Conctruction costs for an expansion of the Portland Museum of Art have ballooned from $33 million to $45 million. “The troubled project has prompted a lawsuit against the project architect, tensions among museum trustees and a dose of uncertainty for the institution just as it is getting serious about hiring a successor to John Buchanan, the museum’s departed executive director.”
Blog
Met Museum Says Painting Is Authentic
The Metropolitan Museum of Art says the Duccio painting it bought last year for $50 million is authentic and denies claims by an art historian that it is a fake. The museum says the painting has been “carefully examined… as a matter of course” and that it had “no reason to doubt” the authenticity of Madonna and Child, attributed to medieval artist Duccio.
Lieberson – Gone Too Soon
The music world was just getting to appreciate the amazing talent of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, when she died this week at 52. “To be sure, the sheer beauty and agility of her singing made every one of her performances something to marvel at. The bright, airy, richly colored sound of her soprano performances was as remarkable as the earthy splendor that infused her singing after she switched to the mezzo-soprano repertoire.”
Pavarotti Has Cancer Surgery
Luciano Pavarotti has had surgery for pancreatic cancer. He was preparing to leave the US last week when doctors discovered a malignant pancreatic mass. His farewell concert tour dates have been cancelled for the rest of this year.
Movies? Like Real Estate, It’s Location, Location, Location…
“In the post-‘Star Wars’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ world of computer-generated universes, it may seem hard to believe that a director still has to wait for Mother Nature. But putting actors in real deserts or on real glaciers is often cheaper and faster than building a set or animating them in a computer.” The global competition to attract Hollywood location shoots is intensifying…
Chicago Public Radio Station Scraps Jazz For News
“WBEZ, Chicago’s National Public Radio (NPR) member station and among the oldest public radio outlets in the United States, has decided to scrap scheduled music programming — the bulk of which was nightly jazz — and move to a 24-hour news and public affairs format. The change — which has sparked a backlash from loyal fans — speaks volumes about the worries facing independent radio stations.”
Has MTV Lost It?
“The 1990s were the golden age of MTV; it launched channels across the globe, eventually boasting more than 70 million subscribers. On the eve of the channel’s 25th birthday, however, a crisis is looming. The music industry has been transformed since MTV’s launch, with new temptations of the iPod era hitting the target demographic of 18- to 24-year-olds. Ratings have risen only 5 per cent over the past five years, compared to its sister channel VH1’s 17 per cent growth. The company itself admits there is a problem.”
A Softening Market For Stars?
Is the bottom falling out of the market for high-priced Hollywood A-List stars? “The studios that were once eager to land top talent aren’t as willing to sign on the dotted line. Agents and managers are sitting up and taking notice. The studios have finally started to just say no.”
The Rise And Fall Of Clement Greenberg
“In real life Greenberg was quarrelsome, bullying, and cocksure to a fault. His arrogance made him both a powerful critic and a formidable adversary, but it also earned him enemies by the score, and he lived to see them win out over him and to become ascendant in the world of postmodern art. In falling from grace, Greenberg fell from a great height.”
University Presses Lag On Things Digital…
University presses usually sell in small numbers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want bigger audiences. So why aren’t these presses taking more advantage of digital technology?