An antiques enthusiast came across the Ming Dynasty-era piece and thought it could be something special when browsing a yard sale in the New Haven area last year, according to Sotheby’s. The buyer later emailed information and photos to Sotheby’s asking for an evaluation. - HuffPost
"First things first: It will not tell you how much money Drake made from Spotify; in fact there are no artist names on the site at all. Instead," Loud & Clear (as it's called) "'aims to increase transparency by sharing new data on the global streaming economy and breaking down the royalty system, the players, and the process.'" -...
"Some of these informal gatherings have flourished as people who once shied away from writing groups — because of the time commitment, commute or intimidation factor of a room full of aspiring authors — are finding that the pandemic has lowered the barriers to entry." - The New York Times
"The blueprint for the plan, which is called 'The BBC Across the U.K.,' commits at least an extra £700 million ($978 million), cumulatively, across the country by 2027/2028. … The expansion also includes the relocation of 400 positions, with half from BBC News and the other half from radio. Around 200-300 new roles in local content journalism will also...
"The musicians, and most of the Met's workers, were furloughed in April, shortly after the pandemic forced the opera house to close. Months later, the Met offered the musicians partial pay in exchange for significant long-term cuts, but their union objected. Then the Met softened its position: Since the end of December, it has been offering to pay the...
"Douglas Baxter and Susan Dunne, who have worked at the dealership for decades, are leaving the gallery" in a restructuring of top management. "Their exits coincide with news that Pace has concluded its legal investigation into misconduct allegations facing the two gallery presidents." - Artnet
"Pap Ndiaye, a historian and academic of Senegalese and French descent, was last month appointed to revitalize the Palais de la Porte Dorée — an institution that was born as the Museum of the Colonies in 1931, and that now houses the Tropical Aquarium and the National Museum of the History of Immigration. … The question is whether he...
"The Council of State ruled that the Culture Ministry was correct in cancelling the concession it had given to the Dignitatis Humanae Institute," a conservative think tank whose stated mission is "supporting Christians in public life, … response to increasing efforts to silence the Christian voice in the public square." Bannon was leading an effort to establish a...
The two-month-long Coachella Valley biennial known as Desert X will not include a relocated Judy Chicago piece, the artist has told The Times, and the cancellation of the work is threatening a smoke sculpture planned for San Francisco’s de Young museum in mid-October. - Los Angeles Times
The No. 1 circuit’s Burbank location sold out 22 of its 32 showtimes, while Century City sold out 18 of its 30 showtimes yesterday. Remember, capacity is capped at 25%. But still, a good start as the motion picture industry looks to get the No. 1 box office market back in business. - Deadline
We seem to have an insatiable appetite for finding "masterpieces" and consequently may readily believe in "expert" judgment. But what is the value of expert opinion in the art world, anyway? And does it matter which expert’s view it is? - The Art Newspaper
“I’d call the mood mutinous. If you’re writing royal stories or big political news or coronavirus stuff or you’re famous then you’re going to get huge numbers. Most reporters are at the mercy of editors and it’s not their fault if they’re getting assigned boring things – and now that’s going to affect their pay packet.” - The Guardian
To help break this inertia, we must confront a work that has left indelible marks on music in this country: Antonin Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony. To grasp in full the complex legacy of this classic piece would allow us to move beyond it, fostering new paths for artists of color. - The New York Times
For all the talk of robust online viewing rooms and hybrid auctions, with sales reportedly doubling in 2020, all market segments “experienced declines last year, creating the biggest recession in the global art market since the financial crisis of 2009,” Art Basel Americas director Noah Horowitz writes in the introduction to the study. - Artnet
“It took 25 years for me to reach a point in my career where I was constantly preparing for the next orchestra concert, opera performance, or recording session. Not having goals to work toward really messes with your head." - San Francisco Classical Voice
