Michael Richard was a scenic and documentary photographer until he went blind three years ago. He figured that was the end of his photography career. But “a visit to the Braille Institute in Los Angeles to learn to use his white cane unexpectedly led to his becoming an acclaimed abstract-art photographer.”
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Who’s On Top – The Top 100 Artists
Who are the top 100 artists? One website quantifies artists’ popularity by the exhibitions they’ve been shown in since 1999. “The Artist Ranking reflects the artists exhibition career from 1999 to today as seen from the perspective of the organizing curators of museums and private galleries.”
Look Out Art, Mama’s Got An Ax! (Her Day In Court)
The mother of Europe’s most prolific art thief was in court in France Thursday, charged with throwing away art her son had stolen. “When Mireille Breitwieser, a former nurse, found out that her son Stephane, 33, had been arrested on suspicion of stealing paintings worth tens of millions of pounds from museums across Europe, she rushed into his bedroom and started chopping up all the canvases she found there, prosecutors said yesterday.”
Accused Art Thief Attempts Suicide
The art thief accused of stealing 23 works worth an estimated €1bn in France, plus two in Denmark and one in Austria, has tried to commit suicide in his cell. “Police have put Stephane Breitwieser, 33, under suicide watch following the attempt, which could delay his trial in Strasbourg, officials said. A fellow detainee alerted authorities to the hanging attempt, the officials said.”
Rattle And The Berlin: A Tempestuous Match
Simon Rattle has been music director of the Berlin Philharmonic for two years. How does he get along with his musicians? “They always want to know why we are doing something. They don’t just do it – they are not an obedient orchestra in that way, but they are a very creative orchestra. They are not that easy to deal with but it’s a lot of fun. Big temperaments, big personalities. It’s difficult.”
Experts: SF Van Gogh Is Authentic
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s “Still Life” (1880-1885) has been officially declared a genuine work by van Gogh. Okay, you say, it’s been labeled as such since its aquisition in 1960. But the painting’s authenticity has been questioned over the years, and kept in storage. But now a team of experts has pronounced it genuine, and the painting has been brought out in public.
Closing Libraries, Missed Opportunities
So the Salinas (California) public libraries are shutting for lack of money. There’s got to be a better way to fund libraries, writes David Kipen. “Of course, the danger isn’t that the next young Steinbeck will have to take a bus to borrow some Waugh. The danger, plainly, is that he’ll find something better to do. To paraphrase P.T. Barnum, there’s a Steinbeck born every minute. The trick of a literate society lies in cultivating him, carefully but generously, so that he actually grows up to be Steinbeck.”
Olympic-Caliber Art Wanted
“Depending on which way the arts community chooses to look at it, the 2010 Winter Olympic Games offer either a bonanza of riches or a bureaucratic nightmare. ArtsNow, an independent, non-profit society initiated by the British Columbia government, is now accepting applications for its $12-million cultural development fund, which must be dispersed by 2006… The goal, of course, is to leverage the Olympics into meaningful artistic legacies that will continue to flourish long after the event is over. But… the success of these initiatives will hinge heavily on how well various arts groups, communities and planning committees take advantage of the hard lessons learned from previous host cities.”
Public Access, Or Public Nuisance?
Public-access television – those stations tucked away in a corner of your cable box which are supposed to give the general public a crack at the airwaves, but which more often feature text announcements, low-quality handheld video of elementary school plays, and political rants from marginal-looking individuals with lots of spare time – is struggling to survive in the 500-channel universe. “Today’s access stations are run by small staffs that work primarily to keep programming on these stations,” and in many cities, officials are wondering why they should even bother keeping such channels on the air.
Is It Time To Get Rid Of The FCC?
The question isn’t as preposterous as it might sound. “Because the FCC has become so politicized and beholden to big business, it has ceased to be protector of the airwaves, which are supposed to belong to the citizens of this country (but most believe they belong to big business)… [Furthermore], there is simply no reason for the FCC to regulate broadcast content. By doing so, it is acting as a censor board. If it were really interested in protecting the public, the FCC would take on the issue of violence on TV, which it doesn’t consider indecent, instead of getting worked up over a tit and profanity.”