Category: visual

A Canadian architecture firm has won the commission to design the Mariinsky Theatre’s opera house. “Diamond + Schmitt prevailed over four other finalists – one from Germany and three Russian firms – to win the Mariinsky which, with a budget of €295-million (about $452-million, all of which will be paid by the Russian government) and a completion date of no later than December 2011, has been hyped as ‘Russia’s most important building project in 70 years’….”

“Not being in France and not being able to read French are no longer good excuses for not immersing yourself in the collection of the Louvre. On Wednesday, the museum plans to announce that it will make an English-language version of its online database available on its Web site, louvre.fr, starting Thursday.”

“U.S. forces did not exactly destroy the 4,000-year-old city, home of one of the world’s original seven wonders, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. … But they did turn it into Camp Alpha, a military base, shortly after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Their 18-month stay there caused ‘major damage’ and represented a ‘grave encroachment on this internationally known archeological site,’ a report released this month in Paris by the United Nations’ cultural agency, UNESCO, says.”

“Roy Lichtenstein’s 1982 print of the Statue of Liberty, once wall candy at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., is expected to contribute about $30,000 to the bankrupt company’s coffers when it’s offered for auction in November. Lehman will begin selling its multimillion-dollar corporate art collection in a series of three sales at Freeman’s Auctioneers in Philadelphia this winter.”

“For an absurdly long time, the British loathed Spain. Memories of the Armada, coupled with fears about the stern and terrifying Catholicism of the Spanish Inquisition, ensured that Grand Tour aristocrats preferred to visit Italy. But after the Napoleonic army invaded Spain in the early 19th century, attitudes swiftly changed. … At the same time British artists and collectors [alike] discovered, with a sense of wonder, that Spain had produced some of the most outstanding western painters.”

“The Academy ballroom renovation, overseen by Philadelphia interior designer John Trosino of KlingStubbins, strips away a scheme installed in the 1950s, replacing it with cues taken from an 1860 photograph magnified to reveal minute details. Planners say it’s nothing less than an authentic reproduction of an entire room – not the familiar grand main auditorium, but the more modest space whose windows face Broad Street.”

“If you could hear a painting, what would it sound like? The Dallas Museum of Art and UT Dallas have created a new interactive program to answer that question. A sound design class at UT-Dallas has created a series of soundtracks to accompany specific works in the DMA collection. … Visitors use iPhones and other Internet-enabled devices to access the bonus features.”

“Ever since news of the Brandeis scheme rocked the art world six months ago, the tragic fate of the Barnes Foundation outside Philadelphia has been rumbling around in my head. … Myriad details between the Barnes and the Rose are different, including the apparent participation of their respective state attorneys general, but the basic principle is the same. Donor intent is at issue.”

“In the seductive display of Titian’s Triumph of Love, currently at the National Gallery, you discover that the Venetian master painted this sensual image of Cupid as a ‘cover’ for another painting. This means a second canvas that fitted over and concealed a picture beneath. It was not that rare a practice in the Renaissance. But why?”

“Three top Rose Art Museum benefactors are suing to stop Brandeis University from closing the Waltham cultural site and selling off more than $200 million of art. ‘We’re trying to say: “Look, Brandeis, (the museum’s artwork) is not yours to sell. It belongs to future generations of students and the public,” ‘ said Jonathan Lee, one of three donors who today sued Brandeis.”