“The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been returned to its former glory after an eight-year restoration project in which it was cleaned and partially straightened … by 18 inches from the vertical, returning it to its 1838 position.”
Category: visual
Crumbling Pompeii Shows Perilous State Of Italian Culture
“The collapses at Pompeii have become a metaphor for Italy’s political instability and its inability to care for its cultural heritage.”
Censorship? – LA Museum Commissions, Then Paints Over Giant Mural
“In the strange case of a massive antiwar mural that made a brief appearance downtown last week, it was the Museum of Contemporary Art that both commissioned and removed the work.”
Qatar’s Modern Art Museum Will Be Treading on New, Sensitive Ground
“With exhibits showing nudity and politically radical ideas, Qatar’s brand new modern art museum may raise a few eyebrows in the traditionally conservative Middle East.”
2010 – A Good Year Worldwide For Architecture
“The record-shattering Burj Khalifa, which soars a half-mile above Dubai’s desert floor, took its place as one of the world’s great skyscrapers — not simply a technical feat but an aesthetic one as well.”
Germaine Greer: Picasso Was Sooo Tiresome
There is something tiresome about Picasso Picasso’s gift of millions of euros’ worth of paintings to an electrician may add up to one last tilt at art’s windmill
Frank Rich: Smithsonian Censorship A Bad Reminder Of Culture Wars
“The Smithsonian’s behavior and the ensuing silence in official Washington are jarring echoes of those days when American political leaders stood by idly as the epidemic raged on. The incident is also a throwback to the culture wars we thought we were getting past now.”
New York – Where Good Buildings Come To Die
“New York City is where the world’s most daring architects come to complete their dullest projects. Indignant community boards and the various, ever-nervous municipal entities conspire with unimaginative developers to clip the wings of the architect’s inspiration, all the while deriving such satisfaction as they can from the architect’s fame.”
Battle Of The Mega-Galleries
“The Gagosian is one of an elite new breed of “mega-galleries”: emporiums of modern and contemporary art that are spreading across the world to cater to the tastes of super-rich collectors and showcase new work. Despite the characteristic atmosphere of calm, and all the beautifully mannered gallery staff, these venues are the backdrop for an extremely competitive, not to say cut-throat, international business.”
Picasso Sale Off After Bizarre Twist
“A Paris auctioneer has postponed a sale of paintings by Picasso that he gave to his chauffeur after a further cache of the artist’s works was revealed.”