Royal Opera to sell Hockney painting to help it stay afloat
LONDON – Britain’s Royal Opera House is selling a David Hockney painting of its former chief to help it stay afloat as coronavirus-related restrictions keep many U.K. performing arts venues shuttered. Hockney, one of Britain’s most renowned living artists, painted the portrait in 1971 after Webster stepped down as the company’s general administrator. British theater and music venues are struggling to survive because social distancing rules mean most can’t reopen with enough audience members to break even. The Royal Opera House is currently offering streams of past opera and ballet productions and hopes to hold a few performances before limited live audiences later this month. ___Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak