This weekend I was invited to a member’s only night at The Museum of Modern Art, to view the new exhibition ‘Color Chart-Reinventing Color: 1950 to today’.
As a guest of color maven Kim Brown, I was treated to an evening of complimentary wine, a pretty decent DJ, and the best people watching opportunity of the night. And I had an almost private audience with the works in the new Color Chart galleries: I really love these kinds of nights in NYC.
As you enter the space on the 6th floor, a mountain of painted steel beams greets you, adorned in vibrant primary colors. The collection is a belief of the artists involved, that in everyday life – beauty, art, and color are intertwined and accessible. (more…)
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I woke up last Sunday to the gloom of dense clouds and howling winds. I tried to close my eyes and think of sunny Spanish beaches and bright Paris studios, to no avail. So, as a resourceful girl, I called up my best girlfriend and planned a trip to MOMA. Where better to see the colorful world displayed than in a museum?
The Museum of Modern Art is 7 blocks from my apartment but I hadn’t been there since their grand re-opening 2 yrs. ago (except for an exciting catering job I did for the premier of the NY Film Festival opening film “The Interpreter”).
The center of the enormous space is flooded with natural light - it actually seemed sunnier inside than outside.
We decided to see the Georges Seurat drawings first , as the exhibit was closing soon. Most of the pieces were done with black ink but WOW were the shadows and figures he created, very powerful. We both agreed that our favorites were the circus and cafe series. There were some seascape oil paintings that were lovely blues and greens - very cheery.
Then , we headed to our faves- the paintings and drawings. The first painting I see is “The Ohio Gang” by R.B. Kitaj. He gained fame in London then came back to live in NY. The yellow and orange stripes of color almost take your eyes off the bare breasted woman above a baby stroller. Something almost sinister about this painting…can’t put my finger on it.
My eyes follow the frames until I get to Picasso’s ” Les Moiselles d’Avignon.” Naked women again, but this is a celebration of life. I want to be one of those women standing before Pablo- even if it’s the wolf faced lady. His other 2 paintings “Woman Dressing Herself” and “Girl Before A Mirror” are intimate but more lively. He has taken a solitary experience of a woman’s day and glorified it with his exuberant palettes. I believe it takes a Spanish gentleman to appreciate the true beauty of all women. (Or at least a Spanish cubist living in France).
Claes Oldenburg’s “Giant Soft Fan” bring us to our Swedish sensibilities. Who else could create a giant blow up plastic fan- the fog is finally lifting.
I don’t care how many times I see Van Gogh’s Starry Night - it thrills me. The lovely swirly clouds and stars seem to be dancing in the indigo sky. It’s shocking to me that he was in an asylum , in Saint Remy France, as he painted this - I hope he got as much pleasure from it as I do.
Through another gallery and I’m back in Paris. By way of Russia , Kandinsky enters my view. He’s my dad’s favorite artist- probably because his paintings look good in every room (every color in one painting). I know that Kandinsky has very heavy themes (The Apocalypse and political unrest) but his forms are pure and easy joy.
The gleam of Constantin Brancusi’s” Mademoiselle Pognania” proves that “All that glitters is gold” or bronze. I love the shininess of this beauty. She has a cute hairdo and looks both shy and coquettish at the same time. His travels from Romania to Paris seem to have been worth it.
Salvador Dali was in Paris when he painted the 11 layered glass piece “Petit Theatre”. My eyes are fixated on the red shoe. To me , Dali is simply another sort of being. I can”t understand how he does what he does with paint - all I know is that he is proof of the Divine to me. I’d love to talk about Dali all day long….but there’s more to see. We are done with paintings.
After a brief stop for refreshments- we decide to head to the Design Area. Patrick Nortguet designed “Rainbow Chair” - very cool and rainbowy. I want to put this chair next to a bright window and stare at the colored stripes . I feel like if the designer Paul Smith made furniture , it would look like this. Tailored , colorful, and engaging.
The only thing cooler than the chair is the Capsule Lights - they look like oversized pills- very “Valley of the Dolls”.
The perfect ending to my MOMA experience is to see a shiny Airstream trailer. As a very vintage girl….I have had many dreams of driving Route 66 in one of these very American vehicles. I agree that this should be in a museum - it’s very simplicity and functionality represent the America I love ; offering a promise of possibilities. On the road of life - take time to smell the roses and take in some art. I leave MOMA oblivious to the clouds
I’m looking forward to some shows coming to the museum. Color Chart: Reinventing Color , 1950 to Today will be exhibited March 2nd - May 12th. And my favorite, Salvador Dali, will have his paintings and films available June 29th - September 15th.
Related links:
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When I think about Double Bubble, I instantly recall a pink chunk of gum and the enjoyment of chewing it until it was just right for blowing big bubbles. Then I’d carefully put my hands around the fragile bubble to protect it from friends who would rather see it explode all over my face than grow to memorable proportions.
Before computers, ipods, and 400 channels on television, seeing who could blow the biggest bubble provided entertainment while hanging outside with the neighborhood gang. Do kids still compete to see who can inflate the largest pink bubble gum bubble?
Even if they don’t, I think “Double Bubble” is a wonderful name for an art exhibit that explores the color pink and its embodiment of the lighthearted side of summer. Don’t you agree?
Corey Drieth
Untitled #3, 2006
Gouache on poplar
9 x 9 inch
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Artists masterfully employ color to evoke emotion and communicate meaning, and in “Liquid Gold,” Bettina Rheims does both magnificently.
If you are in the New York City area any time soon, make sure not to miss this eye-catching exhibition by one of the finest fashion photographers France has ever produced.
Over the past three decades, Bettina has achieved critical acclaim for her exquisite images representing the ultimate in femininity.
“Liquid Gold” celebrates the allure of a woman and is an embodiment of the French Chic: glamor, sophistication, fragility, seduction, adventure, provocation, sublime imperfections, roots, and truth.
That is what Liquid Gold calls to mind…that is what Bettina Rheims is capturing.
The exhibition comprises huge, original pictures printed on shining aluminum sheets: one still life (the first she ever did) and ten surprising portraits of the model Margarita Svegzdaite.
The “highflyer” model, especially chosen for her captivating, mysterious sense of elegance and anti-conformism, is famous for having been the muse of Helmut Newton, John Galliano, and Vivienne Westwood.
Chablis, the famous French white wine - whose color is often referred to as “Liquid Gold” - is the official sponsor of this international tour and a dedicated internet site www.chablis-the-french-chic.com provides “behind the scenes” work of Bettina and her team, giving a unique insight into her work.
Her eleven stunning large scale portraits, specially commissioned for this project, will be displayed in three of New York’s most “chic” venues:
Opens tomorrow at Bloomingdale’s
See the exhibit at Bloomingdale’s Flagship Store, 59th Street & Lexington Avenue from June the 18th to July the 2nd 2007
Bloomingdale’s has long been a supporter of the arts and the collaboration with Bettina Rheims and Chablis seems a perfect fit because Bloomingdale’s shares many of the parameters that are important to Bettina’s work: femininity, fashion, glamor, top of the range, sophistication, seduction, adventure, roots, and truth.
The Gold of the pictures, enlightened by the glittering aluminum panels, fits to the latest “metallic tendencies” in Fashion.
On display during July at The New York Palace
Hotel
On view at The New York Palace Hotel, 455 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022 during July 2007
“Home” of the most glamorous stars, The New York Palace is an obvious venue to host the exhibition of internationally renowned Bettina Rheims.
Opens September 18th at Métrazur Restaurant
Enjoy the exhibit at Métrazur Restaurant in Grand Central Terminal Main
Grand Central has transformed itself into a venue for ongoing public events, and more particularly the host of exhibitions. Metro North and Charlie Palmer’s Métrazur welcome the “Liquid Gold” exhibition in this spectacular space, which will highlight the magnificence of these large scales portraits.
Download the PDF files:
Liquid Gold Announcement Shown Above
Liquid Gold Preview of the Photographs
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***UPDATE: A Splash of Blue exhibition at the Concord Museum in
historic Concord, Massachusetts has been extended through August 12, 2007***
What comes to mind when you think of the color blue? Some might think of their favorite blue jeans, the latest in Bluetooth technology, or the popular children’s program Blue’s Clues. Others may recall a treasured blue and white soup tureen passed down through generations, an unforgettable blue summer sky, or Ol’ Blue Eyes and a Sinatra tune.
The newest exhibition at the Concord Museum looks at objects from the Museum’s collection through a blue lens, bringing together the fabrics, papers, and paints used in seascapes and landscapes, geometric and floral bandboxes, charming coverlets, blue and white ceramics, a Union officer’s great coat, a 1960s Emilio Pucci patterned silk dress, and much more.
The Boston Globe had a nice piece on the exhibit Filling in shades of meaning: Museum explores the color blue.
If you’re going to be in the Boston area, the show runs through April 29, 2007 and you can find out more about A Splash of Blue at the Concord Museum.
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10th Feb. '07 ·
Category: Art & Design
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Tags: art
Authored by Kate Smith
Is this what ancient sculptures really looked like?
The exhibition includes 21 colored replicas of well-known Greek and Roman sculptures that are decorated with what is believed to be the original color.
These sculptures summarize the findings of long-term analysis and research at the Munich Glyptothek’s ateliers - as well as show a different kind of aesthetic.
New research methods were developed in order to trace color remnants on ancient sculptures. This was followed by careful analysis, in order to reproduce the initial colors with as much accuracy as possible.
When all this was achieved, color was added to replicas of well-known Greek and Roman sculptures.
Knowing that these sculptures were once colored is one thing, but actually accepting anything other than the classical white versions is another.
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Most people complain about the post-holiday blues - but not the Fine Arts Center in Eureka, CA. They said that the wintertime emotional phenomenon was the inspiration for their show that opens today, called “The Blue Show.” It includes displays of ceramics and glass in the color blue.
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Michael James, a world-renowned quilt artist, has a well-honed sense of color that is expressed in each of his quilts.
Examples of his quilts are included in the collections of the Smithsonian Institute, the American Craft Museum, and the International Quilt Study Center.
Michael left painting behind to pursue artistic expression through quilt-making. A bold move into a medium that wasn’t, at that point, considered art and was traditionally thought to be a female pursuit.
Following his passion paid off, as Michael has not only produced an amazing body of work, but has also been credited with almost singlehandedly moving quilts from home craft into the world of fine art.
The quilt pictured here is an example of the style that he is most recognized for.
Many years ago, as a students in one of his workshops, I had what I consider to be one of my great “color moments.”
Each student had painted a color wheel that included twelve colors that resonated with themselves, personally. Michael picked my palette out from a wall full of wheels and commented that whoever painted it had a “sophistocated sense of color.”
What unexpected and wonderful recognition from the master himself! A fascinating artist that has often ruffled the feathers of fellow artists and quilters with his views, Michael continues to push himself and his art beyond accepted boundaries.
In the last few years, his art has undergone a radical shift, and you can view his current work on his website.
If you’re interested in learning more about Michael and his art, there is a book that includes a look at many of the earlier quilts that I recommend: Michael James: Art and Inspiration
Photos from the Smithsonian Institutes’s Renwick Gallery website.
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I know summer is almost upon us when the hydrangeas begin to bloom.
Those massive domed clusters of florets that range in color from the most delicate pink to a deep blue make me happy simply by being in view.
Studying a hydrangea bloom can be very calming as you contemplate the subtle changes in hue. The interplay of color has been inspirational to me in developing color palettes, creating pastel drawings, and dyeing fabrics.
The play between the colors and light has moved artists to paint these gorgeous blossoms in every medium. I especially appreciate the way artist Cathy Schaefer has captured the beauty and essence of this plant in her painting titled Hydrangea III, shown above.
View the Art of Cathy Schaefer
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