The Getty invested $60 million in the fund, which was titled “structured alpha,” in 2016. Three years later, the investment had grown to $73 million. But in early 2020, when the pandemic hit, the fund suffered devastating losses: The Getty only had $2 million left, or “97 percent of its assets.” - Artnet
"Almost on the hour, we’re hearing about cultural boycotts, departures of curators and directors, and the shuttering of institutions. The moral convictions behind these choices cannot be doubted. Yet I feel compelled to caution about cutting ties too rashly, and with no clear pathway back to normalcy." - Artnet
A spokeswoman for the Smithsonian, Linda St. Thomas, said most of the 39 pieces would be returned. But she said it was not clear exactly how many of the bronzes were linked to the 1897 raid and that it was possible some pieces in the museum’s collection had different ownership histories. - Washington Post
"Orchestras and singers regularly surpassed themselves under his guidance," writes David Patrick Stearns of Carlos Kleiber. "His deep immersion in whatever he conducted transcended any tradition. He gave the music all it needed, and tradition took care of itself. … Non-musical matters are another story." - Gramophone
"A new advocacy organization composed of film-makers, distributors and film lovers, Missing Movies has a mission to 'locate lost materials, clear rights, and advocate for policies and laws to make the full range of our cinema history available to all'." - The Guardian
An intellectual property lawyer explains: "The fundamental issue, I think, is that fashion companies are under pressure to produce large volumes of new and fashionable goods, so their designers often go for the quick fix." And artists can rarely afford to pursue legal action. - The Observer (UK)
It is an unusual production model in European theater, where directors tend to have the final word on every iteration of their work. The goal, Mitchell explained in a video interview, was to figure out new avenues for theater-making in the face of an environmental threat. - The New York Times
Social media enables people to make, shape, and share anything they want and call it their own, even when it’s not—further helps to distort what we experience on these platforms. Feeds are flooded with culture that, translated through the screen of a creator who is only interested in clout, comes across as hollow and cheapened. - Wired
The Online News Act, like Australia’s code, will compel Google and Meta to agree licensing deals for the online content of broadcasters as well as written news publishers. - Press-Gazette
Andy Warhol, innovation expert Clayton Christensen, and Etherum creator Vitalik Buterin walk into the bar. They don’t start out talking about crypto, but like everyone else, they end up there. - O'Reilly
Says one academic observer, "He's used to being in front of a camera. He's used to performing. While before this conflict his poll numbers were pretty low, they've skyrocketed. And that's because he’s been able to use his strengths during this conflict." - MSN (The Washington Post)
Both conductor Valery Gergiev and pianist Denis Matsuev had signed a letter endorsing Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. "Carnegie Hall also canceled two upcoming performances in May by Russia’s Mariinsky Orchestra, which were to have been led by Gergiev." - Washington Post
"Even if cultural sites are unlikely to be direct targets of Russian aggression, administrators worry about the security of their collections if fighting escalates and enters urban areas. Some were concerned that Russian nationalists could attack institutions that put forward Ukrainian historical and cultural narratives." - The New York Times
The gap between the experiences of ordinary citizens and the perspectives of politicians and journalists widened throughout the long years of crisis. One damaging consequence is that many more people today are willing to suspend their disbelief in the malign fictions of far-right demagogues, podcasters and YouTubers. - London Review of Books
"It is a film called Megalopolis, and Coppola has been trying to make it, intermittently, for more than 40 years. If I could summarize the plot for you in a concise way, I would, but I can't, because Coppola can't either." - GQ
"As with any compartmentalizing of genre, there is something in the title that implies a diminishment, as if today, as in ancient Greece, the act of eating were too frivolous to be worthy of serious meditation." - T — The New York Times Style Magazine
Orchestras still face the possibility of disruption by future waves of the virus, making planning difficult. In some bustling international markets, including China, quarantine rules are so strict that tours are nearly impossible. - The New York Times
The streaming age has been hard on independent musicians. In 2020, analytics company Alpha Data examined data based on 1.6 million artists who released music to streaming services and found 90 per cent of plays were generated by one per cent of artists. - The Conversation
