The Extraordinary Ordinary High Museum

Yesterday, Jennifer and I decided to drive down to Atlanta and visit the High Museum with Avery and her boyfriend, Ben.  Our intent (naively as it turned out) was to see Yayoi Kusama's world-renowned Infinity Mirrors Exhibit.  We did not realize that tickets to the special exhibit had been sold out for weeks.

Disappointed but not disheartened, we decided to spend time with the museum's permanent collection.  I saw the Richter abstract that I blogged about years ago here.  There was also a large mirrored dish mounted on the wall that I have also seen before (see previous link), but this time I saw it in a different light.  

I enjoyed the trip even if Infinity Mirrors escaped me.  There are many smaller wonders at the High.  Barred from the big crowd drawing event, the ordinary aspects of the High's collection became more pronounced in my mind.  It was a wonderful experience.  We spent almost two hours there.  Here are some photos and interpretive signage of the visit.  

The ceiling in the contemporary art wing of the High allows for natural light during the daytime.  This helps defuse many of the shadows cast by lighting the art pieces.  It also brightens the whole space.  Plus, I think it looks cool.

Ben and Avery in the fractured reflection of the concave dish, Unititled, by Anish Kapoor from 2010.  I have seen this piece several times at the High.  But this time I struck me in a more powerful way with its glorious acoustics and infinite, abstracted imagery.  This truly was my personal "Infinity Mirror" for this trip.

Ben and Avery again, followed by some photos I took while watching them in the large mirrored dish.

Julie Mehretu, American, born Ethiopian, Mogamma: (A Painting in Four Parts) Part 2, 2012.

Mathias Bengtsson, Plywood Slice, 1999.

Joseph Stella, Prissima, 1927.  A very large oil on canvas.

Childe Hassam, an artist I previously discovered in Chicago, painted this wonderful impressionistic piece.  Tuileries Gardens, 1897.

A detail of the Hassam painting.  I love the texture created by the brushstrokes.

Gaines Ruger Donoho, The Mount, 1884.  This is a new artist for me.  Very talented.  I want to learn more about his works.

This lone, but delightful, Renoir is part of the collection.  Still Life With Apples, 1890.  This one comes later in Renior's life.  The detail below shows the mix of detailed brush work accented by bold, hurried strokes of color.

Renoir detail.

Monet painted several works featuring the English Parliament building.  This one is from 1903, Houses of Parliament in the Fog.

Toulouse-Lautrec, Seated Clowness: Miss Cha-U-Kao, 1896.  Crayon, brush, and spatter lithograph on wove paper.

Walking back to our car, we passed this contemporary statue, Invisible Man: Salute by Glenn Kaino, 2018.  This work depicts Tommie Smith, the Olympic athlete who in 1968 raised his fist in a display of "black power" as he stood on the platform while receiving his gold medal.  In stark contrast, a Lichtenstein art piece is in the background next to a wing of the High Museum.  The entrance is reflected within the dark stainless steel surface of the statue, revealing large red polka dots along the lobby's windows which brand the Kusama exhibit.  It was a gorgeous day.