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Art Historian Claims To Have Identified Caravaggio’s Oldest Known Painting

“Gianni Papi — one of the world’s leading experts on the artist — announced the discovery of what he believes to be the earliest known painting by the genius: Boy Peeling Fruit.  … The initial doubts were evident. There are about 10 known copies. … However, Papi has no doubts.” - El País (Spain) (in English)

Rural America Will Be The Loser If Congress Defunds Public Broadcasting

“This would disproportionately harm rural areas and smaller communities, where public media really is a lifeline,” said Tim Richardson of PEN America. - The Guardian

Judge Rules Trump Can Dismantle Institute of Museum and Library Services

In Friday’s ruling, the judge wrote that as much as the “Court laments the Executive Branch’s efforts to cut off this lifeline for libraries and museums,” recent court decisions suggested that the case should be heard in a separate court dedicated to contractual claims. - AP News

Now That Taylor Swift Owns Her Music, What Happens To Her Re-Recordings?

Some fans are disappointed that we may never see the last two rerecordings, though Swift has hinted that she might be willing to release them, in some form, one day. - The New Yorker

Tracing Back Where All Our Languages Came From

There are about 7,000 languages spoken in the world today; they can be divided into about 140 families. Nevertheless, the languages most of us speak belong to just five. - Washington Post

What To Make Of Damien Hirst At 60?

Ever since Hirst burst on the art scene in the 1990s with his macabre readymades (or “objets trouvé”) of dead animals in vitrines, he has divided art critics and the public alike. - The Conversation

In The Era Of Algorithms, Roots Music Is Getting A Boost

Algorithms, which sort the listening public into ever-more-individualized niches, can cut both ways: They can introduce you to new artists, but they can also “rob you of the variety of emotional experience.” A result, is “a hunger for a more authentic view, a more definite emotional experience than commercial country often provides.” - New York Times Magazine

Trump Takes Over Arts Institutions. But Can He?

Trump may not have the formal capacity to shape the leadership of any of the Smithsonian’s museums, but if others treat him as if he does, then, well, what’s the difference? - The New York Times

Why Are There So Many TV Shows Now About Rich People?

Lately, most of television seems stuck in the same mode. Virtually everything I’ve watched recently has been some variation of rich people pottering around in “aspirational” compounds. - The Atlantic

Fired Librarian Of Congress Speaks Out

The first woman and African American to serve as the US librarian of Congress before Donald Trump fired her in May has not heard from the president’s administration beyond the 31-word email it sent her with word of her dismissal. - The Guardian

The Kennedy Center Begins Its Repurposed Life

Across the country, arts leaders say the Kennedy Center’s transformation—complete with a CEO firing, board overhaul and unprecedented political involvement in its programming—has become a cautionary tale for organizations large and small. - The Wall Street Journal

What Set Marc Maron’s Podcast Apart

Sure, now everyone (and their annoying friend) has a podcast, but not in 2009, when Maron got his start with WTF. "The podcast made me feel as if ... I could also come back from career humiliation in a way that could be creatively satisfying.” - The New York Times

The Smithsonian Rejected This Artist’s Portrait Of Trump In 2016

But as the president tries to push out the director of the National Portrait Gallery, Julian Raven wonders if his painting now has a chance. - Washington Post (MSN)

The National Library Of Wales Appears To Be Missing A Couple Thousand Items

“Missing sound recordings include the satirical song ‘Carlo’ by Dafydd Iwan which was written for the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969.” - BBC

Why Hollywood Left Los Angeles

“As the labor of making movies and shows splinters across far-flung cities and countries, Hollywood has become dislodged from its physical home.” - Vulture

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