Hello! I am writing this from my hotel room in Amsterdam. I’ve been in the Netherlands since Saturday, and before that, spent a few days in Nice.
One week ago—the day before my flight to France—I saw American Ballet Theatre principal Skylar Brandt and her parter, pianist Vladimir Rumyantsev, put on a dance concert at Kaufman Music Hall called “That’s How We Me.” Shortly after I landed in Nice, my first piece of dance criticism (published outside of this newsletter) officially ran in Fjord Review about the performance. You can read it here.
My time in Côte d’Azur was a bonafide holiday, involving a visit to a medieval village, a few quick (and cold) dips in the Mediterranean, an unexpectedly fraught hike downhill from the aforementioned medieval village, one really good plate of linguine pistou, many glasses of rosé, a few chapters of Middlemarch finished, and just a faint bit of sunburn in my hairline.
In the Netherlands, however, I am on a mission, as I am wont to be on a solo trip. On my first day, I almost immediately caught a train to The Hague for Nederlands Dans Theater’s closing performance of Sharon Eyal’s Into the Hairy (read my review here) and a quick stop at the Mauritshuis to see the Rembrandts and the Vermeers. On Sunday, I went to Rotterdam to visit the Art Depot Museum Bojimans Van Beuningen and to see Scapino Ballet’s Origin program, featuring the works of two emerging choreographers (my review is published here). Yesterday, I went to two heavy hitters: the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk.
I also published my first story for ELLE today on a literary fashion trend I’ve noticed in recent months. You can read that here. I suppose you could say I’m rather locked in lately.
All this has left little time for me to keep on the news this week. But I know that consistency is king, and so, here is a very very brief sweep on everything you need to know on arts and culture lately. We’ll be back to more thorough explanations and analysis next week. (Also, would you be interested in a travel diary post? If so maybe I will write one. I am also contemplating what it might look like to separate updates and recommendations from me into a new weekly post, apart from these news recaps…much to ponder.) Ciao!
The biggest news in the dance world is that Misty Copeland, the first Black dancer to be named a principal at American Ballet Theatre, is officially retiring. This is not a surprise—Copeland hasn’t graced the stage in more than five years, and in that time, has focused on her work pushing for more accessibility within and to dance (and also, raising her first child). Copeland announced her departure in a really thoughtful interview with David Marchese for The New York Times Magazine.
The whole thing is really worth reading but I’ll share one of my favorite sound bite from Copeland:
I think often choreographers don’t even know what their movement might look like on different body types and different types of people. Do you even really know what the possibilities are of seeing your movement that could look even more incredible or bring a new idea out of you and make you go even further? Black people have been told for generations, “You all have flat feet, so you’re not going to be in pointe shoes; your butts are too big, your thighs.” We don’t all look this way, and that’s not all bad anyway. It’s about opening your mind to the possibilities of what can be created when you see something done on a body in a way that you’re not used to.
She will take her final bow with a performance in ABT’s fall gala on October 22.
Because of Trump’s cuts, there are fewer than 10 employees in the General Services Administration to track and maintain around 26,000 works of art owned by the United States government, many of which are loaned out around to museums and other institutions around the 50 states, which was news to special envoy Paulo Zampolli who has proposed expanding those loans internationally in honor of the country’s upcoming 250th. Somewhere an art thief just rubbed their hands like a cartoon villain. This could be even worse than the British Museum’s dealings with Peter Higgs.
New JMW Turner painting just dropped. One of the 18th century artist’s first paintings, which was believed to be by a far lesser-known painter for decades, sold for less than $1,000 just last year. Now, all the “leading Turner scholars alive today” have reexamined it and say it’s the real deal. Sotheby’s is preparing to auction it at an estimated value between £200,000-300,000, The Guardian reports. Okay, flea market flip!
Following the lead of the Louvre, several other French cultural institutions, including the Château de Versailles and Opéra Garnier, will be increasing ticket prices for non-EU citizens by 2027, Le Monde reports. It’s true the money will be helpful amid funding cuts, but sacre bleu.
A federal judge has decided that the Trump administration’s drastic cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services can continue, the American Library Association reported.
Scientists report: The Dead Sea scrolls are actually way older than previously thought.
Also, Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos makes plants grow to be heartier and leafier, according to a new study out of Oxford.
In Hong Kong, a new Cantonese opera satirizes a number of political figures—namely Trump.
A new report from the University of Exeter found that Russian leaders use museums to spread propaganda and deny Ukrainian identity—and have done so since at least 2022.
The Nation (the magazine) has launched a new imprint in partnership with OR Books to publish progressive nonfiction.
ELGIN MARBLES UPDATE!!!! The chairman of the British Museum, George Osborne, is reportedly negotiating a deal that would return the marbles to Greece on a long-term basis, but not give up the Museum’s (and therefore, the U.K. government’s) legal ownership of the sculptures, The Times reports. If a deal is closed—sources say an announcement is “not imminent”—the marbles would likely move in a few years, when parts of the museum close for renovations. Could be big…if they finally come to an agreement. ▲