Last week it was revealed that the National Gallery of Australia had known about the presence of bugs that cause Legionnaire’s disease for at least five years. Further investigation shows the gallery’s director sent a letter of concern about the bug problem just days before a high-profile Matisse exhibition – and managed to keep her letter out of the official registry and away from the press. – Sydney Morning Herald
Tag: 08.23.00
HISTORY OF UNREST
A number of prominent artists have come out in support of striking workers in the four-month-long strike at the Museum of Modern Art. MoMA director Glenn Lowry had similar troubles at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, where he was director from 1990 to 1994. “During that time, labour unrest roiled the gallery as Lowry oversaw enormous cutbacks in the budget. After the provincial government slashed funding in 1992, Lowry laid off half the staff of 450 and extended a planned three-month closing for renovations by an additional four months. Many felt the gallery suffered afterward from his extreme approach.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
TRIPLE CELEBRATION
This year is the 200th anniversary of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, opened as the Nationale Konst-Galllerij in 1800. “Since the emphasis of the museum’s collections has always been on the art of the Dutch Golden Age, what more appropriate than a giant show to mark the millennium, the bicentenary, and the initiation of a major structural overhaul for the fabric of the museum itself?” – The Times (UK)
HIRST UNDER GLASS
Damien Hirst has pickled cows to sharks. So what’s the subject of his latest artwork? “In a piece titled “Contemplating a Self Portrait (as a Pharmacist)”, Hirst has taken the trappings of the figurative painter; easel, canvas, smock, palette, brushes and tubes of oil paint, and encased them in a series of glass boxes.” – The Guardian
ODE TO PIERRE BOULEZ
“To those who whine, who doubt his importance to our times and to the future – a warning. To Boulez we owe the most influential musical changes of our lifetime – as a conductor, composer, educator, programme planner and superior being, he has embraced an international state of artistic achievement, and wrestled, built and triumphed on all our behalfs. He has educated a whole generation of musicians – and happily, ecstatically even, it was mine – evangelising for rhythm and form over mere miasma of sound or texture, and has been bold for all who would be creative, insisting on rigour in intellect, opinion, art and its practice.” – The Scotsman
ACTING HONORS
Who was the greatest actor in the English-speaking world? Gielgud? Olivier? Richardson? Guinness? Frederick Valk? – New York Times
CYBER-ACTING
- The technology is here to allow producers to use digital actors instead of live ones. Does that mean real actors will be out of work? “Producers and directors who think virtual actors will be easier to work with than their human counterparts are also deluding themselves. The truth is that instead of one creative temperament or sensibility to deal with, you have 50. It’s simply better and cheaper to use a real actor.” – Backstage
CONDUCTOR SUES ORCHESTRA
A former conductor of a Montreal orchestra has sued the orchestra for breach of contract. He claims the orchestra board pressured him to fire some musicians and he quit instead. – CBC
ODE TO PIERRE BOULEZ
“To those who whine, who doubt his importance to our times and to the future – a warning. To Boulez we owe the most influential musical changes of our lifetime – as a conductor, composer, educator, programme planner and superior being, he has embraced an international state of artistic achievement, and wrestled, built and triumphed on all our behalfs. He has educated a whole generation of musicians – and happily, ecstatically even, it was mine – evangelising for rhythm and form over mere miasma of sound or texture, and has been bold for all who would be creative, insisting on rigour in intellect, opinion, art and its practice.” – The Scotsman
DRESS CODES FOR FAT FIDDLERS
Leonard Slatkin spoke up this weekend about the proper attire for women violinists in his orchestra: “I tend to favour covered arms, especially among the violinists. You don’t want to see too much flapping about. Then there’s the problem of women in trousers. If you’re slightly heavy in the rear end department, it does not look too good. Of course, not everyone acknowledges that and no one’s going to tell them, which is why we need an across-the-board rule.” – The Times (UK)