CultureGrrl

Lee Rosenbaum's cultural commentary

Archives for September 2006

To My WSJ/Klimt Linkers

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A lot of Wall Street Journal readers are flocking to CultureGrrl today, thanks to the mention in Eric Gibson's "Taste" page article yesterday. Please go here to see the full post that he refers to. Like all interviewees who bristle at soundbites, I don't feel that Eric's one-sentence quote quite captures the brilliantly insightful nuances of my thoughtful discourse on the … [Read more...] about To My WSJ/Klimt Linkers

The Times Got it Right

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...in 1961. One of the most fascinating artifacts in the Bob Dylan show that opened today at the Morgan Library and Museum was this article from the NY Times, which exactly 45 years ago today reviewed the little-known 20-year-old's set at Gerde's Folk City and essentially launched Dylan's career. The article caught the attention of John Hammond of Columbia Records. The rest is … [Read more...] about The Times Got it Right

What Ever Happened to Max Anderson?

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The former director of the Whitney Museum got snubbed in the "Acknowledgements" section of the catalogue for that museum's current Picasso show, which gives credit to Adam Weinberg, in his capacities as former curator of the permanent collection and current director; David Ross, another former director; Leonard Lauder, chairman; and even Willard Holmes, Anderson's deputy … [Read more...] about What Ever Happened to Max Anderson?

The Show Fizzles, but Picasso Still Sizzles

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What a letdown: The Whitney Museum invests 10 years, big bucks and high hopes on its "Picasso and American Art" exhibition, and it doesn't only get thumbs down from CultureGrrl. Michael Kimmelman, in today's NY Times, dismisses it in much the same terms. On Thursday morning, CultureGrrl said: A show with such a large lackluster component takes a big gamble that its academic … [Read more...] about The Show Fizzles, but Picasso Still Sizzles

The New Museum: Ready for Its Close-Up

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How cool is this? The New Museum, getting ever newer, has a webcam trained on the active construction site for its new building designed by the Tokyo-based firm of Sejima and Nishizawa/SANAA. With the director of the Metropolitan Museum explicitly stating that he's reluctant to acquire the art of the current generation, and with the Museum of Modern Art acting clueless on … [Read more...] about The New Museum: Ready for Its Close-Up

The Grrl and MAN, Together Again

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CultureGrrl and Modern Art Notes both get mentions for our blogged Klimt observations, in Eric Gibson's article on the "Taste" page of today's Wall Street Journal. I'm a bit concerned that Eric's article seems to suggest that I don't believe that the recipients of restituted art have the right to do with it what they want. As I stated in the post that he alludes to, I certainly … [Read more...] about The Grrl and MAN, Together Again

More on Ground Zero

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There is one passage in Ada Louise Huxtable's bravura performance in today's WSJ (which I highly praised yesterday) that particularly arrested me, because it comes very close to mentioning an unmentionable truth: An earlier skyline, dominated by earlier icons, the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, had a richness and variety not yet diminished by the brutal breaking of scale … [Read more...] about More on Ground Zero

Why Is This Man Smiling?

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...because he's signing an accord to turn over to Italy 13 antiquities from his museum's collection---objects that Italy says were illicitly removed from their country of origin. The agreement, signed today in Rome by Malcolm Rogers (above), director of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, not only includes provisions for cooperation on exhibitions, conservation, archeology and … [Read more...] about Why Is This Man Smiling?

Picasso Morass at the Whitney

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Aspiring artists sometimes attempt to copy a painting that is on display in a museum's gallery: It's a useful, hands-on approach to learning about the masters and their techniques. But the knock-off is never a great work in its own right: It's a step on the path to developing one's own style and vision. I thought of this as I wondered about the many derivative, lesser works … [Read more...] about Picasso Morass at the Whitney

Power to the Critics: Deconstructing Ground Zero

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James Russell is, as I have said, one of my favorite writers on architecture. Ada Louise Huxtable IS my favorite writer on architecture. And when it comes to Ground Zero, these two exemplary voices are in harmony. Ada Louise's piece in tomorrow's (Thursday's) Wall Street Journal is the most passionately persuasive piece of activist architectural criticism that I have ever … [Read more...] about Power to the Critics: Deconstructing Ground Zero

More on Mona Lisa

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Today's NY Times article about "the first major scientific analysis of the 'Mona Lisa' in 50 years," coupled with the Guardian article that I discussed earlier today, leads to the inescapable conclusion that Leonardo's iconic masterpiece desperately needs a good cleaning. But it's probably the one painting that can never be cleaned. Imagine the controversy and uproar that would … [Read more...] about More on Mona Lisa

The Grrl vs. MAN, Round 3: The Bloch-Bauer Klimts

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Now Tyler, please don't reach for your blogroll eraser, but your story in the current Fortune magazine about Ronald Lauder's purchase of the Klimt is so important that it demands some reaction from CultureGrrl. The story is a must-read for giving us the first detailed look at how the Klimt deal went down. I was particularly struck by this passage, which indicates that I might … [Read more...] about The Grrl vs. MAN, Round 3: The Bloch-Bauer Klimts

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