“The project, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (Project for Paris, Place de l’Étoile-Charles de Gaulle), will involve covering the arch with a silvery blue recyclable polypropylene fabric — nearly 270,000 square feet of it — held together with about 23,000 feet of red rope.” The dates: April 6-19, 2020. – The New York Times
Author: Matthew Westphal
After 25 Years, Rebecca Rimel Steps Down As Chief Of Pew Charitable Trusts
“During her [time] at Pew, the organization has evolved from a foundation focused on grant-making [mostly in and around Philadelphia] to a nonprofit with national scope and its own operations, including the oft-quoted public-opinion surveys from the Pew Research Center in Washington.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer
This Playwright’s Subjects Are So Explosive That His Plays Are Regularly Banned And He Fends Off Death Threats With Ice Cream
Abhishek Majumdar has written a trilogy of dramas about the decades-long cycle of violence in Kashmir, another about Hindu nationalism, and one about the 2008 riots in Tibet’s capital. That last is the one that got him the death threat, and London’s Royal Court Theatre cancelled a production of it last year under apparent pressure from the Chinese government. (The Royal Court was shamed into reversing that decision, and the play is about to open there.) – The Guardian
Director Kirill Serebrennikov’s House Arrest Extended Yet Again
His confinement, pending trial on embezzlement charges that many observers contend are politically motivated, has now been extended to July 4. Nevertheless, he continues to work remotely, directing several opera productions abroad, and Russia’s film academy just gave him a Best Director award for his movie Leto (Summer). – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
English National Opera Sees Some Box Office Success, With One Show Last Year Its Best Seller Ever
“[The company’s] figures showed it had brought thousands of new people to the art form during recent months. It has achieved 75 per cent capacity in its 2000-plus seater Coliseum with 47 per cent of its bookers by first-timers. The 2018 production of Porgy and Bess was its highest grossing show ever.” – The Times (UK)
Would England’s Morris Dancing Clubs Rather Die Out Than Go Co-Ed?
Yes, it’s apparently a real question: as clubs gradually disappear and the membership of the remaining groups ages, admitting women would seem to be an obvious way to keep things going. But whether or not to do so is an argument raging on within the (shrinking) Morris community. – The Guardian
Copyrighting Dance Moves Is A Messy Business Nobody Was Ready For
It’s not just about the Fortnite lawsuits. “Choreographers and performers have danced around this issue for more than a century. In 1892, Loie Fuller was denied a trademark for her famous ‘serpentine routine’ because back then, the law only protected works that told a story. Then came the modern dance movement. In the 1970s, copyright expanded to cover abstract and non-narrative movement. But like a lot of today’s viral artists, many dancers never bothered to register their work.” (includes video) – CBS
Hirshhorn Museum: On A Roll
Continuing its good tidings, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., just announced a special acquisition: Yayoi Kusama’s very first Infinity Room, called Phalli’s Field, which she made in 1965. – Judith H. Dobrzynski
Lee on Leonardo (once again): BBC Radio Quizzes Me on “Salvator Mundi” Conundrums
I was surprised on Sunday when the NY Times ran a long front-page article about the status (or lack thereof) of the $450.3-million Leonardo da Vinci painting. I was even more surprised when I got a call from BBC Radio 5, which wanted to interview me about the painting’s stale trail on its live news show for insomniacs — Up All Night with Rhod Sharp. – Lee Rosenbaum
In Which Glenda Jackson Intimidates, Impresses, Befriends, And Corrupts A New York Times Book Critic
Parul Sehgal: “Who’s afraid of Glenda Jackson? Most people, and with some cause. She became famous for her electrifying portrayals of history and literature’s most unconventional women … In life she has proved no less formidable; the stories are legion, dark and thrilling, assuming you’re not on your way to interview her yourself.” (Corrupts? It was the cigs.) – The New York Times Magazine