Conservation of art work is a big business. But how do you conserve artworks from the 20th Century whose materials are fragile and prone to disintegration? Well, you can ask the artist…
Blog
Rings May Close In Toronto By Summer’s End
The stage adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings may be the biggest thing to hit the Toronto theatre scene in years, but that still may not have been enough to make it profitable. “A new closing date for the Toronto production will be announced within days or weeks, sources say. Although tickets are on sale until Sept. 24, the show may not continue beyond Labour Day… Until now, attendance has been good enough to meet the show’s running costs and pay its marketing bills — but not high enough to allow investors to recoup more than a fraction of the money they put up.”
Music Dinosaurs Try To Eat One Another
Music giants EMI and Warner have rejected offers from each other to be bought out. Clearly there’s synergy here, but… “A merger between EMI and Warner Music has long been mooted and the companies have had merger negotiations before. Although the companies rank third and fourth on the list of the largest music groups, they have the biggest music publishing assets, together accounting for around 32pc of the market.”
L.A. Hopes To Finish What It’s Starting
L.A.’s decision to double its arts grants for next fiscal year is being seen as an important step in bringing California arts funding up to national standard levels. But the state (and the city) still lag far behind other national arts centers in even the most basic levels of arts support.
They Have Art-Hating Right-Wing Politicians In Canada, Too
“You would think that the proposed Portrait Gallery of Canada would be a project that a Conservative government would love: no difficult art, no greased cones or high-concept videos — just a stirring assemblage of Great Canadians, and those who’ve come under the scrutiny of Great Canadian portraitists… However, funding for the portrait gallery has been repeatedly stalled. Lately, Ottawa is buzzing with rumours that the project may be abandoned by the Harper government.”
Today Warren Buffett, Tomorrow… Bruce Willis, Perhaps?
Will the recent philanthropic commitments by billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett lead other wealthy types to follow suit and commit a significant portion of their assets to charitable use? Time will tell, but the Gates/Buffett announcement has already inspired the richest Chinese action star in the world to folllow suit. “Jackie Chan announced Wednesday he has bequeathed half of his fortune to charity.”
Broken Process
When filmmaker Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers was released last year, it was an instant hit with critics, and a prizewinner at Cannes. But now, a struggling screenwriter is accusing Jarmusch of having lifted much of the movie from his script. But he may have little recourse. “His case was hardly unique, or even all that unusual. When pressed, claims like his were usually squashed by high-powered studio lawyers — or quietly settled and sealed by both parties. Furthermore, pursuing legal action could kill his chances of ever working in the movies. And bankrupt him in the process.”
Toronto’s AGO To Shut For Construction
The Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto will shut for 6-8 months while construction of its building is completed. “The gallery’s ambitious, Frank Gehry-designed transformation and expansion, expected to cost $254-million, has already cost it almost a 30-per-cent decline in visitors. About 665,425 people strolled among the paintings and sculptures in 2004-05, but last year only 475,000 visitors found their way past the hoardings to the temporary side entrance to view art amid the occasional rattle of jackhammers.”
Winking And Nudging All The Way To The Bank
Hollywood films never seem to say what they mean anymore. “Saying one thing but selling another has always been most blatant in anti-violence films that glory in bloody action scenes,” but lately, even light comedies seem to cloak their blatant consumerist message beneath trite morality plays designed to mask their true meaning.
Canadian Pianists Shut Out Of Canadian Piano Competition
No Canadian pianists have made the cut for this year’s Honens International Competition in Calgary. “More than half of the 150 pianists who entered were eliminated without playing a note, on the basis of their applications and reference letters. Seven Russians and six Americans made the cut. The other successful contestants, whose average age is 25, are from Korea, Israel, Brazil, China, Germany, Ukraine and Georgia.”