Cultural News

April 2009

Pomp And Circumstance Exhibition Opens At Versailles Palace

Costume pays court to the Palace of Versailles for an exhibition entitled Court Pomp and Royal Ceremony, which opened March 31 and continues until June 28, 2009. This exhibition is dedicated to court dress and to the influence of French fashion in European courts.

A true testament to court life in the 17th and 18th centuries, only the Palace of Versailles could house the first exhibition comprising more than 200 exceptional exhibits. Most of the exhibits are from the collections of major European museums such as the Victoria and Albert in London, the Hermitage in St Petersburg, the Royal Armoury in Stockholm, the Green Vault in Dresden and Rosenborg Castle in Denmark. A collection of jewels, accessories and original paintings will accompany the costumes on display. The fashion house Chanel is sponsoring the exhibition. Website: http://www.fastesdecour.chateauversailles.fr

Florence & Philadelphia Celebrate Galileo’s Legacy With Concurrent Exhibitions.

Galileo’s first celestial discoveries date to exactly 400 years ago, and to mark this fourth centenary the United Nations has declared 2009 the International Year of Astronomy. Florence and Philadelphia have decided to pay homage to the astronomer with collateral exhibitions in both cities dedicated to the founder of the telescope. In Florence, the Palazzo Strozzi presents Galileo: Images of the Universe from Antiquity to the Telescope. The show, which opened March 13, continues until August 30. The exhibition proposes a journey through time and space that begins with the mystical and poetic visions of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. It then moves on to the Greek cosmogonies, characterized by the ingenious homocentric spheres of Eudoxus, through the planetary architectures of Ptolemy and Arab astronomy, revoking the Christian interpretations and finally arriving at the heliocentric theories of Copernicus that inspired Galileo and Kepler, the scholars who – together with Newton – made a decisive contribution to the definitive consolidation of the new concept of the universe. Enhanced by multimedia creations and intriguing informative videos, the show also explores the universe of human hopes and fears, investigating the relationship between astronomy and astrology, and the correlations that have always been imaginatively drawn between the configurations of the stars, on the one hand, and power, music, medicine and the development of individual character and tendencies on the other, through to the extraordinary fascination that cosmology has always exerted on architecture and art.

The original telescope used by Galileo will be featured in the show. It was modeled after telescopes produced in other parts of Europe that could magnify objects three times but Galileo’s could magnify objects twenty times. His discoveries provided observational proof of the Copernican system, which states that the earth and other planets revolve around the sun. Prior to the Copernican system, it was held that the universe was geocentric, meaning the sun revolved around the earth. Website: http://www.galileofirenze.it/Sezione.jsp?idSezione=55

Across the Atlantic Ocean in Philadelphia, The Franklin Institute showcases Galileo's accomplishments, his relationship to the ruling Medici family, his discoveries, and his overall impact on astronomy, physics, and math in its exhibition entitled Galileo, the Medici and the Age of Astronomy. This will be the first time one of Galileo’s two remaining telescopes has left Italy. Also exhibited will be other instruments belonging to Galileo, as well as paintings, prints, and manuscripts from the priceless Medici collection. Together, the collections will showcase how the union of science, art, and political power gave rise to Galileo's success. The show runs from April 4 to September 7, 2009. Website: http://www2.fi.edu

Swiss Architect Wins 2009 Pritzker Award

Swiss architect Peter Zumthor is this year’s recipient of the annual Pritzker Prize, the highest recognition for architects. Little known outside the architect community, Zumthor, 65, is the 33rd laureate to receive the prize, which consists of a $100,000 grant and a bronze medallion. He will receive his award on May 29 in Buenos Aires.

Recognizing his talent, the nine-member Pritzker jury stated that Zumthor “developed buildings of great integrity—untouched by fad or fashion. Declining a majority of the commissions that come his way, he only accepts a project if he feels a deep affinity for its program and from the moment of commitment, his devotion is complete, overseeing the project’s realization to the very last detail.”

Zumthor who lives and works in the Swiss village of Haldenstein, is known for his art projects that include museums in Bregenz, Austria—a four story cube of concrete, steel and glass that opened in 1997; and his Kolumba Art Museum in Cologne completed in 2007 which rises from the ruins of the Gothic St. Kolumba Church destroyed in World War II.

Expanded Hermitage Amsterdam Reopens In June With Major Exhibition

Located in the center of Amsterdam, the greatly expanded Hermitage Amsterdam, will welcome visitors to its elegantly restored 17th-century. Founded to bring the richness and grandeur of Russia’s artistic heritage to one of the West’s most charming capitals, this independent cultural institution will inaugurate its spacious new home — ten times the size of the previous building — with the exhibition At the Russian Court, a dazzling display of more than 1,800 treasures from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.

Hermitage Amsterdam is the only dedicated, independently managed venue in the West of St Petersburg’s magnificent State Hermitage Museum. At the Russian Court — a scholarly researched exploration of the opulent material culture, elaborate social hierarchy and richly layered traditions of the Tsarist court at its height in the 19th century — will remain on show from June 20th in the new institution until January 31st 2010. Hermitage Amsterdam will then stage two large-scale, temporary exhibitions each year, drawing on the encyclopedic collections and unparalleled scholarship of Russia’s museums to offer cultural riches that would otherwise be unavailable in Amsterdam.

Hermitage Amsterdam will be housed in the classically proportioned Amstelhof, built in 1681-83 as a charitable home for the elderly, which must been seen by Tsar Peter the Great during his stay in Amsterdam. Renovated at a cost of some 40 million Euros (approximately $50 million), the building has been redesigned as a series of open and light filled galleries by architect Hans van Heeswijk. The interior and opening exhibition are designed by Merkx+Girod architects. More than an exhibition space, the 9,925 square meter building (107,000 square feet) will be alive throughout the day and night with dining in the café restaurant Neva and on the outdoor terrace in summer; concerts and lectures in the restored Church hall; events in the 400-seat auditorium; shopping in a pair of retail stores; meetings in gracious conference rooms; and relaxed contemplation in the courtyard garden designed by landscape architect Michael van Gessel. The adjacent Neerlandia building, where ten exhibitions visited by more than half a million people have been presented since 2004, will become the Hermitage for Children, a special wing for education, with an exciting program of classes and workshops.

Rare Public Visits To Picasso’s Home Offered This Summer

Coinciding with the Picasso/Cezanne exhibition that will open May 25 at the Musee Granet in Aix-en-Provence, the nearby residence of Picasso will be open to the public. Picasso lived from 1959 to 1965 at the Chateau Vauvenargues and is buried there along with wife Jacqueline. The chateau is rarely open to the public but visitors will now have a chance to tour the residence while the Picasso Cezanne show runs from May 25 to September 27. The most significant rooms in the life of Pablo and Jacqueline Picasso will be open to the public in small groups of 19 people (two visits per hour by appointment): the dining room, the bedroom, the bathroom where Picasso painted the figure of a faun straight onto the wall above the bathtub, and the studio where he created some of his masterpieces.

The Château de Vauvenargues was the last home chosen by the painter before he finally moved to Mougins. Although the Vauvenargues period was short (1959-1961), it must have been more long-term in Picasso’s mind, as he installed his collections and studio there.

The museum exhibit presents more than 100 works that include paintings, drawings and watercolors that explore the influence Cezanne had on Picasso. Websites:

http://www.picasso-aix2009.fr (Museum) or http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/uk/aix-picasso-cezanne.htm

2009Archibald Prize Award Goes To Australian Artist Guy Maestri

Guy Maestri's close-up portrait of blind Indigenous musician Gurrumul Yunupingu (photo) was chosen as the Archibald Prize winner at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. There were 708 entries for this year's portrait prize, one of Australia's most prestigious art awards, which comes with A$50,000 (US$32,000).

Accepting the prestigious award, Maestri remarked that "I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack."

In addition, the $25,000 Wynne Prize for landscape painting or figure sculpture was awarded to Lionel Bawden, and Ivan Durrant

Guy Maestri’s Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu

took home the $20,000 Sulman Prize for best subject painting, genre painting, or mural project.

2009 Keukenhof Floral Exhibition Now Open with American Theme

The Netherlands officially opened the 60th edition of the international flower exhibition

Keukenhof on March 18, 2009 with the theme USA, New Amsterdam: New York, 400. This year marks the 400^th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the island originally named New Amsterdam but is now called New York.

The 2009 theme is impressively shown by a portrait of the world famous Statue of Liberty in flowers, a scene measuring approx. 82 x 49 ft, in which more than 50,000 flower bulbs are used. On October 16, 2008 the first planting was performed by Mr. Kenneth Roy, Cultural Officer for the US in the Netherlands. At the same time another 50,000 tulip bulbs were planted in Manhattan’s Central Park, a donation of the Netherlands American Community Trust, the International Flower Bulbs Centre IBC, and Keukenhof to the city of Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Keukenhof 2009 has designed an American themed route, starting with the Hudson River at the park’s entrance. From there a swaying path of blue grape flowers illustrates the two rivers of New York, and leads the visitors along recognizable New York sites such as Brooklyn, Harlem, and Wall Street.

In the historic park of 32 hectares (approx. 79 ac) some seven million tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, and all other spring bulbs exuberantly grow. This year the park will be open from until May 21. Website: www.keukenhof.nl

Spain’s Costa Brava Hosts 14-Month-Long Birthday Party Of Cultural Events

Spain’s Mediterranean has been a haven for painters, poets and celebrities since Ferran Agulló, a local journalist, first named it in 1909. The Costa Brava runs from the River Tordera north to the Spanish border with France, encompassing towns such as Tossa del Mar, Palamos, Begur and Cadaqués where Dalí once lived. Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Man Ray, Luis Buñuel, Paul Eluard and Federico García Lorca all visited and worked here.

This year and through September 2010, the Costa Brava will host a series of art and photographic exhibitions, concerts and sporting events to celebrate its 100th anniversary. A new ruta showcasing the area’s art, culture and scenic beauty is being developed and restaurants along the coast – long renowned for stellar eateries – will offer a menu showcasing the local dishes and delicacies.

One important event is the opening of the Caixa Girona Culture Centre in Girona on July24. Contemporary artists from Barcelona and other parts of Catalonia present works looking at the Costa Brava through 21st century eyes. Included in the show are: Eugènia Balcells, Jordi Bernadó, Mireya Masó, Pere Noguera, Ester Partegàs, Perejaume, Tere Recarens, Mireia Sentís, Montserrat Soto, Eulàlia Valldosera and Mayte Vieta.

For a schedule of events that will be held during the 16-month-long celebration, visit www.costabrava.org/centenari/en/elcentenari.php

Dresden Presents International Dixieland Festival In May

The second biggest Jazz Festival in the world with some 40 bands from Europe and USA is scheduled for May 13 to 17 in the German city of Dresden. The International Dixieland Festival is set to entertain thousands of fans in concerts, in various locales including on the Elbe river steamboats, on the Jazz street: Prager Strasse, in the big Dixieland parade and in jam sessions on Theater Square. Website: www.dixieland.de

22^nd Singapore International Film Festival Opens April 14

Singapore’s annual International Film festival will take place this year from April 14 to 25, screening close to 200 films from over 30 countries. Israeli Director Amos Gitai will be honored at the festival with screenings of several of his films including his latest One Day You’ll Understand and Disengagement starring Juliette Binoche. Scheduled are 25 world premieres and 34 Asian premiers including Taiwanese director Rich Lee’s Sincerely Yours, which explores the lives of illegal immigrant workers in Taiwan. . The closing night offering will be Milk from Turkey, a quietly stunning and poetic film about the relationship between a milkman and his mother. Website: www.filmfest.org.sg

Copenhagen sends Little Mermaid to Shanghai

Copenhagen's statue of The Little Mermaid, known from Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale, will travel around the world to be part of 2010 EXPO in Shanghai. This means that around 70 million people will experience the iconic symbol of the Danish capital.

She has been beheaded twice and has had her arm cut off, but The Little Mermaid has never left her spot on Langelinie pier since 1913. Until now. This evening Copenhagen City Council voted to send her far away from home to be staged in the Danish pavilion at the world exhibition EXPO in Shanghai from April - November 2010. This ends a long controversy about Copenhagen's symbol that has flourished since the idea was born.

Mermaid will be situated in the Mermaid Pool in the centre of the Danish pavilion.

While in Shanghai, The Little Mermaid's place in Copenhagen will be temporarily taken over by a sculpture created by a Chinese artist. Also, a long list of activities is being put together, so tourists visiting the waterfront of Copenhagen won't be disappointed.

Rendering of Mermaid in Danish Pavilion

Architecture In A Sustainable World To Be Featured At Danish Museum

A new exhibition at the Danish Museum of modern Art Louisiana located outside of Copenhagen will take a look at the transformation in architecture currently taking place. The Future Has Arrived: Architecture in a Sustainable World, will offer new visions, the use of new, different construction materials, alternative structures and revolutionary proposals for the solutions to challenges when it comes to the development of sustainable cities, landscapes and environments, are on the agenda where sustainability is a major concept. Louisiana's exhibition will show some of the complex initiatives and future scenarios that are already being drawn up on the global scale.

The thematic exhibition is divided into three sections. These are also reflected in Louisiana's Sculpture Park with installations that physically and tangibly underscore the individual themes. In addition each theme is clarified by four experimental laboratories of the future, which point up the concept of sustainability in discursive and thought-provoking ways.

Louisiana's exhibition series Frontiers of Architecture I-IV, to be shown in the years up to 2011, sheds light on new, alternative architectural movements today, the paths that point towards what we see as the frontiers of architecture. The first exhibition in the series was in 2007 called Cecil Balmond - Unfolding New Dimensions. The exhibition The Future Has Arrived - Architecture in a Sustainable World is the second in the series.

Website: www.louisiana.dk

Paris Museum Presents An Exhibition About Nothing

The Centre Pompidou in Paris has organized an exhibition showcasing 50 years of empty art exhibitions, on view through March 23 before the show travels to the Kunsthalle Bern in Switzerland where it is on display from September 10 to October 11, 2009. The show is deemed controversial by art critics who are dismissing it as an empty gimmick. But, as its curators point out, the notion of emptiness raises serious questions: What are the limits of an exhibition? The idea of exhibiting emptiness is a recurring notion in the history of art over the past fifty or so years, almost to the point of becoming a cliché in the practice of contemporary art. "Vides" (Voids) is a retrospective of empty exhibitions since that of Yves Klein in 1958. In almost a dozen rooms of the National Museum of Modern Art, it assembles in a totally original manner exhibitions that showed absolutely nothing, leaving empty the space for which they were designed.

Since the exhibition by Yves Klein – "The Specialization of Sensibility in the Raw Material State of Stabilized Pictorial Sensibility" in Paris in 1958, totally empty exhibitions have been the statement of different conceptions of vacuums.

While for Yves Klein it was a way to point out the sensitive state, by contrast it represents the peak of conceptual and minimal art for Robert Barry with "Some places to which we can come, and for a while 'be free to think about what we are going to do' (Marcuse)" (1970). It may also result from the desire to fudge the understanding of exhibition spaces, as in the work "The Air-Conditioning Show" from Art & Language (1966-1967), or to empty an institution to modify our experience, as in the work by Stanley Brouwn. It also reflects the will to create the experience of the qualities of an exhibition venue, as with Robert Irwin and his exhibition at the ACE Gallery in 1970, or with Maria Nordman at her exhibition in Krefeld in 1984. Emptiness also represents a form of radicalness, like that created by Laurie Parsons in 1990 at the Lorence-Monk gallery, which announced his renouncement of all artistic practice. Website: http://www.centrepompidou.fr

20^th Macao Arts Festival Opens May 2

In 2009, the 20^th Macao Arts Festival will run from May 2 to 30. Featuring more than 30 performances by artists from Portugal, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the USA, Canada and Singapore, performers from Macao and Mainland China will also on the state. Presenting a mix of theater, multimedia arts, dance and music, the festival opens with the London Sadler Wells production of Sutra, a dance work inspired by the skill, strength and spirituality of Buddhist Shaolin monks. Other

performances include Macao-born composer Lam Bun-Ching’s contemporary opera Wenji: 18 Sons of a Nomad Flute. Incorporating influences ranging from Chinese Beijing opera to contemporary Western music, the opera is based on the true story of poet/musician Cai Wenji from the Han Dynasty, whose daughter becomes a prize of war, torn between two worlds. Website: www.icm.gov.mo/fam/indexE.asp

Vermeer, Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art Exhibit In Vancouver

This exhibition, from May 10 to September 13, is organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery in collaboration with the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. The show will highlight the extraordinary works of art made by Dutch masters of the 17th century, a period known as the Golden Age of the Netherlands. During this time the emerging Dutch Republic quickly reached unprecedented economic, political and cultural heights and saw a brilliant flowering of artistic talent.

The exhibition will feature major paintings and drawings by all of the celebrated masters of the period such as Aelbert Cuyp, Gerard Dou, Franz Hals, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jacob van Ruisdael, Gerard ter Borch and Johannes Vermeer, as well as an extraordinary selection of decorative arts, including furniture, silver, glassware, porcelain and textiles. Providing an overview of the fascinating political, economic and social forces that shaped the 17th century, the exhibition will allow the visitor to view these paintings in the rich context in which they were made. Works in the exhibition are from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, which has the finest collection of 17th century Dutch art in the world. Website: www.vanart.bc.ca

19^th Annual Enescu International Festival Opens August 30 In Bucharest

The 19^th annual George Enescu International Festival will be presenting Geoerge Enescu’s only opera with a new staging of the composer’s only opera Oedipe. Coproduced by the Bucharest National Opera and the Theatre du Capitole of Toulouse, the opera will be directed by Nicholas Joel. The festival running from August 30 to September 26 will also present a host of international artists and orchestras, including London’s Royal Philharmonic and Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebow and the Vienna Staatsoper. Website: http://www.festivalenescu.ro/

New Rene Magritte Museum Opens June In Brussels

René Magritte is one of the 20th century's celebrated, surrealist painters. Born in 1898 in French-speaking Belgium, Magritte moved to Brussels to study painting at the Academy of Fine Arts. Influenced by the Dadaist movement (1916-1923), Magritte rose to become renowned in the art world for his surrealist paintings. Along with his friends, such as Salvador Dali and Max Ernst, he ignited a global movement that impacted all media, including advertising, theatre and movies. He died in Brussels in August 1967.

To celebrate his oeuvre, a new dedicated museum opens June 2 in Brussels. Located on the Place Royale, within walking distance from the Grand’Place, the musical instrument museum and the Royal Palace, the venue will hold 200 works, the largest collection of Magritte paintings, plus archival material, letters written by the painter, Website: www.musee-magritte-museum.be

February, 2009

 

Cities &  Culture

Cultural Briefs

The New York Scene

The London Scene

2009 International Art Fairs

International Museum Calendar

 

Cultural Briefs

Philadelphia’s Annual Flower Show Celebrates The Flora Of Italy

The 2009 Philadelphia Flower show—Bella Italia-- takes place this year from March 1 to 8 at the Philadelphia Convention Center in midtown. This year, its theme will be Italian culture. Produced by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and presented by PNC, the floral exhibition will transport guests to the majestic gardens of ancient Rome, the lush hills of the Tuscan countryside, the romantic waters of Venice, the artful flora of Florence, and many other landscapes of Italy.

Visitors will enter the Show through Roman arches adorned in roses, delphinium, geraniums and petunias overflowing from urns and columns. The formal palace gardens of ancient Rome, re-created by J. Cugliotta Landscape/Nursery (Southampton, N.J.), will feature stately fountains and statuary, boxwood garden walls, cypress and olive trees.  Wisteria and bougainvillea will frame a tiered stage offering daily performances of opera and traditional Italian music. Surrounding this central display will be gardens from regions throughout Italy.

The American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) will welcome guests to a walk-through Milan boutique filled with high-fashion dresses, shoes, handbags, hats and perfumes – all made of flowers. A new “Fashion District,” inspired by the haute couture and hand-blown glass of Italy will also be on display.

The Flower Show specializes in providing an endless array of tips, techniques and ideas that visitors can use for their own dream gardens at home. Educational displays will emphasize the importance of greening and demonstrate the latest, sustainable techniques for urban and suburban environments. Topics include conserving rainwater in a typical urban backyard; how to protect and preserve the honeybee population, and the vital role of native plants.

The venerable show appeals to all. As Jane Pepper, the president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society recently remarked “Our exhibitors will transform the Convention Center into stunning Roman gardens, Tuscan hills, Venetian canals, Milanese fashion boutiques, and Alpine landscapes. We will shake off the winter blues with fields of sunflowers, roses, and palm trees, delicious wines, a piazza of Italian specialties, and many surprises.” More information at http://www.theflowershow.com/home/index.html

Two European Art Fairs Cancelled

The 2009 Moscow World Fine Art Air scheduled for May 25 to June 1 has been cancelled. Reportedly the cancellation came mainly from the lack of sufficient sponsorship which covers much of the cost of presenting the fair. “We depend on sponsors, and the timing became critical,” General Manager Sixtine Crutchfield. Either we took the risk that they came on in the end, or we played it safe. We decided to play it safe.”

Crutchfield said that only a few dealers had pulled out of the fair, but two major cancellations came from jewelers Bulgari and Harry Winston. According to Crutchfield, Mercury, the most prominent luxury goods distributor in Russia, discouraged the firms from participating with their own booths, as opposed to under Mercury’s rubric. (Mercury recently bought the auction house Philips de Pury

Another fair has also cancelled. The Salzburg World Fine Art Fair, which was scheduled to take place in August will not be held. The Salzburg fair is run by the Geneva-based company Art Culture Studio. “The financial crisis is affecting many areas, including the art & antiques world and the jewelry industry,” Art Culture Studio wrote in an email newsletter. “High auction results and other events are diminishing rapidly. This tendency may worsen as months go by. Art dealers and jewelers are showing signs of prudence and prefer to give up international exposure during these times of uncertainty. This is also the case for sponsors, which are less and less inclined to communicate via international events.”

2009 Berlin International Film Festival Winners Announced

The annual International film festival held in Berlin has chosen a Peruvian film to receive the Golden Bear, its top award. The Milk of Sorrow, about a young woman born as a result of her mother’s rape, was directed by Claudia Liosa and stars Magaly Solier. The Silver Bear award for best script went to The Messenger staring Wood Harrelson and tells of a United States Army officer who informs next of kin when soldiers die in combat. Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon wrote the screenplay.  The Silver Bear for best director was won by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi for About Elly, which is about a group of Iranians who take a trip on the Caspian Sea that turns tragic.

BAFTA Winners Announced At London Ceremony

The British Academy of Film and Theater Arts presented its BAFTA awards at a ceremony held in London at the Royal Opera House this month. The night was dominated by British hit Slumdog Millionaire, which swept the board with seven awards including best director for Danny Boyle and the most coveted prize of all: best film. The rags-to-riches tale of a boy from the Mumbai slums has dominated the awards season and Oscar glory seems assured. It already had won best picture at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild presentations in Hollywood in January). Best actress award went to Kate Winslet for her portrayal of a former Nazi concentration camp leader who has an affair with a teenager in The Reader; and best actor was Mickey Rourke as the down-and-out fighter who makes a comeback in The Wrestler. All three Bafta award winners are the leading contenders for the Oscars awards to be held on February 22 in Hollywood.

Xavier Veilhan’s Art Pieces On Display At Versailles This Fall

French artist Xavier Veilhan will be exhibiting his art pieces at Versailles this fall.

Veilhan has been given carte blanche for his show, which will occupy the gardens only, Versailles President Jean-Jacques Aillagon told Agence France-Presse. Past works include monumental mobiles and a life-size rhinoceros coated in red lacquer.

Tour The Contrasting Arab Worlds Of Jordan And Dubai:

Sponsored by the Art Guild of the Oakland Museum of Art, a 12-day tour is planned to explore the rich and varied cultural heritage of Jordan. The March 10 to 22, 2009 tour includes visits to the ancient capitol of Amman; Petra, the spectacular archaeological site of the Middle East; and Jerash, a remarkably well-preserved Roman provincial city; The Dead Sea, the lowest place on the earth’s surface; and the majestic landscape of the desert, Wadi Rum, made famous by the epic film Lawrence of Arabia. The tour continues to Dubai and Abu Dhabi considered the key players in the development of the United Arab Emirates, one of the world’s youngest nations. There the trip will focus on contemporary art and architecture including visits to the Dubai Museum as well as visit to the man-made island of the Jumeirah area and a visit to Art Dubai, an annual exhibition of international contemporary art as well as private meetings with local art and culture experts. Click http://www.oaklandmuseumofcalifornia.net/pdf/Jordan-Dubai.pdf for an online brochure. To register, click http://www.oaklandmuseumofcalifornia.net/pdf/ReservationD.pdf .

Linz And Vilnius Named Official European Culture Capitals In 2009

This year the Austrian city of Linz and Lithuania’s capital Vilnius have been designated Culture Capitals. The distinction, meant to show off the European Union’s cultural diversity and foster collaboration between member states, was first awarded in 1985 to Athens. Since then, one or more cities have been recognized each year, and between 2005 and 2019, each EU nation will have a turn to show itself off; each country is designated a year, and cities within that country compete to represent their country and gain national and EU funding.

Linz

Linz reached its heights in the 15th century when it briefly served as the de facto center of the Hapsburg Empire during the reign of Friedrich III, but it is best known today for its associations with Hitler. The dictator intended for the city, his childhood home, to be the cultural center of the Third Reich. While he realized plans for the city’s industrial infrastructure, the majority of the planned civic buildings were thwarted by World War II. Yet despite extensive war-time bombing, the period kick-started the development that still marks Linz as an industrious, successful city with several impressive cultural hubs.

Over the course of 2009, Linz will present more than 200 performances, exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural events, as well opening a brauhaus where culture and beer will both be on tap. Notable among the Linz09 offerings are several installations and exhibitions that acknowledge and re-examine the National Socialists’ ambitions for the city; events that highlight the sound landscape and noise pollution in a contemporary city; and artworks that question strategies of surveillance and protest.

Vilnius

In Vilnius, Lithuania, the recent economic downturn has reduced the budget for the culture year by nearly 25 percent, to $18 million, but Vilnius’s streets still compensate with plenty of charm and history. The city center retains its Old World feel, with narrow, snaking roads and stunning Baroque churches. Yet the last two centuries were dark times for Lithuanians. With the exception of a brief period of independence between the World Wars, Russia occupied the country, executing and exporting thousands. And the Holocaust museum in Vilnius documents how the citizens of Lithuania enthusiastically colluded with the Nazis in exterminating more than 90 percent of the country’s 250,000 Jews.

With almost a decade of post-Soviet independence under its belt, Vilnius will showcase its cultural achievements. One important event is the long-awaited opening of the National Gallery of Art in June. In this city of just over half a million people, the debut is among the most anticipated of hundreds of arts events planned for 2009 including

the Contemporary Art Centre’s triennial and the inaugural edition of the country’s first art fair, ArtVilnius'09. Plans are also moving forward on a new Zaha Hadid–designed museum in Vilnius, which will be a collaboration between the Hermitage and the Guggenheim.                                      -- Excerpted from an article by Aoife Rosenmeyer, ArtInfo 2009

Copenhagen’s Annual Film Festival Scheduled for Mid-April

In 2009, Copenhagen's top two feature-film festivals have been combined into one dynamic 11-day festival that will be held April 16 to 26. Created by the organizers of NatFilm and the Copenhagen International Film Festival, CPH:PIX will present 170 feature films and select documentaries from around the world at venues throughout Copenhagen. New festival features include a 50,000-euro prize to be awarded for the best feature film-directing debut. A full schedule of the films to be shown will be released March 21. More information is available at the Danish language website http://www.cphpix.dk/n/a1.lasso.

A Visit To Heidelberg Represents Centuries Of Culture And Music

Heidelberg is regarded as one of Germany’s most beautiful cities. The harmonious

ensemble of Castle, Old Town and the river nestling amongst the hills already inspired the painters and poets of Romanticism and its fascination continues for millions of visitors from all over the world today.

The city is home to Germany’s oldest university (founded in 1386), which was awarded the title "Elite-University" in 2007.

While the romantic townscape is an event in itself, several events planned this year highlight the city as a cultural destination. The annual Spring Music Festival takes place from March 21 to April 25. The Castle Festival will be held June 26 to August 9 and the Castle Illuminations will be held on June 6, July 11, and September 5. Website: http://news.cometogermany.com/ff/ch.php?cmd=go883177376&vas=17558274 

Venice Launches New Reservations Website

In February, the city of Venice launched a new online reservation system for public tourism services at www.veniceconnected.it. The bilingual site allows users to purchases passes for land and water transportation in the city, tickets to civic museums such as the Doges Palace. The site also offers discounts when items are bought at least 15 days in advance.

Philadelphia’s Annual Flower Show Celebrates The Flora Of Italy

The 2009 Philadelpha Flower show—Bella Italia-- takes place this year from March 1 to 8 at the Philadelphia Convention Center in midtown. This year, its theme will focus on Italian culture. Produced by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Philadelphia Flower Show will transport guests to the majestic gardens of ancient Rome, the lush hills of the Tuscan countryside, the romantic waters of Venice, the artful flora of Florence, and many other distinctive landscapes of Italy as well as regional Italian food and wine tastings.

Visitors will enter the Show through Roman arches adorned in roses, delphinium, geraniums and petunias overflowing from urns and columns. The formal palace gardens of ancient Rome will feature stately fountains and statuary, boxwood garden walls, cypress and olive trees. Wisteria and bougainvillea will frame a tiered stage offering daily performances of opera and traditional Italian music. Surrounding this central display will be gardens from regions throughout Italy.

The American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) will welcome guests to a walk-through Milan boutique filled with high-fashion dresses, shoes, handbags, hats and perfumes – all made of flowers. A new “Fashion District,” inspired by the haute couture and hand-blown glass of Italy will also be on display.

The Flower Show specializes in providing an endless array of tips, techniques and ideas that visitors can use for their own dream gardens at home. Educational displays will emphasize the importance of greening and demonstrate the latest, sustainable techniques for urban and suburban environments. Topics include conserving rainwater in a typical urban backyard; how to protect and preserve the honeybee population, and the vital role of native plants.

The venerable show appeals to all. As Jane Pepper, the president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society recently remarked, “Our exhibitors will transform the Convention Center into stunning Roman gardens, Tuscan hills, Venetian canals, Milanese fashion boutiques, and Alpine landscapes. We will shake off the winter blues with fields of sunflowers, roses, and palm trees, delicious wines, a piazza of Italian specialties, and many surprises.” More information at http://www.theflowershow.com/home/index.html.

Charleston’s Celebrates Spring’s Return With Two Major Cultural Events

Renown for three centuries as “a city set in a garden,” Charleston welcomes the return of

spring with two extraordinary events that will allow visitors to enjoy exclusive “sneak peeks” inside many of the city’s finest historic private houses and gardens, as well as peruse some of the nation’s most impressive antiques. The month-long series of events will kick off with an opening luncheon lecture by nationally recognized garden designer, author and television personality, P. Allen Smith.

Held during the peak of the historic port city’s blooming season, the 62nd Spring Festival of Houses and Gardens offers guests a rare opportunity to tour inside nearly 150 of the city’s most magnificent colonial and antebellum houses and gardens March 19 – April 18. The Charleston International Antiques Show (CIAS) will open the festival’s first weekend March 19-22.

CIAS has quickly established itself as a premier destination for seasoned collectors as well as those who just enjoy seeing and learning about the decorative arts. More than 30 nationally renown dealers will feature a diverse range of antiques from the 17th to early 20th century, including American, Asian and European furniture, silver and porcelain, textiles, ceramics, vintage jewelry and clothing, and garden furniture.

Both events are organized by Historic Charleston Foundation and the proceeds support its mission to preserve and protect the region’s historic architecture and culture.

A complete calendar of events and ticket prices can be found at www.historiccharleston.org.

Thaw In Cultural Exchange Between China and Taiwan

Beijing’s Palace Museum has agreed to lend artworks to its counterpart in Taipei, the National Palace Museum (photo) for a special exhibition in fall 2009. The loan represents a temporary reuniting of a small part of China’s immense imperial collection for the first time in 60 years.

The Taiwan Museum will borrow the works, mostly paintings, for a three-month art exhibit starting in October from the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, who ruled all of China from 1723 to 1735.

Still the thorny issue of Mainland China’s legal claim to full ownership of the entire imperial collection remains to be addressed. Nationalists took a portion of it when they lost in China’s civil war in 1949 to the Communists and retreated to Taiwan. To this date the Taipei Museum refuses to lend any of its works to the mainland in fear that they would not be returned.

 

 

January, 2009

Cultural Briefs

The New York Scene

2009 International Art Fairs

International Museum Calendar

 

Cultural Briefs

Largest Insectarium Museum In US Opens In New Orleans

New Orleans has a new museum dedicated to the science and lore of insects: The Audubon Insectarium, a 25 million dollar private nonprofit endeavor located on the edge

of the French Quarter on Canal Street. The largest museum of its kind in the US presents through a mix of live animal displays and arrangements of other posthumous specimens, the spectacular abundance and diversity of the insect world, celebrating the essential roles that 900,000-plus insects and their relatives play in our lives. Up-close-and-personal glimpses into the lives of selected members of the largest grouping of living, visible, mobile organisms on earth are on display including thousands of live insects, mounted specimens, interactive experiences and trained, expert personnel on hand to interpret the exhibits. Website: www.auduboninstitute.org

                                           
Sweden’s First Marine National Park Opens In September
Kosterhavet Marine National Park, the first marine national park in Sweden, opens in

September 2009. Located on Sweden’s west coast close to the Norwegian border, it centers around the Koster Islands and contains the richest marine biodiversity in the country. The beautiful area is one of Sweden’s most visited tourist destinations; receiving 90,000 visitors a year and offers several visitor centers, including Naturum on South Koster, that will act as entry points explaining the extraordinary coastal habitat and unusual species found here. More informatwww.westsweden.com.

Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 Comes To Sweden
Known as the ‘Everest of Sailing’, the epic Volvo Ocean Race, formerly the Whitbread Round the World Race, comes to West Sweden in June. The competitors set off for the eighth leg from Galway, Ireland, at 1 pm on June 6 in a sprint to Marstrand Island, 30 minutes north of Gothenburg. The crews are set to put on a dramatic spectacle, and draw huge crowds to the shores, as they near dry land on June 10. From Marstrand the competitors will be waved off as they start the ninth leg to Stockholm on June 14.

Zagat Launches 2009 New Orleans Guide

Zagat Survey has published the results of its 2009 New Orleans travel guide, now in its 20^th edition. The guide covers 704 of the city's finest restaurants, nightspots, attractions and hotels, based on the input from 3,877 local consumers. Since 28 percent of surveyors in New Orleans named Creole and Cajun as their favorite cuisines, it is no surprise that Brigtsen's (Contemp. Louisiana) won Top Food and Top Service; while Commander's Palace (Creole) was voted Most Popular restaurant (as it has been every time it's surveyed) and Top Decor to boot. Best Bets for a bite at top value are at Hansen's Sno-Bliz, Angelo Brocato and Morning Call. For more information, visit www.ZAGAT.com.

Fourth Annual Violoncello Competition Opens January 22 In Zagreb

For the fourth year, Zagreb is a host to this annual competition taking place in the city’s Vatroslav Lisinski concert hall. This competition for young violoncello players (up to 35 years of age) is dedicated to world-famous Italian violoncello virtuoso Antonio Janigro (1918-1989) who worked for many years in Croatia. A panel of international judges will choose the best among the young musicians who will receive awards. Website: www.antoniojanigro.com.hr

Harry Potter Exhibit Opens At Chicago Museum of Science In April

The Museum of Science and Industry is presenting an exhibition from April 30 to September 7 that gives a personal look at the artistry and craftsmanship that went into

creating the iconic props and costumes that appeared throughout the Harry Potter™ films. These authentic artifacts will be displayed in elaborate settings inspired by locations from Hogwarts™ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry including the Gryffindor™ common room, Hagrid’s hut and the Great Hall. Guests will also get their first glimpse at items from the next film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™, which is scheduled to open in theaters on July 17, 2009.

The Harry Potter™ books, by author J.K. Rowling, are among the most popular books of all time and the film adaptations have been equally well received by moviegoers the world over. The exhibit requires a timed-entry ticket, either during regular Museum hours or during extended evening hours from Museum closing until 9 p.m. Tickets for this upcoming exhibit are currently available for online purchase only.

Website: http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/harry-potter/

Germany Celebrates 90 Years of Bauhaus Design In 2009       

In 2009, Germany celebrates the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus—

literally translated as "building school"--with events and special exhibitions in the three German cities where the school was founded and operated: Weimar, Dessau and Berlin.

It was in Weimar in 1919, that the architect Walter Gropius founded an academy to teach the most up-to-date ideas in painting and

Bauhaus designed Berlin Museum

printmaking, pottery, industrial design, interior design, weaving and textiles, typography and graphic design. Ironically, despite the school’s name, architecture was not initially on the curriculum. Students wishing to learn building design were sent to work in Gropius’ private architecture office.

The core of the myriad of events celebrating Bauhaus’ 90th anniversary in Weimar is the exhibition The Birth of the Bauhaus from April 1 to July 5, at the Bauhaus Museum and other venues around the town. It will present Weimar as the laboratory that germinated the ideas later fully developed in Dessau and Berlin, and which subsequently gained worldwide recognition.

In 1925, given the chance to have its own buildings, the Bauhaus moved to the slightly larger city of Dessau, near the Elbe river. The original Gropuis-designed school building, carefully renovated, survives there, along with a few of the "masters’ houses" - one of them now a museum honoring the Dessau composer Kurt Weill - and a number of other buildings around the town. The school and houses together have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In Dessau, the focus for 2009 is on the years of the Dessau Bauhaus School: 1925 to 1932. Teacher and student works from every department and discipline—including carpentry and metalwork as well as architecture—will show the development and working methods of the College of Design Bauhaus Dessau and its emphasis on interdisciplinary learning and production.

The Bauhaus style has since thrived in that city as in very few other places. From July 22nd to October 4th next year, the exhibition Modell Bauhaus, at the Martin Gropius Building in Berlin, will present the school’s design icons of the early 20th century in a joint project of Berlin’s Bauhaus Archive with the Bauhaus collections from Weimar and Dessau. This exhibition also will be shown at Museum of Modern Art in New York, starting in October of 2009.  Website: www.bauhaus.de

Producers Guild Of America Announce Five Best-Movies-In-2008 Nominations

Nominees for the five best movies of 2008 were recently announced by the Producers Guild of America. The summer blockbuster The Dark Knight made the list as did Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, and Milk.

In their 19-year history, the PGA awards have foreseen 12 of Oscar's eventual best-picture winners, including last year's champ No Country for Old Men.

The winner will be announced at the PGA awards ceremony at the Palladium in Los Angeles on January 24.

Jazz Music To Warm The Heart

From January 23 through February 8, the annual Vinter Jazz Festival brings some of the world's top jazz artists to Denmark, performing everywhere from intimate jazz clubs to "cool spaces" like the glass-enclosed atrium at Statens Museum for Kunst (the National Gallery) in Copenhagen. The festival includes some 200 concerts at more than 50 venues throughout Denmark. Website: www.visitdenmark.com

New GRAMMY Museum Opens In Los Angeles

The much-anticipated GRAMMY Museum recently opened at L.A. LIVE in Downtown, celebrating music's past, present and future with artist profiles, films, timelines, memorabilia, multimedia presentations, interactive exhibits, thought-provoking programs, a 200-seat soundstage and a mock studio, where visitors can experience the actual recording process, with industry experts leading the way through mixing and producing. "Music always has played a vital role in our culture and society, and the GRAMMY Museum will provide visitors a unique and hands-on opportunity to experience music's rich legacy, as well as the special process that goes into creating it," says Neil Portnow, president/CEO of The Recording Academy.

Dubbed a "museum of the 21st century," the facility also offers educational and public programs including children's music classes, and lectures with visiting artists and industry insiders. Admission to the museum requires a timed-entry ticket, which specifies a 30-minute window for entry. Guests to the museum may stay inside as long as they like.

www.grammymuseum.org.

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The New York Scene

The New York Scene

February 2009

Eight New Productions Scheduled for Met Opera’s 2009/10 Season

Despite severe budget cutting at New York’s Metropolitan Opera as a result of the current

economic crisis, it was announced that eight new productions are in the works for next season, which is the first season entirely planned by Peter Gelb, the opera’s new general manager. New productions include Bizet’s Carmen, Offenbach’s Contes de’Hoffman, Jancek’s House of the Dead, Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet and Puccini’s Tosca. Four never presented operas at the Met are also scheduled: Janacek’s From the House of the Dead, Rossini’s Armida, and Verdi’s Attila, and Shostakovich’s The Nose. Several conductors making their Met debuts include Riccardo Muti and Pierre Boulet. There will be nine live-high-definition broadcasts to movie theaters.

Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall Reopens This Month

The dramatically transformed Alice Tully Hall located at the corner of 65^th street and Broadway is reopening this month. Visitors to the transformed Hall will be greeted by the striking three-story-high, glass-enclosed lobby The soaring, light-filled space will house new facilities including a mezzanine-level donor room for special events, more

restrooms, a café/bar with extended public hours, and an expanded box office and ticketing area.  Inside the concert hall, the transformed auditorium with innovative lighting that glows softly from translucent walls, custom theater seats, an automated film screen, and two mechanized stage extensions that will create adjustable staging options. A new warm- up/rehearsal room has been added along with expanded dressing/choral spaces, extended stage wings, and a bigger freight elevator to accommodate larger stage equipment for a variety of presentations. To celebrate its reopening on February 22, a two-week Opening Nights Festival will be presented designed to highlight the artistic range of the Hall’s primary tenants, that include The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Most Festival performances — including orchestral and chamber music, choral works, recitals, popular song, world music, period and contemporary ensembles, and film--will be presented either free or with tickets priced at $25 or less.

AMNH Presents Extreme Mammals Exhibition In May

The American Museum of Natural History’s upcoming major new exhibition, Extreme Mammals explores the surprising and sometimes bizarre world of extinct and living mammals. Featuring spectacular fossils from the Museum’s collections, the interactive exhibition will examine the ancestry and evolution of numerous species, ranging from huge to tiny and speedy to slothlike, and will showcase animals with oversized claws, fangs, snouts, and horns. Extreme Mammals will also explore how some lineages died out while others diversified to form the groups of well-known mammals living today.

Planned highlights of the exhibition include taxidermy specimens—from the egg-laying platypus to the recently extinct Tasmanian wolf—and fleshed-out models of spectacular extinct forms, such as Ambulocetus, a “walking whale.” Visitors will encounter a life-size model of Indricotherium, the largest land mammal that ever lived; an entire skeleton of the giant, six-horned and saber-tusked Uintatherium; one of the oldest fossilized bats ever found; and a leafy scene showing primates leaping through the subtropical.

The show opens May 23 and will be on display through January 3, 2010.

New York Botanical Gardens’ Annual Orchid Show Opens February 22

The seventh annual Orchid Show opens February 22 at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG). This year’s theme is Brazilian Modern, which highlights the brilliantly colored orchids and the lush tropical setting of a contemporary Brazilian garden. Miami-based landscape architect Raymond Jungles has created this contemporary Brazilian garden design, inspired by his mentor, Roberto Burle Marx, an icon of Brazilian design. The design features fountains, pools, and colorful mosaics combined with graceful palms, delicate orchids, bromeliads, and other native plants of Brazil. The orchids have been selected by the Manager of the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections at the Botanical Garden and Curator of The Orchid Show, Marc Hachadourian and are featured throughout the garden’s Enid Haupt Conservatory.

Here’s a chance to learn about orchids: the most diverse species of flower on earth, orchid preservation at The Garden, and ongoing research and conservation efforts by Botanical Garden scientists in Brazil. In addition, there are many educational activities including Chocolate and Vanilla Adventures in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Home Gardening Demonstrations, and other exciting programming. More information at www.nybg.org

Jane Fonda Starring In ’33 Variations’ At The Public Theater

Veteran actress Jane Fonda is currently appearing in a new play written and directed by Moisés Kaufman being presented at the Public Theater. Thirty-Three Variations revolves around a mother coming to terms with her daughter and a composer (Beethoven) coming to terms with his genius. Though the two characters are separated by two centuries, they share an obsession that might even for a moment make time stand still.

Two-time Oscar®-winner Jane Fonda heads a remarkable cast, including Samantha Mathis And Colin Hanks, in the new play written and directed by Moisés Kaufman, author of The Laramie Project and director of I Am My Own Wife. Drama, memory and music are combined from present-day New York to 19th-century Austria about passion, parenthood and the moments of beauty that can transform a life.

Discounted tickets available for a limited time at www.broadwayoffers.com and use code 33Pub27 or bring this offer to the box office at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, 230 West 49th Street.

The Morgan Library & Museum To Digitize Some Of Its Books And Manuscripts

The Morgan Library & Museum continues a major initiative to digitize some of its most important books and manuscripts in order to share their contents with a wider audience.

The Morgan has invited a team of scholars and technicians to create a state-of-the-art digital facsimile of one of its Gutenberg Bibles. Printed in Mainz, Germany around 1455, the Gutenberg Bible is the first substantial printed book in the West and has inspired more scholarly scrutiny than any other book in the world. The Morgan has three copies, the largest number in a single collection. Scholars hope to learn more about the invention of printing by studying an exceptional copy at the Morgan that includes twenty-two pages with unique type settings and illuminations by an artist who decorated at least two copies of the Bible along with other publications of Gutenberg's partner, Johann Fust. A digital facsimile of this copy has long been a top priority in Gutenberg scholarship and will soon be made available as a result of a collaboration between the Morgan and the Humanities Media Interface Project (HUMI) of Keio University in Tokyo.

Established in 1996, HUMI has made digital l facsimiles of Keio University's copy of the Gutenberg Bible as well as seven other copies in England, Scotland, Germany, and Poland. The HUMI team will produce extremely detailed, high-resolution images that can be easily compared with other digital facsimiles. The Morgan will make the digital images available on its Web site— www.themorgan.org for readers to view all the 1,026 pages in this extraordinary copy of the earliest printed Bible.

The Morgan has already completed a digital facsimile of John Milton's Paradise Lost, Book 1, the only surviving manuscript of what is arguably the most important poem in the English language.

New York City Opera Picks New Director

George R. Steel has been chosen as City Opera’s new general manager and artistic director, effective this month. The appointment follows the abrupt departure of Gerard Mortier, director of the Paris Opera, who was to assume the directorship of the company next season, bringing a radical plan to stage mostly 20^th century operas, off site performances and non-overlapping  productions. Resigning from his appointment, Mortier remarked that he was unable to work with the company’s reduced budget.

Steel who was only three months in the job as general director of the Dallas Opera when he accepted the NYCO job, which he called the opportunity of a lifetime. Steel before accepting the Dallas post was the Executive Director of the Miller Theater at Columbia University for 11 years.

Author Gay Talese Winner of George Polk Journalism Award

American author Gay Talese, who influenced a generation of writers with books such as "Thy Neighbor's Wife" and "Honor Thy Father," was named the winner of a George Polk

Award for career achievement. Other winners of the 2008 Polk Awards included New York Times reporters Barry Bearak and Celia Dugger, who risked their lives exposing violence in Zimbabwe, and Paul Salopek of the Chicago Tribune, who reported on pre-emptive U.S. tactics in combating terrorism in the Horn of Africa.

The Polk Awards, presented by Long Island University, are considered among the top prizes in U.S. journalism. They were created in 1949 in honor of CBS reporter George W. Polk, who was killed while covering the Greek civil war, and will be awarded at an April 16 luncheon in Manhattan. The awards were to be announced Tuesday.

Talese began his career as a copy boy at The New York Times and worked as a reporter there from 1956 to 1965. He has written for publications including The New Yorker and Harper's in addition to his books, which also include "The Bridge: The Building of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge" and "The Kingdom and the Power: Behind the Scenes at The New York Times." He is considered a pioneer of the literary style of reporting known as new journalism.

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January, 2009

 New York City Ballet Opens 2009 Winter Season

This year the 2009 Winter Season features some of the New York City Ballet Company's

most spectacular works: the monumental scope of George Balanchine's Vienna Waltzes and his rousing Stars and Stripes, Jerome Robbins' immortal West Side Story Suite, and the charming full-length Coppélia, which tells the tale of a mad inventor and the life-like doll he creates.

NYCB will also present three world premieres, each certain to be major dance events, as well as encore performances of Alexei Ratmansky’s critically-acclaimed Concerto DSCH. The winter repertory will also feature Peter Martins’ Papillons, not seen since its premiere in 1994, and a monumental new staging of Les Noces, with four grand pianos and a full choir onstage. Website: www.nycballet.org

New York’s Public Theater Presents It Annual Festival of New Works

From January 7 to the 18^th, the Public Theater at 435 Lafayette Street is presenting its annual festival of new theater from around the world. The festival spotlights everyone from emerging talents to masters in the field. Under the Radar will offer a crash course in theater that is exciting, independent and experimental, created by some of the most dynamic artists working today. Website:  www.publictheater.org

New York’s  Popular Winter Restaurant Week Commences January 22

The city’s popular restaurant week this winter takes place January 18 to 23 and January 25 to 30 at more than 250 restaurants. Lunch ($24.07) and dinner ($35) do not include charges for beverages, tax and gratuities. More information at http://nycgo.com/restaurantweek.

Unique Display of French Faience Opens In New York January 15

The Alliance Française at its FIAF Gallery at 22 East 60 Street has partnered with the French Ministry of Culture and Communication to showcase the stunning faience collection of the renowned Faucon family from January 15 to February 13. On view will be a carefully curated selection of works­­--entitled Earth and Fire: French Master Artisans and Faience from Apt--rooted in the traditions of Provence, that bring into focus the evolution of the Bernard Faucon family’s delicate and ornate techniques over the course of generations. The family’s atelier in Apt is now shuttered, much to the dismay of collectors around the world who have had the pleasure of owning these one-of-a-kind masterpieces. The centuries-spanning collection will be shown alongside the work of six other maîtres d'arts, all of whose creations epitomize extraordinary craftsmanship and exceptional beauty. This is an extremely rare opportunity to view these intricate works before their installation in a permanent collection in Apt, France.

Website: www.fiaf.org

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December, 2008

Cultural Briefs

The New York Scene

International Museum Calendar

Cultural Briefs

New Underwater Museum Planned In Egypt

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), together with the Egyptian government, is building the world’s first underwater museum to show the rich cultural and historical heritage that can be found under the Bay of Alexandria in northern Egypt. The museum will be built by the government of Egypt, while UNESCO has established an International Scientific Advisory Committee to help lay the groundwork.

The decision by the Egyptian government comes amid growing international awareness of the need to protect archeological sites located underwater. UNESCO has established the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, which is expected to become operational by the end of 2008 after its ratification by 20 states.

According to the initial plan the new museum, which will be the first of its kind, is to be built partly above and partly under water presenting the planners with an array of challenges. Among issues that need to be addressed is the safety of the visitors while exploring the underwater sections of the museum, and the limitations on visibility.

The submerged part of the complex will enable visitors to see archaeological remains on the seabed, representing an important advance in the development of underwater cultural heritage exhibitions. “The first underwater discoveries in the Bay of Alexandria were made in 1911, so you see that this is already a long, ongoing issue in one of the most ancient harbors of the world,” Ulrike Koschtial, the representative for the UNESCO Convention, told The Media Line. “The whole Bay of Alexandria actually still houses the remains of very important archeological sites. You have the place of the Pharaohs – the ancient lighthouse of Alexandria – which is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. You have the Polonike Palace, which was the palace of Cleopatra, and there might also be the grave of Alexander the Great,” she said.

Other artifacts recovered from the Bay of Alexandria and adjacent sites will be presented to the public in exhibition sites above water.

Palestinian Artist Emily Jacir Named Recipient Of Hugo Boss Prize 2008.

The continuity and success of Hugo Boss's support for the arts is reflected inthe Hugo Boss Prize, which has now been an art world institution for 12 years. Administered by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, the award was established in 1996 to recognize significant achievement in contemporary art. Emily Jacir, who will receive a stipend of USD 100,000, was selected by an international jury of museum curators and directors. A solo exhibition featuring the artist’s work will be on view at the Guggenheim Museum from February 06 through April 15, 2009. "When it was established in 1996, I don't think anyone was prescient enough to foresee what an invaluable gift the Hugo Boss Prize would become," said Thomas Krens, Senior Advisor for International Affairs, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. "It gives the Guggenheim the opportunity to identify extraordinary contemporary artists. In addition to Emily Jacir, the artists short-listed by the jury were Christoph Büchel (Switzerland), Patty Chang (USA), Sam Durant (USA), Joachim Koester (Denmark) and Roman Signer (Switzerland). Since its inception, the Hugo Boss Prize has been awarded to the American artist Matthew Barney (1996), Scottish artist Douglas Gordon (1998), Marjetica Potr? from Slovenia (2000), the French artist Pierre Huyghe (2002), Rirkrit Tiravanija from Thailand (2004) and Tacita Dean from United Kingdom (2006).

Indian Novelist Aravind Adiga wins Man Booker Prize 2008

Indian novelist Aravind Adiga won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2008 for his work The White Tiger, announced in October. The 33-year-old journalist tells the "story of two Indias" in his book, praised by Booker Prize judges' chairman Michael Portillo as "being in the tradition of Macbeth with a delicious twist."

The novel concerns Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller and the White Tiger who dreams of escaping his life as a tea shop worker turned chauffeur. When his chance arrives and his eyes are opened to the city of New Delhi, Balram becomes caught between his instinct to be a better son and his desire to better himself.

Born in Madras, Adiga, who wanted to be a writer since he was a youth, now lives in Mumbai. He is the third first-time novelist to win the 50,000-pound ($86,000) Booker Prize, which is awarded each year for the best novel in the British Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland.

Madrid’s Cultural Scene Heats Up

Through the winter there are interesting exhibitions at the city’s three major cultural institutions: the Museo del Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofia, which have all doubled in size in the past four years, and at the striking new CaixaForum Madrid.

City officials are inviting Americans to come for the holidays to see the spectacular Christmas light displays and partake of the venerable Spanish tradition of eating twelve grapes as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve to bring luck for the next year. Visitors can cap off their stay with the parade of the Three Kings on January 6. In between visitors can enjoy art exhibitions, a superb dining scene and the city’s pulsating nightlife.

The city’s newest cultural star opened last February: the $96 million CaixaForum Madrid. This former electrical power station dating from 1899 was transformed by architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron into a stunning venue for art exhibitions, film screenings, concerts, workshops and conferences. A striking 5,000-square-foot vertical garden by botanist Patrick Blanc covers one side of the façade. Running through January 18, 2009 “Etruscan Princes: Between East and West" showcases treasures from this pre-Roman civilization. The exhibition presents artwork, funerary gifts and household objects of the Etruscan aristocracy. Sacred architecture and friezes found in the royal tombs of Tarquinia will be on display. Website: http://obrasocial.lacaixa.es/centros/caixaforummadrid_ca.html

Through January 6, 2009, the Prado will host, “Rembrandt, History Painter.” Some 35 paintings and five prints were gathered from major museums in Europe and the United States to supplement the only painting by Rembrandt in the Prado’s permanent collection. Focusing on Rembrandt’s historical and biblical scenes, the show covers all periods of the artist’s career. Highlights include “Saint Peter and Saint Paul” (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne), “Samson and Delilah” (Stádel Museum, Frankfurt), and “Bathsheba at the Baths” (Louvre). Through April 12, 2009, “Among Gods and Men. Classical Sculpture from the Albertinum in Dresden and the Museo del Prado” is showcasing – for the first time outside of Germany – 46 classical sculptures from the Dresden museum. Next year the museum will host two concurrent exhibitions: “Francis Bacon” (February 3 - April 19, 2009) and “Sleeping Beauty: Victorian Painting from the Ponce Art Museum” (February 17 - May 10, 2009). In May 2009, a special show of murals by Joaquín Sorolla will be on loan from the Hispanic Society of America. Website: www.museodelprado.es

And at the newly expanded Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, a new exhibition “1914! The Avant-Garde and the Great War” is on through January 11, 2009. Running through February 15, is “Saenredam: the West Façade of Mariakerk, Utrecht.“ Opening February 10, “The Shadow“ will present an overview of the depiction of shadows in art from the Renaissance to the present day. (The second part of the exhibition will be shown at the Fundación Caja Madrid.) A major exhibition, "Matisse: 1917-1942," will open on June 9 focusing on the artist’s less-studied period that was marked by World War I. Website: www.museothyssen.org

Running through January 5, is a show of important works by American feminist artist, Nancy Spero at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS). Spero was a crucial figure on the New York anti-establishment scene in the 1960s and 1970s, and the show highlights her quest for a personal idiom. “From where there’s no coming back” is a reflective exhibition of 200 images and a video by Spanish photographer, Alberto Garcia-Alix, (through February 23, 2009.) Dedicated to Carl Einstein (1885-1940), “The Invention of the 20th Century” will connect the German art historian and critic’s theories with the art, literature, and cinema produced by artists whom he researched during his life. A selection of African and Oceanic sculpture, which played a key role in inspiring Cubism, is included (through February 16, 2009.) Also through February 16, 160 images from New York photographer Zoe Leonard will be on display, including her most significant works from the 1970s up to the present.

Paris Becomes Shoppers Paradise In January

On the occasion of the official launch of the winter sales, Paris is presenting the four-day event, Soldes by Paris, for the third consecutive year. This shopping extravaganza jump starts the winter sale season and helps consumers to maximize their time and money. The dates of the national winter sales will be announced by the government in early December. The sales usually start the first Wednesday in January and last five weeks. Shoppers can enjoy discounts of 40 to 70 percent off regular prices.

Nearly 300 hoteliers, restaurateurs and coach operators (excursions) are also taking part in Soldes by Paris under the banner of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau to propose special offers for four full days: a promotional offer on the entire city!
• “Digi-Guides”, offer GPS assistance for technology-crazy “Fashion Geeks.” More information ate www.parisinfo.com or http://en.parisinfo.com /.

Prague Hosts Bohemian Carnival In February

Prague’s Bohemian Carnival- a festival inspired by the Venetian carnival and folklore traditions—takes place February 13 to 24, 2009. In the lead up to the Lenten season, visitors will get a chance to put on their favorite masks and join the allegorical parades! Part of the celebration includes food tastings at Prague’s hotels, restaurants and bars to experience the Mardi Gras culinary arts. Website: www.carnevale.cz

Getting to the Czech Republic is getting easier by rail. As from January 1, 2009, the Czech Republic will be included in the Eurail Global Pass, as well as becoming a Eurail Select Pass member. The Eurail Group offers a wide range of passes from single country options to the classic Eurail Global Pass, valid, from 2009, in 21 countries. Website: www.eurail.com

Two major Openings In Brussels Scheduled For 2009

In 2009 Brussels will have two major openings with its new Magritte Museum in June and its completely renovated former Congress Center of Brussels now called Square three months later. The completely renovated venue next to the Grand Place on Mont des Arts, in the center of Brussels opens September 20 and will offer 108,000 square feet of public space that includes three auditoriums, two conference rooms, 20 high-tech meeting rooms, a modular hall of 43,000 square feet and an exclusive top-floor event room.

On June 2 the new Magritte Museum will open. Named after the 20th century Belgium surrealist artist, it is located on the Place Royale, near the Grand Place, the Musical Instrument Museum and the Royal Palace. The museum will hold, the largest collection of Magritte paintings, plus archival material, letters written by the painter, photographs and drawings. The museum will be available for special events. More information at www.visitbelgium.com.

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The New York Scene

 

 New York Morphs Into A Holiday Fantasy In December

New York becomes a mecca of lights and decorations every holiday season.

Although the decorations appear earlier each year, the city officially opens its holiday season first with the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade that winds up with a visit from Santa at the store. Then there is the lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center during the first week of December, preceded by other tree lightings at Bryant Park or Lincoln Center. All are accompanied by all the welcomed merriment. There’s also a tree lighting at the historic cobblestone district of South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan’s eastside with lots of music and activities and where the Big Apple Chorus will be performing weekends throughout December.

 

Escape to whimsy . . .

Stores go all out as they creatively reinvent the holiday. Magical displays depicting celebrations of past and present holiday merrymaking can be viewed at Lord & Taylor at Fifth Avenue and 38^th Street, Saks Fifth Avenue across from Rockefeller Center, Macy’s at Broadway and 34^th Street or even those of Bloomingdale’s.

If shopping is your wish, there’s Bloomingdale’s, Barney's, Bergdorf Goodman and Henri Bendel in midown Manhattan. But if you stroll north on Madison Avenue on the upper Eastside for unusual and designer items in the high-end boutiques along the avenue, you are in for a treat.

Or you might want to shop for handmade gifts at the Christmas markets at Union Square, Bryant Park or Columbus Circle. There’s a Christmas market also at Grand Central Station, and while you are there, look up at the station’s ceiling for the laser light show.

 

Miniature trains to delight the senses . . .

While at the station, you may want to board a Metro North train for the 20-minute ride to the New York Botanical Garden where the park is transformed into a magical winter wonderland and a must-see train show in the Conservatory (www.nybg.org) where miniature trains and trolleys zip through beautiful landscaped scenes of a New York as lived more than a century ago.  Closer to Manhattan is the annual Train Show (http://www.dunhamstudios.com/cititour.htm) inside the Citicorp Building at Lexington Avenue and 53^rd Street. Model train hobbyists and children will delight in this free—and last—presentation at this site.

 

Music, and more music . . .

Concerts heralding the holidays abound at Carnegie Hall (www.carnegiehall.org), Lincoln Center Avery Fisher Hall (www.nyphil.org), and other venues. Check out the city listings in The New Yorker, Time Out, or New York magazines for venues and dates. Don’t forget to attend one of the city’s many Messiah performances such as at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center. But the best of the lot is the two performances of The Messiah at St. Thomas Church at Fifth Avenue and 53^rd Street on December 9 and 11 at 7:30 pm. If you miss the performances, you can order a copy of the two-disk CD with its unique Mozart orchestration (www.saintthomaschurch.org ). 

No visit to the city is complete withhout seeing the famous George Balanchine’s version of The Nutcracker at New York City Opera at Lincoln Center (www.nycballet.com). Another treat for children and adults is the Metropolitan Opera’s presentation of Mozart’s Magic Flute—barely two hours long and sure to delight audiences of all ages (www.metopera.org).

This year on Broadway, the new musical White Christmas is thrilling audiences at the Marquis Theater (www.whitechristmasthemusical.com). So is Slava’s Snowshow at the Helen Hayes Theater. Created in 1993 in Moscow by Russian-born clown artist Slava Polunin, the show revels in the antics of the clown performers while the audience is covered with falling snow flakes (www.snowshowonbroadway.com). Another wintery performance takes place at Madison Square Garden where the Cirque du Soleil troupe performs Wintuk—a tale about a boy and his quest to find snow.

(www.cirquedusoleil.com). Wintuk weaves thrilling acrobatics, dazzling ice giants and memorable songs together in a touching story line that resonates with the whole family.

And don’t forget the city’s most popular holiday show at Radio City Music Hall (http://christmas.radiocity.com/) at Sixth Avenue and 50^th Street--the Christmas Spectacular featuring the dazzling Rockettes.  The show’s been around for more than 75 years entertaining 65 million visitors.

 

Museums put on their festive glow as well . . .

The Metropolitan Museum’s tree decorated with angels and its Neapolitan Baroque crèche at the Metropolitan Museum’s Medieval Court (www.metmuseum.org) is a beautiful tribute to the holiday. At the Cloisters, the Met’s museum branch in northern Manhattan dedicated to medieval art, special decorations, including wreaths and garlands that are hand made from plants linked to the celebration of Christmastide in the Middle Ages abound.

At the American Museum of Natural History the delightfully decorated Origami Holiday Tree and two merrily lit 19-foot Holiday Barosaurs welcome visitors. New this year, there’s a Polar Rink where skaters glide past the Hayden Planetarium. And on December 28, Kwanzaa Fest 2008! will fill the Museum's Hall of Ocean Life with live dance and vocal performances.

At The Morgan Museum on East 35 Street and Madison (www.themorgan.org), the original manuscript Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol is on display. (It was purchased by museum founder Pierpont Morgan in the 1890s.).

All the museums in New York offer wonderful shopping for those special gifts. The Met also has an annex store in Rockefeller Center with a variety of merchandise in addition to its very large store at the museum. And outstanding is the Museum of Modern Art’s art and design store attached to the museum at 11 West 53 Street (www.moma.org) for unusual merchandise with artistic themes.

 

The animals celebrate too . . .

The animals at the local zoos also celebrating. On three weekends in December, at the Central Park Zoo at 65^th & Fifth (www.centralpark.com ), fishsicles, fruit and peanut butter are some of the tasty treats polar bears, seals, penguins, etc will enjoy. At the Bronx Zoo (www.bronxzoo.com), the 6,000 inhabitants get toys and treats.

 

New Year’s Eve in the Big Apple . . .

Rounding out the month is the fabulous New Year’s Eve “Ring-In-The-New Year” celebration with the ball drop in Times Square (get there early) or the spectacular fireworks over Central Park or Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza.

 

For helpful information on a trip visit, www.nycvisit.com or www.nycgo.com.

 

                                                                                    -- PW Mooney, Editor