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Veteran New York Antiquities Dealer Pleads Guilty To Trafficking In Looted Objects

"Nancy Wiener, 66, whose mother had also been a well-known expert in the field, acknowledged Thursday that she had taken possession of items that showed possible signs of looting … and presented them for sale with false statements of provenance." - The New York Times

Playwright Jeremy O. Harris Withdraws “Slave Play” From L.A. Run

The 12-time-Tony-nominated play was to open in February at the Center Theater Group's Mark Taper Forum. But the CTG has only one play by a woman in its entire season; in response, Harris suggests filling his slot a work by a female playwright. - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)

France’s Leading Literary Award Finally Makes Nepotism Against The Rules

Following this year's conflict-of-interest scandal (not the first), administrators of the Prix Goncourt have declared that any book by a family member or unmarried lover of a juror is ineligible and that jurors may not publish reviews of any semifinalist or finalist title. - Deutsche Welle

Two Of Shanghai’s Major Museums Close Without Explanation

Last week the Long Museum West Bund shut for "facility maintenance," though it reopened two days later. Then the Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum announced, with no reason given, that it would close indefinitely starting October 1, normally the start of a busy holiday week. - The Art Newspaper

Gramophone Awards 2021: “Peter Grimes” Is Recording Of The Year, Minnesota Is Orchestra Of The Year

The Chandos release of Britten's opera stars Stuart Skelton with Edward Gardner conducting the Bergen Philharmonic; the Minnesota Orchestra took honors in its final season under Osmo Vänskä. Violinist James Ehnes is Artist of the Year; Young Artist of the Year is soprano Fatma Said. - Gramophone

The Critical Question (Post-COVID)

Playwright Oscar Wilde once warned an age without criticism is “an age that possesses no art at all.” He never could have imagined an age when the arts are eager for resurgence, but there are few critical voices to herald their return. - CanvasCLE

Come For The Star Wars, Stay For The Kara Walker…

At the Lucas Museum: “What would be fantastic is if people came looking for Star Wars and learn about Ralph McQuarrie and then they learn about Gentileschi,” Sandra Jackson-Dumont says. “If they come for Star Wars and leave having seen Kara Walker. - The Art Newspaper

25-Year-Old New Play Incubator Closes

According to a press release, the decision to shutter the 27-year-old play development mainstay was a “unanimous yet painful conclusion” of the organization’s board after “many long months of responding to pandemic-related crises and seeking paths to sustainability.” - American Theatre

Philadelphia Orchestra Ditches The Formal Dress

“We’re well into the 21st century. It’s time to acknowledge that in many ways, and one of them is the way the orchestra looks on the stage,” says Philadelphia Orchestra president and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky. - Philadelphia Inquirer

The Future Of Tourism? Venice Uses High Tech Surveillance To Limit The Mobs

The city’s leaders are acquiring the cellphone data of unwitting tourists and using hundreds of surveillance cameras to monitor visitors and prevent crowding. Next summer, they plan to install long-debated gates at key entry points... - The New York Times

Inside The World Of Screen Subtitlers

It’s possible for subtitles and dubs to be so seamless that they feel invisible without pushing audiovisual translators ourselves out of sight. - Zocalo Public Square

Africa’s Film Industries Could Create 20 Million Jobs: UNESCO Study

"Most creative industries in (sub-Saharan) Africa were grossly underserved," — the major exceptions being Nigeria and Senegal — "in part due to the failure of policymakers and local authorities to protect and invest in audio-visual industries." - The Guardian

Hunter Biden, Artist, Opens His Show. Are His Paintings Really Worth $500K?

As has been previously reported, his gallerist, George Bergès, is looking to fetch between $75,000 and $500,000 a piece for Biden’s paintings. And this has raised ethical issues the White House has not fully addressed. - Mother Jones

“Abstraction, I Think, Is Now Over,” Writes David Hockney

"It's run its course. … Its job was to take away the shadows that had dominated European art for centuries. It was only European art that used them. … The arts of China, Japan, India and Persia never use shadows or reflections." - The Art Newspaper

Why Don’t Museums Use Their Leverage?

In the museum world, there’s enormous potential stored in the museum’s permanent art collection – not as a financial asset, but as a lever for amplifying impact. Unfortunately, museums too often consider their collections to be exclusive. - MuseumNext

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