A German artist is shutting down his controversial show depicting Hitler in response to “public outrage.” “Walter Gaudnek says his brightly coloured artworks aim to provoke people by showing Hitler as a human rather than a monster but Jewish community and local political leaders see the images as dangerous.”
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Chicago Lyric Opera Says Goodbye To Epstein
Matthew Epstein, for 24 years associated with the Lyric Opera of Chicago (the last six as artistic director), won’t have his contract renewed at the end of this season. “While few dispute Epstein’s gifts, his blunt manner can ruffle feathers. His lusty “bravos” regularly punctuate Lyric’s performances, but he can make his displeasure known with equal force. “He’s a genius,” said one opera world insider, “but he’s an abrasive genius.”
Composers Fight UK Broadcasters Over Royalties
British composers are complaining that UK broadcasters are taking royalties away from them. “Composers receive a single fee for their music to be used on television but they currently also have to sign a contract with a music publisher, representing the broadcaster, agreeing that a percentage of the royalties will go back to the channel commissioning the piece. Artists can lose as much as 35% of their royalties. The practice, dubbed ‘coercion’ in the music industry, can mean that if a composer does not sign the agreement they may find it difficult to secure future work.”
Prado Doubles Entry Fee
Madrid’s Prado Museum is doubling its entry fee – to 8 Euros. Sixty-five percent of the museum’s visitors are foreigners. “Under young director Miguel Zugaza, the museum became a public entity last year and as such has to increase its revenue to cover costs.”
Jowell: Arts Funding Freeze Won’t Hurt Arts
British culture minister Tessa Jowell says that it is untrue that arts funding will suffer because of a budget freeze over the next few years. “According to Ms Jowell, £53m will be freed up through running existing arts programmes more smoothly, and through efficiencies at the council.”
Turkey Gets A MoMA
Turkey opens its first museum of modern art in Istanbul. “Warehouse No. 4 was turned into a museum by frantic construction work, which went on until the last moment and cost about $5 million. The building features two stories of 4,000 square meters (1-acre) each. On the upper floor, the permanent collection consisting of about 4,000 pieces — all by Turkish artists — will be exhibited on a rotational basis.”
Film Festivals Everywhere
“In the last 10 years, film festivals have spread across the country. According to the Web site filmfestivals.com, there are roughly 2,500 worldwide. Withoutabox, a Los Angeles-based company that helps filmmakers apply to film festivals, estimates that there are 950 festivals in the United States alone, with 300 more in Canada; in North America, there are 100 Jewish film festivals, 30 gay and lesbian film festivals, and 279 festivals that either focus on animation or have animation categories.”
Funding Cuts Endanger UK Regional Theatre
Over the past few years, regional theatre in the UK has flourished, bringing quality theatre outside London. But the government’s funding freeze for the next few years could endanger the development of regional theatre. The country’s regional theatre managers protest…
RIAA Exec: Copyright Serves Us All
An executive of the Recording Industry Association of America is tired of copyright bashing. Strong copyright protection, he writes, is in the public interest. “Folks like Larry Lessig and EFF would have you believe, because it suits their analysis, that copyright protection and the public interest are diametrically opposed. This is merely a rhetorical device, and is a complete fallacy. The public’s interest is represented by the copyright law.”
American Musical, An (Over-The-Top) History
Ethan Mordden’s “The Happiest Corpse I’ve Ever Seen” is a new highly-opinionated histry of the American musical. “Just when you think you’re reading a hip encyclopedia, you find yourself immersed in a flagrant gossip column; just when you feel you are getting essential insights, you are submerged in the most esoteric lore or most intimate revelations.”