“A Washington Post analysis of all 92 known proposed indecency fines shows that the agency’s record of policing the airwaves has been undermined by plodding investigations, insufficient fine amounts and inconsistent follow-up.”
Tag: 11.10.05
A Starchitect Plan For The United Nations Neighborhood
Architects Richard Meier and David M. Childs have unveiled a master plan for four buildings, a park and an ice rink on part of an enormous nine-acre site near the United Nations. “They say the designs, filed with the city last week as part of an environmental assessment statement, will restore a sense of the Manhattan grid to the edge of the East River. The project is part of a four-parcel property between 35th and 41st Streets that Sheldon H. Solow, the developer, bought from Con Edison for $630 million in a deal approved last year.”
David Smith Sculpture Sells For Record Price
Larry Gagosian, the Manhattan dealer, fought off five aggressive bidders and paid $23.8 million at Sotheby’s for David Smith’s “CUBI XXVIII” (1965), the last of the artist’s renowned Cubi series. “The reason for the high price was plain to lovers of contemporary art: this elegantly composed melding of boxes and columns may be the last example of the series to come on the market for some time. Most of the others are in museums or collections where they will stay for generations. So this last-chance opportunity was irresistible, which is why the sculpture’s final price was nearly double its high estimate, $12 million.”
Restoring Forbidden City
The Chinese government is spending 1.5 billion Yuan ($185 million) to restore the Forbidden City over the next 15 years.” Work has already started, and scaffolding now covers dozens of buildings in the complex. Projects along the central axis are scheduled for completion by 2008, in time for the Olympic Games in Beijing.” The restoration often takes the form of replacement of worn materials.
The “Messiah” Network
“Nobody does Messiah like the English. We own the score (at the British Library), the language, the history, the continuity, the board game. We have the music in our bloodstream, the motives in our national character. Band Aid, Live Aid and all similar philanthropic outpourings are, wittingly or not, offshoots of Handelâs example in his London Messiah. So when some continental comes along with a baton and tells us weâre doing it all wrong, we canât count crotchets in Comfort-Ye or tell a pp from a ppp, weâre not, for once, going to nod obeisance and say musical Europe always knows best. Hands to ears, we English donât need be to be told how to sing Messiah, right?”
Getty Returns Art To Italy
The Getty Museum has returned three artworks to Italy. “Among the pieces returned is a 2,300-year-old Greek vase, known as a krater, painted by Asteas. A bronze Etruscan candelabrum and stone inscription were also returned. The Italian government had filed a claim with Los Angeles legal authorities. The museum is hoping to build goodwill with the Italians ahead of further lawsuits involving 42 pieces of art in the collection of the Getty museum.”
Guessing What’s Ahead In Pittsburgh
As Pittsburgh braces for the impact of the touring Radio City Christmas Spectacular to hit local arts groups, arts leaders are discovering that there’s just no way to tell in advance what that impact will be. A holiday entertainment glut is a possibility, which might see ticketbuyers shunning the same old Nutcracker performances in favor of the shiny new Rockettes. But the expected 30% spike in winter heating costs could also cause sales slumps all around. In any case, the beleagured Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre doesn’t need the new headache.
Why Does Looking At Art Have To Be So Loud?
If you’ve noticed that museums and galleries seem to be getting louder in recent years, you’re not alone. Sound bleeding from those headphone-equipped self-guided tours mingles with the shrieks of schoolchildren and leaves some art lovers decidedly irritated. “It’s certainly become increasingly difficult to tour a gallery or museum without being assailed by extraneous sound, and virtually impossible to look at a painting or sculpture in any sort of contemplative tranquillity. Galleries and museums used to be regarded as temples of art, to be approached with a certain reverence – glass cases, do not touch. Now it’s all lights up, hands-on and enjoy.”
The Prodigy Problem
Stephen Moss has never been a fan of the hype surrounding child musical prodigies. “Great classical musicians should be planets, not meteors; careers built steadily, stealthily. A violinist, bowing arm permitting, can last 40 years; a pianist 60. When you are 12, don’t play Carnegie Hall, play football.” But upon meeting four of Britain’s hottest young musicians, Moss finds that they have many of the same concerns he does: “Being labelled a prodigy can be a curse. It can be dangerous because it’s not about the music; it’s about business and hype… Young people are children first. They have social and emotional needs, and they must be in balance if the individual is to achieve his or her potential.”
Is The Aboriginal Art Market Overvalued?
Aboriginal art has become a booming industry in Australia, despite the inherent complications of marketing and trading in a product manufactured by artists whose culture does not accept Western ideas of ownership. But the craze seems to be beginning to die down, and “amid the frenzied buying and selling, with important Aboriginal art objects changing hands as often as several times a year, there is still a pervasive anxiety that Aboriginal art might be a con.”