“Germany has begun to open to travelers and the Frankfurt Book Fair is planning on hosting a live, in-person fair this October 20-24. ‘It will be smaller in scale and more focused,’ Juergen Boos, the fair director, told PW. A number of virtual events are also being planned and the city of Frankfurt will again host author events for the general public.” – Publishers Weekly
Art Historian May Have Found Two Unknown Gentileschi Paintings In Beirut
About his research at the palace, Gregory Buchakjian told Hyperallergic, “It’s a big house. There are no labels. It’s not a museum … Some paintings had labels, but they were not necessarily correct.” – Hyperallergic
Cultivating Creative Community In The Midst Of The Pandemic
It’s not easy to find creative community at the best of times. Sometimes you just need an outside force – say, an “art incubator.” – Oregon ArtsWatch
The Formerly Hidden Histories Of Africans In England
English Heritage commissioned six portraits to emphasize the history – including Roman emperor Septimius Severus, who ordered the strengthening of Hadrian’s Wall while on a trip to Britain. English Heritage’s curatorial director: “African figures from the past have played significant roles at some of the historic sites in our care but many of their stories are not very well known.” – The Guardian (UK)
Two Unknown Artemisia Gentileschi Paintings Have Turned Up In The Wreckage Of A Beirut Museum
Art historian Gregory Buchakjian did his Master’s thesis at the Sorbonne on the art collection of the Sursock Palace, where he identified two unattributed canvases as the work of the 17th-century Italian painter. With the decades-long turmoil in the Lebanese capital, Buchakjian and the rest of the world forgot about those two paintings — until the catastrophic explosion in Beirut on August 4, 2020. In that disaster’s aftermath, the paintings were found in the ruined palace, damaged but intact. – Hyperallergic
UK Politicians Are Increasingly Fighting The Culture Wars
As in the US, UK politicians are wading in to debates about statues, history, and the culture that defines the country. – The Guardian
Beating The Pandemic: Science Sure, But The Arts Had A Big Role
Provincial governments and public-health authorities have, understandably, been focused on science getting us out of this – but, less understandably, they’ve neglected allowing (never mind encouraging) artists to explore the possibilities of how outside-the-box creativity could make this pandemic (or future ones) less isolating and more livable. – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Federal “Save Our Stages” Aid Is Tied Up And Not Getting To The Arts
This stunning state of affairs stands in bold contrast to the initial PPP and the more recent restaurant relief funds, which were on their way to businesses within days. – Variety
Science Has The Final Word. But Is That Too Confining?
“In the prevailing scientific worldview, counterfactual properties of physical systems are unfairly regarded as second-class citizens, or even excluded altogether. Why? It is because of a deep misconception, which, paradoxically, originated within my own field, theoretical physics. The misconception is that once you have specified everything that exists in the physical world and what happens to it—all the actual stuff—then you have explained everything that can be explained. Does that sound indisputable?” – Nautilus
How You Perform A 75-Minute Score In Complete Darkness
Percussionist Sam Wilson of Riot Ensemble writes about Georg Friedrich Haas’s Solstices, in which he has the hardest job: “A pianist can feel where their keys are even if the music is extremely complex; a violinist has a constant physical connection with their instrument; a trumpet player always knows where the valves are. For me, holding up four sticks to hit a vibraphone in the dark was a challenge. … This required some serious focus and some particularly motivational pep talks into the mirror. What Haas was asking surpasses muscle-memory. I needed to discover how to manage absolute physical reproduction; how high up you hold your sticks, exactly where you’ve planted your feet, and quite how sweaty your hands are on any occasion.” – The Guardian
The Art Napoleon Stole (And How It Informs Restitution)
“He brought back enough loot from his conquests to fill what would soon become the Louvre Museum. And his ravenous and methodical art seizures — a cultural legacy now being highlighted in 200th-anniversary commemorations of his death — paved the way for similar French excesses in sub-Saharan Africa a century later. Yet many of those works were returned after Napoleon’s defeat, setting precedents that still inform debates about restitution.” – The New York Times
Stuart Silver, Museum Designer Who Pioneered Blockbuster Shows, Dead At 84
“As the inventive design director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art [under director Thomas Hoving] in the 1960s and ’70s, [he] turned the presentation of art into a gasp-inducing genre of theater” — most famously in the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition of 1978-79 — “giving the staid institution mass appeal and inspiring widespread changes in the style and spirit of museum exhibitions.” – The New York Times
Princeton’s Classics Department Dropping The Latin And Greek Requirement May Not Be A Disaster After All
Graeme Wood, who studied both languages himself, talked with a Princeton professor (who did not wish to be named) who says that the department expects no drop in the actual number of students who study Latin and Greek — but that there may be majors who don’t need to learn the languages, just as not all English majors need to learn Anglo-Saxon. – The Atlantic
After Four Centuries, Oxford University Press Is Shutting Down Its Printing Business
“Oxford University’s right to print books was first recognised in 1586, in a decree from the Star Chamber. But the centuries-old printing history of Oxford University Press will end this summer, after the publishing house announced the last vestige of its printing arm was closing. The closure of Oxuniprint, which will take place on 27 August subject to consultation with employees, will result in the loss of 20 jobs.” – The Guardian
How Has Technology Changed Orchestras? — My Talk for the League of American Orchestras Conference
I’m not sure how smart it is to attack the premise of the session you’ve been asked to be part of, but I was asked for a provocation, so here goes. – Douglas McLennan
Yemen’s War Is Erasing Its Past
Yemen’s museums, the richest in the Arabian peninsula, are a reminder of the toll that war has taken on the country’s cultural heritage, often eclipsed by civilian casualties and the dire humanitarian situation. In the disputed city of Taiz, nature has combined with conflict to leave the historic National Museum building in ruins. Charred manuscripts, burned shelves and shattered glass are scattered inside. Acacia trees have taken root and helped to tear down the walls. – Reuters
‘Come To The Theatre And Arrest Us’: Andrew Lloyd Webber Says He’ll Reopen His Theatres At Full Capacity ‘Come Hell Or High Water’
In response to news that Boris Johnson’s government is considering postponing the full reopening of performance venues scheduled for June 21, the musical theatre mogul said he cannot afford to operate his West End theatres at the 50% occupancy permitted now and might have to sell them if capacity controls aren’t removed. – BBC