Mission Mishmash: Divided Loyalties in Sotheby’s Plan to Advise Artists, Their Estates & Foundations
Decades ago, before Christie’s introduced the buyer’s premium to New York, auction houses in the U.S. were clear on who they represented: Their client was the seller. Today’s murky waters just got murkier with Sotheby’s… read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-12-15
The Art Emerging In A New(ish) Museum
Come along with me to see a new museum filled with contemporary art that, for the most part, hasn’t been overexposed. My recent trip took me to Morocco, where … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2016-12-1
Hedda Gabler: monster or philosopher?
My colleagues among the London critics are divided by Ivo van Hove’s new National Theatre production of Hedda Gabler, in an un-gimmicky, plain new version by Patrick Marber – except that they all agree in their high praise of Ruth Wilson’s performance in the title role. … read more
AJBlog: Plain English Published 2016-12-14
Trifonov Plays Shostakovich
No other music so instantly evokes a sense of place as that of Dmitri Shostakovich. When Daniil Trifonov launched Shostakovich’s E minor Prelude at Carnegie Hall last week, the bleakness and exigency of Stalin’s Russia … read more
AJBlog: Unanswered Question Published 2016-12-14
Winter is Coming: What the Culture Sector Needs to Worry About Now
I. Predicting the Unpredictable If nothing else the recent election cycle has taught us to be very skeptical of those who say they can predict the future. … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2016-12-13
Wine and Cheese?
In my last post I wrote about connecting with middle class communities. … Perhaps it’s the proximity of the Holidays, but this very quickly led me to an old concern of mine that is highly class based. Why is our industry so closely tied to wine and cheese? … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2016-12-13
Jim Kweskin and Geoff Muldaur at Joe’s Pub: Is it World Music?
Watching Jim Kweskin and Geoff Muldaur at Joe’s Pub a few months ago got me thinking about how I used to have a fairly pat answer when folks asked me “what is World Music?” … read more
AJBlog: OtherWorldly Published 2016-12-13
What We Learned In Audience This Week: How We Define “Audience” This Week: Two stories worth noting – the segregation of DC theatre audiences and what it might tell us… The translation of live theatre to the small screen is more than just filming a … read more
AJBlog: AJ Arts AudiencePublished 2016-12-12
The National Gallery: Blazing More New Trails
Last year about this time, I praised the National Gallery in London for creating and publicizing an “Angel Trail” of artworks in its galleries that include portrayals of angels–for the Christmas season. This year, I’m … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2016-12-12
Four Dances Mingle As One
Bill Young revives his Interleaving at 100 Grand Street, December 9 through 11. … read more
AJBlog: Dancebeat Published 2016-12-12
Monday Recommendation: Erroll Garner
Erroll Garner, Ready Take One (Octave/Legacy) … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-12-12
The Cult of El Sistema Keeps Playing On In a Different Key Anne Midgette of the Washington Post wrote a sobering review of Eric Booth and Tricia Tunstall’s recent book “Playing for Their Lives”. As the Executive Director of the El Sistema inspired program Play On … read more
AJBlog: Orchestras Everywhere Published 2016-12-10
A.A. Gill R.I.P.
Adrian Gill would have been pleased and amused by the way his too-early death, aged only 62, has been noticed. It was repeatedly announced in the national BBC radio and … read more
AJBlog: Plain EnglishPublished 2016-12-11
Dancing Toward a Future
“New Dances: Edition 2016” showcases Juilliard Dance’s four classes of students in new choreography. Members of Juilliard’s Class of 2017 assemble in Matthew Neenan’s Walk Me Through. Photo: Rosalie O’Connor Every December, the Juilliard School … read more
AJBlog: DancebeatPublished 2016-12-10
Robert Rauschenberg: Art that contains multitudes and overcomes gridlock
Robert Rauschenberg Retroactive II 1964, Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago) Though London is in pre-Christmas gridlock, making it difficult to go anywhere that can’t be reached on foot, there are some important shows to … read more
AJBlog: Plain EnglishPublished 2016-12-10
Recent Listening: Thieves, MJQ, Nilsson
The weekend is a good time to consider music that the Rifftides staff has ignored, overlooked or allowed to languish among the burgeoning boxes of incoming CDs. Keeping up isn’t hard to do; it’s … read more
AJBlog: RiffTidesPublished 2016-12-09
Amateur work
On Facebook and Twitter I’ve been talking about bad graphic design in classical music. Why does bad design matter? Because we need a new audience. Our new audience comes — will come — from the … read more
AJBlog: SandowPublished 2016-12-09
Past Hits and a New Dance from Abroad
The Alvin Ailey America Dance Theater at New York City Center, November 30-December 31. … read more
AJBlog: Dancebeat Published 2016-12-08
Middle Class Communities
For the many of us reeling from the recent election, middle class communities are much on our minds. … I thought it might be good to dig a little deeper into what this might mean for community engagement. … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2016-12-06
What to do about the NEA
At Bloomberg, Tyler Cowen posts some recommendations on US federal government arts policy. … The thing I always enjoy about Cowen – especially in his blog – is his ability to put fresh ideas out there as sparks for discussion; this is particularly important in arts policy … read more
AJBlog: For What It’s Worth Published 2016-12-06
Brett’s Bet: What Gorvy’s Sudden Exit from Christie’s May Mean for the Art Market
One thing I know about Brett Gorvy, Christie’s departing chairman of Post-War and Contemporary art, is that he’s very smart — probably the savviest auction-house specialist I’ve ever encountered. So it’s almost impossible not to interpret his … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-12-07
Singing artists
When did singers and songwriters first start getting lumped under the moniker “artists?” I think it happened during my lifetime, but I’m not sure, because I’ve spent a lot of my life in a cave. … read more
AJBlog: Infinite Curves Published 2016-12-06
Dave Brubeck, Gone Four Years
This is the fourth anniversary of Dave Brubeck’s death at age 91. Under the heading, “Always remembered, never forgotten,” … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-12-05
The Tempest-Tost Find a Home (at Stratford-upon-Avon)
Prospero with sturdy staff and Ariel with extreme D.A.. … read more
AJBlog: Plain English Published 2016-12-05
Monday Recommendation: Wolfgang Muthspiel
Wolfgang Muthspiel, Rising Grace (ECM) The Austrian Guitarist Muthspiel is the leader, but he and his sidemen are so wrapped together in the music on Rising Grace that they might have been billed as a … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-12-05
