A 17th-century painting by the Dutch master Frans van Mieris was stolen from the Art Gallery of New South Wakes in Australia last weekend. Police say that the theft appears to be a professional job, and given that some 6,000 people visited the gallery that day (and also that there were no security cameras in the room that housed the van Mieris,) it will be a tough crime to solve.
Author: sbergman
Russians Driving High End Art Higher
An auction of Russian art at Christie’s of London has set a sales record as Russian collectors continue to put their stamp on the art market. “When Russian collectors want something of top quality, money is meaningless for them: They will pay crazy prices.”
Define A Hit Show? Betcha Can’t…
As Broadway gears up for tonight’s Tony Awards ceremony, a glance at this year’s crop of plays and musicals proves exactly one thing: there is just no accounting for what does or doesn’t become a hit on the Great White Way.
Is Amateur Culture A Threat To Professionals?
Much has been written about the myriad ways in which technology and the Internet are changing our culture. But a new book submits that the most important change being wrought is a decidedly negative one: the devaluing of real talent in favor of a mindless celebration of DIY culture. Are we, through YouTube and other online innovations, “celebrating the amateur to the point of absurdity”? Perhaps, but it’s also likely that “the pendulum will swing back, not to the old dominance of professionals, but to a logical middle point. The amateur will be knocked off his pedestal, tossed back into the more general competition for people’s time and money.”
Why Do We Love Ballerinas?
“Coincidence has ordained that this month brings the formal farewell performances of four international ballerinas… The emotion generated by such farewells goes deep. A ballerina represents beauty; is an exalted ideal; exerts authority over the world onstage and her audience; holds the key to the meaning of each ballet. That’s quite a list of virtues. And yet it doesn’t fully explain why the departure of a beloved ballerina affects her audience with a pang beyond the one felt at the departure of one of her male counterparts.”
Indy Goes With Two Concertmasters
The Indianapolis Symphony recently appointed a new young concertmaster with a burgeoning solo career. That could make for some regular absences from Indy, and rather than merely bump the next violinist in line up to the top chair, the ISO is taking the unusual step of appointing a principal guest concertmaster.
Change May Be Good For Florida Presenter
When the Concert Association of Florida forced out its longtime head, Judy Drucker, last week, the Miami cultural scene was stunned. But Lawrence Johnson says that the board’s decision to move past Drucker was probably the right move. “While Drucker’s achievements and vast contribution to the region’s arts scene are unassailable… her propensity for foisting herself aggressively into the limelight alongside her artists, most evident in her cringe-inducing curtain speeches, struck many as gauche and provincial. She could be abrasive, self-aggrandizing and selective with the truth.”
When Should An Audience Revolt?
The question of audience decorum is always a touchy subject among orchestra musicians and concertgoers, and when the orchestra is playing a difficult piece of new music that a chunk of the audience visibly hates, the atmosphere can deteriorate quickly. But should audience members really be required to just sit and take whatever is played at them? Is booing out of line? Refusing to applaud? Making remarks to those in the immediate area? The rules aren’t well defined…
Canada’s Underwhelming Biennale Presence
Canada’s entry in the Venice Biennale is to be found in a humble pavilion (some might call it a shack) which sits in the shadow of far more lavish presentations by various European countries. “Like trade missions set up to tap into bustling new economies, each national arts pavilion is in Venice to ratchet up national visibility, especially during this crucial weekend as critics prowl the place.” So why can’t Canadian politicians and business leaders see the value of properly funding such an enterprise?
Audra’s Ascent
If American musical theatre has a face, it is surely that of Audra McDonald, who is up for her fifth Tony tonight, which would tie a record for a female performer. It would be a historic honor for a singer who had to face racism, family tragedy, and her own emotional demons on the way to one of the most successful careers in American theatre.