The Conspirator

A historical drama about the trial and hanging of Mary Surratt, a widow who was convicted of conspiring in the murder of Abraham Lincoln. The brilliant movie is directed by Robert Redford.

Useful links:
http://www.theamericanfilmcompany.com
http://www.tiff.net
http://www.sundance.org

There We Are

A visual representation of old age by Yang Zhou. There are a lot of us, really. http://www.zyfotos.com

Somewhere

Sofia Coppola has won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, the Golden Lion, for her film Somewhere. Congratulations.

Useful links:
http://focusfeatures.com/film/somewhere
http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema

Astronomy Photographer 2010

Congratulations to Tom Lowe for winning the title Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2010. http://www.nmm.ac.uk

Art Market Update

The Economist report on Damien Hirst was interesting. Could any other artist pull off this kind of spectacular art trade? Where will the Hirst market go from here? Only time will tell. http://www.whitecube.com

Random Thoughts

To enjoy the advantages of a free market, one must have both buyers and sellers, both bulls and bears. A market without bears would be like a nation without a free press. There would be no one to criticize and restrain the false optimism that always leads to disaster.

- Bernard Baruch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Baruch

So true.

How We Swag: Decoding Hip-Hop Jewelry

Lyneise Williams from the department of art at the University of North Carolina will lead the discussion on the significance of hip-hop jewelry and its connection with American culture. http://jewelryhistorians.org

Raphael: Cartoons And Tapestries For The Sistine Chapel

This is a display of four of the ten tapestries designed by Raphael for the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. These are the original tapestries from the only series designed by Raphael of which examples survive, and are comparable with Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling as masterpieces of High Renaissance art. Don't miss. http://www.vam.ac.uk