Harshing Wally Cleaver's Mellow
Tuesday November 11, 2008
Breaking news today: Tony Dow, American sculptor (b. 1945) and actor best known for his role in the sitcom Leave It to Beaver (1957-63), has had a sculpture selected to go on display at the annual Societé Nationale des Beaux-Arts exhibition in Paris. Unarmed Warrior is a striking, 21 x 5 x 4 in. bronze of an abstract feminine figure holding a shield. Let me be very clear. I like Tony Dow's work and much admire him as a multi-talented, creative person. Unarmed Warrior = good art. However.
Here are the headlines:
Everybody! Tony Dow is *not* showing at the Musée du Louvre. His work--along with that of many other artists--will be on display at the Carrousel du Louvre, which is an upscale, subterranean shopping center/exhibition space/train station located, in part, underneath the Louvre-Louvre's I.M. Pei-designed glass pyramid. Being chosen by the Societé Nationale des Beaux-Arts is a huge honor in an historic and esteemed competition, and the venue is tres chic. But it ain't "The Louvre," people. Living artists' works are almost never put on view inside the Musée du Louvre. All right?
Sincerely yours,
Mrs. Buzz Kill
Here are the headlines:
- "Tony Dow: From 'Leave It to Beaver' to the Louvre"
- "'Leave It to Beaver' actor to show at the Louvre"
- "'Leave it to Beaver' Tony Dow has art exhibit at the Louvre"
Everybody! Tony Dow is *not* showing at the Musée du Louvre. His work--along with that of many other artists--will be on display at the Carrousel du Louvre, which is an upscale, subterranean shopping center/exhibition space/train station located, in part, underneath the Louvre-Louvre's I.M. Pei-designed glass pyramid. Being chosen by the Societé Nationale des Beaux-Arts is a huge honor in an historic and esteemed competition, and the venue is tres chic. But it ain't "The Louvre," people. Living artists' works are almost never put on view inside the Musée du Louvre. All right?
Sincerely yours,
Mrs. Buzz Kill
Comments
*chuckle* very good, very good. I so wanna see some red-faced copywriters….
Go get ‘em, Shelley!!
That kind of confusion can actually be a problem for working artists. Point in fact, my father has had paintings in Smithsonian exhibitions. When someone sees that on his CV, they sometimes think he has work in their permanent collection, which is not the case (although it would be wonderful). They get frustrated because they think they were given misinformation, and I get frustrated because his CV clearly states it was a *show*.
Musicians have the same ambiguities, which I met when I was (formerly) a musician. I would say that I performed “with” Artists Of Big Name, and people (sometimes contact people) would take that as meaning I was In The Band or somehow collaborating with AOBN. Nope, I was just on the bill. As in Woodstock where Joan Baez played “with” The Who and Jimi Hendrix. To speak this way is a custom, an accepted convention, but it confuses folks.