“The complaint was filed on behalf of Alexandra Waterbury, against NYC Ballet and her former boyfriend Chase Finlay, and alleges … [that a] ‘fraternity-like atmosphere’ … led [him] to share naked pictures and videos of her in intimate situations with fellow dancers, NYC Ballet employees and donors.”
Blog
Major Marcel Duchamp Collection Given To Hirshhorn Museum
“Timed to the 50th anniversary of Duchamp’s death, the gift [from Aaron and Barbara Levine] includes 35 works by Duchamp as well as 15 portraits and related photographs and works on paper by his contemporaries Tristan Tzara, Man Ray and others.” Says the Hirshhorn’s board chair, “This is the art-world equivalent of the Wizards getting LeBron James.”
Apparition At Lourdes: Artist Who Poses Nude In Front Of Famous Nude Paintings Visits Pilgrimage Site (Nude, Of Course)
The Luxembourgeoise artist Deborah de Robertis, who has been arrested multiple times for displaying herself alongside displays of some of the world’s most famous female nude paintings, “has been charged with ‘sexual exhibitionism’ after she stood in the famous grotto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, hands clasped as if in prayer, wearing nothing but a blue veil on her head.” (She titled the performance “The Origin of Life.”)
‘Garish, Soulless Leisure Shed’ Wins 2018 Carbuncle Cup
“The warehouse-like buildings of Redrock Stockport beat five other shortlisted candidates to win the Carbuncle Cup, awarded by Building Design to what its readers deem to be the biggest architectural eyesore of the past year. Judges were left unimpressed by the ‘awkward form, disjointed massing and superficial decoration’, while readers called it an ‘absolute monstrosity’.”
Ohad Naharin Turns Over The Reins At Batsheva Dance Company
“This month, Naharin, 66, will transition from artistic director to house choreographer, handing the management reins to Gili Navot, a former dancer with the company. … Navot comes to the position as a longtime member of the Batsheva family, having performed with the troupe for nearly a decade, from 1999 to 2008, before serving as rehearsal director and as a senior Gaga instructor — teaching both that method and Naharin’s work at companies around the world.”
Putin Pushes For High-Profile New Cultural Center In Crimea
“Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has ordered officials to speed up the construction of a cultural centre in Sevastopol, the historic naval capital of Crimea, which will include exhibition space for the State Hermitage Museum, the State Russian Museum and the State Tretyakov Gallery. Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.”
US Media Giants Invade The UK
The vaunted “special relationship” between the U.S. and Britain is thriving in the media and entertainment space. But with Brexit clouds overhead and other countries emerging as international content hubs, the question is whether the feverish trans-Atlantic dealmaking will cool down — or whether it might actually heat up further as the FAANGs (digital players Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google) enter the game.
How Funders Distort Artistic Vision
“There’s a push from the politicians to constantly fund something new. And what we really need is sustainable, long-term development. That’s how you build inclusion – because people who are excluded need to understand how they can get involved. If you keep changing the rules it’s bloody difficult for the people who are on the inside, and it becomes impossible for anyone on the outside.”
This Was Paul Taylor
Gia Kourlas: “I began interviewing Mr. Taylor in 1995, and talked with him (and his dancers) many times over the years. I realize I probably only scratched the surface of his singular, probing imagination, but that’s something. He would tease me relentlessly; that was fine. His amusement bought me time to ask another question. We talked about dance, of course, but we also talked about his life, his hobbies, his pets.”
The Viola’s Big Problem
The viola is an inherently quixotic instrument. Its construction is a compromise between an acoustic ideal and human limits: For its sound to bloom as effortlessly as that of a violin or cello, its neck would need to be impossibly long. For most of the instrument’s history, composers have conspired to keep it out of the limelight, assigning it a supporting role. And chamber music conventions dictate that on the rare occasion that a viola does get the melody, it’s facing the wrong way.