If adopted, the executive order would be the most significant attempt yet to insert the new politics of populism into the world of art, aesthetics and design. – Washington Post
Blog
Banksy Is Brilliant At Manipulating The Media And Art Market. But Is He A Brilliant Artist?
The one part of the art world that has seemed resistant to him is the ultimate conferrer of status: museums. Will he be remembered as an important artistic figure? And if so, will that be as a painter, an activist, or a Duchamp-like “conceptual prankster”? – The New York Times
An Atlantic Reporter Enters The Trump News Universe… And Finds Himself Questioning Reality
“I was surprised by the effect it had on me. I’d assumed that my skepticism and media literacy would inoculate me against such distortions. But I soon found myself reflexively questioning every headline. It wasn’t that I believed Trump and his boosters were telling the truth. It was that, in this state of heightened suspicion, truth itself—about Ukraine, impeachment, or anything else—felt more and more difficult to locate. With each swipe, the notion of observable reality drifted further out of reach.” – The Atlantic
The Strange Superstitions And Pre-Show Rituals Of Ballet Dancers
Some of them are sweet and sentimental, but they can be every bit as weird as those of actors and athletes. Sarah Kaufman talks to a dozen or so dancers from several companies about what they do and why. – The Washington Post
Listenership Of BBC’s Classical Music Station Up By 16%, Tying Its All-Time Record
“The classical music station Radio 3 has recorded its joint highest audience share since records began, as listeners weary of politics take refuge in Brahms and Bach. The BBC station reached 2.13 million listeners a week in the last quarter, up 16 per cent on the same period for the previous year.” – The Times (UK)
Five Years On, An Oral History Of #OscarsSoWhite
“In edited excerpts below, filmmakers, awards-watchers and academy members” — among them Barry Jenkins, Ava DuVernay, Spike Lee, and former Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs — “tell the inside story of how what began as a three-word hashtag forced an insular, $42 billion industry to change course.” – The New York Times
This Study Shows Why Netflix And Movie Theatres Shouldn’t Be Enemies
“People were more likely to stream a movie when they knew it had been released in theaters, according to a new survey by Ernst & Young … Sixty two percent of the study’s respondents reported that if a movie had appeared in cinemas, they were more willing to check it on their streaming services.” – Variety
Art Basel Hong Kong Is Officially Cancelled
“After a tumultuous period in Hong Kong marked by continuing protests and fears of a coronavirus outbreak, Art Basel has called off its fair in the city. … MCH Group, the holding company that owns Art Basel, said that the coronavirus and ‘severe logistical challenges’ limiting travel were among the ‘numerous factors’ that had influenced the decision. The ongoing protests were not mentioned in the release.” – ARTnews
If The British Arts World Doesn’t Want BP Or Sackler Money, Should It Really Be So Dependent On The National Lottery?
“Our sector relies on the gambling industry for over a third of its public investment in a country where an estimated 430,000 people have a serious problem with gambling. And we seem to take active pleasure in that fact.” – ArtsProfessional
Nello Santi, Conductor Renowned For Italian Opera, Dead At 88
A traditionalist maestro who led more than 400 performances at the Met, he had to wait a while before critics gave full credit to his gifts, but singers and orchestral players adored him. – The New York Times