“When museums are free we can see one painting every day on our lunch breaks. We can come back again and again to see all of the things we’d miss in just one visit. We can go on cheap dates. We can take our children and not worry about wasting our vacation budget if they throw a tantrum after 10 minutes. Students can come on school trips and learn not just about art or history or science, but also about experiences and institutions – museums themselves – that might otherwise feel closed off to them.”
Blog
In These Days Of #MeToo, Some Classic Musicals Have Some Awfully Uncomfortable Moments
“Reviving the hallmarks of our musical theater heritage is such a widespread practice on the American stage that the mores of bygone ages are going to be dredged up and played out, for some spectators who remember, maybe even cherish the originals – and others who are going to wonder: What the heck were these authors thinking?” Peter Marks considers some examples.
Should Museums Display Human Remains From Other Cultures? The Debate Hits Germany And Austria
“The newly opened Weltmuseum in Vienna has come under fire for displaying a severed head from Brazil – a war trophy that had belonged to the Munduruku people. … The discussion in Germany and Austria follows similar debates in France and the UK over the past 15 years, sparked by a rise in the number of demands for the return of human remains to their communities of origin, usually non-European and often former colonies.”
The New York Times Has A New Culture Editor
Gilbert Cruz came to the newspaper three years ago as television editor; previously, he worked at Vulture, New York magazine’s culture website, where he worked his way up to editorial director.
Has A Lost Leonardo Turned Up In Massachusetts?
“This spring, the Worcester Art Museum … will put the complex process of identifying a Leonardo at the heart of a new exhibition. The Mystery of Worcester’s Leonardo (10 March-3 June) makes the case that a work that has been in the museum’s collection since 1940, A Miracle of Saint Donatus of Arezzo (around 1479-85), should be credited to the Renaissance master.” Judith H. Dobrzynski reports.
Tim Rollins, 62, Made Art Stars Of South Bronx Teens
“[He] devoted almost all of his 35-year career to his unusual combination of art-making and teaching, and to the group, which exhibited as Tim Rollins + K.O.S.” (It stands for Kids of Survival.) “In a classroom with a barely functioning sink and broken windows boarded up with plywood, Mr. Rollins and his most interested students had begun to function as a workshop when they hit on the idea of using books for both inspiration and material.”
Smithsonian’s $2 Billion Plan For Castle And Environs Gets Pushback
“The Smithsonian Institution’s plan to redevelop the area around its iconic administration building, known as the Castle, by replacing its formal garden and relocating three entrance pavilions received mixed reaction from the federal agency that must eventually approve it.”
‘The Shape Of Water’ Leads 2018 BAFTA Nominations
“Guillermo Del Toro’s fantasy epic about a woman who falls in love with a sea monster … picked up 12 nominations, including best film and best director, as well as a best actress pick for Sally Hawkins and best supporting actress for Octavia Spencer. Darkest Hour and Three Billboards [Outside Ebbing, Missouri] each received nine nominations, including best film and outstanding British film.” Biggest snub: The Post, completely shut out.
After Half A Century, Irish Publishers Are Finally Eligible For The Man Booker Prize
“An anomaly in the Man Booker prize rules that made books published in Ireland ineligible for the £50,000 award because they were not published in the UK has been removed, after years of frustration among Irish presses.”
Art Dealer And Collector Eugene V. Thaw Dead At 90
“‘I can’t create the objects I crave to look at,’ he [once] said, ‘so I collect them.’ … His personal collection featured more than 400 drawings, including rare works by Goya, Van Gogh and Andrea Mantegna and price-setting items by Rembrandt and Samuel Palmer. But he insisted that ‘great art collecting need not be based on a great fortune; education, experience and eye are more important.’ He spoke from his own history.”