Category: Art

Manhattan Moments: More Art

JWF Leave a comment

FINE ART FOR AUCTION

Christie’s

Les Flamants, 1910

Christie’s has its New York gallery and auction headquarters in Rockefeller Center.  Thanks to a tip from our son, we went down to see a wonderful Rousseau and other marvelous works.  We walked into a wide lobby space, a coat check and coffee bar tucked in on the left.  No one spoke to us, and no one asked for identification or what our business was.  We wandered into a transverse hall and saw the first pieces of art.  

Eglise Saint-Philibert by Maurice Utrillo

Everything on display was from private collections. All were here to be auctioned off during a week of high-profile sales.  The art ranged from Impressionism to Contemporary and 20th and 21st century pieces.  

The Gate by David Hockney

Shown in the top photo, this beautiful Rousseau of flamingos by a shore (Les Flamants, 1910) sold for $43.5 million on May 11 in the largest sale price ever for this artist and as the highest price piece in the 20th Century Evening Sale.  That same week, the third chapter of Masterpieces from the S. I. Newhouse Collection was also very successful with its inclusion of notable works by de Kooning and Picasso.

Rachel Zurer by Alice Neel
Au Casino, Bonnard

We wandered from gallery to gallery as the intertwined spaces opened to us with more walls of art.  I especially liked a portrait by Alice Neel (having seen her work on exhibit at the Met two years ago); two portraits by Alex Katz, one on a vibrant orange background; Bonnard’s Au Casino; a church streetscape by Utrillo; several gloriously colorful landscapes by David Hockney; and a white rose by Georgia O’Keeffe.  It was a marvelous experience!  

White Calico Rose, O’Keeffe

Part of the fun was the people watching—the very professionally suited Christie’s staff with their notebooks and usually a small clutch of exhibit catalogues under their arms–and the mix of potential buyers and just lookers like us.  Dress in the latter groups ranged from an elegant black pants suit on an elegant white-haired woman to jeans and a white shirt, to khaki pants, and even the occasional rumpled sweater.  

ARTY SUMMER READ

The Price of Inheritance by Karin Tanabe

By happenstance, I read this early novel by Karin Tanabe just after being at Christie’s.  The Price of Inheritance is about the fine art industry and provides a detailed look at how dealers go about evaluating and acquiring pieces from private collectors.  Carolyn Everett, ambitious and intense, is a young star in the Furniture Department at Christie’s in Manhattan.  Botching her career after a record-breaking sale, Carolyn returns to small-time art buying and begins a questionable romance with a magnetic Marine.  Romance that is tied up with the inside world of buying and selling art.  A fast, suspenseful read!

Note: Art photos by JWFarrington. Header photo is Ada by Alex Katz.

Manhattan Moments: Art at MoMA

JWF Leave a comment

Entrancing Video Art

One of the most compelling reasons to visit the Museum of Modern Art this season is the floor to ceiling video piece on the main lobby wall.  Created by Refik Anadol, Unsupervised, is an ever-changing mesmerizing mass of colors and shapes that at times flows beyond the boundaries of the screen. It is abstract in form, dark and mysterious sometimes and, at other moments, a riot of intense color.

Just one snippet of Unsupervised

Anadol used artificial intelligence and applied it to a database of the complete works in MoMA’s collection.  This area of the museum was the most populated with people of all ages the two times we visited.

Crowd at MoMA watching video

A Dynamic Collection, 1970s-Present

The Chief Penguin and I spent the remainder of this visit on the second level looking at and liking and not liking some of the stranger pieces of recent art, sculpture, and video. 

It’s the centennial of Ellsworth Kelly’s birth and two works of his dominated the first gallery.  I especially liked his aluminum paneled work with some colored panels, Sculpture for a Large Wall, which he created in 1957 for the Transportation Building in Philadelphia.  

Sculpture by E. Kelly

I also liked the brilliance of Spectrum IV which begins and ends with colorful strips of yellow and gold.  

Kelly’s Spectrum IV 1967

Indian artist Shambhavi is represented by a most intriguing metal work, a tree made of scythes saluting the farmer’s work.

Reaper’s Melody, 2011/2018

To See Takes Time

On our second MoMA visit, we delighted in To See Takes Time, a collection of watercolors, charcoal, and pastels by Georgia O’Keeffe.  In several instances, one sees the evolution of a work from early stages to a final version or to a version that is simply presented in a different color palette.  These are smaller works showing the diversity of O’Keefe’s interests and reflecting her travels (Maine, New Mexico) and her ongoing fascination with nature.

On the River, 1964
Canna Lily 1918-20 (O’Keeffe)
House with Tree-Green

One surprise is the realistic portrait of fellow artist Delaney.

Beaufort Delaney, 1943

Bar Food

Buena Onda

Since Cinco de Mayo was this week, it seems appropriate to mention the new Mexican place we tried.  (We avoided a crowd by not going on the 5th!)  Buena Onda on 1st Avenue is more a bar than a restaurant, with a few tables up front and several booths in the back.  It was recommended to us for its tacos by the waiter at Canyon Road, its sister restaurant up the street.  

We began with guacamole and margaritas, both very good, and then sampled some gorditas filled with chorizo and peppers and two of their tacos, beef and chicken.  Everything was very tasty and fresh so we will definitely return.

Note: Header photo is Pink and Green Mountains No. IV, 1917 by Georgia O’Keeffe.

Tidy Tidbits: Art, Angst, & Autism

JWF Leave a comment

BEAUTY IN GLASS

Bromeliads planted like a mosaic

Each year, Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota highlights the work of a notable artist as inspiration for special art throughout the gardens.  Other years have built on the interplay of art and nature in the works of Andy Warhol, Marc Chagall, and Monet.  This year’s focus is on the stained glass art of Louis Comfort Tiffany.  There are pieces both in the conservatory and throughout the landscape. 

Hanging stained ”glass” in the conservatory

 I think it is one of the most successful exhibits in this series.  Tiffany: The Pursuit of Beauty in Nature is on display through June 25th.  It’s well worth visiting!

Desert plants seen through a colored panel

RECENT READING

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

As has been noted, Kingsolver’s latest novel, Demon Copperhead, is a modern variation on Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield.  Demon, birth name Damon, is the child of a teenage addict and an absent father.  When his mother dies, he becomes the responsibility of a sorry welfare system and endures a series of mostly terrible foster homes.  Overworked, mistreated, and bullied, he is nonetheless a survivor.  

Lacking in self-esteem, his early shining moments are starring on the football field and being elected homecoming king.  He has artistic talent which he occasionally values, but he lacks the confidence in his abilities to seriously pursue it.  A badly injured knee damages him both physically and mentally, and he descends into a drug-fueled existence.  He functions, but not fully.

The novel is all in Demon’s voice.  The sentences are delivered in a breathless almost hasty tone with occasional staccato-like bursts.  There is humor and coarse language wrapped in a surprisingly engaging character.  

The writing is terrific, but the book is just too long!  I got bogged down with all the teenage boys’ antics and shenanigans about two-thirds in and set the book aside for a week.  Then I returned to it, determined to finish, and felt rewarded by my efforts in the last several chapters.  For me, the ending was a satisfying one.  Overall, recommended with reservations. (~JWFarrington)

OUTSTANDING SERIES

Astrid, season 1 (PBS)

I mentioned Astrid in an earlier blog post and have now watched the entire first series.  It is excellent on several levels.  Astrid works in criminal records and is blessed with an encyclopedic memory and keen observation skills. She is also autistic and at the beginning of the series quite timid in her dealings with other people and the world in general.  Paired with detective Raphaelle Coste, Astrid provides insights and knowledge of previous murders instrumental in solving the latest crime.  She even manages to win over the somewhat crusty pathologist Fournier. 

The cases are intriguing and usually hinge on some connection to an earlier crime.  What was most engaging for me was the growing friendship between Astrid and Raphaelle and watching Astrid gain in confidence, able to practice basic social niceties.  I also enjoyed the interactions between the members of Astrid’s autism support group and the wise guidance provided by William, the group leader.  The series is in French with subtitles.  Highly recommended!

Live plants echo the colors of the glass

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.) Header photo is of a screen at Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota.

France: Bayeux, pt. 2

JWF Leave a comment

DINNER IN BAYEUX

Last night we had a real dinner in a modern restaurant in an old building in Bayeux.  Only the second restaurant dinner this trip.  La Quarante Neuf was recommended by our trip organizers.  And our B&B hostess said we’d made a good choice.  Our reservation was for 7:00 pm, the minute they opened, and we were surprised when all seven tables in the main dining room filled up immediately—and not just with Americans!

The menu is presented on a large portable blackboard and is French with some Asian accents.  We opted for three courses, entrée, plat, and dessert.  I had the deconstructed tomato cooked several different ways first which was delectable, and the Chief Penguin had the rillettes.  

Deconstructed tomato

We each then had fish.  Mine was cod with fennel and black lentils in a grapefruit broth with sections of pink grapefruit, while he had the half-cooked tuna.  

Cod with fennel and grapefruit

The dishes were creative and imaginative and tasty.  For dessert, we shared my cheese selection and then his chocolate mini cake with chocolate ice cream.  The chef, a woman, came out to greet us, and we were able to sing our praises to her.

THE TAPESTRY & MORE

Today was a day spent mostly on foot.  We parked in the usual lot at the train station and then walked to find the tapestry museum, using the towering cathedral as a navigation aid.  The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the story of William, Duke of Normandy’s conquest of England in 1066 and is a hand embroidered piece of art that is almost 230 feet long.  The original, which used to reside in the Bayeux Cathedral, is mounted on a curved wall behind glass. The audio guide, included in the admission price, is essential to appreciating the events shown.  The various scenes from King Edward naming William as his heir to the end of the battle are numbered. The guide narrates what is happening and points out subtleties one might miss.  I found it fascinating and a great way to experience this famous tapestry.  

First scene with King Edward
Nearing the end of the battle

A bonus was seeing the special exhibit, David Hockney’s A Year in Normandy. Hockney was enamored of the tapestry and also fond of this region in France.  He decided to create a parallel work of art, also a long mural, showing the changing seasons in Normandy from spring through summer and fall ending with winter.  

I liked the hay rolls and the straight trees
One image of fall in Normandy

An artist who delights in trying out new techniques and approaches, Hockney created his work by drawing on his iPad using a program called Brushes.  The result is a marvelous progression of images employing lots of bright greens and yellows with fuchsia and lavender accents.  The Chief Penguin and I were especially pleased to see this work since we met Hockney some years ago in Los Angeles when an exhibit of his work was being installed.

BAYEUX CATHEDRAL

The Bayeux Cathedral is striking for its two Romanesque towers and its soaring and elaborate Gothic one.  The original church was consecrated in 1077, and William the Conquerer was present.  Only the two older towers, the first level of the nave, and the crypt remain from the Romanesque building.  

Bayeux Cathedral

The sanctuary that one sees today is the result of rebuilding in the 12th century and later after it was damaged. It is soaring Gothic with flying buttresses and clerestory windows and stunning stained glass windows.

Brilliant windows

MUSEUM OF THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY

To round out the day, we walked to visit the Museum of the Battle of Normandy after lunch.  Lots of exhibits with lots of text and photos and profiles of important generals, along with tanks and other machinery of war, make this a museum for anyone interested in the fine structure of this historic battle.  We only spent a short amount of time here, but it was still worth visiting.

THE PERFECT LUNCH

Wandering around historic Bayeux near the cathedral, we noted several possible lunch options ranging from simple crepes to probably heavier Norman cuisine to the little place we selected.  Le P’tit Resto was perfect in every way:  the right amount of food, the right price, welcoming wait staff, and a delicious meal.  We both had the Formule du Jour, menu of the day, and chose the fish preparation with either fries or rice. 

Couldn’t resist sampling before I took the photo!

 The main course was preceded by a small shot glass of veggie cappuccino and followed by either two cheeses or a presentation of little desserts.  We both selected the cheese which was Camembert and Pont-l’Eveque  with a little salad.  With this menu, you also had your choice of a glass of wine (small) or café. 

Cheese course

Note: All photos by JWFarrington (some rights reserved).