6 Comments
User's avatar
Rachel's avatar

Totally agree about the awfulness of contemporary curation and direction. It has killed theatre stone dead and all the arts are suffering. "Re-imagined", "As you have never seen it before" and so on. I am thankful that I did see so much before this nasty, egotistical trend came in.

Rachel's avatar

What a perfect and deserved paean of praise to Anders Zorn, thank you. We discovered him only a couple of years ago on holiday in Mora. Why is he not better known? Technically in particular as you say "The watercolours didn’t even look like watercolours; they carried the depth and weight of oils, alive with colour and light." but also for the sheer zest and vitality he conveys. Maybe loving life is out of fashion.

Yonatan Daon-Stern's avatar

Thank you! Yes, he is criminally underrated. Hopefully this essay will help more people get to know his work.

The AI Architect's avatar

Brilliant essay on what curation should be. The contrast with the Huntington experience realy captures how museums have shifted from stewardship to editorial commentary. The Kunsthalle basically remembered that masterworks don't need a punchline, they just need good lighting and silence. kinda wild that restraint now counts as courage, but here we are.

George Cervenka's avatar

Thank you for your work, I have been intrigued by your interest in Mahler, as a result, I am attending a performance of Symphony No. 4 this week in Philadelphia.

Yonatan Daon-Stern's avatar

Thank you George! That’s really great to hear. The 4th was the first ever live Mahler symphony I’ve attended. Enjoy it!

The slow movement is among the most beautiful things he ever composed.