Monday, September 24, 2007

Museums in Manhattan

The Guggenheim Museum is undergoing repairs and a new exhibition was being installed, so only a few side galleries were open. Still it is pay by contribution Friday night after 5:45 p.m. and many of their most famous paintings were on display. The Halls of Asian Mammals and Peoples are old exhibitions at the American Museum of Natural History yet I found them interesting and still very relevant.

The Hudson River School and Asher B. Durand shows at the New York Historical Society were interesting and very quiet for a Saturday afternoon. And it is just one block away from the AMNH. The cafeteria at the Metropolitan Museum of Art had surprisingly good food. Most Museum food is just awful. We toured some period rooms while there. It seems almost everything at the Met is of such high quality. My sister really loves the Museum and goes often.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

DeCordova Museum

A good friend and I saw a new exhibition at the DeCordova Museum featuring model trains traveling through appealing and creative environments designed specifically for the show. Trainscape: Installation Art for Model Railroads succeeds in creating highly appealing fantasy scenes juxtaposed with the traditional theme of train sets. It is a clever idea and the result is a delight. A world made from glass was so enticing as were many other themed elements of the larger exhibition. Two of the large trains were still. The effect would have been enhanced if they were in operation as well.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Pollock Matters

The McMullen Museum at Boston College opened an outstanding exhibition of modern art that will be on display through December 9, 2007. The art is of such high quality and so exciting that it should get very crowded. Several paintings attributed to Jackson Pollock were found in a locker and have been at the center of a scholarly and artistic debate. Some experts say they are by the artist and others say that they cannot be. The Museum has shown great courage to mount the show and it may bring fame and justified acclaim to The McMullen.

Unfortunately my entry about the exhibit of Modern Belgian Art from the Simon Collection, hosted by the McMullen, was accidentally erased. It was a fine and interesting show and an erudite guard had invested much time explaining it to me. The same guard was present today and he warmly greeted me by name. Visitors should be warned that on certain Saturdays that coincide with Boston College home football games, there will be no parking for non residents within a mile radius of the campus. On other days parking is available and the Museum is free. Not only is the art in this exhibit interesting, and extremely significant, much of it is very aesthetically pleasing as well. Do see this show at least once.