"Ballet dancers may be the 'athletes of God,' as Albert Einstein supposedly said. But until Dr. Hamilton came along" as New York City Ballet's resident orthopedic surgeon, "they were treated more like ethereal beings than physical bodies that could crack, tear and otherwise fall apart." - The New York Times
The items — portraits of Napoleon and Josephine, locks of the emperor's hair, and his inkwell set — were stolen from a historic house museum in far southeastern Australia in 2014. Earlier this year, a Melbourne art dealer discovered the Josephine portrait listed on eBay for A$250. - Hyperallergic
e established the Berggruen Institute. A prolific networker, Berggruen has recruited so many prominent names to the institute’s roster of supporters and advisers that it has been described as his own personal Davos. - The New York Times
"Mrs. MacLachlan wrote more than 60 children's books during her half-century career, ... (and is) known to millions of young readers (for her) novel about two motherless farm children and the gentle woman who comes to the prairie to make them whole." - MSN (The Washington Post)
While he stands in front of an orchestra, his entire being is focused like a laser on the music. But that focus requires an extraordinary responsibility, and the conflicted responsibilities toward the well-being of El Sistema children and the political realities of Venezuelan are here seen as greatest test. - Los Angeles Times
A frequent commentator on television and radio, as well as a prolific writer, Mr. Boehlert never shied away from searing critiques of what he saw as bias in the mainstream press and the circular impact of media on politics. - The New York Times
A charter member of the Actors Studio, from the 1940s through the '90s he appeared in dozens of plays and films (ranging from Some Like It Hot to Yentl) and hundreds of TV episodes, with a specialty in variously ethnic gangsters and outlaws. - MSN (The Washington Post)
Brott was a pedestrian involved in a hit-and-run incident. Following the news of his death, social media tributes poured in from the Canadian classical music community, including the Hamilton-based festival that bears his name. - The Globe and Mail (Canada)
"The world's wealthiest arts institution, the J. Paul Getty Trust, has selected a new president and CEO: New York University Provost Katherine E. Fleming. Fleming will replace longtime chief James Cuno, who has led the institution for more than a decade and will retire this summer." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
Determined to avoid another labor dispute and eager to make the orchestra a pillar of Detroit’s civic revival, she spent the next decade rebuilding the ensemble. The Detroit Symphony, digitally connected and agile, became a model modern ensemble. - The New York Times
“Stalin was no psychopath but an emotionally intelligent and feeling intellectual. Indeed, it was the power of his emotional attachment to deeply held beliefs that enabled him to sustain decades of brutal rule." - The New Statesman
"By the time he was diagnosed with tuberculosis at the age of 34, Kafka had already spent two decades worrying about disease. He took his holidays at convalescent spas, while letters to friends and lovers often amounted to little more than catalogues of symptoms." - Aeon
Over a career that spanned half a century, Mr. Kalichstein presented thoughtful, impassioned and deeply musical performances of the piano repertoire from Bach, Mozart and Brahms through the masters of the early 20th century, including Bartok, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. - Washington Post
Materre, who has died at 67, distributed Daughters of the Dust in the 1990s, as part of her work as "a distributor and educator who promoted Black women’s voices in film and released influential independent movies by Black creators." - The New York Times
