“In an ongoing quest to bolster its art collections, the J. Paul Getty Museum has strengthened its holdings of European sculpture and illuminated manuscripts with two major acquisitions. ‘The Vexed Man,’ an 18th century alabaster bust by Austrian artist Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, will go on view at the museum later this spring. ‘Vita Christi,’ an English Romanesque illumination, will debut in… an exhibition opening May 6.”
Tag: 02.20.08
Why The Oscars Are Bad At Selecting Foreign Films
“Every Oscar category has its controversies. But the omissions this year for best foreign-language film, at least judging by all the commentary in recent weeks, are real howlers… So what’s the problem here? Well, best foreign film is an odd category.”
Israel Museum To Display Looted Art, Look For Owners
“In a remarkable feat of cooperation between France and Israel, requiring intensive negotiations and the passage of a law by the Israeli Parliament, the Israel Museum has opened an exhibition of important art looted by the Nazis from France and then returned after the war… Running parallel to the show of French-held art is a companion exhibition: looted art, with no known owners, held in custody by the Israel Museum itself.”
Getting At The Kids
The publishing juggernaut that is James Patterson began branching out into young adult literature a few years ago, and sales have been brisk. But Patterson wants more, and his latest marketing strategy involves getting mothers to buy his latest book for their kids.
Mamet’s Washington
David Mamet’s interest in the inner workings of politics has been evident at least since he wrote the screenplay for 1997’s Wag The Dog. His latest play, though, shows a new subtlety in Mamet’s understanding of the game of politics, as well as the public’s attitude towards it.
Get Ready For High Sticking In The Viola Section
How do you get thousands of Canadians interested in your orchestra? Put some hockey in it, of course. “Wednesday night, trail-blazing Montreal maestro Kent Nagano will lift his baton to conduct what is perhaps the world’s first symphonic ode to hockey.”
PhilOrch Expanding Alternative Concert Formats
Peter Dobrin says that the Philadelphia Orchestra’s new marketing strategy and 2008-09 season announcement show that the orchestra is serious about engaging new audiences. “To give you some idea of the scale of change, consider the fact that only half the orchestra’s presentations next season will follow the traditional concert format. That’s practically a revolution.”
Maazel: Philharmonic Can Lead Gentle Change
Conductor Lorin Maazel has penned an op-ed explaining why he believes it is important for his New York Philharmonic to play in Pyongyang next week. “It is a role of the highest possible order: bringing peoples and their cultures together on common ground, where the roots of peaceful interchange can imperceptibly but irrevocably take hold. If all goes well, the presence of the New York Philharmonic in Pyongyang might gently influence the perception of our country there.”
Is Culture Turning Liverpool Around?
Liverpool is undergoing a noticeable renaissance, and some are attributing it to the city’s year as Europe’s Culture Capital. But would the turnaround have happened anyway? “You get much affirmative, but generalised, confirmation that while these projects were in train before the Capital of Culture bid was won – the accelerated and coordinated nature of the projects has much to do with this year.”
LA County Museum Takes The Broad View (And Beyond)
“The starting lap of LACMA’s new contemporary facility was wrong-footed by the focus on Mr. Broad — not just because of the contretemps over his intentions, but also because of the slight to the museum’s own curators.”