Norman Lebrecht: “Twenty years ago, the Met was running at 90 per cent. Twenty years earlier, you could not buy or beg a seat most nights, such was the crush of seasonal subscribers and the force of their loyalty. So what has gone wrong? And, critically — for this is a crisis — what can be done about it?”
Tag: 05.16
SFMoMA’s Trophy Art – So Where’s The History?
“Why are so many works by single artists — male artists who enjoy art-superstar reputations — hung as if animating visual encyclopedia entries, occupying one gallery upon the next upon the next? And whose idea was it to do it this way? For the influential donors of the new SFMOMA, political art appears never to have been invented.”
The Curious Case Of The Forged Leonardo
With each new chapter, the story becomes more extraordinary and the main characters more eccentric.
The Frank Gehry Effect: When Clients Serve The Architect
“In the past, clients told architects what they wanted built. But today, because they believe that starchitects like Gehry will boost their profits or bestow cultural cachet, even the most powerful and influential developers, civic institutions, and foundations are eager to buy his brand and his plans. But it was the architect’s own house, the shack that became a shrine, that launched him to stardom and brought acolytes like the Wintons and Lewis to his doorstep.”
The Downsides Of Grit
Yes, perseverance in pursuit of a goal seems to be a crucial ingredient of success. But it has its disadvantages – not least that you probably shouldn’t let people see you exercising it.
Here’s The Problem When We Turn Science Into Religion
“At the same time as an ever more bloated scientific bureaucracy churns out masses of research results, the majority of which are likely outright false, scientists themselves are lauded as heroes and science is upheld as the only legitimate basis for policy-making. There’s reason to believe that these phenomena are linked.”