Guggenheim and Kandinsky Dehydration

The sidewalk is packed with vendors. Exhausted patrons line the low margin fences of the museum using them as benches. No one seems happy or energized. Is the Kandinsky Exhibit too extensive, covering the spiral and the 4th floor? I wonder when I hear no laughing or excitement for the next activity. Conversations in the gift shop make you question the $18.00 experience.

I suggest a metabolism check before entering the 3-4 hour journey. Make sure you have a pick-me-up in your pocket. And drink plenty of water before buying you ticket. It could be simple as museum dehydration, a homeland security blight on museum goers

Spend Autum in New England Painting or Photographing

Woodbury, CT celebrates 350th Anniversary.

What were you doing in 1659?

Woodbury was becoming a town. The Litchfield County village celebrated all weekend on Route 6 with reenactments, food, music, and presentations. All six churches were open and the antiquing was fruitful. This Antique Capital of Connecticut is not to be missed for the vintage art. Their ads in Architectural Digest and Antiques and Fine Art are long-standing and delicious. Stop near the Post Office at The Split-Rail for hometown cooking.

Charles Pierrepont Henry Gilbert, Architect of Park Slope

Park Slope, Brooklyn, prides itself in architectural beauty as a designated historical district. Someone even paid for signs depicting a map of the area and bragging a bit. The sad mistake on the signs is crediting the WRONG ARCHITECT. The signs credit Cass Gilbert,the designer of the US Customs House ( now the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, at Bowling Green) and the Woolworth Building, in 1913 when it was the tallest building in the world.

The correct architect is the "mansion specialist," according to architectural writer Christopher Gray, C.P.H. Gilbert. Born in Brooklyn to a wealthy founding family, C.P.H. studied at the Beaux Arts School at the Sorbonne in Paris. He built the Fletcher-Sinclair limestone French Gothic beauty on 5th Avenue at 79th Street (now The Ukrainian Institute) and the Woolworth Mansion of Long Island. He designed half of the north Slope nearest Prospect Park and Grand Army Plaza. Remarkable houses, recalling one of his mentors, H.H. Richardson and his perfection of Romanesque Revival style (See the train station and library in New London, CT)

The photo behind the title of this blog is a street of buildings designed by C.P.H. Gilbert. I swoon at the roof-lines.

Art in Grand Central Terminal

I had dinner with a good friend at Grand Central tonight. Saw the place full of people and great art downstairs in the eating area.

Here is a photo of a vintage photo taken in GCT dining area downstairs.

The pity of it is Vanderbilt Hall, upstairs, gorgeous and empty. I hope that art can grace this area before the clatter of hawkers begins the holiday shopping season...

Architects Reed and Stem, Plan; Warren and Wetmore, Architectural Details and Facades, 1913

Restorations resulted from the work of Jackie Onassis, 1998

This Saturday---Pacific Street in New London or in NYC see Kandinsky at Guggenheim!

The Dawn of Understanding is running for two more weeks at the Pacific Street Gallery in New London, Works are strong and prices are affordable. Great way to add to your collection.

Seasoned artists study the dawn or the ah-ha moments of life.

Phone 860-444-7060 for directions and gallery hours, evenings and Wednesday.

http://pacificstreetart.blogspot.com/

See my first posting below!

Photographers Sheila Bontreger, Pete Brooks, Craig Chessari, Bruce Fuller, Dick Ridington, Beccy Tanner.

Paintings by Jackie Flatow, Dermot McNamara, Mary Carroll Moore, Kristin York, Linnie York, Troy Zaushny.

Multi Media by Gloria Brooks, Jean Giordano, Ann Samul, Cindy Samul, Lynelle Youngquist.

Guggenheim opening of the long awaited and long publicized Kandinsky exhibit running until January 13, 2010.

See you there!

Antiques and Fine Art Magazine, Early Summer 2009

Still available on newstands and libraries.

If you are reading this, we both missed the Clark Art Institute exhibit in Williamstown, MA that closed September 7---"Dove/O'Keefe: Circles of Influence." (www.clarkart.edu/)

The magazine has a EIGHT-PAGE (!) color spread on the main points in the exhibit.

I am a HUGE fan of Arthur Dove (1880-1946). He was a CT farmer with abstraction of nature in his blood. Discovered and exhibited by Alfred Steiglitz in the early part of the last century, he became friend and colleague of Georgia O'keefe, also discovered by Steiglitz.

I discovered Dove through my sister and the New Britian Museum of American Art in New Britian, CT. (http://www.nbmaa.org/) A traveling exhibit of his final works, which were minature oils on paper, was there in 2002. Since I missed that exhibit, I traveled to Kansas where they live at The Wichita Art Museum to view them directly. It changed my life and ignited art for me.

He can be found in many small museums, like Portland, Maine and Wichita, Kansas. But his is also actively collected by the Met and the Whitney. He is always shown near O'Keefe, so if you find her paintings and you find his. The biggest collection on display is The Phillips Collection in the heart of Washington, DC, in Phillips' mansion, which was built to house his collection.

Look for Dove. Many used books on the Internet.

Florence Griswold Museum

Just off the Interstate (95) in Old Lyme is a fetching big yellow house. This boarding house on Main Street backing up to the Lieutenant River was home to the Connecticut Impressionists Art Colony. Walk the grounds and gardens but go for the large art exhibit. Life-long collector, Clemmet C. Moore, specialized in the Connecticut Impressionists before it was cool.

The amazing collection fills most of the new exhibit hall (a strange futuristic white rendition of a barn) and you can plan of finding dear favorites that you may or may not find in the companion book published with the show.

I loved the inclusion of many showscapes and my husband was captured deep in the heart by a harbor scene with seagulls. We lingered, walked the gardens and lingered again with the paintings. Yes, we are goofy in love, but the paintings made us linger. This show runs through October 18, 2009.

On the way out of town we picked up an iced tea, juice, and a cookie for $15.65! I suggest you bring your lunch.

www.florencegriswoldmuseum.org

Tooling Around

New Art Exhibit: The Dawn of Understanding

http://pacificstreetart.blogspot.com/

11 Pacific Street, New London, CT

Attended the opening this weekend. The place was packed. Mulit-media, mostly photography and painting with some multi-meedia and sculpture. New book released at the opening as well- by Peter Brooks. Most of the 18 artists were present.
Prices were really affordable.
Runs to October 1st.