“After years of buildup, a debate about the nature of humor that verged on the metaphysical and the specter of a trial featuring testimony from Patton Oswalt and Andy Richter, Conan O’Brien settled a lawsuit against him Thursday, ending a standoff with a freelance comedy writer who had accused the late-night host of stealing jokes.” (O’Brien announced the settlement in an op-ed published in Variety.) – The New York Times
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Wildenstein Gallery Sued For Allegedly Selling Fake Bonnard Painting
“The art collector and real-estate investor Neil Wallace, who with his brother Monte are thought to be the sellers of a $100 million Impressionist art collection at Christie’s London in February, is part of a trust suing Wildenstein & Co. over a Pierre Bonnard painting bought more than three decades ago that they now deem ‘a clever fake.'” – Artnet
‘Magic Mike’ Musical Hits Trouble As Almost Entire Creative Team Quits
Composer Tom Kitt and lyricist Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal) and book writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (the chief creative officer for all Archie Comics properties) “have departed the production due to ‘creative differences’ … Director Trip Cullman and choreographer Camille A. Brown, who collaborated this season on the Tony-nominated Broadway production of Choir Boy, remain attached.” – The Hollywood Reporter
Teenagers Who Assaulted Cleveland Orchestra Member And Stole His Violin And Car Sentenced To Prison
Two defendants, aged 17 and 15, were convicted of attacking violinist Yun-Ting Lee, pistol-whipping his husband, forcing their way into the couple’s house, and stealing some electronics and the couple’s car, which contained Lee’s 18,000 violin and $20,000 bow, which got pawned the next day for $30. – The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
Thomas Nozkowski, Painter Of ‘Gentle’ Abstract Art, Dead At 75
“With their Matisse-like color schemes and Miro-esque organic forms, Nozkowski’s works recalled places or things their creator had glimpsed in the world. He described his paintings as memory devices.” – ARTnews
One Of World’s Largest Corporate Art Collections To Be Sold Off To Fund Social Projects
“The Italian bank UniCredit has announced plans to sell off its art collection — one of the largest corporate holdings in the world — to help finance social initiatives across Europe. … The collection of 60,000 works includes those by Gustav Klimt, Giorgio de Chirico, Fernand Léger and Gerhard Richter.” – The Art Newspaper
Blunt Instrument: The Complexity Of Using Quotas To Drive Equity
“In the future, 50/50 ideologies fade to dust because they are too narrow, too binary and mistake equality for equity or justice. To paraphrase political activist Angela Davis, equality is not to be understood as achieving status or parity with white, able-bodied, cis men because that status is contingent on the oppression of other peoples. In the future, everyone has transformed the meaning of patriarchy so that it no longer operates by domination. This has been done without loss of men or manhood.” – Arts Professional
In Ancient Times, Timekeeping Was Erratic. When We Figured It Out, It Revolutionized The World
“In our own world, filled with ubiquitous date marks, it is easy to underestimate the sheer novelty, and so historical significance, of this mass year-marking. But, in the ancient world, this was without precedent or parallel. In no other state in the ancient Mediterranean or west Asia did rulers and subjects inhabit spaces that were so comprehensively and consistently dated.” – Aeon
New Deal: Italian Galleries Won’t Have To Pay Artist Resale Royalties
Primary market galleries in Italy no longer have to pay the artist’s resale right (ARR) when selling a work for the first time on behalf of an artist, meaning only works being resold are subject to royalties. – The Art Newspaper
Where Does The Original End And The Copy Begin? (And Don’t Even Mention Fakes)
It’s an issue, since the beginning of art. Where does one person’s art end and another’s begin. The lines are quite blurry… – Smithsonian