Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
How “The Godfather” Changed The Movie Business 50 Years Ago
It earned $100 million faster than any film before it. And having cost less than $7 million to make, it was so profitable that...
How Larry Gagosian Built An Artworld Empire With Russian Oligarchs
One art world source dubbed Gagosian “the official art dealer to the Russian oligarchy,” adding that “the Bond villains he consorts with are dangerous,...
Museums Protest Russia’s War, But Rich Buyers Keep Buying Russian
The art world rarely wades so publicly into political upheaval, but the war in Ukraine is striking a nerve, particularly among museums in Europe that are...
Techtopia: When Work Becomes The New Religion
The larger problem with worshipping work is that it sucks up employees’ interest and energy in any kind of civic engagement in neighborhoods, cities,...
Twelve Essential Books To Understanding Putin, Russia And Ukraine
In the two major library systems I patronize, every title on Ukraine, Russia and Putin I have sought in the last week is checked...
A Way To Save The Oscars? Cut The Cord!
Cutting the cord and streaming the Oscars is the obvious move for the Academy to get the show out of its current audience-dwindling funk....
Is Dudamel The Future Of The NY Philharmonic?
The symbolism was unavoidable. Van Zweden — who said in September that he would be leaving in 2024, opening up one of the world’s most prestigious...
What Has Happened To NPR?
Overnight, the network’s entire orientation had changed. Every segment was about race, and when it wasn’t about race, it was about gender. The stories...
Valery Gergiev Is Selling $150 Million Worth Of Properties In Italy
The properties include a villa on the Amalfi Coast, complete with Roman ruins and an Aragon tower in the garden, the Palazzo Barbarigo on...
Kyiv Orchestra Performs In City’s Central Square
The very site of the outdoor concert by the Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra symbolized their defiance: the Maidan, Kyiv’s central square, the focal point of...
Montreal Symphony Cancels Performance By Young Russian Pianist Even Though He Spoke Out Against...
The decision followed a request by members of the Ukrainian community that the orchestra cancel Alexander Malofeev’s performances. Initially, the OSM declined, noting that...
Jazz Trumpeter Ron Miles, 58
Miles, a Grammy-nominated trumpeter and composer who was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2017, had recently canceled a public performance at...
The Cardiff Philharmonic Canceled A Tchaikowsky Performance. Its Reasoning Demonstrates A Moral Quandry
That list doesn’t make for a snappy headline, but it does demonstrate good sense — a quality that’s been in short supply as people...
First Encounters: Making Art For/With Babies
“Because it is the babies who train us really in what works for them and that is crucial. I can’t imagine making the work...
Starchitecture Dreaming: Their Dystopian Dreams Of Conquering Nature
As more become victims of the city’s fantasies of walling itself off from the climate crisis, what is increasingly obvious is the city’s willingness...
TikTok Announces New Program To Pay Musicians
The service will allow musicians to upload songs directly to the app and receive royalties for plays, managed through a designated artists' platform. The...
What Ukrainian Literature Says About Ukraine’s Relationship With Russia
Ukrainians frequently speak of the need to become Ukrainians: to consolidate their culture, language, and institutions after centuries of imperial domination. What Ukrainians see...
The Ukraine Cultural Sites At Risk Of Being Destroyed
A lot has already been lost or destroyed. Museums in the homes of folk artists and folk production are found throughout the country. - The...
Jed Perl: An Argument For “Freestanding Art”
Living as we are, in a time of social, political, economic, and environmental crisis, I believe we must resist the temptation to view the...
Study: Student Reading Facility Declined During The Pandemic
As the pandemic enters its third year, a cluster of new studies now show that about a third of children in the youngest grades are missing reading benchmarks, up...
Scientists Turn To Bacteria To Clean Michelangelo Sculpture
Scientists tested 11 strains of bacteria on marble before it was decided that three non-toxic varieties would be the most effective for Michelangelo’s masterpiece. Serratia...
Humana Festival Says It Won’t Do Festival
The Humana Festival of New American Plays, as envisioned prior to the Global Pandemic, has inspired a new approach to develop and produce new...
Getty Sues Hedge Fund Over Massive Losses
The Getty invested $60 million in the fund, which was titled “structured alpha,” in 2016. Three years later, the investment had grown to $73...
Why We’re Built To Forget
It used to be thought that forgetting anything — from minor things like the name of a casual acquaintance to the more painful loss...
Tracking The Word Choice Vectors In Rap Music
There’s an appealingly simple sociolinguistic view, one my grizzled inner skeptic appears to have embraced, whereby words function as vectors of status: where vocabulary...
