When a history professor at Princeton writes a biography of one of the 20th century's most enigmatic and iconic cultural figures, it's going to be a guaranteed Big Deal, as surely Wilentz's
Bob Dylan in America will be. The Daily Beast
has an exclusive excerpt; the book goes on sale September 7. According to Martin Scorsese, "reading [
the book] is as thrilling and surprising as listening to a great Dylan song."
On September 17, the Pace Gallery's four Manhattan locations will kick off a major retrospective of the gallery's life. The pieces going on display read like a laundry list of the most important artists from the past 50 years: Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, Brice Marden, Kiki Smith, Pablo Picasso, David Hockney, Jean Dubuffet, Maya Lin… It goes on and on.
CBS Photo Archive./ Getty Images
For the 33rd year, Greenville, Mississippi, will host the MS Delta Blues and Heritage Festival. Long-beloved and widely renowned blues musicians such as T-Model Ford, Bobby Rush, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and "Honeyboy" Edwards will perform on September 18, along with many other blues greats.
Steve Snowden / Getty Images
Christie's begins its blockbuster autumn sales with the September 22 First Open, which consists of post-war and contemporary art that, the site claims, provides the perfect venue for new and seasoned collectors to discover emerging artists and to explore lesser-known works by well-established names." Among the works being sold are some pieces by Alexander Calder and Brice Marden (estimates are all in the $30k-70k range)—both of whom are showing at Pace Gallery.
Jan Bauer / AP Photo
One of Tate Modern's biggest exhibitions of 2010 and 2011 will be Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), the French painter, whose work has not been the subject of a solo display in the UK for over 50 years, despite his world renown. The exhibit, open September 30, is comprehensive, featuring pieces from his travels to Peru, Martinique, and his native France.
Remy de la Mauviniere / AP Photo
Pedro Almodovar's stage adaptation of his 1988 Oscar-winning film opens Saturday, October 2, at Lincoln Center Theatre in New York City, taking over the space that South Pacific has popularly occupied for the past couple years. Almodovar is the Spanish director who chose Penelope Cruz as his muse for Volver and Broken Embraces. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, his comedically melodramatic story, has become a musical starring Brian Stokes Mitchell, Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti, de'Adre Aziza, and Danny Burstein, thanks to librettist Jeffrey Lane and composer-lyricist David Yazbek.
Soprano Deborah Voigt makes her debut at the Washington National Opera as the titular Salome on October 7. Richard Strauss's opera about the spoiled, insane little princess has remained a popular piece in the 105 years since its first performance. Perhaps Marian Robinson, Michelle Obama's mother and a DC theater-goer, will convince the family to catch an evening show.
Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Photo
Out of the famed PBS series by the same name has grown a local concert series: the Austin City Limits Music Festival. This year's fest, from October 8 to 10, will feature artist far from, way outside Texas, unlike the mold for the original television show (first aired in 1976). Phish, Muse, M.I.A., and the Strokes headline a roster including many regional stalwarts like Robert Earl Keen and Charlie Mars (also known as Mary Louise Parker's boyfriend).
Jack Plunkett / AP Photo
San Francisco is known to have the largest Chinatown outside of Asia, but in the 1990s when a nearby highway went under construction and stanched traffic to the neighborhood, it suffered an economic downturn. The Night Market Fair, which runs through the summer and ends on October 9, was started to help the recovery, with sales of Chinese food, music, clothing and other items.
Eric Risberg / AP Photo
On October 12, W.W. Norton releases the new novel, Great House, from Nicole Krauss, the bestselling author of A History of Love (who happens to be married to Jonathan Safran Foer). The novel weaves together disparate characters in far-apart places to create what an early review called "a formidable and haunting mosaic of loss and profound sorrow."
In the fall, fashion weeks happen around the globe like couture dominoes. On the heels of New York, Paris and London is Seoul, South Korea, celebrating its 10th anniversary in the Spring/Summer 2011 show from October 22 through 28, when designers like Bumsuk Choi, Chang Kwang Hyo, Gee Choon Hee, and An Yoon Jung will show their garments.
Six 6 Photography / Getty Images
The Whitney's hugely popular 2009 retrospective of one of America's greatest photographers seems like eons ago. LACMA will display 200 Eggleston images as well as rarely seen video footage, in an exhibit titled "Democratic Camera," opening October 31. On Halloween night, Eggleston himself will participate in a conversation at LACMA, and sign books afterwards.
Uwe Lein / AP Photo
Though the tour has been around for a while, the hot Chicago summer might not have been the best time to enjoy a cruise through Hyde Park mansions and down the lakefront path; the tours last through October 31, and can be ridden at an advanced level—22 miles in 4 hours.
Alex Brandon / AP Photo
Al Pacino has proved so powerful in his performance as Shylock in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" that it has moved to Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre for a November 7 opening run. Pacino last played a Shakespeare role to little acclaim in 2003; before that, 1979.
Amanda Schwab, StarPix / AP Photo
Acclaimed New York writer Paul Auster releases his new novel, Sunset Park, on November 9. The book, named for and taking place in the Brooklyn neighborhood, concerns Miles Heller, his patched-together group of artist friends, and his troubled love for an underage girl.
One of the most glittery, exclusive cotillions in the world happens every November, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris. This year's November 27 debutantes—composing a roster of gorgeous girls from elite families around the world—have not been announced yet, but certainly, as always, the girls will be dressed and dancing in custom couture gowns by the likes of Chanel, Carolina Herrera, Christian Lacroix, and Oscar de la Renta.
Fred Duf our, AFP / Getty Images
