Faced with demand in the doldrums, dealers at the Armory Art Show in New York are treating their displays more like curated exhibits than trade-show booths. “In other words, dealers want to make art precious again – not just pricey. Galleries that look like museums help do that and, when Wall Street woes have scared off buyers anyway, why not? […] Instead of encouraging people who speculate in art, treating it like a stock, these shows aim to develop true collectors, who buy and hold for years.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Mark Taper Forum Postpones Lieutenant Of Inishmore
“The economy has claimed another play: Center Theatre Group is postponing until next year Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore, part of its 2009 season at the Mark Taper Forum. Rather than name a show to take its place, the Taper will go dark after David Mamet’s Oleanna closes in July.”
Arab Literary Lion Tayeb Salih, 80
“The Sudanese author, who had long been pushed as a candidate for the Nobel prize by Sudanese literary groups, was known for his depictions of east-west culture collisions. His 1966 masterpiece The Season of Migration to the North [was] voted one of the 100 best works of fiction in 2002… [and] was declared to be the most important Arabic novel of the 20th Century by the Damascus-based Arab Literary Academy in 2001.”
Outrage In India Over Auction Of Gandhi’s Belongings
“The auction is a travesty for many Indians, for whom Gandhi is a godlike figure, and some in India’s Parliament have called for the government to either stop the auction or put in the highest bid to get back the nation’s iconic mementos.” Items include the Mahatma’s sandals, pocket watch, brass bowl and his trademark round spectacles.
Whatever Its Reservations, India Celebrates Slumdog‘s Oscars
“But on Monday, as India woke up to news of the spectacular wins by Slumdog Millionaire at the Academy Awards, this movie-mad country went ‘Jai Ho.'”
Rupert Everett Just Can’t Help Himself
For instance: “I was horrible in that film [Dance With A Stranger], drunk on my own success. I was horrible to Miranda Richardson. But she was very irritating.” Yet, observes Alex Witchel, “Everett has had people staring at him for so much of his life that he seems quite unaffected by it. I couldn’t help thinking that any other man who got these kinds of looks from both men and women would be a complete monster.”
What’s Chinese For Hulu?
“State broadcaster China Central Television is setting up an online TV station to compete with the growing popularity of YouTube-style video portals and maintain state control of the media.”
Leonard Cohen Says Touring Is Like Zen
“‘There’s a similarity in the quality of the daily life’ on the road and in the monastery, [the Canadian songwriting legend] said. ‘There’s just a sense of purpose’ in which ‘a lot of extraneous material is naturally and necessarily discarded,’ and what is left is a ‘rigorous and severe’ routine in which ‘the capacity to focus becomes much easier.'”
Honorary Golden Lions To John Baldessari And Yoko Ono
“Artists John Baldessari and Yoko Ono will be awarded Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement at this year’s Venice Biennale. Cited as ‘two of the most important artists of our time,’ they will be honored on June 6 at the opening of the 53rd edition of the international contemporary art exhibition in Italy.”
Pasadena Theatre Ends ‘Pay-What-You-Wish’ Experiment
For two years, at one matinee performance of each production, the Theatre @ Boston Court gave audience members “an envelope on the way in, to be returned after the show with whatever payment seemed a fair value for the experience.” But they started getting too many empty envelopes, so tickets to the matinee will now have an “economic stimulus” price of $5 each.