Almost as much as his work, the myths and legends surrounding Vincent Van Gogh keep him alive and present. We all know the tales: He cut off his ear and mailed it to a prostitute, he fled Paris in mental anguish, and, finally, e shot himself in the chest, standing in a field, an unfinished painting propped on an easel ... Read More »
It’s always cool to see art get a contemporary re-do, like the latest project from the amazing online Barbie Museum. As a birthday present to the buxom blonde — who turned the big 5-0 in 2009 — doll-lover Jocelyne Grivaud has recast Barbie into iconic images from throughout art history, from magazine covers to movie still an even the Statue ... Read More »
When Istanbul was announced as the 2010 European Capital of Culture, we were excited, but we weren’t exactly surprised. After all, we included the city in two of our guides–Film+Travel Europe and Music+Travel Worldwide. There’s a reason the city is so full of culture–spanning the Bosphorus, it has one foot in Europe and the other firmly rooted in Asia. ... Read More »
Vincent Van Gogh’s 1888 masterpiece The Night Cafe is one of the most famous paintings in the world. And now it’s in the middle of a sticky lawsuit that could send shockwaves throughout the entire world of art. The problem dates back to 1918, when the communist government nationalized personal property–including the Van Gogh in question–in the USSR. Years ... Read More »
While we’re not always fans of compilation albums, sometimes a single record can capture an entire movement in music history. This weekend we went back into the vaults and rediscovered ‘Rock at the Edge‘, the 1977 comp that features a who’s-who of New York protopunk pioneers, including Blank Generation all-stars Richard Hell, Patti Smith, Lou Reed and Debbie Harry. Pop ... Read More »
Rockstar. Performance artist. Party animal. Motivational speaker. Poseur. Genius. Hack. The jury’s been out on Andrew W.K. since he burst onto the scene with the rock anthem ‘Party Hard’ from the 2001 album ‘I Get Wet‘. But the pop star’s myth has gotten even deeper; just last week he told a London audience that he is an actor playing ... Read More »
The Sundance Film Festival may just be the best part of winter. Every January the international film community heads to Park City Utah for 10 days of screenings, swag and schmoozing. But this year the festival promises to get back to its roots with a season of “renewed rebellion.” While we can’t vouch for that yet, the festival announced its ... Read More »
Few countries can claim a more tumultuous recent history than South Africa, and great music, as they say, comes from great tragedy. International successes from the continent’s Southern tip are few and far between, however, but home grown talent makes plenty of noise in the bars and clubs of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. The occasional artist who has broken ... Read More »
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