The Korea Herald

Britain celebrates 350 years of Punch and Judy

May 14, 2012

LONDON (AFP) ― Dozens of puppeteers gathered in central London on Sunday to celebrate 350 years of the Punch and Judy show, an anarchic English seaside entertainment known for its slapstick and casual violence.On the second of two days of festivities, Punch and Judy men and women ― known as “professors” ― took their hand puppets on a procession in London’s Covent Garden, staged shows for hundreds of children and held a church service with the red-nosed Mr Punch in the pulpit.“Punch and Judy poke
Monumenta exhibit goes minimalist

May 10, 2012

PARIS (AP) ― Art lovers should expect the unexpected in the latest offering of the ground-breaking and normally roof-scraping Monumenta exhibit, as artist Daniel Buren brings the Grand Palais’ lofty ceiling for the first time ―literally ― down to earth.Monumenta, the hugely-mediatized annual art project that’s in its fifth year dares an artist of international stature to “move into’’ the nave of one of the French capital’s most monumental buildings, and own it.With a space measuring 13,500 squar
Letter of Joseon naval commander Yi unveiled

May 10, 2012

A newly discovered hand-written letter of Joseon’s most celebrated naval commander Admiral Yi Sun-sin has confirmed his efforts to establish military ties with China’s Ming Dynasty during the Japanese invasions of Korea, said a scholar on Thursday. “The letter is the only written record that shows that Yi tried to forge ties with the Ming Dynasty’s navy during the war,” said Lee Sang-hoon, the chief curator of Korea Naval Academy Museum, who has been studying the document since February. “It rev
Marilyn Monroe ‘last’ pics fail to sell

May 9, 2012

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Nude photos from what is said to have been Marilyn Monroe’s last formal photo shoot, just six weeks before her 1962 death, failed to sell at auction Tuesday in New York.The collection on sale as “Marilyn Monroe ― Last Sitting” had an estimated value of between $18,000 and $25,000 at the Bonhams auction. However, the lot “failed to meet its reserve price,” spokeswoman Julie Saunders Guinta said.The photographs were taken by Bert Stern during a marathon session for Vogue magazine
Performance artist unveils plan for N.Y. art center

May 8, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― Performance artist Marina Abramovic plans to build a $15 million center in upstate New York devoted to the research and production of duration-based works of art lasting from six hours to several days.She unveiled the design for The Marina Abramovic Institute for the Preservation of Performance Art at MoMA PS 1 on Monday.In a phone interview last week, Abramovic said the architectural firm OMA will transform a former tennis center in Hudson, New York _ about two hours north of Ne
‘The Scream’ fetches record $119.9 million at New York auction

May 3, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― One of the art world’s most recognizable images ― Edvard Munch’s “The Scream’’ ― sold Wednesday for a record $119,922,500 at auction in New York City.The 1895 artwork ― a modern symbol of human anxiety ― was sold at Sotheby’s. Neither the buyer’s name nor any details about the buyer was released.The previous record for an artwork sold at auction was $106.5 million for Picasso’s “Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust,’’ sold by Christie’s in 2010.Munch’s image of a man holding his head and
Opulent lives of the Ottoman sultans

May 3, 2012

Coffee should be as dark as hell, as strong as death and as sweet as love.It’s no wonder this famous coffee-themed proverb is from Turkey. After all, the world’s first coffeehouse was established in the 17th century Istanbul, during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman sultans’ love for coffee was notorious; they had at least six maids serving the beverage, using some of the most expensive burners, pots and cups ― all made of silver and diamonds.The lavish coffee-drinking culture is just
Tony nominations spread out but ‘Once’ takes lead

May 2, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― There was something for virtually everyone to smile about on Broadway on Tuesday after 30 of 37 shows this season got at least one Tony Award nomination. The folks at “Once’’ had the most reason to celebrate tonight at their working bar on stage.The musical based on the low-budget 2006 film about an unlikely romance between a Czech flower seller and an Irish street musician in Dublin earned a leading 11 nominations, including nods for best musical, for both its lead actors, its b
The North Face’s reign at risk

May 1, 2012

Hit with biggest-ever fine, U.S. outdoor brand to take legal action against FTCThe U.S. outdoor brand that has dominated the South Korean market for years is at risk of losing its position after it was hit with a record fine. The nation’s antitrust watchdog hit The North Face Korea last week with a 5.2 billion won ($4.6 million) fine for compelling all 151 of its retailers here to charge 10 to 15 percent higher prices than for rival brands since 1997 to maintain the brand’s premium image. The F
Korean ballerino wins top prize at Youth America Grand Prix

May 1, 2012

Korean ballerino Kim Ki-min, currently with the Mariinsky Ballet Company in Russia, won the prestigious Grand Prix Award at Youth America Grand Prix, the world’s largest student ballet competition, in New York last week. The 20-year-old ballerino, a graduate of Korea National University of Arts, is the first Korean to win the top prize at the international competition. Kim also won a gold prize with Korean ballerina Jung Ga-yeon, 19, in the Pas de Deux category at the competition.“The Grand Prix
Legendary ballerina Makarova honored in N.Y.

May 1, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― When people think of famous Soviet dancers who defected to the West, they recall Rudolf Nureyev, certainly, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. But there was also a formidable woman among them: Natalia Makarova, who defected in 1970 and went on to win glory for decades to come, in Europe and in the United States.Now 71, Makarova is retired of course, but she was the undisputed star over the weekend at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater as ballet greats gathered to pay her tribute. It wa
Kang’s ‘The Lady of the Camellias’ returns to Seoul

May 1, 2012

For Kang Sue-jin, principal dancer in Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet, “The Lady of the Camellias” means a lot ― Kang’s dramatic portrayal and technical proficiency in the ballet drama earned her the dance world’s prestigious Benois Prize in 1999.Thirteen years later, the Korean ballerina now in her 40s will be performing Marguerite Gautier, a tragic courtesan in 19th century Paris, again in Seoul with the Stuttgart Ballet at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on June 16-17. And her portrayal
Museum shows Joseon scholar’s teachings on wife’s hanbok

Apr 30, 2012

The Museum of Silhak, or study of “practical learning” of the late Joseon period, is hosting the special exhibition “Dasan, his life and ideal at the Han River” on late Joseon scholar Jeong Yak-yong from April 27 to Sept. 9.“Hapicheob,” referring to Jeong’s writings on an old hanbok skirt sent by his wife while he was in exile in Gangjin, South Jeolla Province, is among the highlights of the 70 or so items exhibited. The scholar wrote words of virtue for his sons and daughters in 1810 and sent t
A time to appreciate gugak

Apr 30, 2012

Different types of Korean traditional music to be staged for families, touristsA variety of gugak performances will be staged this month, offering families and tourists a chance to appreciate different types of Korean traditional music, mostly in Seoul.To celebrate the 615th anniversary of King Sejong’s birth year, the National Gugak Center presents three large-scale performances from May 5-15 in Seoul and Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province.The state-run gugak center will stage its new signature piece “Se
Raul Esparza enjoys his ‘once in a lifetime’ role

Apr 30, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― Raul Esparza was once invited to go backstage at “Les Miserables’’ on Broadway to learn how the effects were done. His response was the same as when he was invited in Las Vegas to check out the tricks backstage at Cirque du Soleil’s “O.’’No thanks, he said both times.“I don’t want to know how it works,’’ says the four-time Tony Award nominee who stars in “Leap of Faith’’ on Broadway. “If I don’t believe in the magic, what’s the point of going to work eight times a week?’’That Esp