Anthony Lane: "Many folk, less deserving than Stoppard, and with scarcely a whit of his charm, are greeted with godsends. What marks him out is the unusual thoroughness with which he has probed the mechanism of fate, as if it were his moral duty—shaded, perhaps, with a touch of guilt—to understand why he, of all people, should have got...
Di Modica was a "Sicilian-born sculptor best known for Charging Bull, 3.5 tons of bronze belligerence that he illegally deposited in Lower Manhattan one night in 1989." But this wasn't the first time he pulled such a stunt. Disappointed by a lack of interest in his first solo show in 1977, "Mr. Di Modica rented three trucks, and he...
Davis "presided over the field during boon years in New York in the 1960s and ’70s, when performances were plentiful and tickets relatively cheap, and when the ups and downs of a performer’s career provided fodder for cocktail parties and after-concert dinners, not to mention the notebooks of writers like Mr. Davis, who often delivered five or more reviews...
It was during the Running Fence project that Christo and Jeanne-Claude took me to meet the Charles Schulz, the late creator of Peanuts, who had a home in the county capital, Santa Rosa. We had coffee in Snoopy mugs and wiped our lips on Charlie Brown and Lucy napkins. This was before the explosion of branding, he was just fond of his creations. He...
"I am honored and humbled by their intention but I have asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration. Given all that is going on in the world, I don't think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time. … Perhaps after I'm gone if you still feel I...
"A century ago, samba becoming synonymous with Brazil's cultural identity would have seemed impossible. In the early 20th century, Rio's ruling elite were ashamed and afraid of the rhythm, which was linked to African-Brazilian cults. Samba faced police persecution: musicians were frequently arrested, their instruments confiscated or destroyed; gatherings were abruptly shut down. It might not have lasted were...
The Detroit Symphony's assistant principal bassoonist from 1969-2004, he had been with the orchestra one year when he launched the Save Orchestra Hall campaign, which rescued from the wrecking ball the venue that the DSO had left in 1939 and ended up returning to in 1989. A memorial statement from the orchestra said, "Paul's extraordinary impact on the DSO...
" added a vast repertoire to his instrument and performed to packed concerts around the world. … In between classical concerts, Mr. Morel paid his bills by performing nightly at the New York jazz nightclub the Village Gate. At various times, he shared stages with pianist Erroll Garner, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and even country guitarist Chet Atkins." - The...
"Pacheco, a Juilliard-trained multi-instrumentalist who'd found success recording with his band, Pacheco y Su Charanga, sparked a musical revolution when, in 1964, he met Jerry Masucci and together, they founded Fania Records. The two started the label with $5,000, selling albums in Spanish Harlem from the trunks of their cars. Fania soon became known as the Latin Motown, home...
Rauschenberg and Twombly were both southerners. Rauschenberg, who was quarter Cherokee, came from Texas, Twombly from the heart of the old Confederacy in Lexington, Virginia. The passion of their relationship is beautifully preserved in black and white photographs that Rauschenberg took on a visit to Rome in 1952. - The Guardian
The Grammy-winning architect of modern music "is best known for designing and producing microphone preamplifiers, equalizers, compressors and mixing consoles that are sought after in the industry. His designs are staples everywhere from large production facilities to home studios, and have even been reproduced as computer plug-ins to become more accessible for all music lovers and creators." - Variety
Boyer signed on with Disney as a sketch artist in 1960 - and never left. "Boyer was made a Disney Legend in 2005, the equivalent of membership in the company’s Hall of Fame, with a window on Main Street in his name. Not bad for someone who put himself through Chouinard Art Institute as a janitor on a 'working...
Burga's best-known work, 1981's Perfil de la mujer Peruana, confused many people in its day. She and a psychotherapist friend "interviewed 290 middle-class women between the ages of 25 and 29 in Lima to obtain statistics on their political leanings, their bodies, and their identities. The presentation of their findings took the form of drawings and diagrams, as well...
You know his work even if you don't know of the man. "Stalmaster’s accomplishments are too numerous to list exhaustively, but among them: He became the first casting director to receive an honorary Oscar in 2016; he was the first casting director to receive a solo title card in a film’s credits, for The Thomas Crown Affair (1968); he...
Lana Condor on the To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy author Jenny Han: "When we first were talking years ago, she said, 'I just want you as Lana and as a young Asian-American girl to have the same opportunities that Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss would have or Kristen Stewart as Bella from Twilight.' And that was before...
