Newly released letters and telegrams reveal how Munich art dealer Günther Franke continued to support banned artist Max Beckmann through the Hitler years; how he arranged for Beckmann’s painting to be smuggled from Amsterdam into Nazi Germany, sent payments to the artist and even mounted a secret exhibition. – The Art Newspaper
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ARTIFACT BAN
US bans import of certain Cambodian artifacts. Monuments and sites in Cambodia such as Banteay Chhmar, and Angkor, a World Heritage site, are being damaged and destroyed by the removal of sculpture and architectural elements from ancient Khmer temples for the illicit market, the US Information Agency has found. – The Art Newspaper
HOLOCAUST MUSEUM CHAIRMAN RESIGNS
Miles Lerman, a businessman who fought against the Nazis in southern Poland during World War II, joined planning committees for the museum in 1978 and has been chairman since 1993, raised nearly $200 million to build the museum just off the National Mall. He directed the transition from proposal to the present full-fledged museum, which has had 14 million visitors in 6½ years. – Washington Post
SETTING IT RIGHT
Preliminary work to take some of the lean out of the tower of Pisa has been completed. – Chicago Tribune (Reuters)
LIFE AFTER DIVA
“The big roles are behind me. It’s a lot of sitting in hotels. I decided I don’t need this anymore,” says Marilyn Horne, who said goodbye to opera in 1996 and to classical recitals in 1999.” – Los Angeles Times
“SPEND” AND “LION KING” —
— dominate nominations for this year’s Olivier Awards, Britain’s top theater honors. – BBC
TOTAL WORLD DOMINATION, PART II
In a deal unrelated to the Time Warner merger, AOL announces a “strategic alliance” with PBS in which the public television system will become a “premiere content provider” for AOL and the internet provider will receive an on-air “branding presence.” – The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) 01/13/00
CALL IT CREATIVE NEW YORK
The Creative Capital fund was created last spring to try to help make up for the ending of federal arts grants to artists doing controversial work. Now the first round of grants has been made, and after reviewing applications from more than 1,800 artists from 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the fund is awarding $563,700 to 75 artists, 40 of whom live in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx or Staten Island. – New York Times
INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL OF NORTH AMERICA?
New York? Berkeley? Boston? Nope, try Montreal. New McGill University statistical study says that Quebec’s largest city has more university students per capita than any other city. Boston was second. – Montreal Gazette
ART PAYS
The administrative heads of Boston’s largest arts organizations received some of the biggest raises in the nation’s nonprofit sector in 1998, a Boston Herald survey shows. – Boston Herald
- Top 10 Boston arts admin salaries. – Boston Herald
- More Boston arts salaries – Boston Herald
- Why the salaries are so good. – Boston Herald
- Compared to other top non-profit salaries. – Boston Herald