Entries categorized as ‘Above the fold’
A round-up of the latest news in the arts world.
A $27 million creation museum will open in Kentucky on May 28. Scenes include humans and dinosaurs cohabiting and Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Many of the exhibits were designed by Patrick Marsh, who also designed the “Jaws” and “King Kong” attractions at Universal Studios in Florida.
For those who don’t have the time to read “War and Peace”, a new website, dailylit.com, sends daily sections of classic literature to inboxes and hand-held devices for free (you can read Tolstoy’s classic in 675 parts). The website will soon expand to include recent works as well, and will likely then start charging. I wonder if comedian Sasha Baron Cohen’s new travel guides “Borat: Touristic Guidings To Minor Nation of U.S. and A.” and “Borat: Touristic Guidings To Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” will be included in the collection.
At the Lawson-Menzies Aboriginal Art Auction in Sydney, Australia, last night, the Aboriginal painting “Earth’s Creation” by Emily Kame Kngwarreye, sold for just over $1 million, the highest amount ever for a piece of indigenous Australian artwork.
Categories: Above the fold
A round-up of some of the latest news in the arts world.
John Studzinski of Blackstone LLP has donated £5 million ($9.87 million) to the Tate Modern for the museum’s expansion plans, estimated to cost £215 million ($425 million), which will include the construction of an 11-story glass building on the south side of the gallery.
Joost, a peer-to-peer online application (from the creators of Skype) that allows users to watch streaming TV on their desktops, has just signed a deal with Creative Artists Agency to increase content and distribution. As of now, Joost has 150 content channels and distribution deals with Viacom, CBS and Turner Networks.
Khaled Hosseini, author of the “The Kite Runner”, which has sold almost 5 million copies in the US alone, has released his second novel “A Thousand Splendid Sons”. Mr Hosseini’s new book tells the story of two very different Afghan women married to the same man, who begin as rivals but soon form a bond as they struggle to live an increasingly perilous Afghanistan.
Employees at the Hilligoss Galleries in Chicago believe that a middle-aged couple is responsible for the theft on Sunday of the 370-year-old Rembrandt etching “Adam and Eve”, worth about $60,000.
Categories: Above the fold
A round-up of the latest news in the arts world.
“Shrek the Third” grossed $122.9 million during its opening weekend at theatres across America, making it the largest opening for an animated movie ever, and the third-largest film debut ever.
Last night at the Drama Desk Awards, often considered a precursor to the Tony Awards, “The Coast of Utopia”, a trilogy of plays about 19th-century Russia, won seven awards, including best drama, while “Spring Awakening”, a rock musical based on a 19th century German play, won four, including one for outstanding musical.
Michael Moore’s newest work “Sicko”, a film about health care in America, made waves at the Cannes Film Festival this weekend (and not just over Mr Moore’s trip to Cuba). The film has so far received surprisingly positive reviews.
Britney Spears eat your heart out. Scantily clad pop singers and controversial music videos in the Middle East are becoming increasingly popular and perhaps even more provocative.
Categories: Above the fold
A round-up of some of the latest news in the arts world.
A new show at the Bruce Museum in Connecticut entitled “Fakes and Forgeries: The Art of Deception” displays forgeries of works by Andy Worhol, Giacometti and Matissee.
The Cannes Film Festival continues, with Jerry Seinfeld floating around as a giant bee to promote his newest film Bee Movie, set to open in the fall. Also, Universal Pictures has struck a deal to finance and sell a package of five movies to be made through a new partnership between Mexican filmmakers Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, whose recent works include “Children of Men,” “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Babel”, respectively.
“Shrek the Third” opens tonight in theatres across America, and has received mixed reviews from critics, who neverthelesss admit that the movie is still funny, and still appeals to both adults and children.
Categories: Above the fold
A round-up of the latest news in the arts world.
Another record-setting auction of contemporary art took place at Christie’s auction house last night, where sales totaled $384.6 million, setting records for 26 different artists, including Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns. Mr Warhol’s “Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I)” sold for $71.7 million.
New York Magazine speculates that The New York Times was wrong when they said a bearded man bought the Rothko painting that sold for $72.8 million at Sotheby’s the other night, reporting instead that it was more likely bought over the phone by a Russian.
Ozzy Osborne, rock legend, is set to release his first album in six years on May 22nd. For a look at some of his favorite rock albums, click here.
The online-retail site Amazon.com has announced that it will begin selling MP3’s through an online digital music store that could become a competitor to Apple’s dominant iTunes Music Store.
Categories: Above the fold
A round-up of the latest news in the arts world.
The American Ballet Theatre opened its spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House with a star-studded gala and a sampling of the season to come, including excerpts from “Romeo and Juliet”, “Sleeping Beauty” , “Othello” and “Swan Lake”.
Sotheby’s auction of contemporary art last night reached record total sales of $254.87 million for the 65 pieces being sold. Amongst the highest-selling paintings, Mark Rothko’s “White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose)” sold for a whopping $72.84 million. However, Jackson Pollock’s “Number 16, 1949,” only sold for 17.5 million, missing the museum’s $18-25 million estimate.
The 60th Cannes Film Festival has begun and will run until the end of May. “My BlueBerry Nights”, a love story directed by Wong Kar Wai and staring Norah Jones and Jude Law, will open the festival tonight.
Ralph Lauren just opened his first store in Russia, the country of his family’s origin, and the inspiration for a number of his collections.
Categories: Above the fold
A round-up of the latest news in the arts world.
Nominees for this years Tony awards were announced today. “Spring Awakening“, a rock musical based on a 19th century German play about sexually anguished teenagers, received 11 nominations. Meanwhile, “Grey Gardens“, a drama about two eccentric relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy, and “The Coast of Utopia” a trilogy about the lives of Russian intellectuals in the 19th century, both picked up 10 nominations. Complete coverage of the nominees can be found here. The awards will be held on June 10th at Radio City Music Hall.
NBC has announced its not particularly exciting new line-up, which includes a couple new dramas and the return of Jerry Seinfeld in 3-minute long “minisodes”.
Paul McCartney’s new solo album “Memory Almost Full” will be released digitally, along with the rest of his solo works. The word is still out though, if Beatles albums will soon follow.
Categories: Above the fold
A round-up of the latest news in the arts world.
As we mentioned earlier, a collection of Edward Hoppers works will be on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston until August 19th. The New Yorker’s Peter Schjeldahl offers his perspective on Mr Hopper’s works, as well as another look at some of the works on display.
Marija Serifovic of Serbia has won Eurovision 2007 for her ballad “Molitva” (“A Prayer”), much to the excitement of the 30,000 Serbians who welcomed her back to Belgrade last night.
At Grévin, Paris’ wax museum, Nicolas Sarkozy, newly elected French president, has already replaced Jacques Chirac at the centre of the museum’s display of current heads of state which includes the likes of Vladimir Putin and George Bush. Mr Chirac won’t be alone for long though: Tony Blair will join him at the back of the display soon enough.
Want to work on your tan while getting your summer dosage of dance? Dance festivals will do the trick.
Categories: Above the fold
A round-up of the latest news in the arts world.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art debuted the collection “Poiret: King of Fashion” this week, a tribute to the French designer Paul Poiret. The exhibit displays 50 of the revolutionary designer’s garmets in front of hand-painted, silk backdrops that set the tone for his designs. It will run until August 5th.
About 80 pieces of art are missing from L’Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, a museum devoted to Middle Eastern civilisation. It has yet to be determined whether or not the works were stolen, a seemingly hard feat considering the museum’s elaborate security system. Perhaps more surprising, though– some of the works are not catalogued within the museum and are not insured.
Rock photographer Mick Rock, who has photographed the likes of Blondie, Ziggie StarDust, and more recently, The Killers, is releasing an archive of his material on DVD towards the end of May. In the process, he is opening up about his work and former lifestyle.
For those of you wondering exactly when Johnny Depp will next rock your world on the silver screen while wearing eyeliner, fear not. Don’t worry about the wait either, from the looks of it, “Hot Fuzz” should hold you off until then.
Categories: Above the fold
A round-up of the latest news in the arts world.
Bidding was surprisingly high on the 61 pieces at Sotheby’s auction of Impressionistic and Modern art on Tuesday night–the auction’s total sales were $278.5 million. Highlights of the night include works by Gaicometti, Picasso and four works by Cezanne, one of which, his “Still Life with Green Melon” sold for 25.5 million–7 million above Sotheby’s estimate.
The San Francisco Ballet just announced plans for its 75th anniversary season, which will include 10 new works, a four-city tour as well as guest appearances by the New York City Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo.
An employee of the Smithsonian Institute fired for reporting that officials of the National Air and Space Museum misused the museum’s restoration facility has been reinstated by a federal board.
Recently announced nominees for the Tate Modern’s 2007 Turner Prize include a model of a Marks & Spencer store as well as a reproduction of Brian Haw’s protest in Parliament Square.
Categories: Above the fold
