Los Angeles’s glittering jewel of a concert hall, as designed by Frank Gehry, seems to be glittering a bit too much. Disney Hall will undergo a $90,000 exterior renovation this spring to dull the sheen on a convex section of the building’s reflective outer walls, following extensive complaints from pedestrians and nearby residents about sun glare and excessive heat.
Category: visual
“Gates” Worth? Depends On What You Want To Measure (And Why)
There’s been a rush to tout economic benefits to New York because of the Christo Central Park Gates. “Such governmental attempts to spin artistic value into financial value are calculated to persuade taxpayers and politicians of ‘the value of the arts to our communities, our states, and our nation’.” But what do these benefits really amount to? And what about the aesthetic value of the work itself?
Today’s Museums – Stepping Away From The Bilbao Effect?
For a while now, museums have built flashy new homes intended to impress. “But eight years after Bilbao, a reaction is setting in. While art museums in the United States are expanding at a breathtaking pace, the desire to emulate Gehry’s Spanish miracle looks increasingly like the exception, not the rule. And while museum directors continue to justify large expansion projects in terms of the tourism and attention they attract, they’re talking less and less about spectacular architecture as a primary goal. Instead, they emphasize the importance of showcasing collections, creating larger spaces suitable for the demands of contemporary art, and serving local audiences rather than attracting tourists.”
Is Ancient German Star Map A Modern Fake?
“One of Germany’s most acclaimed archaeological finds – a 3,600-year-old disc depicting the stars and the planets – is at the centre of a dispute following claims that it is a modern forgery.”
Art Theft On Rise In China
Thefts of artifacts from Chinese museums are on the increase. “Forty cases involving 222 items stolen from protected sites and museums were recorded last year, an 81.8 percent increase year-on-year” in 2004.
Japanese Museum Tops 2004 Attendance Figures
For the first time, a Japanese museum has topped world museum attendance records compiled by the Art Newspaper. “The most visited show of 2004 was “Treasures of a sacred mountain” at the Tokyo National Museum which was seen by an average of 7,638 visitors a day, while another exhibition at the institution, “Treasures of Chinese art” has also made it into the top 10.The remarkable increase in attendance to Japanese exhibitions follows the 2001 semi-privatisation of all State-run museums, combined with the country’s continuing recession which has fostered a ruthlessly competitive climate among Japanese institutions.”
Taking Down The Gates
The dismantling of the 7,500 “Gates” in Central Park begins today. Taking them down “will be easier than the installation because there will not be any need to be careful. The 5,290 tons of steel will be melted down and recycled – The aluminum is going to become cans of soda and the fabric will be shredded and turned into carpet padding. Then all that will be left of “The Gates” will be the memories, and the T-shirts, coffee mugs, posters, watches and baseball caps. There will also be the coffee table book, as there is for most of their projects. Christo spent yesterday morning with Wolfgang Volz, the photographer, gathering pictures for the book.”
Spoof “Gates” A Hit
Geoff Hargadon created “13 miniature plastic gates spread across his loft, often tracing the path of his cat, Edie” in a spoof of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Central Park “Gates.” Hargadon — “Hargo,” as he’s now known — had to shut down his Web site featuring photos of “The Somerville Gates” after it received 5.5 million hits in one week. He’s been fielding media calls nonstop and has been interviewed by reporters from Germany to Colombia. The art department at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., said Friday that it wants one of the Somerville gates for its collection.”
The Gates – Amazing Idea… But Up Close?
The Central Park “Gates” have been a huge hit. “Such a mass affirmation of the imagination was, in my view, a grand pursuit, an affirmation capable of washing away the psychic residue of 9/11 and the memory of those flaming orange chrysanthemums of fire that appalled and humbled us all. But the physical incarnation of the idea — The Gates themselves — were another matter. Approaching Central Park, one was immediately struck by an obvious truth: As a sculptural installation in the landscape, it didn’t work.”
Trustees To Vote On Cleveland Expansion
One week from now, the board members of the Cleveland Museum of Art have a huge decision to make: should they commit to a $225 million expansion and renovation of their building, as designed by architect Rafael Vinoly? The advantages of such a project are obvious, but the complications for the museum could be myriad. The city of Cleveland is fighting decades of decline and is currently in a deep financial hole, limiting available civic funds for the museum project. Board members have already raised some money for the expansion, but there are questions about whether they have the connections necessary to raise the rest. Still, there’s little question that Vinoly’s design, if realized, would be a huge boon to the institution, and that may trump all other concerns.