Five Highlights From Last Week’s ArtsJournal

Researchers find links between what you watch and how you behave, how women are changing classical music, fascinating fights over who owns Picasso, a Golden Age for New York theatre, and concerns about the integrity of museums.

1. You are what you eat, right? So are you also what you watch? Listen? Read? Makes sense. In that case, studies are quite suspicious of watching television. Researchers find a link between watching “reality” TV and narcissism. “Among college students, research finds a substantial link between higher narcissism levels and regular viewing of certain TV genres, including reality series, sports, and political talk shows.” Okay, so you don’t watch reality show. But binge-watching TV messes with you too. Researchers report that binge-watching makes us depressed. The study found that “of 408 participants, 35 percent qualified as binge-watchers, and those binge-watchers reported higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression than their non-binge-watching counterparts.” On the other hand, singing in choirs seems to be good for your health. “The synchronistic physical activity of choristers appears to create an unusually strong bond, giving members the emotionally satisfying experience of temporarily ‘disappearing’ into a meaningful, coherent body.”
2. How many stories in recent years have complained about the gender gaps in classical music? So this week, a couple of stories about where women are making their mark: Here are seven women conductors who are becoming next-generation stars. This isn’t a list for the likes of Marin Alsop, JoAnn Falletta, and Susanna Mälkki, who are already established. You’ve heard of some of these women; you will be hearing more of all of them. (They forgot Karina Canellakis, though.) And here’s a list of women composers who are changing classical music. “It will take longer for the work of women composers to establish itself in the repertory, but the sheer amount and rich variety of creativity now underway is inspiring.
3. Picasso was one of the most prolific artists ever, leaving behind more than 45,000 works when he died at the age of 91, 43 years ago. He didn’t leave a will. And his estate is worth many billions of dollars. You think there would be some argument about who owns what? Here’s a fascinating story detailing the battles for control.
4. What’s happened to New York theatre? Yes, Broadway has been booming for years. And of course musicals dominate. But there is reason to think that we’re now in a new Golden Age of New York theatre. Among the 28 reasons? “16. Old ladies!: Lois Smith, who has been acting on Broadway since 1952, … is having a golden age of her own at 85, and she’s not the only one. … We’ve got Phylicia Rashad, Linda Lavin, Judith Light, and even Cicely Tyson showing up year in, year out.” Want more? America’s UN ambassador has added Broadway to her diplomacy toolkit. “International diplomacy can take unexpected twists, taking in pandas and ping-pong. Now Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the UN, has added Broadway musicals to the diplomatic toolkit.”
5. Is the integrity of our museums being threatened by their cozy relationship with galleries and collectors?  “In today’s exploding art market, amid diminishing corporate donations and mounting exhibition costs, nonprofit museums have been leaning more heavily on commercial galleries for larger amounts of money — anywhere from $5,000 to $200,000 each time — to help pay for shows featuring work by artists the galleries represent.”