Blog

Constable-Land Put On Hold

Plans for a theme park-like attraction designed to showcase the life and work of John Constable in the British valley depicted in much of the artist’s most famous work have been scrapped in the wake of vigorous opposition to the project. The developer in charge of the plans says he will revise them and try again soon.

Chirac’s Paris Museum Draws Fire From Press

The €260 million Musée du Quai Branly – Paris’s first major new museum since the Pompidou Centre opened in 1977 – opens this week after ten years of planning and construction. The museum, which celebates Asian and African culture and art, has been a favorite project of French President Jacque Chirac, “but when the museum’s directors opened the site for previews this week before its June launch, historians were already questioning what they feared could be a patronising attempt to display African works in a ‘mock jungle’ setting that rehashed ‘all France’s old colonial cliches’.”

Art Market Continues To Boom With Record Turner Sale

A Venice landscape painted by JMW Turner sold in New York this week for $35.9 million, bringing 80% more than its expected sale price and shattering the record for British paintings sold at auction. “The sale shows that the worldwide boom in the art market is lifting prices in almost all sectors of art… The Turner sale reflects the continued strength of the US market, which has led London and Paris in pushing up prices.”

Mozart’s Poverty May Be Overblown

“For centuries, historians have portrayed Mozart as poor, but new documents suggest the composer was not nearly as hard-up for cash as many have believed. Scholars who combed through Austrian archives for an exhibition opening Tuesday on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s later years in Vienna found evidence that he was solidly upper crust and lived the good life… Mozart’s main occupation in Vienna was teaching piano to aristocrats — a lucrative job that helped support his extravagant lifestyle. Yet Mozart earned a reputation for money-grubbing, and evidence abounds that he squandered much of his wealth.”

DaVinci Charges Rejected

A judge in England has rejected the plagiarism case brought against DaVinci Code author Dan Brown by two authors of an earlier non-fiction book with some similarities to Brown’s fictional plot. Most observers had expected the ruling, since a decision in favor of the plaintiffs would have turned much of what is understood of copyright law on its head.

Being Late

There was a time, not so very long ago, when showing up late for a concert, an opera, or a play was no very big deal. You just made your dramatic solo entrance and allowed the room to focus on you rather than the stage for a minute (and for many latecomers, this was exactly the point.) But these days, especially in New York, the music is sacrosanct, and latecomers are seated at the discretion of the house. This is more complicated than it might seem. “Policies are surprisingly varied, and considerable thought is given to them. Some halls allow latecomers to stand in the back before proceeding to their places at a convenient break. Some let the artists pick an appropriate moment for late seating. Many halls provide audio and video during the wait, or a bar to pass the time (or ease the pain).”

Two Finally Become One In Cleveland

“Opera Cleveland, the long-anticipated merger between Cleveland Opera and Lyric Opera Cleveland, officially was born Wednesday during the first meeting of the new company’s board. Made up of trustees from the two troupes, the board approved a business plan and signed merger agreements that call for the combining of artistic and financial resources. Opera Cleveland will receive $1.1 million in transition funding and working capital from a consortium of regional foundations.”

PA Gov Says Kimmel Is On Verge Of Solvency

Contrary to some recent reports that had Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts struggling under a massive debt load with no relief in sight, Pennsylvania Governer Ed Rendell (who helped get the center off the ground when he was mayor of the city) claims that the Kimmel is only $12 million away from hitting a fundraising target that would allow it to retire its debt. Rendell is also suggesting that the center combine some of its operations with those of its principal tenant, the Philadelphia Orchestra, a move both organizations have reportedly been considering.

Please Don’t Watch Our Movie

It’s become a usual occurrence for a Hollywood studio to refuse to screen a new movie for critics if they think it is unlikely to get good reviews, and in many cases, critics have actually been “disinvited” – told specifically not to review a given film. That was supposed to be the case with Sony’s new comedy, The Benchwarmers – only someone forgot to tell a few critics in Florida, who gave the Rob Schneider vehicle the blistering reviews it probably deserved. Sony’s response was to accuse the critics of “sneaking” into the film (and into a roped-off row marked “press,” as one critic points out) and lie to other newspapers about the reviews.