By Thomas Blumann (Germany)
New York (bpb) The US publisher B. John Zavrelis publisher of the internet magazine for arts, with the titlePROMETHEUS. He belongs to the supporters of contemporary artists ofvarious styles. His e-magazine is free of charge for all readers. Weasked the publisher about the background.
Why do you finance this project, withoutpersonally profiting from it?
The magazine should impart information about theart of our time, and about the historical connections worldwide, anddo so free of charge for all. Yes, it is a not-for-profit project, itrequires time and money and does not bring in any cash. But that alsoguarantees complete independence of the texts!
What themes do you prefer for themagazine?
We prefer information which is not availableanywhere elese. Also young, unknown artists or long-deadpersonalities and artists forgotten by the popular media also have achance with us.
The internet also offers the possibility to reportto a worldwide audience about art events all over the world. Forinstance, about a Dali exhibition in Japan and China, or about theinteresting sculpture exhibition "Taking Positions" of the Britishart historian Dr. Penelope Curtis from the Henry Moore Institute inLeeds. There were shown works of Arno Breker, Gerhard Marcks, GeorgKolbe and other leading sculptors of the 20th century.
What political ideology is behind your internetmagazine?
The fundamental thing in our media work are humanrights and understanding among people. Art and culture should serve abetter understanding among people of different ancestry andreligions. Science and research make available their achievements forthe use by all men, no matter in which political system they happento live, or must live.
As a Czech Consul, you are acquanited with manypeople, like the US presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush, the Germanpresidents Johannes Rau, Roman Herzog, Richard von Weizsäcker,the Czech president Vaclav Havel and other politicians and statesmen,writers Roger Peyrefitte, Ernst Jünger, Sir Peter Ustinov andmany others. Are all of these prominent personalities interested inart?
I have met these personalities already before mytime as an Honorary Consul. But all these people you mentioned, andalso many other important men and women that I have met over the last20 years of my engagement for the arts, were and are people who givea great importance to culture and art. For instance, President RonaldReagan was once a Hollowood actor. But he had a good instinct forart, and an affection for world culture. Also his wife Nancy.
You can see find this also with astronauts andresearchers. The inventor Wilson Greatbatch, who developed theimplantable pacemaker, is a great friend of art, as is also his wifeEleanor. They belong to the circle of friends of the US Museum ofEuropean Art in Clarence, New York (http://www.MEAus.com)
How can people support your engagement for thearts?
That is quite simple: read the magazine PROMETHEUS(www.MEAus.com/prometheus84.htm). It does not cost you anything andyou will find it interesting. Whoever would like to support our workfor the benefit of the public in other ways is sincerely welcome.Send your questions to zavrel@meaus.com and we will make a suggestionhow you can help.
It is also easy to join the circle of friends ofthe Museum by e-mail (http://www.MEAus.com)
Consul Zavrel, thank you for theinterview.
Copyright 2002 Prometheus, 84/2002