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Do Civilizations Actually “Collapse”?

“The stories are often presented as cautionary tales to frighten us into correcting the error of our ways – lest we bring about the end of our own global civilisation. They promote an ethic of environmental responsibility that we ignore at our peril. It is no coincidence that they focus on climate change, human-caused environmental impacts and overpopulation because these three factors are the major global concerns of our times.”

So, When Are We Going To See The First Billion-Dollar Painting? (Probably Not For A While)

Some people are asking that very question following the record-smashing sale of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi for $450 million. But there were some special factors at play here that are unlikely to be repeated – as Robin Pogrebin reports, “the artwork achieved an unprecedented price because it was an unprecedented piece.”

*This* Is Probably The Right Way For An Orchestra To Do A Nightclub Concert

Anne Midgette on a National Symphony Orchestra concert at Anthem, a new riverfront club in southwest DC: “[Rather than] pander to a younger audience by giving it what they think it wants to hear, … this performance had the orchestra, in street clothes, simply playing the music it does well, including large chunks of this week’s subscription program. Rather than chasing the audience, it introduced itself as it is and let the audience come to it.”

Athens – ‘Whatever You Do, Don’t Call Us The New Berlin’

“Artists, collectives, new bars, farm-to-table restaurants, startups, and alternative music venues are amassing in Athens. Abandoned buildings, the scars from what Greeks simply call ‘the Crisis’, are turning into cultural spaces and homes for startups. Political statements are now emblazoned as street art. Artists from Mexico, Bali, New York and Western Europe are making Athens a new base. Is Athens the New Berlin? No, it is Athens. But, something is happening.”

Kyle Abraham Explains Why He’s A Political Choreographer

“There are times when I do just want to make a dancey dance. … But for me, I always get to a certain point when I feel it’s a waste of time and energy. Being black and gay there’s so much that I’ve faced in my life that I can’t be oblivious to what’s happening in the world. I can’t put all that aside and say: ‘Let’s just choreograph this pretty picture.'”

An Angry Marina Abramović Explains What Happened To The $2 Million Raised For Her Institute

Responding to a New York Post article – headlined in the print paper “The Art of the Steal” – questioning the fate of the funds intended for her now-abandoned performance-art institute in Hudson, New York, Abramović – in a statement titled “The Art of the Truth” – wrote that “the [tabloid’s] allegations are so false, libelous and in every way untrue that I must address them.”

Last Missing Piece Of Magritte Painting Found After 85 Years

“The enigma of The Enchanted Pose, which depicts side-by-side female nudes, began decades ago. It is listed in the comprehensive catalog of Magritte’s works, but its location had been marked as ‘unknown’ since 1932. Magritte, who died in 1967, never said anything about its fate.” Turns out he cut it into four, painted over the pieces, and sold them as separate paintings. They were all hiding in plain sight, as it were, and the last of the missing quarters has now been identified.