There have been lots of political books in this election season. Do their sales foretell any political direction? “Informal polls taken by our store managers indicate that some 70 percent of our customers say they have no intention of reading these books; 15 percent say they will; and 15 percent are undecided. One Kansas City customer said, ‘I’m buying this book to show people where I stand.’ Another in New York said, ‘I’m buying this book because the author agrees with me’.”
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Edmunds Takes On Melbourne Fest
American Kristy Edmunds has taken charge of the next two Melbourne International Arts Festivals. “It’s the first time since 1986 that a foreigner has been given the job, one of the most powerful arts positions in Australia and the region. What Edmunds chooses to include, or exclude, can affect festivals across the country, in New Zealand and Singapore, and, in the long term, artists’ careers. And there’s the more important issue of how it thrills, moves or disappoints the festival goers.”
UK To BBC: Concentrate On Basic Services
As the BBC’s charter comes up for review, the government tells the broadcaster that it should refocus on its core activities. “Some of the diversity of the functions the BBC has developed over the last 10 years should now come under very close scrutiny.”
Dutch Filmmaker Killed
“Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh, who made a controversial film about Islamic culture, has been stabbed and shot dead in Amsterdam. Van Gogh, 47, had received death threats after his film Submission, on violence against women in Islamic societies, was shown on Dutch TV. Eyewitnesses quoted by Radio Netherlands said Van Gogh was attacked while cycling by a man dressed in a traditional Moroccan jallaba.”
Did British Museum Buy Smuggled Scrolls?
“A Norwegian television film is alleging that the British Library in London has acquired looted Buddhist scrolls. The birch bark scrolls in Kharosthi script, from the 1st century AD, are the oldest surviving Buddhist texts and the earliest known manuscripts in any Indic language. They have been dubbed ‘the Dead Sea Scrolls of Buddhism’.”
China Invites In The Auction Houses
For the first time, China is opening up to foreign auction houses, beginning in December. “The move opens up what is potentially the world’s largest market with its growing number of collectors to Western auction houses although the crucial question of what the firms will be allowed to sell has not yet been answered.”
Digging Up Mozart’s Relatives
Archaeologists have opened a grave in Salzburg thought to contain the remains of Mozart’s father and other relatives. Experts plan to compare the remains’ genetic material with a skull to determine if it belonged to the famed Austrian composer. Legend has it that a gravedigger who knew which body was Mozart’s sneaked the skull out of the grave. Through different channels, the skull came to the Mozarteum in Salzburg in 1902.
MoMA Entry Fee Sign Of Future?
There have been howls about the Museum of Modern Art’s decision to charge $20 to enter its new building. But “though MoMA’s new price tag seems to have caused sticker shock, museum admission prices are clearly headed higher. To keep the public interested, museums must keep booking blockbuster shows housed in new, jaw-dropping buildings designed by architectural superstars. Neither comes cheaply.”
Pop Goes The Ballet
Recently, some of the UK’s most prestigious arts organizations have taken a walk on the pop side. The Royal Ballet is working on a piece set to music by Jimi Hendrix. But is such pop-lust a good thing for traditional art forms? A debate.
A Decade Of Culture
How have the arts changed in the past ten years? The Telegraph celebrates ten years on the web by looking at the past decade in the arts…