Ummagumma

The unique atrium in the Guggenheim.  [ Read Part One ] [ Read Part Two ] Jennifer and I regrouped in front of The Met. It was still a gorgeous summer afternoon. I have rarely had experiences in my life when traffic noise was so refreshing. It was the slap in the face I needed to snap me out of it. Originally, we were going to go to The Guggenheim Museum tomorrow, but it was just three blocks or so away. We walked a ways and sat on a bench against a tall brick wall that was Central Park on the other side. We spoke of The Met, of course. We couldn’t stop it. Madame X came up multiple times. So, instead of being tired of art we felt inspired and oh so very fortunate. We walked on to the Guggenheim. There was desire enough to see more Art. In this way the museum oddly accommodated us. Two of the floors and the gigantic atrium were under construction for an upcoming exhibition. About half the museum was actually open to the public. It was just the right amount of a different artist...

Me waiting for The Met to open on a perfect summer morning.   The spacious entry hall allows to walk up into the world of Art. [ Read Part One ] I’ve never been to a museum like The Met. I mean, of course, the National Art Gallery in DC and the Chicago Art Institute are equal to it in terms of their number of truly great works of Art. The Tate in London and the Louvre in Paris might even exceed it in some ways. But for sheer bulk of extraordinary art...my mind was gradually blown. Ten Rembrandts, eight Sargents, five Vermeers, three El Grecos, at least a half dozen van Goghs...the museum was relentless and not just showing you masterpiece works of art but also giving you an enormous portion of very specific brilliant artists. Jennifer and I especially loved seeing Sargent’s Madam X , one of our shared favorite paintings. Beyond that there was the vastness and depth of it all. Whatever period or subject matter you chose there were rooms and rooms filled with exactly what ...