Is a photograph from 1886 really a portait of Vincent van Gogh, or is it “a simple case of mistaken identity?” Van Gogh painted more than 40 self-portraits but there are only two photographs in existence that are widely believed to be the artist – at the ages of 13 and 19. The latest discovery, bought for just $1 in the early 1990s in an antique dealer’s shop, is the subject of a new exhibition that attempts to make the case for its authenticity.”
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Going Back To A Beethoven Piano
Beethoven heard a different piano than the ones we use today. Now some Australians have turned back the clock. “The separation of sound quality between note textures is so significant on these old instruments, and it’s something Steinway has tried to minimise. With the Stuart we are going back to the sound concept of the 17th and 18th centuries, when instruments were far more clearly transparent. We are dealing with the age of enlightenment. Nothing is hidden, everything is open. This instrument is sublimely suited for this repertoire. This is the sort of thing Beethoven would have wished to have had in his time.”
College Art Association In Seattle
Some 3000 art historians, students, artists and critics converge on Seattle for the annual meeting of the College Art Association. The Guerrilla Girls get an award, and people stand in line for hours in hopes of getting interviewed for jobs.
Scottish National Gallery Begins Search For New Director
There are still two years to go before Sir Timothy Clifford leaves his post as director-general of the National Galleries of Scotland. But already a search is on for his successor…
The Cachet Of Being A Costco Artist
Costco has begun selling fine art in its stores and on its website. And the paintings are selling. “Previously, the company tried offering lower-priced art reproductions generated by computer, but it took them off the Web site because they did not sell. The art being sold is priced from $450 to $15,000, and averages $1,500.”
A Whitney Biennale Gallery
Curious about who’s been chosen for this year’s Whitney Biennial? New York Magazine’s got a gallery of work online by artists chosen for the biennale…
Iraqi Museum Workers Come To US
A group of Iraqi museum prefessionals will be coming to the US to study conservation and restoration techniques. “Scholars at the Smithsonian have been discussing for months how to assist their colleagues, especially those at the Iraq National Museum of Antiquities in Baghdad, which was ransacked after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship last April. ‘The best way is through a practicum, where we can help establish practical methods of conservation, registration and preservation’.”
Of Movies, America, And The Power To Shape Minds
“America’s dominance of the movie industry across much of the world is not just a matter of money and big business. Popular culture celebrates American values and it presents a particular American view of the past…”
UK Closes Tax Loophole, Filmmakers Angry
The UK has closed a tax loophole that helped finance movies, and producers say at least 40 movies in production will be affected, including some that now won’t be made. “The loophole allowed ‘tax partnerships’ to be set up in which investors would put money into a project but pull out before the film made money.”
Marathon Performance – Acting In Six Shows In One Night?
Actress Jerry Hall is going to attempt to set a record for the most number of performances on London’s West End in one night. She’ll be appearing in at least half a dozen shows in a single evening. “The bid is part of One Amazing Week, a series of cultural events in London. The 47-year-old will have to dash across London’s theatreland on foot and rickshaw to complete the feat.”