Monster Mash: Protesters decry Smithsonian’s removal of controversial video; new twist in Ansel Adams case
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Taking to the streets: Several hundred people gathered Sunday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to protest the recent decision by the Smithsonian Institution to remove David Wojnarowicz’s video ‘A Fire in My Belly.’ (Wall Street Journal)
Winner: In Britain, musician Matt Cardle has won the Christmas No. 1 spot for ‘When We Collide,’ beating Cage Against The Machine’s ‘4’33’.’ (The Guardian)
New twist: The man who claims to possess a trove of Ansel Adams negatives has counter-sued the group that disputes the authenticity of his claim. (New York Times)
Purchasing power: The Louvre Museum in Paris said it can now buy a 16th century German painting by Lucas Cranach the elder after thousands of people went online to donate money. (Agence France-Presse)
Ruling: A British panel has declared that a painting by Peter Paul Rubens will stay in England despite an attempt by the family of its original owner -- who sold it while fleeing the Nazis -- to recover the work. (The Guardian)
Screen to stage: New York’s Playwrights Horizons has commissioned a musical version of the 2002 movie ‘Far From Heaven’ from ‘Grey Gardens’ songwriters Scott Frankel and Michael Korie and playwright Richard Greenberg. (Playbill)
Masterpieces: Police in Spain say they have recovered artworks -- including pieces by Picasso, Colombian artist Fernando Botero and Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida -- that were stolen from a Madrid warehouse. (Associated Press, via Washington Post)
In space, no one can hear you scream: The wife of artist H.R. Giger has said that he is ‘on board’ to work with Ridley Scott on the new prequel ‘Alien’ movie. (The Guardian)
New Year’s concert: The World Orchestra for Peace, under the baton of conductor Valery Gergiev, will perform at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi on Jan 4. (Gulf News)
And in the L.A. Times: A look back at the year in the arts from Times art critic Christopher Knight, music critic Mark Swed, theater critic Charles McNulty and architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne.
-- David Ng
