Category: today’s top story

“To date, the displacement of some 400 of the East Building’s 16,200 [2-by-5, 438-pound marble] exterior panels–about 2.5% of the total–has been observed.” But “National Gallery officials decided in 2008 to reinstall all of the panels” on Pei’s 1978 addition.

“By their very nature, his works – which cannot be transported, bought or sold, and which always have a temporary life – exist outside the art market. ‘The most important thing is that the paintings are painted over,’ he has said.”

“If we don’t take drastic action to encourage broad-based, grass-roots cultural engagement, state support for the arts will face a crisis of legitimacy because everyday participation in the arts is declining.”

“A strike by French museum workers widened today with the Louvre and Versailles Palace joining a host of other tourist attractions to shut down as employees protested against planned job cuts. … Unions say the government’s plan to replace only one out of every two retiring civil servants will cripple museums, as will its plan to cut some subsidies.”

“The Chicago Federation of Musicians and the committee representing the 76 members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra said Wednesday they will strike the opening performance of Lehar’s The Merry Widow if a new labor agreement is not reached by curtain time on Saturday night.”

Putting together its upcoming Gabriel Orozco retrospective, the Museum of Modern Art went in search of four Dannon yogurt caps from a 1994 installation — which, alas, were sold years ago and replaced by Orozco with decoys. “What does it matter if those in the MoMA show aren’t the same ones that Mr. Orozco used when he first mounted the piece 15 years ago?”

“In a surprise move, councillors for the Township of King have voted in favour of granting heritage status to an outdoor installation [called Shift] erected in the municipality in the early 1970s by the famed U.S. minimalist sculptor Richard Serra.”

“Following weeks of rumors about serious financial difficulty, the Washington National Opera on Monday announced cutbacks, not only to staff, but also to programming for next season. The 2010-11 season will present only five operas, down from six this season and seven in 2008-09.”

“Domestic box-office receipts from Wednesday through Sunday totaled an estimated $275 million, beating the previous mark set in 2000 by 12%, according to Hollywood.com. Although no new pictures drew big audiences, a number of existing ones continued to generate big ticket sales, while the sheer diversity of solidly performing pictures drew every segment of the populace.”

“Theatregoers said that they were shocked at what they described as an unprovoked attack at the end of Monday night’s performance at the Duke of York’s Theatre,” when actor Ian Hart “ran from the stage to scream threats at” Gerard Earley. In the play’s second half, Hart had “pointed at Mr Earley and told him to ‘shut up,'” though audience members said he’d been mum.