Does war really spur writers to churn out great works, as conventional wisdom holds? “Closer examination reveals precisely the opposite to be the case. The library of war writing is so vast as to be beyond the comprehension of any single reader, critic or scholar, but the amount of it that can be called literature is astonishingly small.”
Tag: 12.11.02
The Importance Of The Arts Patron
“Popular opinion would have you believe that the classic arts patron — the wealthy individual who forges private relationships to nurture a favourite artist as much as their own ego — was long ago eclipsed by the equalizing power of the state. But there will always be a certain type of patron who quietly stands in the shadows, providing the financial means and emotional support that allows their hand-picked protégés to survive — and sometimes thrive.”
Leaving On A High Note
Rarely does the head of a national arts funding organization receive as much praise at the end of her tenure as at the beginning, but Shirley Thomson, who steps down from the head of the Canada Council on the Arts this month, may be the exception. “Ask almost anybody in the arts about Thomson — and, believe me, I’ve done a survey — and the superlatives come thick and fast.”
“Walter The Ripper” Doesn’t Have Quite The Same Ring To It
Novelist Patricia Cornwell knows who Jack the Ripper was. Or she says she does. Others may disagree, (‘others’ being defined in this case as ‘every criminologist in the UK,’) but Cornwell insists that British painter Walter Sickert can be conclusively linked to the notorious killing spree in late-19th century London through letters and other written material previously dismissed as hoaxes.
“Walter The Ripper” Doesn’t Have Quite The Same Ring To It
Novelist Patricia Cornwell knows who Jack the Ripper was. Or she says she does. Others may disagree, (‘others’ being defined in this case as ‘every criminologist in the UK,’) but Cornwell insists that British painter Walter Sickert can be conclusively linked to the notorious killing spree in late-19th century London through letters and other written material previously dismissed as hoaxes.
If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Bill ‘Em
In a move which could start a worldwide trend, a Danish anti-piracy group has begun sending bills to users of file-sharing services such as Kazaa, demanding that the pirates pay for all the titles displayed in their shared download folders. The payments are then sent to the appropriate copyright holders. The action is already having an effect – fewer users are trading Danish material online, and U.S. companies are monitoring the action closely.
Major Dance Competition To Sydney
“For the first time, the Genee International Ballet Competition – world’s major dance competition – will be held outside London. A record number of participants – more than 90 – have taken up the challenge, with the finals to be held on Sunday at the Sydney Opera House.”
New York’s New Museums
The economy may be dragging, but a handful of new museums is in the works in New York. They include a museum devoted primarily to Himalayan and Tibetan painting. Also, “the New Museum of Contemporary Art in SoHo, the quarter-century-old bastion of cutting-edge art, is planning to build a new $35-million, 60,000-square-foot home along a motley stretch of the Bowery.”
We’re Keeping The Loot
How did the directors of 18 of the world’s major museums come to sign a declaration against returning long-held antiquities in their collections to countries of origin? Evidently it was instigated by the British museum, even though the museum is not listed as a signatory. “Today museums would not condone what people did 200 years ago. But you cannot rewrite history. Those were different times, with different ethics and different mores.”
Mostly Mozart Names New Leader
Last summer, Lincoln Center canceled all of its Mostly Mozart Festival orchestra concerts after a labor dispute with musicians. Some thought the festival might be canceled or radically remade. Now a new director has been named. Louis Longrée, 41, “recently completed a stint as music director of Glyndebourne Touring Opera and regularly conducts at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in England.”