Museums – their acquisition budgets getting smaller – have been cultivating young collectors by offering special services. “The most important thing these groups offer: insider access, invaluable in the insular and clubby art world. Want behind-the-scenes access to museum collections and staff? Members of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Apollo Circle attend exclusive curator-led workshops on topics like developing a ‘collector’s eye’ or the importance of art conservation. A few blocks down, at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Whitney Contemporaries meet regularly with curators, trustees and director Adam Weinberg…”
Tag: 10.28.05
Les Miz Turns 20
It was 20 years ago last week that Les Miserables opened in London. Produced worldwide since then, “Les Miz,” as it is popularly known (or “The Glums”), “has so far been performed in 38 countries in 21 languages,” and “a licensed schools edition has seen 3,000 amateur productions.” It has “penetrated deep into the cultural life of a generation – and there are no signs of an abatement. Why has this happened?”
Hirst Tops The Power 100, But What Does It All Mean?
Is Damien Hirst the most powerful figure in the art world? ArtReview magazine’s widely respected list of the Power 100 says he is, but what does such power mean in a highly fragmented age? And more importantly, does the dramatic shift between last year’s list and this year’s edition mean that the art world now moves so quickly that power can no longer be measured as it once was? Maybe, but for the moment, ArtReview’s list still serves as an important harbinger of what’s to come in art over the next year.
Picasso Vase Headlines Auction
“A ceramic vase by Pablo Picasso sold for 33,600 pounds ($59,600) at a London auction of more than 100 Picasso ceramic works, Sotheby’s auction house said today. At 75.5 centimetres, the painted and glazen earthenware vase entitled ‘Tripode’ is one of the artist’s largest ceramic pieces, and was the most coveted item [in] yesterday’s auction.”
Detroit Jazz Festival Talking About A Plan…
Last week, a Detroit philanthropist said she’d invest $10 million in continuing the troubled Detroit Jazz Festival. But only if the Music Hall, current operators of the festival, severed their ties. By late in the week Music Hall leaders expressed optimism “that the festival could be restructured without completely severing ties with Music Hall, which has produced the event since 1994, often struggling in recent years to make ends meet.”
Study: Men Are Drifting Away From Magazines
A study by Time, Inc, “the world’s largest magazine publisher, finds a new, noticeable slide in men’s magazine usage, while women’s usage is holding steady. A mere five years ago there was no gender gap. Time Inc.’s research found that men spend more time with new media than women, which may account for the decline. Thus the distortion of long-held media habits continues.”
Are Video Games Ready For Serious Work?
“‘Serious gaming’ is the idea of using gaming technology, gaming theory and those kinds of things to understand complex dynamic processes. For example, powerful computer hardware and software have been used for years to help train pilots and other operators of complex machines. And as graphical capabilities continue to expand, such simulations have expanded to other areas — virtual worlds where soldiers can learn how to fight in urban surroundings, or doctors can practice difficult surgical procedures.”
CBC Boss Faces Sharp Questions
CBC president Robert Rabinovitch appeared before a parliamentary committee Thursday to answer questions about the company’s recent lockout. “The questioning from the members of Parliament on the committee was sharp and accusatory, blaming Rabinovitch for locking out workers for nearly two months and breaking management’s commitment to CBC viewers and listeners, let alone to its workers.”
All Naxos, All Online
Naxos has made its catalog of 75,000 tracks available for downloading. “From the Music Library, subscribing institutions can stream any Naxos title, and the company hopes to make this service available to individual subscribers in the future. Naxos Web Radio streams 72 channels of music programmed by genre for an annual fee.”
NY Phil Merges With Louisiana Phil For Concert
“The New York Philharmonic entwines itself with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in a joint concert to support the New Orleans-based musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina.”