“But, in typical Cannes style, the festival did not close the door entirely. Instead of canceling outright, organizers said they are exploring contingencies to make ‘Cannes 2020 real, in a way or another’ and have begun discussions with members of the industry in France and abroad to do so.” (The Cannes Film Market, however, has made the decision to go virtual in June.) – The Hollywood Reporter
Blog
The Complicated Legacy Of PT Barnum And What It Says About America
Showman, yes. Bamboozler, con artist, fantasist and entertainer. Each generation seems to need to revisit accounts of Barnum and mine from him the spirit that is core to America. – New York Review of Books
Professional Wrestling Has Been Declared An Essential Business By Florida’s Governor And Will Resume
The decision, outlined in an April 9 memo from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office, could open the door for other sports to resume in the state. – ESPN
The Metropolitan Museum Turned 150 Monday – Its Doors Closed And Debts Mounting
So is Boston’s MFA 150. Both institutions are hemorrhaging money: a projected $100 million at the Met; $12 million to $14 million at the MFA by the end of June. Thousands of events, including long-planned 150th-anniversary celebrations and fundraising galas, have been canceled. – Washington Post
Italian Cultural Leaders Petition For A National “Save Culture” Fund
The museum chiefs have signed a petition launched by the culture advocacy group Federculture which states that “we have to make Italian culture live, to give it oxygen… the repercussions of the coronavirus crisis on the vast world of cultural enterprise are extreme and could be fatal”. – The Art Newspaper
Will We Lose A Whole Generation Of Artists?
Chances are the current pandemic has them considering whether a creative life is possible – feasible, affordable, open to someone like themselves – at the very moment when that world began cancelling, shuttering, and laying off the teaching artists who was the first person to say to them “Yes, absolutely, poetry (or choreography or set design) could be yours.” – Creative Generation
If Travel Is Shut Down Do You Need Travel Books? Lonely Planet Shuts Down
“I was fearing bad news about a big travel firm this week: perhaps an airline, holiday company or cruise line. But I never expected to hear that the world’s leading travel-guide firm is proposing to shut its two main hubs: the original HQ in Melbourne, and the London office where much Lonely Planet content, including the magazine, is created.” – The Independent (UK)
How Andrea Bocelli’s Easter Concert In The Empty Milan Cathedral Became A Worldwide Megahit
“Roughly 5 million people around the world logged on to YouTube to view the half-hour sacred music concert as it was happening. By Monday night the archived performance had 32 million views. Clearly, it transcended religion, nationality, age demographic and even music preference on its way to becoming perhaps the signature cultural event of the pandemic.” – Variety
Is there room in the world for this clarinet trio? There’d better be.
Even with so many Beethoven 250th-birthday concerts being cancelled, the world needs to hear pieces of his that haven’t already been played a zillion times. This one is solid, perfectly engaging — and performed by musicians that are among the best out there, even if we’ve barely (yet) heard of them. – David Patrick Stearns
Ghost on the wall
In order to divert those of you who, like me, are staying home these days, I’ve been posting images from what a friend calls “the Teachout Museum.” The latest is of a 1990 lithograph by Joan Mitchell, an artist for whom my feelings have grown progressively stronger. – Terry Teachout