“The Munch Museum is set to reopen, 10 months after Edvard Munch’s iconic painting The Scream was stolen. The Oslo museum closed in August 2004 after masked thieves pulled the work and another painting, Madonna, off the wall in front of visitors. Police are yet to recover the paintings, despite a reward of two million kroner [$308,210] on offer. A pastel version of The Scream and a lithography of Madonna will be put on display at the museum instead.”
Blog
Offending Christians Still Not A Crime
An attempt to bring the BBC under judicial review for defamation of Christianity has been blocked by the British courts. The case arose from the protests staged after the BBC announced plans to televise a performance of the popular show, Jerry Springer: The Opera, which includes hundreds of swear words and a scene in which God, Mary, and Jesus are guests on a talk show in hell. The request for judicial review was turned down flat by the UK’s High Court.
Listening To Art
Sound art – is it art? Is it music? “Sound art is moving into the mainstream. In Britain, it can be heard in our most celebrated buildings and, as most sound artists started off as musicians, it is making a noise in the music arena, too.”
Corporation for Public Broadcasting Investigates Republican Lobbyist Fees
“Investigators at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are examining $15,000 in payments to two Republican lobbyists last year that were not disclosed to the corporation’s board.”
A Biennale For Adults
Michael Kimmelman likes this year’s Venice Biennale. “Reactions to biennales are always Rashomon-like. That the current festival is generally regarded as pensive and a bit risk-averse is partly a response to the previous biennale, a fiasco that would make nearly anything else seem prudent and sober. Call this the first fairly adult biennale in memory.”
Dungeons And Dragons Artist Dies
David Sutherland, an artist whose work appeared in various Dungeons and Dragons rule books, has died. He was 56 years old.
The Zen Of Tut Economics
With the opening here on Thursday of “Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” – a two-year, four-city American tour with the stated goals of mass appeal and mass profits – many feared this more recent curse, of abject commercialism, would rise again. Yet unless vast sums are lost, this is one time when the curse may have lost its power.”
“Little Black Sambo” Returns To Japan
Seventeen years after it was removed from bookshops for its racist content, the children’s story Little Black Sambo has made a comeback in Japan…
Singer Sells Career On eBay
“A London-based pop singer is raising funds to kick-start his career by selling shares in himself on internet auction site eBay. In just three days, Shayan has raised £9,000 from buyers in London, New York and Toronto.”
Pop Culture? Sure… But Is It Art?
“Cultural institutions across the United States are drawing crowds as they open exhibits featuring the likes of “The Lord of the Rings,” Princess Diana, and “Star Wars.” But some wonder, as they stroll among the characters, costumes, and movie memorabilia, how is this museum material?”