In a few weeks the Guggenheim Museum will open a show of Malevich paintings with important works that have never been seen in the West. But the tale of how the paintings ended up getting out of Russia and into the show is a tangled one. “The art dealers, the Guggenheim and Russian officials all deny having done anything improper. It is through their efforts, they argue, that superb art hidden for decades is finally being seen.” But still, there are questions…
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An Older Appreciation Of Music
You might think – given the youth-obsession of marketers, that music buyers are almost all in their 20s. Far from it. “The most powerful record buying bloc in America is made up of people over 40. And they’re buying a wide variety of music – from newcomers such as Norah Jones and John Mayer, to new work by veteran artists such as James Taylor and Bruce Springsteen. There’s more to the story than Baby Boomers flexing their demographic muscles yet again, though America’s 81 million 35-to-54-year-olds do outnumber the country’s 75 million 15-to-34-year-olds, according to 2000 Census figures. Boomers not only have the critical mass and the cash, they also have an entirely different relationship to music than young people do.”
Deathwatch On CDs
“The music industry braces for a future that will involve the death of CD stores and the rise of wireless, pocket-size MP3 players that will enable consumers to access thousands of hours of music at the touch of a button. The only real question is how long it will take for those scenarios to become reality. You’ll see CD sections in stores decline quickly over the next few years because they will be replaced by technology that provides dirt-cheap storage and the ability to basically access and play any type of music anytime, anywhere. Wireless technology basically will create a world where we can have anything we want all the time.”
Reasons To Love/Hate The CD
Cd’s revived the recording industry when they were first introduced. They allowed you to listen to music differently and they were a big improvement over vinyl (or so most people thought). But there are drawbacks too to CDs…
Chicago Lyric Opera Slips Into The Red
The Chicago Lyric Opera sold 96 percent of its tickets this season. But that’s a few percentage points below its customary 100 percent sale. So the company will post a $1-2 million deficit, only its second shortfall in the past two decades.
More Women Moving Into Museum Leadership
As recently as 1989 there were fewer than a dozen women directing American museums. Now there are more than 50. “While there has been an increase in the number of women museum directors, the largest increase has been in the small museums.” But for the most part, women haven’t cracked the top jobs at larger museums.
Where Did All The Critics Go?
“Time was you knew where you stood with pop critics. There were certain bylines in the pop press that you could trust with your life, and more importantly, with the future health of your record collection. What strikes me about pop criticism of late – and this afflicts the broadsheets as well – is the tyranny of received opinion. What gives here? Maybe writers are too hidebound by the notion of providing their readers with glorified consumer guides rather informed criticism. Maybe the sheer doggedness of the reviewer’s task dulls the senses, precludes reflection and encourages the quick response. Are there so many mediocre albums coming out that, were reviewers to be honest, their negativity would send readers scurrying to the news section in search of some light relief?”
Evgeny Kissen – Beyond Prodigyhood
Evgeny Kissen was the child everyone was talking about in the early 90s. Now he’s 31, and “he has avoided the Icarian fate of many prodigies, some of whom have faded into obscurity with aching hands and broken hearts. His key to surviving the transition from wunderkind to adult virtuoso, under the eyes and ears of a public whose fascination often calls for superhuman displays of technical wizardry, was moderation.” He limits his concerts to 40-45 a year.
Dispensing Art From Machines (Who Needs Dealers?)
Would you take a chance on buying art out of a vending machine? “The Art-o-Mat offers miniature paintings, sculptures and other tiny trinkets for not much more than a pack of Parliaments. The concept has hooked accidental art investors with refurbished vending machines in art galleries, coffee shops and grocery stores nationwide. We’re wanting to reach quality investors who haven’t taken art seriously before, and to support artists trying to make a living.”
Oprah’s Classic Depression – Back In The Book Business
So Oprah’s back in the business of choosing books, a year after getting peeved at Jonathan Franzen’s snub of her book club. Only this time she’s recommending classics. “Choosing classics is a good way to avoid the heat from literary snobs like Franzen. Who would dare accuse Faulkner and Fitzgerald of pandering to the masses? Still, the whole thing gives me a chuckle. Is Oprah really improving things by turning to the classics? One of the main complaints Oprah suffered from the last book club, Franzen’s barbs notwithstanding, was that her book choices were too depressing, that they were nothing more than soap-opera sagas filled with family dysfunction and unrelenting sorrow. So are the classics a laugh riot?”