13 Lifestyle Features Monday, July 13, 2020 Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan hospitalized with COVID-19

ollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, 77, test- released online due to coronavirus restrictions closing commercial endorsements. Early in his acting life, he ed positive for COVID-19 on Saturday and was cinemas. Abhishek Bachchan, 44, is also a successful earned his reputation as India’s “angry young man” for Badmitted to hospital in Mumbai, with his actor Bollywood actor and producer, and is married to portraying violent heroes fighting an unjust system son Abhishek—who also announced he had the actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. and injecting a new aggressive element into Bollywood virus—saying both cases were mild. “I have tested movies, which had previously consisted of polite CoviD positive .. shifted to Hospital,” Amitabh India’s rising death toll romances. Bachchan told his 43 million Twitter followers. “All that India’s nationwide coronavirus toll rose on After some lean years, Bachchan bounced back have been in close proximity to me in the last 10 days Saturday to 820,916 cases—the third highest in the spectacularly, largely due to his stint as host for the are requested to please get themselves tested!” His world—with 22,123 deaths. Health workers have com- Indian version of the TV game show “Who Wants To son Abhishek added “both of us having mild symp- plained about stretched facilities and severe staff Be A Millionaire?”, which revived his artistic and toms have been admitted to hospital... I request all to shortages. Critics say the vast country is not testing financial fortunes. According to local media, he was stay calm and not panic.” enough and many infections are undiagnosed. Prime being treated at Mumbai’s Nanavati hospital. As best Millions of Indians revere Amitabh Bachchan, hang- Minister Narendra Modi’s government has eased lock- wishes poured in on Saturday, former Indian cricket ing on his every word, seeking his blessings and con- down restrictions despite a surge in cases, but he has star Sachin Tendulkar tweeted “praying for your gregating outside his Mumbai bungalow every year on warned the nation to be more cautious. Bollywood good health and quick recovery.” The Mumbai October 11, his birthday. Affectionately known as “Big recently resumed film shoots after a months-long hia- region, which accounts for about a quarter of India’s In this file photo taken on January 12, 2013 Bollywood B”, he shot to stardom in the early 1970s in huge hit tus due to the nationwide lockdown since late March. virus deaths, has suffered a new surge in infections, actors Amitabh Bachchan (right) and his son movies such as “Zanjeer” and “Sholay”. His films still Amitabh Bachchan is the doyen of India’s movie forcing authorities to build makeshift hospitals and Abhishek Bachchan pose during the inauguration of a open to packed cinemas across India, but his new industry, and his career has branched into television quarantine facilities. —AFP furniture showroom by actors Sunil and Mana Shetty movie—comedy-drama “Gulabo Sitabo”—was presenting, business and politics, as well as countless in Mumbai. —AFP

Christie’s online sale fetches $421 mn despite virus pandemic

oy Lichtenstein’s “Nude with Joyous Painting” was the big Rseller as a Christie’s hybrid sale fetched an impressive $421 million Friday, signaling the art A man poses with the artwork “Narcissi” created by Masako Artist Minori Murata poses next to her installation artwork market is holding firm during the Hirano outside Same gallery after he took the painting during an “Gods and Mom beleive in you” at Same gallery during the coronavirus pandemic. The event, stealable art exhibition. — AFP photos opening ceremony of a stealable art exhibition. entitled “ONE,” started with an auctioneer in Hong Kong selling a series of works, before another took over in Paris, followed by Up for grabs: Tokyo art exhibit invites theft London and then New York. Christie’s opted for the unique, he Tokyo art exhibit opened to one-day format after it was forced enthusiastic visitors, but many of to rework its spring sales, a tradi- Tthose circulating weren’t just tional highlight of auction season, there to soak in some culture—they because of the COVID-19 crisis. were casing the joint for a midnight Lichtenstein’s 1994 painting sold raid. Hours after the gallery closed for for the highest price at $46.2 mil- the night, a crowd had gathered ready lion, well above its pre-sale esti- to pounce on the artworks. The police mate of around $30 million, station was nearby, but officers only Several records were broken, intervened for crowd control, because most notably for the American In this file photo a woman looks at Roy Lichtenstein all the pieces at the Stealable Art abstract painter Brice Marden, (1923-1997) “Nude with Joyous Painting” during a Exhibition were up for grabs. The whose “Complements” went for press preview in New York. —AFP photos event was intended as “an experi- $30.9 million. No painting crossed ment”, to alter the relationship the $50 million mark, but 94 per- cent of the works found buyers—a between artists and visitors, organiser In this picture two men hold an artwork after taking it from Same gallery that organised high rate even in non-pandemic Tota Hasegawa told AFP. It was origi- a stealable art exhibition in Tokyo. nally conceived as a low-key event that times. “It showed that the market is might attract some covert thievery, but ready for new formats of selling word spread so fast on social media and for new formats of collecting that a crowd of nearly 200 people art,” said Alex Rotter, head of con- packed the streets near the gallery temporary art at Christie’s. hoping for a chance to grab a prize. More than 20,000 art aficiona- Would-be robbers were told they dos followed the four hours of sales could raid the gallery from midnight, online. Including fees and commis- but the crowd was so big that the theft sion, the total value of items sold started half an hour earlier, and the was $421 million. Collectors could exhibition that had been billed as run- bid online and by phone. In Hong ning for up to 10 days was emptied of Kong, Paris and London, some col- art in less than 10 minutes. Yusuke lectors were able to attend the sale Hasada, 26, was a rare winner, gripping in person but the New York leg was A woman walks past Richard Prince’s “Navy Nurse “ a crumpled 10,000 yen ($93) ban- closed to the public because of during a press preview. knote in a frame, which was part of the social distancing restrictions. —AFP “My Money” installation by Gabin Ito. People leave Same gallery after the exhibited artworks were taken by people during a He arrived an hour before midnight stealable art exhibition in Tokyo. only to see a crowd had already formed. Since there was no apparent queue, he manoeuvered himself into a are blocking traffic!” officers shouted. artwork six hours earlier to “case” the spot right in front of the gallery. “The Yuka Yamauchi, a 35-year-old systems venue. She said she would happily moment the staff said they should engineer, showed up 15 minutes before come back for a similar “participato- open early due to the big crowd, peo- midnight but was too late. ry” art event, where some of the artists ple rushed in from behind me. I was in “I entered with my husband and it showcased work that was purpose- the front, and I almost fell over,” he was just packed with so many people... made for those hoping to make off told AFP. “It was scary.” We saw larger artworks taken out by with it. Naoki “SAND” Yamamoto’s those who came earlier,” she said. “I work “Midnight Vandalist” was com- Auction resales haven’t seen so many people in a long posed of a stack of peelable pages Hasada said he plans to hang the time as we have been refraining from with printed illustrations. Another work, among those on display supplied going out due to the coronavirus.” But work was a large cloth printed with by 10 contemporary artists, in his Yamauchi didn’t leave completely lines to be cut along with scissors. home. But not everyone stealing the empty-handed. “I’ve got a clip... It But would-be thieves were responsi- items appeared to have the same idea, must have been one of those used for ble for organising their own getaway with several artworks appearing on the cloth installation. I found it vehicles. A notice was posted at the online auction sites within hours with dropped, so I picked it up as a sou- entrance: “We do not assist art price tags as high as 100,000 yen. venir,” she said with a laugh. thieves with packing or transporting Even after the exhibit was emptied out, artworks, so you are responsible for would-be thieves continued arriving, ‘Well-mannered’ thieves everything.” —AFP A guard walks past a promotion sign during a press preview in New York. forcing a nearby police station to dis- Yamauchi recognised the clip patch officers for crowd control. “You because she was at a preview of the

York venue yet to be named. Blue said New York’s Met Opera she hopes to include some patriotic numbers that could bring people together in the wake of mass protests to host virtual concert series for racial justice. “We are a melting pot,” said Blue, who is African American. Music has the everal of opera’s biggest stars Others performances include capacity to help people “come together beamed in from around the world American soprano Renee Fleming at for the good of the community,” she Son Saturday to announce the the Dumbarton Oaks Museum in added. The series is the opera’s latest Metropolitan Opera’s latest virtual ini- Washington in August and Russian effort to stay on the public radar and tiative amid the coronavirus outbreak. soprano Anna Netrebko from the garner some revenue at a time when The New York opera house, which sus- Liechtenstein Palace in Vienna. Details live performances remain suspended. pended live performances in March, about later performances are still being The Met last month cancelled its fall plans a dozen pay-per-view concerts worked out. None of the shows will 2020 season. The current plan is to through mid-December featuring lead- have a live audience, a Met spokes- launch the season on December 31, but ing singers from around the world. woman said. Welsh bass-baritone Bryn that also depends on public health con- Tickets will cost $20. The series kicks Terfel plans a holiday concert from a ditions. Like their audiences, singers off on July 18 with German tenor Jonas to-be-determined church in Wales in said they have been grappling with how Kaufmann at the Polling Abbey outside December. “Hopefully by then there daily life has been upended by COVID- Munich performing some of opera’s will be a semblance of an orchestra,” 19. Instead of jetting around the world greatest hits including “Nessun dorma” Terfel said on the Zoom press confer- to perform, singers have been home- from Puccini’s “Turandot” and popular ence. American soprano Angel Blue will schooling kids, baking bread and mak- In this file photo people walk past the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center for the arias from “Tosca” and “Carmen.” also perform in December at a New ing home repairs. —AFP Performing Arts on in New York City. —AFP