A major work by Edward Munch (no, not that one,) is being offered for sale in an online auction based in Denmark. But Munch authorities in Norway are questioning the auction house’s claims that the lithograph in question was actually hand-colored by the artist himself. The piece has been appraised at over $100,000, and as a whole is unquestionably authentic, but much of its value is dependant on whether Munch can be verified as the individual who filled in the color.
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Who Can Save Israel’s Orchestras? (The Russians Couldn’t.)
In the early 1990s, following the fall of the Soviet Union, Russian immigrants descended upon Israel in droves, and no industry was more affected than that of classical music. Initially greeted with skepticism, Russian musicians quickly became the backbone of the Israeli orchestral scene, and swelled the ranks of the nation’s music schools as well. “The assimilation of the Russian musicians is now complete, but not for the better. Now the problem of classical music in Israel is their problem too, because the society turns its back on all musicians, and pushes them to the bottom rung of the ladder when it comes to priorities.”
National Gallery Embraces A Stepchild
“For the first time in its 63-year history, the National Gallery of Art is permanently dedicating galleries to photography, giving prominence to the work of Alfred Stieglitz, Walker Evans, Man Ray, Paul Strand and Ansel Adams.”
Director: Smarter Funding Would Help Arts Thrive
Deriding the politically safe notion of “false egalitarianism” in arts funding, Canadian Opera Company General Director Richard Bradshaw called Monday for more and better public and private funding to create an environment in which the arts can thrive. “We’re seeing phenomenal generosity in Canada at this moment, but most of that generosity is being directed towards buildings and the issue of funding what goes on inside those buildings remains in crisis,” he said.
American Lives, Painted By Iraqis
“Turning photos into paintings has long been a side business for the commercial artists of Baghdad, but it has never found more eager consumers than the Americans.” Even under current conditions, Iraqi artists can do brisk business with U.S. troops — though the artists and their subjects no longer meet because fraternization is too dangerous. Instead, they rely on go-betweens to shuttle soldiers’ snapshots and the paintings they become.
It’s Michael Chabon Calling. Please Vote …
“More than three dozen U.S. authors will spend the morning of the (presidential) election phoning students attending universities in the swing states of Ohio, Florida and Wisconsin as part of an unusual voter-registration initiative dubbed Operation Ohio.”
Suburb Says It Wants Barnes To Stay
Although a judge in the Barnes Foundation case has blamed some of the foundation’s financial problems on the township it’s trying to leave for Philadelphia, two of the suburb’s commissioners testified yesterday that they want the Barnes to stay and will try to help it if it does.
Bloomberg: MoMA’s $20 Too Much? Too Bad
New York City’s billionaire mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has an idea for those who find the Museum of Modern Art’s new $20 admission fee beyond their price range: Go to a different museum. “Some things people can afford, some things people can’t,” he said.
With Cartoons, Anatomizing The Sense Of Humor
Virtually every cartoon ever published in The New Yorker will be put to work as researchers at the University of Michigan attempt to discover why people find certain things funny. As visuals, the single-panel cartoons’ uniformity and simplicity are key.
Abstract Brilliance Or Child’s Play?
A 4-year-old painter’s abstracts have earned her nearly $40,000 so far, and her most recent canvases are commanding $6,000. Grownups debate whether she is a prodigy or a typical little girl just having fun.