The much-honored Russian-American journalist, who is Jewish, made the comparison in a December 9 New Yorker essay criticizing Germany's unequivocal backing of Israel in its war on Hamas. In response, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, which administers the prize, withdrew its support, though Gessen will be awarded by another entity. - The Guardian
Cynthia Graham, a principal with a previous incarnation of the company who retired from the stage in 1992, stepped in last month to direct this year's Nutcracker. She voluntarily stepped down following allegations that some of the current choreography for the Tchaikovsky ballet was plagiarized. - Ideastream (Cleveland)
Isabelle Adjani — who has won five Best Actress César awards and gotten two Oscar nominations (in French-language films, no less) — was fined €250,000 and given a suspended two-year prison sentence for evading taxes by fraudulently claiming residence in Portugal and arguing that a €2,000,000 gift was only a loan. - Variety
The oil painting by Chicago artist Shawn Michael Warren presents the iconic talk show host-turned-media mogul in virtuosic detail, wearing a dramatic purple dress with a full skirt and standing amid a greenscape on the grounds of her California home. - Hyperallergic
Now that the pandemic relief funds have stopped, many arts organizations are scrambling to balance their budgets. The new report says "the duration" of those funds hasn't matched the "slower rebuild" many arts organizations are facing. - NPR
If ChatGPT reproduces news updates, what reason is there to click on the original? How many times have you Googled for more information after reading a headline on an elevator or taxicab screen? - The Atlantic
Today, free will, individual agency, forgiveness, personal improvement, and healthy cultural cross-pollination are all obliterated by omnipotent determinisms. - The Atlantic
Housed at the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the display of the 1603 canvas Diana and Actaeon reportedly “disturbed” some students, according to the French newspaper Le Monde. - ARTnews
On the chopping block is the Argentine Ministry of Culture, along with the ministries of Health, Labor, Social Development, and Education (which Milei had previously referred to as “the Ministry of Indoctrination”). - ARTnews
"Whether lost at the bottom of the ocean, tucked away in a library’s archives or hidden behind a kitchen wall, this year’s arts, archaeology and literary discoveries spanned an astonishing range. Some had only been mysteries for a few decades, … while others dated back a bit longer — say, 6,000 years?" - CNN
When Parasite director Bong Joon-ho accepted his Oscars in 2020, he told the audience, "Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films." Yet that was just the point when American moviegoers were finally overcoming their aversion to reading-while-watching. - The Guardian
The installation, “AI & Me,” was first shown this summer at the Metropolink #09 Festival in Heidelberg, Germany, as an experiment into how far humans are willing to let themselves be judged by A.I. - Artnet
"(Dr. Catie) Cuan has performed with robots for many years at venues such as the Smithsonian and Brown University, but her first public performance since graduation", this weekend in Brooklyn, is something else" "Breathless: Catie and the Robot, an eight-hour durational performance between Cuan and a robot arm." - Dance Magazine
