Many artists and curators are angry over the recent sale of some 200 works of Chinese art at auction in New York. “As the collection was being formed, they were duped into thinking that a rich Westerner was putting together a permanent collection and would eventually donate some of the works to leading museums. Instead, they say, the buyers were a group of investors who quickly cashed in…”
Author: sbergman
Finding Room For Serra’s Steel
“France is making a fuss this week over Richard Serra, the 68-year-old American bantamweight who fashions elegant, gargantuan art out of steel… But the sheer scale of Mr. Serra’s work has always created difficulties, to which Paris has found two creative solutions…”
Jazz Educators’ Association In Bankruptcy
“In April, the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and will be turned over to a trustee, its assets parceled out to creditors. This deals a body blow not only to Jazz educators in this country but around the world.”
New Miami Orchestra On The Ropes Before It Starts
It was only a few months ago that the Miami-based Concert Association of Florida announced that it was forming a new professional orchestra, and added a number of orchestra concerts to its schedule. “On Tuesday the Concert Association announced three concerts would be canceled due to a lack of ticket sales.”
Minnesota PAC Launches Ambitious Renovation Plan
St. Paul’s Ordway Center for the Performing Arts has announced plans for a major renovation, during which a 300-seat theater would be replaced by a 1000-seat hall which would serve as the dedicated home of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
The Steady Rise Of Art Banking
As global wealth becomes ever more concentrated in the hands of a few, those who view art as a high-end investment are looking for advice and counsel from those who know the art world best. “Art banking is just one of a growing number of non-traditional wealth-management services for the ultrarich.”
The Lost Concerto, Finally Found
Hindemith’s Klaviermusik mit Orchester has been one of the composer’s most played works since 2004. But Hindemith wrote the concerto in 1923, and the story of how it came to be unavailable for performance for 80 years is a fascinating, and confusing, tale.
Boeing Gives Black History Museum A Boost
The Smithsonian’s new African American History Museum, which is in the early stages of creation, received a $5m gift from Boeing this week. “Smithsonian officials say they expect the museum to cost in the neighborhood of $500 million, more than the recently opened Newseum and the most expensive Smithsonian project to date.”
Is Opera On The Big Screen Actually Profitable?
The wave of operatic simulcasts in digitally equipped movie theaters appears likely to grow in the coming years, as companies worldwide attempt to duplicate the success the Metropolitan Opera has had with such shows. But “for opera companies, the payoff is not so clear. The emerging distribution model involves unusual alliances between not-for-profit organizations and the world of commerce.”
Eakins Painting To Stay In Philly
“It’s taken a citywide fund-raising effort and the sale of two paintings and two drawings by Thomas Eakins, but the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts have now managed to raise the entire $68 million needed to keep an Eakins masterpiece, ‘The Gross Clinic,’ in Philadelphia.”