“The British Museum is currently facing repatriation demands from Italy, Greece, Egypt and the Easter Island; the idea that it is a better host to the Parthenon Marbles than Athens’ state-of-the-art Acropolis Museum is preposterous, as is the idea that the Rapa Nui don’t know how to look after Hoa Hakananai’a, the Easter Island stone statue they believe is the living incarnation of a prominent ancestor.” – Prospect
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“La Forza Del Destino,” “Alice in Wonderland,” And A World-Gone-Mad Brexit
“Everything is in confusion,” sings Fra Melitone. That was also true for the world outside of the opera house during Brexit week. As many have commented, English political life is hurtling “down the rabbit hole,” and it’s perhaps worth noting that “La Forza del Destino,” in 1862, was an unlikely cultural sibling of that quintessentially British masterpiece “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” which Lewis Carroll began writing in that same year and was published soon after, in 1865. Brexit is the maddest of mad tea parties, and, if, somewhere, the Cheshire Cat is grinning at the confusion, we are unlikely to enjoy the humor anytime soon. – The New Yorker
London’s Mayor Says The City Needs A “Game-Changing” Approach To Cultural Infrastructure
London has one of the most vibrant cultural scenes in the world. So why does it need a new plan for cultural infrastructure? For the same reason cities need to plan for any other services or physical amenities. And this isn’t just about preserving or building buildings or creating cultural zones. – Arts Professional
Copyrighting Dance Moves Is A Messy Business Nobody Was Ready For
It’s not just about the Fortnite lawsuits. “Choreographers and performers have danced around this issue for more than a century. In 1892, Loie Fuller was denied a trademark for her famous ‘serpentine routine’ because back then, the law only protected works that told a story. Then came the modern dance movement. In the 1970s, copyright expanded to cover abstract and non-narrative movement. But like a lot of today’s viral artists, many dancers never bothered to register their work.” (includes video) – CBS
Hirshhorn Museum: On A Roll
Continuing its good tidings, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., just announced a special acquisition: Yayoi Kusama’s very first Infinity Room, called Phalli’s Field, which she made in 1965. – Judith H. Dobrzynski
Lee on Leonardo (once again): BBC Radio Quizzes Me on “Salvator Mundi” Conundrums
I was surprised on Sunday when the NY Times ran a long front-page article about the status (or lack thereof) of the $450.3-million Leonardo da Vinci painting. I was even more surprised when I got a call from BBC Radio 5, which wanted to interview me about the painting’s stale trail on its live news show for insomniacs — Up All Night with Rhod Sharp. – Lee Rosenbaum
Frank Rich Goes To A New Production Of “Oklahoma” And Is Taken Aback By The America It Portrays
The musical was groundbreaking for its time (for many reasons), and portrayed an optimistic version of America. A new production startles Rich into a reevaluation and the discovery of its darker side of that America. – New York Magazine
In Which Glenda Jackson Intimidates, Impresses, Befriends, And Corrupts A New York Times Book Critic
Parul Sehgal: “Who’s afraid of Glenda Jackson? Most people, and with some cause. She became famous for her electrifying portrayals of history and literature’s most unconventional women … In life she has proved no less formidable; the stories are legion, dark and thrilling, assuming you’re not on your way to interview her yourself.” (Corrupts? It was the cigs.) – The New York Times Magazine
It’s Getting Almost Impossible To Judge Plagiarism In Pop Music
In 2019, the ways in which music is borrowed is more subversive. That’s because the job of a pop star is different than what it used to be. Once, you were expected to craft and curate your own musical pocket universe alongside a team of trusted collaborators. Today, it’s a game of ceaseless, crafty annexation. – New York Magazine
A Highfalutin’ Art Critic Reconsiders Cartoonist Saul Steinberg
John Yau: “Being dispossessed must have haunted him his whole life, as did the endless bureaucracy involved with getting the documents you need to travel from one country to another, to settle into a new place. … What saved Steinberg and gave him a place in the world is drawing. All he needed was a pencil and paper. It enabled him to be mobile, to set up wherever he had a flat surface.” – Hyperallergic