“Toxicological investigations might have solved one of the most enduring mysteries in the history of the Florentine Renaissance — the sudden and almost simultaneous deaths of Francesco I de’ Medici and his wife Bianca Cappello in October 1587.”
Tag: 01.02.07
A Celluloid Dance
“Few filmmakers can suggest the three-dimensionality of dance, and few dance-makers can successfully choreograph for camera. The artists who can elegantly marry the two forms are rare enough to merit their own festival–the Dance on Camera Festival, now in its 35th year.
The Art Of $AM
The Seattle Art Museum is about to open a major new sculpture park. The museum has been on a fundraising tear that has fueled the organization’s dramatic expansion in the past two decades.
That Old Aussie Joke… (Is Really Old)
Australians’ sharp snse of humor has very old roots. “When Charles Darwin visited Australia in 1836 on his epic voyage that gave rise to his theory of evolution, he was struck by the Aborigines’ talent for mimicry. At a corroboree, Darwin observed as the men imitated animals and re-enacted hunts and battles around the campfire, to the great amusement of the tribe.”
Acropolis Treasures Go On Display In New Museum
“The treasure trove, discovered during excavations to build the New Acropolis Museum in the capital, includes relics ranging from a near perfectly preserved marble bust of Aristotle to cooking utensils, children’s games and figurines of little known deities.”
Canceled La Scala “Candide” Back On?
Last week La Scala canceled a production of “Candide” that featured a dancing George Bush. This week, the production’s director says it’s back on. “In a long telephone conversation with La Scala General Manager Stephane Lissner, ‘I urged him to reconsider, and that’s what he’s done,’ Robert Carsen said. The two agreed to talk about specifics in January.”
Sotheby’s Has A Great 2006
Sotheby’s says it sold $1.8 billion of art in the US in 2006, a “52 percent increase from the previous year, according to Sotheby’s data gathered for analysts and investors. U.K. auctions of $1.2 billion rose 28 percent from 2005, while Asian sales of $282.3 million were 29 percent higher than the previous year. Auctions in continental Europe advanced 6 percent to $320.1 million.”
Canadian Actors Union Pulls Away From Walkout
“The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) had voted to walk off the job on Monday if a labour deal was not reached.” But the union will return to the bargaining table to try to work out a deal Wednesday.
Wartime Pervades Pop-Music Consciousness
“Beyond typical wartime attitudes of belligerence, protest and yearning for peace, in 2006 pop moved toward something different: a mood somewhere between resignation and a siege mentality. Songs that touched on the war in 2006 were suffused with the mournful and resentful knowledge that — as Neil Young titled the album he made and rush-released in the spring — we are ‘Living With War,’ and will be for some time. Awareness of the war throbs like a chronic headache behind more pleasant distractions.”
London’s Theatre Museum Closing Sunday
“The Theater Museum in London, Britain’s national museum of the performing arts, is scheduled to close to the public on Sunday after almost 20 years at its Russell Street location in Covent Garden. The museum, which is a branch of the Victoria and Albert and houses one of the world’s largest collections of documents and artifacts related to theater, dance, opera and other performances, has been unable to secure financing for redevelopment.”