Tuesday's Art Notes

_A couple takes pictures of the 'Tower of Babel', a creation made by Argentine artist Marta Minujin with thousands of books in languages from all over the world, at San Martin square in Buenos Aires on May 7, 2011. UNESCO nominated Buenos Aires as the "World Book Capital":http://www.capitaldellibro2011.gob.ar/ for 2011. Photo by Juan Mabromata/ AFP/ Getty Images_ * Longtime museum leader James Cuno has been named the new president and CEO of the Getty Center, the wealthiest arts organization in the world, via the "Los Angeles Times":http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-getty-cuno-20110510,0,973976.story. Arts leaders and writers have had mixed reactions to the news, raising questions about organizational structure and the loaded politics of foreign antiquities acquisition. The NewsHour "talked to Cuno in 2009":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2009/06/extended-interviews-chicago-art-institute.html about the new Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago. * PBS announces a new fall line-up that includes one night a week devoted to the arts, via the "Los Angeles Times":http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/05/new-pbs-arts-festival-to-include-broadcast-of-la-operas-il-postino-.html. * Reuters "talks to Liao Yiwu":http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/10/us-china-writer-ban-idUSTRE7492SW20110510, a Chinese writer who was last week banned by his government from attending a literary festival in Australia. * CUNY has now voted to approve an honorary degree for playwright Tony Kushner, after a controversial vote to deny him one for comments he's made about Israel, via "WNYC":http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/may/10/cuny-votes-approve-honorary-degree-tony-kushner/. * Gunter Sachs, a rich German industrialist, famous for his playboy ways, his marriage to French actress Brigitte Bardot, as well as his photography and documentary film work, committed suicide at age 78 via "The Guardian":http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/09/gunter-sachs-obituary.