed The Times‘ attempts to speak with the show’s director, actors or anyone else in the production.” – Los Angeles Times