“A recent MusicWorks survey asked 2,000 people in offices, warehouses and factories about how music affected their jobs. Seventy-one per cent said they’d prefer music at work, 77% say they are more productive with good tunes on in the background and a whopping 84% say it improves morale.”
Tag: 07.16.09
Chinese Art Market Recovering?
“The Chinese art market, ravaged by the collapse in prices that saw the disappearance of scores of galleries in the first months of this year, has witnessed the first tentative signs of recovery, underwritten by significant regional government investment in both Shanghai and Beijing.”
Julius Shulman, 98
His “luminous photographs of homes and buildings brought fame to a number of mid-20th century modernist architects and made him a household name in the architectural world. Starting with Richard Neutra in 1936, Shulman’s roster of clients read like a who’s who of pioneering contemporary architecture.”
White House Puts Out A Call For More Diverse Art
“The Obamas have been quietly notifying an array of public institutions, dealers and collectors that they are looking to borrow first-rate art of a more recent vintage to display in the White House with an emphasis on works by black, Hispanic, Asian and female artists.”
Yet More Evidence That Artists Are Insane
“We’re all familiar with the stereotype of the tortured artist. Salvador Dali’s various disorders and Sylvia Plath’s depression spring to mind. Now new research seems to show why: a genetic mutation linked to psychosis and schizophrenia also influences creativity.”
La Scala Makes Its First Visit To Israel
With Daniel Barenboim as conductor, the Milan company has celebrated Tel Aviv’s 100th anniversary with a staged Aida at the city’s Performing Arts Center and a free performance of Verdi’s Requiem for thousands at Yarkon Park.
Women Weigh In On Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist: Cinematic Brilliance Or Sick And Twisted Misogyny?
“Here is a film that explicitly confronts the director’s intertwined fears of primal nature and female sexuality. But does a fear of femaleness automatically equate to hatred? I’m not convinced that it does.” Half a dozen prominent women consider the towering scandal of this year’s art-film circuit.
Charge: Film Distributors Biased Against Black Leads
“The ‘invisible art’ of film distribution wields significant power when it comes to who and what we see in cinemas. And some believe that distributors are still reluctant when it comes to promoting black stars in leading roles in an industry lagging far behind television and theatre — with black women faring worst.”
Vatican Accepts Oscar Wilde Into The Fold
“In life, he was about as likely to get an audience with the Pope as Pontius Pilate. Now, more than a century after his death, Oscar Wilde,” who converted to Catholicism on his deathbed, “has been claimed by The Vatican as one of its own. … Moves to rehabilitate Wilde began two years ago when his aphorisms were included in a collection of maxims and witticisms for Christians published by Father Leonardo Sapienza, head of protocol at the Vatican.”
Sears Tower Takes A New Name, And Its Identity Blurs
“How would New Yorkers feel if the owners of the Empire State or Chrysler Buildings sold off the naming rights to those buildings? How would Parisians react if the Eiffel Tower changed names? … Putting your name on the city’s–and the nation’s–tallest building is a privilege that should be earned, not simply coaxed out of owners in a real estate deal.”