Archive for March, 2008

Art sales: Buyers return to Soviet era

The boom in Russian art, which has seen sales at auction increase 30-fold since 2000, has been centred largely on the market for traditional 19th-century and early 20th-century modern art. But increasingly, "unofficial" Russian art from the post-Second World War period is beginning to attract attention.

As there was no internal market for art that was not approved by the Russian state, much of it was either smuggled or shipped to the West during the glasnost era. Now the new breed of wealthy Russian art-buyer has recognised its significance and is busy repatriating this hitherto neglected segment of Russian art history.

Since the beginning of last year, three London salerooms - Sotheby’s, MacDougall’s, the specialist Russian art auctioneers, and Phillips de Pury and Co - have been holding sales devoted to contemporary Russian art. The figures are not huge compared with sales of Western art: four sales last year produced A£12.7m. But, with each sale, the totals have mounted. [via]

Mosiacs of the World 2.0

Quote of the day

a€oeIf the government cannot under the First Amendment compel reverence when it comes to our nationa€™s highest symbol,a€A asked Ronald K. L. Collins, a scholar at the First Amendment Center in Washington, a€oewhy then can it compel reverence when it comes to lesser forms of symbolic expression?a€A

Billy Meier ’78 - Documentary

A UFO documentary from the 70’s.AA Transfixing.

Real Onionz: Zimbabwe ballot papers spark row

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says leaked documents show nine million papers have been ordered for the country’s 5.9 million voters.

Who got that Vocab?!

A reliquary (also referred to as a shrine, chasse or monstrance) is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures. The authenticity of any given relic is often a matter of debate; for that reason, some churches require documentation of the relic’s provenance.

[LINK]

…and in a sentence?

"Son, you’re spilling orange juice all over the place! Raise the hell up from around my reliquaries."

Final four in A£50m lottery race

Four environmental groups are competing for A£50 million of lottery money, the largest single amount ever awarded by the Big Lottery Fund.

Following a public vote which closed on 10 December, an announcement is due on who has won - the Eden Project, sustainable transport charity Sustrans, the Sherwood Forest Living Legends or the Black Country Urban Park. [via]

MNP Primary Sources : Hugo ChA¡vez and Juan Carlos I

[media coverage]

DiFi: Cool Down The Torch Debate

At issue is the Olympic torch’s "journey of harmony," which comes to San Francisco on April 9. The torch run is fast becoming a magnet for groups including Free Tibet and Falun Gong, which are planning protests that the ever image-conscious Chinese government would prefer not happen.

Then there’s the move by Supervisor Chris Daly to have the city officially condemn China’s human rights record and back a Tibetan Freedom Torch run, which is scheduled to hit town a day before the Olympic torch does.

A supervisors committee defanged the resolution Thursday at a meeting attended by hundreds of people, including a simultaneous visit by the deputy Chinese consul general to Supervisor Jake McGoldrick’s office. But Daly can try to reinsert the teeth when the legislation comes to the full board the week before the torch arrives.

Feinstein, however, says publicly dissing the Chinese for what’s intended as a goodwill gesture toward San Francisco will only make it more difficult to bring them to the table to resolve the Tibet issue. (read the rest)