Art Trekker

I'm pretty sure it's not upside down. Just when I think I’m finally getting a little bit of a clue about art, I run into a humbling painting like Picasso’s Female Nude (I Love Eva) . I took the above picture of the painting on a visit to the Indianapolis Art Museum last year.  I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Literally. I couldn’t make out a head in what’s billed as the torso of one of Picasso’s lovers. At times like this I’m glad I’m not a museum Curator who has to explain to people what exactly is going on. Don’t get me wrong. I’m no Picasso hater. I saw an amazing Picasso exhibit at the Bellagio a few years ago, Picasso: Creatures and Creativity . His painting, Woman With a Yellow Necklace (femme au collier jaune) was on display. And no, it wasn’t hanging next to a slot machine.* Picasso’s Woman captured my attention. I was able to make sense of it. I could appreciate the use of color and shapes. More details jumped out at me the longer...

(L-R) Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman and Dean Otto. I swear I was in the second row! Right before the Oscars, the two Directors of the movie, “Loving Vincent”, Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman, visited the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, for an interview and Q&A session hosted by Curator of Film at the Speed Museum, Dean Otto. I perched in the second row, snapping the worst photos ever. Over 300 art lovers packed into the cozy auditorium. Loving Vincent is the animated film hand-painted in the style of Vincent Van Gogh. Part of the creative process for the movie involved painting a scene, then modifying the painting slightly for the next frame. The final paintings left over at the end were the final shots of the scene. The Directors brought one of the final paintings to Louisville, pictured below. Hugh said they have a plan in the works to tour the collection of final paintings around the world. Of course the audience at the Speed cheered for Louisville as ...

"Eat your heart out, Mary Poppins!" Hidden away in a corner on the second floor of the Speed Art Museum, past the Monet – if you turn the corner and run into young Benjamin Franklin you’ve gone too far – is an easily missed alcove housing the Speed’s quietly excellent exhibition, “Thoroughly Modern: Women in 20 th Century Art Design.”  I know everyone’s visiting the Speed to see the Women Impressionists right now. But don’t miss this secret, secluded sensation. Pioneers of the previous century including Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot paved the way for Eva Zeisel and Susie Cooper. But the road of the new wave of women artists was still difficult. Today, it's hard to imagine what women artists pursuing their vocation went through in their communities at a time when society expected them to raise children and manage the household. My favorite painting from the exhibition is pictured above: Jane Peterson’s “The Red Parasol”. My  amateurish photo fails to...

He came for the haircut. Stayed for the Quartet. One piece of good news filtered out of the report of the Berkshire Museum’s artwork fire sale: Norman Rockwell’s Shuffleton’s Barbershop (pictured, courtesy of Sothby’s) won’t hang in the office of some rich guy, after all. Instead, an undisclosed museum will purchase the painting. After the sale, millions of art lovers presumably will still have the opportunity to see Rockwell’s masterpiece. I wasn’t familiar with Shuffleton’s Barbershop until the controversy made its rounds on social media. Now that I’ve seen it and admired the painting, I’ve developed a fondness for how it captures a piece of mid-20 th century small town America. The use of shading and light provides the feel of a Barbershop closed for business with the owner and friends playing music after hours. The scene portrays cheer and comfort at the same time. Shuffleton’s barbershop isn’t just a place to work, it’s also a home. I hope whichever museum a...

"What's that, a Chagall?" "I have you now. I will consume your avacado toast encrusted bowels!" Museums want to lure in their prey, Millenials, like a Venus Flytrap. The new bait for attracting Millenials is disguising the Museum as a fancy bar with music, dancing, food, and drinks. And also art. Think "Place" from Family Guy with less Frank Sinatra Jr. and more Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Museums can't rely on the Over-80 crowd anymore. Growing membership and attracting new, younger donors is critical to survival. Pairing Picasso and parties is a great innovation. As long as the Museums don't forget the part about art. Events need to tie back to the Museum art collection. I can get a hot dog anywhere, including off my backyard grill. But I can only watch a baseball game in person while eating a hot dog at the ballpark. Similarly, when I'm in Indianapolis, I can only see a real Rembrandt at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (now know...