Around The Arts

Art Institute vetoes Nazis' exhibit\nCHICAGO -- The Art Institute of Chicago has canceled an exhibit on the history of Nazi art looting, the museum announced Wednesday.\nThe exhibit, "Nazi Art Looting and Its Legacy," was tentatively scheduled for this spring and summer. The exhibit was to include historical photos with text and possibly three works in the museum's collection related to the topic.\nThe photos likely would have included pictures of Adolf Hitler examining looted art works and pictures of the places where Nazis stored such treasures.\nBut the Art Institute canceled its plans after realizing it could not do justice to the complex topic within the confines of the small, single-gallery exhibition it was planning, said museum spokeswoman Eileen Harakal.\n"We had hoped to present the topic in a way that would be informative and beneficial to the public, but we realized that if we couldn't do it properly, given the importance of the subject, we should not proceed," said Art Institute president James Wood in a prepared statement.\nBerlin Festival takes serious note\nBERLIN -- The Berlin Film Festival will be even more serious than in past years because of the troubled political climate since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the festival's director said.\n"A film festival of these dimensions has to reflect the political realities," Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick told reporters Tuesday.\nMore than 300 films will be screened during the 53rd festival, which runs Feb. 6-16, with 22 competing for the Golden Bear award.\nKosslick wouldn't discuss whether additional security precautions have been taken this year, but said so far no stars had canceled appearances due to the growing threat of war against Iraq.\nThe festival will feature three movies examining the plight of refugees, including "In This World" from director Michael Winterbottom, which traces the journey of two Afghan refugees across Iran, Turkey, Italy and France to England.\nDocumentaries also will have a strong presence, including Oliver Stone's "Comandante," about Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.\nThe festival opens with "Chicago," a film version of the hit Broadway musical, and closes with "Gangs of New York," Martin Scorsese's depiction of gang violence in 19th-century America.