NORTH BY NORTHEAST
​ART TOUR

JUNE 11 - 16, 2024
5 NIGHTS, 3 CITIES, 6 MUSEUMS:

Museum of Modern Art
Brookly Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Guggenheim
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Baltimore Museum of Art
Wow, what a trip!  It was both exciting and enervating (you know how museum visits can tire you out!) -- and we saw so much great art and inspiring creativity.

Slowly but surely, I'll post info and pics from the trip here. However, you can also see many of our pics on Instagram now by searching the hashtag #NxNEarttour.

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART


​While at MoMA, we visited the Joan Jonas exhibit on Floor 6 (info HERE), and then we spent the bulk of our time on Floors 5 and 4 which house the museum's permanent collection.  
Pictured at the left:  A few shots from the Joan Jonas exhibit (plus one "Blue Dog" by George Rodrigue).

Were the works in the Jonas exhibit momentous works of art that will last through the ages?  No, not really.  However, the exhibit was notable for her creativity, her willingness to push the envelope, and the information presented on her processes and her approaches for teaching creativity to others. 

Hmm...I wonder if she inspired George Rodrigue with his "blug dog" movement!  LOL.
Below:  Some of the iconic paintings at MoMA.
Left: Tableau No. 2 / Composition No. V by Piet Mondrian. 

What struck me about this painting was the use of pastels -- a surprise since Mondrian's well-known works use such bright, primary colors.  
Below:  Double Self Portrait by Richard Estes.  Estes is known for inserting himself in his paintings a la Alfred Hitchcock in his movies.  In this case, his reflection is in the painting twice -- BUT -- it's usually just his name -- and sure enough, his name "Richard Estes" does show up in the painting (albeit it in VERY small print -- and too small to see in the cropped fragment below). 
Below:  Edward Hopper's "Gas."  Hopper is my favorite artist -- so every museum I visit I check for any Hoppers they have on view!


​Left:  As we headed to Brooklyn and crossed the East River by subway,
​I snapped a few pics, and I couldn't help but think of Richard Estes' painting "Williamsburg Bridge,"
pictured at the right. 

BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART

The main reason we visited the Brooklyn Museum of Art was to see "Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys"  For informatiion on the exhibit, click the picture below.
Works by Kehinde Wiley were featured prominently in the exhibit.
Below:  A few miscellaneous shots from "Giants":
Below:  An added surprise:  The BMA had an exhibit on the Beatles & photography by Paul McCartney:


​
​Of course, the Brooklyn Museum of Art is also the home to "The Dinner Party," an installation artwork by American feminist artist Judy Chicago.

There are 39 elaborate place settings on a triangular table for 39 mythical and historical famous women - and one of them is Emily Dickinson -- so I had to stop in to see her place setting.

Info about the work is HERE. 
While we were in Brooklyn, we visited an area filled with lots of cool graffiti (pictured below).  We then walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. 

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
Our main reason for visiting the Met was to visit the exhibit on the Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism; info is HERE. 
Every major museum I visit, I check to see if a painting by Edward Hopper is on view -- and there was one.  However, for some unknown reason, the gallery was closed -- BUT -- I was able to walk up to the roped off entrance a peek inside -- and on a far-off wall, there was the Hopper, "Tables for Ladies."
Miscellaneous shots from around the museum:

The Guggenheim

We went to the Guggenheim to see Jenny Holzer's exhibit "Light Line."  Info on the exhibit can be found HERE.  From the looks of the images on Instagram, we expected somehitng light (no pun intended) and whimsical.  Instead...


​A couple of other smaller galleries were open with pieces by other contemporary artists, and I wrote about some of those works HERE. 
Below left and right:  We were VERY disappointed that almost all of the alcoves going up/down the spiral of the museum were empty -- except for an occasional piece from the same artist, Jenny Holzer (some examples are shown above in the slide show to the left).  Sooo...to make the best of a doleful situation, we stepped into one of the alcoves and made our own art (inspired by a scene from the musical "The Music Man":  One Grecian Urn...two Grecian Urn...etc.) -- and the end result was light and whimsical!  : )
Here's a portion from one review of the show:  At the Guggenheim’s “Jenny Holzer: Light Line,” her greatest hits, like “Truisms” and “Inflammatory Essays,” snake across the inner rotunda, an update on a show she did there in 1989 with the colors changed and resequenced. (A take on her 2008 façade-projection piece was on display at the Guggenheim last month.) Whatever profundity the original had has been emptied out, and the new material is particularly enervating.

The complete review is HERE. 

The Philadelphia Museum of Art
We visited the PMA with one exhibit in mind, "Mary Cassatt at Work" (Info HERE)-- which we LOVED -- but we also strolled through the rest of the museum too (which we LOVED).  ; )





​Left and right:  A few other works at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Below:  Some pics of where I used to work -- the Bellevue Stratford Hotel at Broad & Walnut.  It's currently run by Hyatt Hotels -- BUT -- the entire building was being renovated.  I was only able to stroll through the lobby.  Supposedly, the hotel will be ready and re-opened as of October 2024.  Hmm...we shall see.  It looked like they had a LOT of work to do!
The color and reflections of the revolving doors in the main lobby reminded me of a painting by Richard Estes.
There are light fixtures in a smaller lobby in the back of the hotel that were supposedly designed by Thomas Edison. 
Hmm...I need to double-check my notes, but I believe the two paintings below, left & right, are from the Philadelphia Museum of Art -- and both called to mind works by Edward Hopper.  Two of Hopper's paintings (which are NOT at the Philadelphia Museum of Art) are then show below the first two paintings.
Philadelphia has great statures around the city -- including their statue of Rocky, Alexander Sterling Calder's Swann Fountain, Rodin's "the Thinker," Robert Indiana's "LOVE" (and AMOR), and a giant clothespin -- that could be just a clothespin -- or it could represent two people kissing in a passionate embrace.  

The city also has statues around the city by three generations of Calders:

1) Alexander Milne Calder sculpted the statue of William Penn atop the Philadelphia City Hall.

2) Calder's son, Alexander Sterling Calder, sculpted the figures in Swann Fountain.

3) His son, Alexander Calder, sculpted a giant, hanging mobile in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Below left to right:  Sculptures from three generations of Calders in Philadelphia:  Alexander Milne Calder (the statue of William Penn), Alexander Sterling Calder (a figure from Swann Fountain), and Alexander Calder (a mobile in the Philadelphia Museum of Art).


​OOPS -- NSFW :

I'm sure that Alexander Milne Calder did not do this intentionally, but note the placement of  Penn's right arm/hand in the sculpture atop City Hall -- shown above on the far left. 

Unfortunately, if you view the statue from the Philadelphia Museum of Art -- and/or as you travel down Franklin Boulevard -- you'll notice that the placement of the arm/hand is a bit unfortunate. 

Click the images at the right to enlarge.
Above:  The Baltimore Museum of Art

At the right:  The lobby was "infested" by art flies. 

 THE BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART
Click the image at the right -- or HERE -- to read about the Baltimore Museum of Art's exhibit, "Joyce J. Scott, Walk a Mile in My Dreams."

"Best known for her virtuosic use of beads and glass, Joyce J. Scott’s works across all media beguile viewers with beauty and humor while confronting racism, sexism, ecological devastation, and complex family dynamics. "



​Left:  One of the highlights of visiting the Baltimore Museum of Art was the chance to visit the John Waters Restrooms!

Right:  One of the lowlights was this angry tree that kept his eyes on us while we strolled through the outdoor sculpture garden.

Pictured below:  A few miscellaneous shots from the outdoor sculpture garden.  Click the images to enlarge. 

ADDED BONUS:  LATER IN THE SUMMER, WE ALSO VISITED THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
AND THE MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ART.

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
Below left:  Just a few miscellaneous shots from the Institute; Below center:  At the O'Keeffe exhibit; Below right:  "Radiator Building - Night" (with close ups of details).

MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ART

We visited Minnesota to see the one and only gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (in Cloquet).
We stayed a few nights in Minneapolis too, and we visited the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  Below (left and right) are a few miscellaneous shots from the museum.
Below:  The museum had an excellent display of miniature Chinese snuff bottles: 
Below:  The museum also had a nice exhibit on the Prairie School of Archnitecture.