MODERN WORTH

Old master paintings come to us with a history of consideration and validation. But what makes a piece of contemporary art a masterpiece? “To find out, ARTnews asked eight people, including art historians, museum directors, curators, and an artist, to discuss what they consider to be the greatest works of three pivotal artists of the last 50 years: Jasper Johns (b. 1930), Andy Warhol (1928-87), and Gerhard Richter (b. 1932). Each focused on one of the artists while sometimes commenting on the others.” – ARTnews

SPACEY RAISES MONEY

Actor Kevin Spacey is in London pounding the pavers trying to raise £1 million from 200-350 investors to create a foundation to fund plays and other theatrical events. “I don’t think the fund managers knew what to expect when they turned up and at first they just sat there, arms folded and looking pretty skeptical. By the time Kevin had done his bit a lot of them were ready to invest.” – The Guardian

GLASGOW ART SUFFERING

“Few cities in the world, let alone the UK, have public displays of old masters and cutting-edge local art to rival the works that can be seen on the walls of the Kelvingrove, or the Burrell collection in Glasgow. But unless a £10 million shortfall in funding can be found, masterpieces by the likes of Rembrandt, Botticelli and Turner – some worth far more than the grandiose buildings in which they are housed – will deteriorate beyond the point where they can be restored.” – The Scotsman

WILL THE REAL MOSCOW PHILHARMONIC PLEASE STAND UP

A miracle has been reported in Hong Kong: apparently the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra was in two places at the same time – Asia and Europe! Either that or a group of Russian musicians masquerading as the MPO sold tens of thousands of dollars in tickets to unknowing Hong Kong music-lovers…who may begin demanding their money back. – South China Morning Post

AUDIENCE WONDERS WHETHER TO ASK FOR MONEY BACK: Hong Kong’s music lovers are having to face the embarrassment that no one spotted their mistake. – BBC

MYTHS OF THE NEW

One of the dominant myths of our time is that all art that preceded modernism’s shock of the new was mediocre, overseen by a dour old-boy network, needlessly preoccupied with realistic representation, calculated to avoid inflaming barely curtailed passions, contrived to ignore simmering class hatreds, and devoutly uninterested in the sort of true truth of human experience, concealed and overt, that had been explored by Sigmund Freud. – Feed 09/01/00