Where cars are art: Art Basel bursts into life in Hong Kong
VIP visitors are exploring Hong Kong's latest edition of Art Basel. The event's director says the fair, held at Hong Kong Convention Centre, is an "annual checkpoint" for collectors. (AP Video by Alice Fung)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
18 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Indiana Jones' whip, Kane's Rosebud sled and Culkin's 'Home Alone' snow cap are going up for auction
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Many of movies' most sought-after props are going up for auction, including the Rosebud sled from 'Citizen Kane,' Macaulay Culkin's knit snow cap from 'Home Alone' and a whip wielded by Harrison Ford during the Holy Grail trials of 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.' The Summer Entertainment Auction being held July 15-19 by Heritage Auctions also includes sci-fi gems from the 'Star Wars' galaxy, like a filming miniature of Luke Skywalker's X-wing starfighter used in Industrial Light & Magic's effects work for 'The Empire Strikes Back,' and the lightsabers brandished by Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker in 'Revenge of the Sith.' The Rosebud sled from the title character's childhood sits at the center of Orson Welles' 1941 'Citizen Kane." It's the last word tycoon Charles Foster Kane speaks before his death at the opening of the film that is regarded by many critics groups as the greatest ever made. Long thought lost, the sled is one of three of the prop known to have survived. It's owned by 'Gremlins' director Joe Dante, who stumbled on it when he was filming on the former RKO Pictures lot in 1984. Dante wasn't a collector, but knew the value of the sled and quietly preserved it for decades, putting it as an Easter egg into four of his own films. Ford gave the Indiana Jones whip going up for auction to then-Prince Charles at the 1989 U.K. premiere of 'The Last Crusade.' It was given as a gift to Princess Diana, who gave it to the current owner. 'These aren't just props. They're mythic objects,' Joe Maddalena, Heritage's executive vice president, said in a statement. "They tell the story of Hollywood's greatest moments, one piece at a time.' Also going up for sale are a blue velvet suit that Mike Myers wore as Austin Powers in 'Goldmember,' and a Citroën 2CV driven by Roger Moore as James Bond in 'For Your Eyes Only,' one of the films Myers was parodying. The auction also includes essential artifacts from the collection of legendary director Cecil B. DeMille, including a promotional pair of the titular tablets from DeMille's 'The Ten Commandments,' which the director had cut from stone from Mount Sinai.
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump plans to attend 'Les Misérables' at the Kennedy Center after taking over the institution
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to take a seat at Wednesday's opening night of the award-winning musical 'Les Misérables" at the Kennedy Center, where he replaced the previous leadership with loyalists, had himself installed as chairman and pledged to rid the performing arts venue of programming he has complained is 'woke' and too focused on leftist ideology and political correctness. The Republican president's attendance at the sold-out showing of the Tony Award-winning tale of redemption in 19th century France comes as he has focused more than any recent predecessor on the arts center along the Potomac River that is a memorial to a slain Democratic president. Presidents' involvement in the Kennedy Center's affairs had been limited to naming members to the board of trustees and attending the taping of its annual honors program in the fall. But after returning to office in January, Trump stunned the arts world by firing the Kennedy Center's longtime director and board and replacing them with loyalists, who then named him as chairman, and promising to overhaul its programming, management and even appearance as part of an effort to put his stamp on the national arts scene. Trump's appearance in the Opera House on Wednesday, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, will also mark his first time at a Kennedy Center performance as president. He avoided the venue after entertainment industry pushback to his policies in his first term in office, breaking with presidential tradition by never attending the annual Kennedy Center Honors taping. His moves have upset some of the center's patrons and performers. In March, the audience booed Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, after they slipped into upper-level seats in the Concert Hall to hear the National Symphony Orchestra. Trump appointed Usha Vance to the Kennedy Center board along with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Fox News Channel hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham, among other supporters. Sales of subscription packages are said to have declined since Trump's takeover, and several touring productions, including 'Hamilton,' have canceled planned runs at the center. Artists such as actor Issa Rae and musician Rhiannon Giddens scrapped scheduled appearances, and Kennedy Center consultants including musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming have resigned. Understudies may perform Wednesday night due to boycotts by 'Les Misérables' cast members. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has adopted a more aggressive posture toward the arts. The White House has taken steps to cancel millions of dollars in previously awarded federal humanities grants to arts and culture groups, and Trump's budget blueprint proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Trump has also targeted Smithsonian museums by signing executive orders to restrict their funding and by attempting to fire the director of the National Portrait Gallery. Trump hosted the board at the White House for dinner in May and said congressional Republicans have pushed for more than $250 million for repairs and maintenance at the Kennedy Center. He claimed that 'tremendous amounts of money' had been spent at the center but 'they certainly didn't spend it on wallpaper, carpet or painting.' He characterized previous programming as 'out of control with rampant political propaganda' and said it featured 'some very inappropriate shows,' including a 'Marxist anti-police performance' and 'Lesbian-only Shakespeare.' Trump cited some drag show performances as a reason to take control of the center, though next season's theater lineup includes 'Mrs. Doubtfire," which tells the story of a divorced man who disguises himself as a female nanny so he can spend time with his children. Trump also visited the Kennedy Center in March to preside over a board meeting and take a tour. The Kennedy Center, which is supported by government money and private donations, opened in 1971 and for decades has been seen as an apolitical celebration of the arts. It was first conceived in the late 1950s, during the administration of Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, who backed a bill from the Democratic-led Congress calling for a National Culture Center. In the early 1960s, Democratic President John F. Kennedy launched a fundraising initiative, and his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed into law a 1964 bill renaming the project the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Kennedy had been assassinated the year before.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Corinne Bailey Rae's first children's book, 'Put Your Records On,' draws upon her musical past
NEW YORK (AP) — Corinne Bailey Rae is working on a children's picture book that draws upon her early memories of music. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has a deal with Rocky Pond Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, for 'Put Your Records On.' Named for her signature hit and illustrated by Gillian Eilidh O'Mara, the book is scheduled to come out March 3, 2026, and tells the story of a young girl's initiation into her great aunt's record collection. 'When I was a child, music helped me find myself. Through songs I discovered that others felt what I felt," Rae said in a statement released Wednesday. "Playing music grew my confidence and writing and performing my own music allowed me to fully express myself. I want every child to know that they have music in their heart and a voice that should be heard.' Rae, 46, has sold millions of records worldwide and won two Grammys — as a contributor to Herbie Hancock's 2007 tribute album to Joni Mitchell, 'River,' and for her cover in 2011 of Bob Marley & The Wailer's 'Is This Love.'
