Latest news with #Dutch-American
Mint
09-08-2025
- Business
- Mint
Portrait of an Accidental Art Collector
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- I once entered the Manhattan apartment of a cantankerous, retired investment banker and almost walked into his Willem de Kooning. That would have been extremely unfortunate. I don't know what he paid for that human-height painting, but one piece by the Dutch-American artist (who died in 1997) was purchased for a reported $300 million(1) in 2015, a couple of years after my near run-in. The ex-financier showcased his lavish art collection — including, if memory serves, another de Kooning — in a sprawling apartment, which was oddly dim because of sallow lighting. All that hoard did not glitter. I don't aspire to the life of an art collector — and certainly not one dealing with altitudinous sums of money. I like art, but I'm just a dabbler popping in and out of museums and galleries to admire and attempt to keep current. I wish I could be artsy for art's sake, but the whirl — and lingo — can be bewildering. I've only just become aware that a huge and expensive mania for a generation of younger artists has come and gone. That speculative period is now called 'zombie formalism' because the paintings evoked the style of deceased modern masters without incremental inspiration. I'm fascinated but afraid to bring up the zombie apocalypse. It's so last decade. Recently, there's been a patter on the sidelines of my news feed about galleries closing. Being the uncle of a couple of art school grads, I figured that isn't a good thing. How would they get their works into the world if the gallery system collapsed? Who'd introduce them to appreciative buyers and help them navigate the treacherous business? How would the world know they'd 'arrived' if there weren't prestigious showrooms to bestow that glory? Still, it didn't strike me as particularly surprising that the industry was in a bad way. The market has crashed a number of times this century; most recently, after the financial meltdown and during the pandemic. According to the latest Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report, sales plummeted by 12% last year to $57.5 billion. The high end — involving objects at seven figures and up — was particularly badly hit. Are discounted de Koonings now a thing? All that said, I've wandered back into the art world. In my perpetual pursuit of good food, I was at Rene Redzepi's Noma in Copenhagen in May and I was captivated by the lively paintings at the restaurant entrance. The same style was echoed in ceramic pieces within. As it turned out, I'd met the artist Jenny Sharaf at the wedding of mutual friends in Mexico City, but I'd never seen her work before. Sharaf was born in Los Angeles and lives in San Francisco, but — like me — she loves the Danish capital and was there for an extended stint, long enough to paint several panels. I loved them for the color and energy and how kaleidoscopic they could be — the image shifting with the angle at which you approached it. And, better yet, I could afford them. However, more numbers were involved and they threw me. Calculating the costs of shipping the one I liked most to London plus insurance and the confusion over post-Brexit tariffs put me off sealing the deal. With US tariffs (and potential counter-tariffs) in the air, I didn't want to consider the alternative: sending any of her paintings over from America. It's a problem for the arts and antiques establishment as well: The arithmetic is antithetical to sales strategies and bottom lines. Who knows what those big beautiful duties might do? As the UBS report notes: 'Economic nationalism chips away at the foundations of economic growth. Tariffs worsen inflation and can threaten job security. Restrictions on capital flows can limit investment and may hit higher-income groups, which are more global in their behavior, disproportionately.' So I suggested to the artist, if you get a chance to come to London, why don't you create a painting for me using my apartment as a studio? In late July she did just that. It dovetailed, she said, with the way she was approaching her career, dealing directly with customers. 'Artists shouldn't hold back from forming relationships with collaborators and collectors.' She has several patrons, but she'd never painted for them in their own homes before. For me, the process has been exhilarating. We discussed the artists influencing her direction on the project. As a hopeless dilettante, I appreciate being able to point to my art and name-drop Cy Twombly, Joan Mitchell, Lee Ufan, Hans Hoffman, Philip Guston, Ad Reinhardt and Gunter Forg. After helping shop for supplies, I set her up in my flat so she could create directly in the space where the art would reside. We figured out which wall in my apartment would potentially be the best for display. As she progressed, she gauged my reaction to what was on the canvas. 'I like the drippy bits,' I said. And, lo, more drippy bits appeared. I won't quite say I was Pope Julius and Sharaf was Michelangelo — she didn't paint my ceiling — but I love what she produced after three sessions. In fact, I now have two Sharafs because her inspiration overflowed into a smaller piece. My London flat now has metaphysical super-dimensions — intimations of Denmark and California with a resident-patron's smiling presence in the beautiful blobs of paint. It's art for my sake. And it's fun. As the UBS report says: 'The trend in consumer spending has recently skewed away from goods toward having fun.' Maybe fun is just what an art world in the doldrums needs. And if you visit, you don't have to worry about barging into them. They're safely away from the front door. More From Bloomberg Opinion: (1) De Kooning originally sold the painting for $4,000 in 1955. It may sound like a steal but, after 70 years of inflation, that's more than $47,000 today. This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Howard Chua-Eoan is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion covering culture and business. He previously served as Bloomberg Opinion's international editor and is a former news director at Time magazine. More stories like this are available on
Daily Record
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Nathan Aspinall overcomes toilet trouble to go close at US Darts Masters
Stockport star flushes out Luke Littler as he overcomes illness to shine in New York Battling Nathan Aspinall joked he got his money's worth out the toilet in his New York hotel room before fighting off illness to land runner-up at the US Darts Masters. The Stockport star was toiling on the eve of tournament and didn't feel his best during an opening night win over Matt Campbell. However, in typically-gritty style, Aspinall cast aside the issues and flushed the hopes of Luke Littler and Damon Heta down the pan in a searing Saturday night show before losing out in the Final to Luke Humphries. After the Campbell win, he revealed: 'Full credit to the PDC. I did my media but they kind of gave me the night [Thursday] off and I needed it. "I don't know what I've got food poisoning, 24-hour bug or what. Without being brutal, I've got my money's worth out of my toilet in my hotel room.' Aspinall's triumph over Littler was sensational as he staved off a 109 average from the World Champion and he then defied a 170 checkout from the Aussie to reach the showpiece. Humphries ended the title dream, but Aspinall said: 'I've had a fantastic weekend and I think it's one of the best tournaments I've played in a long time. I played really well in the final and Luke saved his best performance for the last game. "That's why he's World No.1 and the best player in the world. I pushed him all the way but it was a great tournament for me. The crowd were unbelievable again.' Humphries repaid the compliments from Aspinall following his win and stated: 'He's loved widely around the world because of the nice guy and the amazing person that he really is. "I love sharing the stage with him, he's a credit to the sport and it's lovely to see him playing freely and thoroughly. 'He's had an amazing tournament. I think he was the best player in the US Darts Masters this year, unfortunately, I just managed to nab him in the end to win the title, but when he's at his best, he's very dangerous and he can join the lines of me, Luke and Michael [van Gerwen] at the top of the sport, he's that good.' As well as his ability, Aspinall has also regularly displayed a compassion for rivals and did so again as he spoke up for Jules van Dongen, the Dutch-American who is suffering from the same horrendous problems with dartitis as almost derailed the Englishman's career. He said: 'If he reaches out to me I'll be there for him. I spoke to Berry van Peer when I started mine, he's been through something worse than me. "I've not seen Jules throw, I don't know what he's going through. I heard he's playing left handed, that's not the answer. "I will speak to him try to put him in the right direction but he's not approached me yet. I sought my own advice, I speak to a hypnotherapy guy. If he sees this interview come and talk to me as I'll help anyone out. I hope he sorts it.'
Daily Record
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Struggling Luke Littler opponent could quit darts immediately after facing The Nuke in New York
Honest Jules van Dongen says darts will go in the case after New York games Stuggling Jules van Dongen could quit the game after his emotional clash with Luke Littler in New York. The Dutch-American star has already announced his is taking a temporary break after the US Darts Masters for a reset amidst struggles in the sport. Van Dongen has had plenty to deal with in recent times on-and-off the stages and has also hinted at retirement with the dreaded dartitis forcing him to learn to play with his opposite hand to try and prolong his career. The 34-year-old has also had to deal with both of his parents suffering illness and intends to take a step away from the sport after Madison Square Gardens. Van Dongen, who has been drawn to face Littler in the first round of the tournament in the Big Apple and is also set to feature in Saturday afternoon's North American Darts Championship with an opening tie against Stowe Buntz, said: "Once this run is over, the darts are going back in the case. It's time for a full reset. 'One day I say I'm not playing, the next I'm back in again. But for now, I'll be up there on the stage. Expectations are lower now and that actually helps. At the UK Open, not everyone realised how badly things were going. By now, it's pretty clear.' Van Dongen's mum and dad are finally scheduled to be in New York to see him on the MSG stage and facing The Nuke as he explained to 'They've been trying to come for three years. Covid stopped them the first time, then my dad tested positive, and last year my mum was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, she's now fully recovered. That alone makes this event unmissable for me.' Van Dongen's kids will also be in the crowds watching and he'd love to finish in style as he said: 'I just want to give it one last proper go. No pressure, no expectations, just me, my family and the stage at The Garden.' Littler is aware of the situation having made reference to the fact van Dongen is not having an easy time of it during his pre-tournament media briefing. The World Champion said: 'He's going through quite a lot at the minute.' The teenage sensation has his own reasons for wanting success as he aims to bounce back from the disappointment of the World Cup flop with Luke Humphries. Littler said: 'I'm feeling very, very confident. I've just had a family holiday in Spain, but now I'm here, I'll obviously practise before I play, but just trying to get another win here at the MSG. I think the first game in any tournament, it's always the biggest because you've got that winning feeling on stage and you know how to win. I just look forward to that.' 'Obviously me and Luke didn't play the best of darts [at World Cup], but now I'm on my own let's have some fun. There's plenty of darts left to be thrown in the second half of the year, which I'm looking forward to. 'The amount of majors that are involved at the minute, the amount of European tours that are left, but this would be really good to kickstart the second half of the season.'
The Hindu
21-06-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Is it a moon? Is it a dwarf planet? Well, it's Charon, and it could well be both!
Charon's discovery The story of Charon's discovery takes us back to 1978 – a time when even astronomers were still thinking that Pluto was a planet. Little was known about Pluto and its system, but all that was about to change in the decades that followed. On the morning of June 22, American astronomer James Christy already had his head whirling around. If you were under the impression that he was zeroing in on the solution for an astronomical problem, you couldn't be further from the truth. Christy was sharpening his plans to move his house, getting ready for a week's leave from the U.S. Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona – his workplace. It was under these circumstances that Robert Harrington, his boss, handed him a set of six photographs of Pluto. Christy and Harrington were looking to refine Pluto's orbit around the sun – a journey that takes Pluto 248 Earth years. Pluto's average distance from the sun is 5.9 billion km. The technology available at that time meant that even the best photographs of it hardly revealed anything. What's more, these six images – acquired in pairs over three nights in the month between April 13 and May 12 – were labelled as 'defective.' Odd blobs The reason why these pictures were labelled thus owed to the fact that they revealed Pluto to be oddly elongated. Viewing them under a microscope, Christy noticed that the fuzzy blob that was to be Pluto stretched in a northern direction in two of those pairs, while the final pair showed a southward direction. The defects were attributed either to atmospheric distortion or improper optical alignment in the telescope used for observations. After ruling out an explosion on Pluto as an unlikely explanation – especially as it lasted a month – Christy searched for other plausible reasons. There was a chance that Pluto itself was irregular in shape. Or could there be an unseen moon, even though one of his former professors, celebrated Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper, had searched for exactly the same decades earlier without any success? When Christy went over to the archives to check through older plates from 1965 onwards, there it was... the same elongation. What's more, all these images had also been dismissed as defective on every occasion. Correct conclusions Christy and Harrington, however, realised that they were onto something. By reviewing all the images with the elongations, they were able to state that the bulge occurred with a predictable frequency. This frequency of the unseen moon's orbital period – 6.4 Earth days – matched with what astronomers believed to be Pluto's rotational period, suggesting a synchronously locked binary system. The duo ruled out other possible reasons for the bulge and concluded correctly that Pluto had another companion at a distance of 19,640 km. The discovery of 'S/1978 P1' was announced by them through the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on July 7 and their findings were published in the Astronomical Journal. What started out as reviewing six defective images, served as the seeds for a whole new discovery. As Christy himself once pointed out, 'Discovery is where the scientist touches nature in its least predictable aspect.' What's in a name? As the discoverer, Christy wanted to exercise his rights for naming Pluto's companion. And he had his mind set on naming it after his wife. The Naval Observatory he worked for had suggested the name Persephone, the wife of Hades. Hades, the god of the underworld in Greek mythology, was the equivalent of the Roman god Pluto after which it is named. As luck would have it, Christy came across a reference to Charon, a boatman who ferried the dead across a river in the underworld to Hades. Charon's close mythical association with Hades, or Pluto, made it a great option for the newly discovered astronomical object. It was the perfect option for Christy as his wife's name was Charlene. In addition to sharing the first four letters, 'Char' was the nickname that friends and family used to call his wife. Just like how protons and electrons have the 'on' suffix, Christy saw Charon as 'Char' with the suffix 'on' and submitted his name. Eclipses and occultations By the time this name was accepted by IAU in January 1986, Pluto and Charon had a series of mutual eclipses and occultations. Studying them enabled astronomers in general, and Harrington in particular, to confirm the existence of Charon as he observed the eclipses and occultations to occur as predicted. Observing Pluto and Charon in this manner also enabled astronomers to arrive at Charon's diameter to be about 1,200 km, while also arriving at better estimates of the size and mass of Pluto. From a small dot in a photograph, Charon had become much much more – almost a world in its own right. It definitely meant the world to Christy in more ways than one, as he was also able to gift his wife the moon! Charlene Christy probably summed it the best when she said 'A lot of husbands promise their wives the moon, but Jim actually delivered.' Charon fact sheet Most of what we know about Charon, or even Pluto for that matter, is thanks to NASA's New Horizons mission. Approved in 2001 as the first flyby of Pluto and its largest moon Charon, it was launched in January 2006. This was months before IAU's decision in August the same year to demote Pluto's designation from a planet to a dwarf planet. Despite the fact that Pluto was plutoed, the mission went on, providing us invaluable information. Before New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, the spacecraft captured plenty of images of Charon. While the images revealed a striking reddish north (top) polar region, Charon's colour palette wasn't as diverse as Pluto's. The origins of this red colouration is a mystery for now and no other icy object in the solar system sports a similar feature. Charon is 1,214 km across and is at a distance of 19,640 km from Pluto. As Pluto's equatorial diameter is about 2,377 km, Charon is nearly half the size of Pluto. This makes it the largest known satellite relative to its parent body for most astronomers. It is this same size, however, that forces other astronomers to consider Pluto and Charon as a double dwarf planet system. Charon's orbit takes 6.4 Earth days to go around Pluto. Charon neither rises or sets, however, but instead hovers near the same region on Pluto's surface. The same surfaces of Charon and Pluto always face each other due to a phenomenon called mutual tidal locking.
News18
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Gigi Hadid Is All Set To Ring In Her Fabulous 30th Birthday
Gigi Hadid, the ultimate runway queen, is all set to hit the big 30 on April 23! Born Jelena Noura Hadid in Los Angeles to Yolanda Hadid, a Dutch-American model, and Mohamed Hadid, a Palestinian-American real-estate mogul, Gigi was practically destined for the spotlight. She made her runway debut back in 2014 and hasn't looked back since! Here's to 30 years of glamour and unstoppable slay! Check out the video here! bollywood news | entertainment news live | latest bollywood news | bollywood | news18 | n18oc_moviesLiked the video? Please press the thumbs up icon and leave a comment. Subscribe to Showsha YouTube channel and never miss a video: Showsha on Instagram: Showsha on Facebook: Showsha on X: Showsha on Snapchat: entertainment and lifestyle news and updates on:
