In other art news

[andyg0404]

Hi,

We’re currently enjoying our first heat wave here in New Jersey. Some enjoy it more than others I guess. I have a friend, who is very overweight and she hates it, but I hate the cold weather and will never complain about the heat. Unfortunately, it’s also been really humid. The sweat runs down into my eyes when I ride my stationary bike and it’s also making my books damp. It occurs to me I should buy a sweat band. I’m also considering buying a hat as everyone says older people should hide from the sun. And I’m definitely an older person.

I wasn't sure I wanted to see the Alice Neel exhibit at the Met, but my brother went and said I should go. It's clearly this season’s blockbuster and it’s forced a reconsideration of the value of her art; items in recent auctions have tripled their estimates. Twice I attempted to visit, but the long line turned me away. I decided if I wanted to see it I would have to arrive when the Met opened. Finally, the planets aligned, the weather cooperated, I truncated my morning walk, the traffic was light, and I was able to get to the Met just as it opened. Consequently, I walked straight up to the gallery and there was no line. I thought it was a very good exhibit. It was enormous, she was certainly nothing if not prolific and one of the signs pointed out that a one-time lover had set a fire destroying a lot of her work. I had to walk around several times to ensure I had seen everything; the layout of the galleries didn't lend itself to my usual method of just following one direction and then working my way back. Within the exhibit there's an installation of paintings by other artists from the permanent collection, such as Van Gogh, Mary Cassatt, Robert Henri and others, that are placed in juxtaposition to her work. One of her paintings is the Black Draftee and I knew I'd seen it before and wondered if it had been at an auction. Then I noted that it's from Belgium, and I remembered it had been in the Met Breuer exhibition of unfinished art. The story behind it is that he showed up for the first sitting where she painted his head and sketched in the rest, but he never returned so she declared it a finished picture. I especially liked the portraits of Alice Childress and the two of Jackie Curtis, which I've copied below along with a few others.  I'm glad I got to see it. I was there for about an hour and ten minutes and when I left, the line for entry was back to the elevator and off to the left into another gallery. It’s been like this on my subsequent visits to the Met as well. They should be pleased.

Here are some reviews with illustrations and background on the artist.


It’s Time to Put Alice Neel in Her Rightful Place in the Pantheon

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/01/arts/design/alice-neel-metropolitan-museum-review.html

The Anti-capitalist Candor of Alice Neel

https://tinyurl.com/y2mry3pa

RADICAL REALIST ALICE NEEL HELPED REDEFINE PORTRAITURE IN POSTWAR NEW YORK

https://www.artnews.com/feature/alice-neel-who-was-she-why-was-she-important-1234590346/

Alice Neel’s Portraits of Difference

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/26/alice-neels-portraits-of-difference

Black Draftee (James Hunter)
https://tinyurl.com/ykhbmsan

Alice Childress 1950
https://tinyurl.com/4hv6vaja

Jackie Curtis as a boy
https://tinyurl.com/bac3ead5

Jackie Curtis and Ritta Redd
https://tinyurl.com/2cyn4s2z

Marxist Girl (Irene Peslikis)
https://tinyurl.com/sykcavrp

Sunset, Riverside Drive 1957
https://tinyurl.com/325m9zuw

Last Sickness 1953

https://tinyurl.com/j3f7bmu5

This is a link to all the objects in the exhibit.

https://tinyurl.com/e9nsdzxc

Below are recent articles and videos I’ve come across.

More wonders from x-ray equipment. A portrait of an earlier lover that Modigliani painted over for a portrait of his current lover.

How a ghostly outline revealed the secret of Modigliani’s lost lover 

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/jun/06/modigliani-lost-lover-beatrice-hastings

Fernando Botero has such a distinctive style it’s impossible not to recognize one of his paintings. I’ve seen so many of them at the auctions, he’s another very prolific artist. This is a good article as I knew very little about the man except that he is alive and still painting in his 80’s.

10 things to know about Fernando Botero

https://www.christies.com/features/Fernando-Botero-7354-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#FID-7354

This is a six-minute video from the Met on one of the first paintings to come into the collection. They were gifted with two Manet’s and at the time they were the first Manet’s in any museum in the world. On the same page are links to all the previous Curator's cuts.

Curator's Cut - Laura D. Corey on Manet’s Young Lady in 1866 | Curator's Cut

https://tinyurl.com/vn75uek8

This is a one-hour discussion with Xavier Solomon, Chief curator at the Frick, and Annabelle Selldorf, the principal of Selldorf Architects, who designed the layout at Frick Madison as well as being responsible for the renovation of the Frick mansion. It’s moderated by Victoria Siddall, Board Director at Frieze. Lots of interesting things touched on, such as how the physical space at Frick Madison was created, colors chosen for backdrops, optimal lighting achieved and how and where the paintings would be hung. Three things mentioned resonated with me. First, that I’m not the only person who felt seeing the paintings without having furniture in front of them as barriers was much more pleasant. Second, that I’m also not the only one who would visit the Frick and wonder if something had always been there. And third, how seeing things in this new space made people take a closer look at the paintings like I did with the Van Eyck.

Frick X Frieze Digital Talk April 13, 2021 Final

 https://jwp.io/s/TIfRbgVP

This is the special, members only, Cocktails. First half discusses the Van Dyck paintings while the second half was opened up for a Q&A.

Cocktails and Conversation with Curators

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnpBA4VM_e0&t=57s

J.P. Morgan had an enormous collection of porcelain, which he had on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There are several pictures in the video showing the enormity of his collection. He purchased the two ladies in 1903 for $14K and after he died suddenly, Frick wound up paying $117K to the art dealer Duveen to acquire them for his home.

Cocktails with a Curator: Chinese Porcelain Ladies

https://youtu.be/C3O9fJqfTNw

As Xavier Solomon mentions, these two paintings by Guardi usually live in the Frick reference library, but occasionally they made it to the mansion on 70th Street where I got to see them. It's great that they're now together at Frick Madison. And I learned that Guardi was the brother-in-law of Tiepolo, who painting sits between the two Guardi's.

Cocktails with a Curator: Guardi's “Regatta in Venice" and "View of Cannaregio Canal in Venice�

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMyWmfUm-0U

Cocktails with a Curator: Leoni's Medal of Andrea Doria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtTb1T0xU44

And how about a few Flickrs.

Andy G.

Japanese Crossdress

https://www.flickr.com/photos/myu_hukase/50239090926/

CD 100

https://www.flickr.com/photos/191618434@N02/50793374073/

www.fetish-zona.com - Rubber Doll Jenna – Sissy boy doll, which fucked by slender mistress – HD 720p

https://www.flickr.com/photos/170242883@N02/50972624583/

December 2020

https://www.flickr.com/photos/139558039@N02/50936763606/

Gone With The Wind...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/138564696@N04/50847090531/

[andyg0404]

Hi,

I was concerned that the Medici exhibit at the Met was going to engender long lines with timed entry like the Alice Neel, so I made a point of getting there just as the museum opened. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried as the crowd was manageable when I arrived and equally so when I left. The galleries are large and the paintings are well spaced so it was never oppressively crowded. This is the big blockbuster for the Met this season, galleries filled with masterpieces. My brother saw it first and this was his review.

“The Medici show is staggering.  (Like all Met blockbusters.)   A Raphael at the start, a Titian at the end.  In between are many paintings by Bronzino and Salviati.  Bronzino is clearly the greater painter, but there are stunning portraits by Salviati too. There are paintings by Pontormo (including the one formerly in the Frick), Rosso Fiorentino et al.  Loans from all the great European collections.  Fortunately the show is manageable, not a killer—that is, manageable in size, but quite stupendous in subject matter.â€�

I concur. The Bronzino’s are all extraordinary, the one from the Frick and, also the Met’s are included in the exhibit.

This is a link to the Met website for the exhibit overview. Off to the left are buttons for other options. It took a while for the site to populate the list of objects and they haven’t listed all of them. The second link is to a 28-minute video.

https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2021/medici-portraits-and-politics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CxZ2PrXQ1M

Below are three lavishly illustrated reviews of the exhibit, all raves.

How the Medici Family Harnessed the Political Power of Portraiture—and Brought Renaissance Art to New Heights

 https://www.artnews.com/feature/medici-family-portraits-met-show-1234596767/

For the Medici, the Last Great Picture Show

 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/24/arts/design/medici-portraits-met-museum.html

HOW THE MEDICI USED PORTRAITS AS PROPAGANDA

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/florences-medici-family-used-portraits-propaganda-180978042/

Below are some of the things I liked, heavily represented by Bronzino.

Benvenuto Cellini - Cosimo I de' Medici – This striking bust sits at the beginning of the exhibition and is a good preamble to the art to follow. I read Cellini’s autobiography in school years ago and I’m thinking it might be a good choice as one of the books I’ve decided to start rereading. Back then, I didn’t have very much interest in art, but that has certainly changed as I’ve aged. I started rereading great literature to put off the day when I will eventually run out of space for my books. It’s a ways off, but inevitable nonetheless. So far I’ve reread, Hardy’s, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Eliot’s, Adam Bede, Wharton’s, The House of Mirth, and James, The American. I didn’t remember any of them, and they were all wonderful. They are considered classic literature for a reason. Even in retirement there’s not really enough time for reading books. Every day I read for a little over two hours while I do my two stationary bicycle rides. I also read three print newspapers daily as well as two online versions, along with The New Yorker weekly and The Smithsonian monthly. And items from my various collections. As my brother and I say, so many books, so little time.

https://tinyurl.com/s7up23a5

Bronzino - Portrait of a Woman with a Lapdog

https://tinyurl.com/e245674

Bronzino - Cosimo I de' Medici in Armor

https://tinyurl.com/zfcev4s9

Bronzino - Portrait of a Young Man, Possibly Pierino da Vinci

https://tinyurl.com/2vb4mkk5

Titian - Benedetto Varchi

https://tinyurl.com/sseh43ea

Bronzino - Portrait of a Woman (probably Cassandra Bandini)

https://tinyurl.com/tn8jm63x

Bronzino - Portrait of the Grand Duchess Eleonora di Toledo with her son Francesco

https://www.haltadefinizione.com/en/viewer/work/portrait-of-eleanor-di-toledo-with-her-son-francesco-agnolo-bronzino

Francesco Salviati (Francesco de' Rossi) - Bindo Altoviti – Painted on marble

https://tinyurl.com/56ehvyfa

One morning a few weeks ago I walked up to Sotheby’s. They stopped requiring reservations which makes visits easier.  I hadn’t paid close attention to the lots on the website but decided to go as it was an Impressionist preview. It’s an online auction so I wasn’t expecting great things, but it really was a non-event. A few pretty pictures, but nothing of note. It was on the second floor in the small gallery to the right. The other open gallery was on the fourth floor with Chinese decorative arts, Asian tchotchkes. The most worthwhile things were on the third floor which I don’t think was really open, at least not at that point. It had samples from the London Old Masters auction which will end in a few days.  Once the auction closes I'm not sure the links will work so you may have to search past auctions to find the paintings. Or just Google the painting and the artist and it should come up. In addition to the three paintings below they had a couple of nice Boucher’s.

Joseph Mallord William Turner, R.A. - Purfleet and the Essex Shore as seen from Long Reach

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/old-masters-evening-sale/purfleet-and-the-essex-shore-as-seen-from-long-2


Jan Brueghel the Elder - A wooded estuary with a ferry and fishermen selling their catch

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/old-masters-evening-sale/a-wooded-estuary-with-a-ferry-and-fishermen-2


Sir Anthony van Dyck - Family portrait of the painter Cornelis de Vos and his wife Suzanna Cock and their two eldest children, Magdalena and Jan-Baptist

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/old-masters-evening-sale/family-portrait-of-the-painter-cornelis-de-vos-and-2

On another day I visited Quest Royal which I’ve written about before. It’s by far my favorite gallery, just walls and walls of American art, all of it lovely. Everything for this exhibition had a price listed as they are having a sale, everything discounted. There were a number of lovely Sanford Robinson Gifford’s, the one below is price on request.  This image of the Trost Richards doesn’t come anywhere near to displaying its magnificence, it’s another painting that just glows, truly beautiful. The Moran is exquisite, and I love the Bierstadt as well.

Moored Sailboat Inlet, 1888 - William Trost Richards

https://www.questroyalfineart.com/moored-sailboat-inlet/

The Grand Canal, Venice, 1903 - Thomas Moran

https://www.questroyalfineart.com/the-grand-canal-venice/

Niagara Falls - Albert Bierstadt

https://www.questroyalfineart.com/niagara-falls/

Sunset, 1865 - Sanford Robinson Gifford

https://www.questroyalfineart.com/sunset/

And below are articles and videos I’ve come across.

I don’t think anyone will be purchasing any Old Master drawings, but this is a good article with a number of excellent illustrations.

Collecting guide: Old Master drawings

 https://www.christies.com/features/Old-Master-Drawings-Collecting-Guide-7455-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#FID-7455

I love the Dutch and this article from Christie’s is about the Dutch landscape painters. It’s filled with beautiful images.

A collector’s guide to Dutch landscape painters

 https://tinyurl.com/mu6x4854

This article is about a pastel portrait the Getty Museum won at auction last month. It’s another in a number of articles that have appeared about Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, whom I’ve written about previously.

Why Adélaïde Labille-Guiard’s 1783 Portrait of a Mother Nursing Broke New Ground

 https://tinyurl.com/2dwh7drk

The things that can be done to art continue to amaze.

Rembrandt’s Beloved ‘Night Watch’ Was Cut Up to Fit Through a Door. With A.I., You Can See It Whole for the First Time in 300 Years

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/operation-night-watch-1982686

This appealed to me on several levels. I love Van Gogh, and like him, I am an avid reader. This is a bookmark he created with 3 simple sketches on it. It’s a very early work as well.

A new Van Gogh work discovered hidden in a book

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/blog/van-gogh-found-tucked-into-a-novel

This article is about two pastel paintings up for auction in London. Degas’ pastels are highly praised.

‘These women of mine are honest, simple folk’ — a bather and a ballerina by Edgar Degas

https://tinyurl.com/2nr32fra

Another article on Monet’s style.

Monet Was Such an Influencer

https://tinyurl.com/nw5mehvd

Leonardo’s Head of a Bear (and the ermine it inspired a decade later)

https://www.christies.com/features/Leonardo-da-Vinci-Head-of-a-Bear-11717-7.aspx?sc_lang=en#FID-11717

The Frick series of Cocktails with a Curator are running down. After these there are but two more to come.

Cocktails with a Curator: Gentile da Fabriano’s “Madonna and Child with Saints�

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob4vZxss5QY

Cocktails with a Curator: Du Paquier Elephant-Shaped Wine Dispenser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdWlVJtxFRM

Cocktails with a Curator: Bruegel the Elder’s “Three Soldiers�

https://youtu.be/jU4vutrpVrg

Cocktails with a Curator: Reynolds's "Selina, Lady Skipwith"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oON84d3xJU

And if you made it all the way to the bottom, here are a few Flickrs.

Andy G.

Maid 1

https://www.flickr.com/photos/146275703@N07/50943047536/

Sissy Dress

https://www.flickr.com/photos/beebillings/50653246618/

JENNIFER

https://www.flickr.com/photos/49568606@N06/50783178893/

You may kiss the bride.....

https://www.flickr.com/photos/payalkcd/50929617171/

Sissy Pet

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sissypet12/49351684912/

[andyg0404]

Hi,

Things have been quiet on the board; I hope people have contributed to Betty’s health. At any rate I’m back with some more great art.

I had a ton of cavities as a kid, mainly due to all the junk food I consumed. Now all those cavities have weakened my teeth leading to a broken tooth which had to be extracted. That was unpleasant. When the oral surgeon finished, he then extracted a lot of money from my Visa card. For six months I have to live with the hole in my head. At least it’s not overly noticeable as it’s a few teeth away from the middle. In two months I go back for the implant and another extraction of funds and then three months later I will get the faux tooth. And another draining of my wallet. I suffered from acid reflux for many years untreated and that destroyed the enamel on my teeth making them even weaker. I don’t understand why technology hasn’t come up with a replacement for the lost enamel. Creosote for teeth or something like that. I’m guessing a lot of the board members are aged like me so what I just wrote won’t be unfamiliar. Younger people apparently don’t have such problems and a lot of them have never been to the dentist for anything other than a cleaning. I envy them.

It appears there’s enough going on in the artworld currently to keep me busy for the next few weeks so I’m happy about that. Usually, the dog days of summer are fairly dead for exhibitions, but there are a few galleries I intend to visit.

I visited the Met this week for the new Chinese exhibit. The Japanese gallery was closed, and it looks like they’re installing another rotation for the current exhibit. I hope it includes the woodblock prints I enjoy so much. I also walked through the Later South Asia gallery, the one at the top of the stairs on the second floor. They have some very lovely, colorful, Indian paintings on display.

The current Chinese exhibit as usual is quite nice, lots of delicate drawings, scrolls and objects. Below are a few of the things I enjoyed.



Landscapes - Shitao (Zhu Ruoji) Chinese – Album of 8 leaves.

https://tinyurl.com/v8e7eb83

Cao Zhenxiu – Famous Women – Album of 16 leaves.

https://tinyurl.com/3zyjyeyb

Hu Xigui – Gentlewomen – Album of 12 leaves.

https://tinyurl.com/5huc4ux9

Lu Han – Eight landscapes

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/51621

Gai Qi - Famous Women – Album of sixteen leaves.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/733847

Below are some videos and articles I’ve accumulated since my last email.

Speaking of the Met, this is a very disturbing article on the some of the things they’re facing.  Vandals have defaced sculptures as well as Rembrandt and Vermeer paintings.

‘All We Want Is Some Respect’: Overworked Museum Guards at the Met Say They’re Being Asked to Do More Work With Less Help Than Ever

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/metropolitan-museum-of-art-guards-overworked-1993240

Very interesting article on art forgers.

Why Do Forgeries Sometimes Deceive Even the Most Venerable Experts? Because We All Want to Believe

https://news.artnet.com/opinion/jane-kallir-op-ed-1995928

Good, well-illustrated book review on Frida Kahlo.

A New Book Gathers Every Single Documented Frida Kahlo Painting, Including Lost Works—See Images Here

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/frida-kahlo-complete-paintings-taschen-1993532

Something to look forward to in November. Wonderful Van Gogh.

Christie’s Is Looking to Bank $200 Million From the Storied Impressionist Art Collection of the Late Oil Magnate Edwin L. Cox

 https://news.artnet.com/market/christies-edwin-l-cox-collection-1994043

I was lucky to see this painting when I visited the National Gallery of Art in D.C. for their exhibition of trompe l’oeil paintings. I’ve been to the Philadelphia Museum, but I can’t be certain I saw it in its home, as it was a very long time ago.

This Delightful Trick Painting Is a Treasure of Early U.S. Art. Here Are 3 Facts About the Philadelphia Museum’s Beloved Trompe L’oeil

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/charles-willson-peale-staircase-group-three-facts-1985043

The final two Cocktails.

Cocktails with a Curator: Verrocchio's "Bust of a Woman"

https://youtu.be/hBWctv_Ox9M

Cocktails with a Curator: Whistler’s “Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac"

https://youtu.be/gNrm4JE5syc

This four-minute video is about my favorite painting at the Guggenheim Museum.

Jackie Briggs on Camille Pissarro’s "The Hermitage at Pontoise"

https://youtu.be/XoEX16Stct0

Interesting ten-minute video on the cleaning of a painting by Impressionist painter Adolphe Monticelli, someone who was an influence on Van Gogh. 

The unfashionable artist who inspired Van Gogh | Behind the scenes in Conservation |National Gallery

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FpVYCCayuQ&t=91s

This is a 7 1/2 minute video on a painting by Klimt, but is also filled with many images of his other works, all very colorful.

Better Know: The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

 https://tinyurl.com/r7p2k7m6

And now a few Flickrs and that’s it for this post.

Andy G.

CROSSDRESSER red Mini Dress and high Heels (TGirl / Tansgender)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sandy_crossdresser/51296538591/

Boy in the Dress

https://www.flickr.com/photos/193284377@N04/51291737139/

c2d5285044e97e8999541b816e91f50b

https://www.flickr.com/photos/193284377@N04/51291916589/

sissy Dress

https://www.flickr.com/photos/beebillings/50651017861/

99148912-728F-4689-B79B-74A4E86425E0

https://www.flickr.com/photos/22704178@N07/51136790892/

[andyg0404]

Hi,

I had been delaying a visit to MOMA for the Cezanne exhibit because MOMA gets so crowded, and I wasn't sure I was going to go.  Time is running out and my brother told me it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I have to go, so on Wednesday I went.

Cézanne Drawing

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5293

I arrived at 10:10 AM and was first on line. The doors opened at 10:25 AM and I went straight up to the exhibit. No vaccination check, but it doesn't actually go into effect until next Monday when they will start actively checking. My brother had recommended going right to the last gallery if the exhibit was crowded as that’s where the best pieces are. Being the first to enter I didn't have to do that; I was able to wander through the entire exhibit at my leisure. Through most of my visit, there weren't many other visitors, several times I was alone. It is an enormous exhibit, but many of the drawings were easy to go through, there was so much repetition. It was the watercolors which were truly wonderful. I went through the exhibit twice and was struck by how much of the art came from private collections. I’m sure it was very difficult to gather all this great art, the logistics must have been daunting. I'm very glad I decided to go and very pleased it wasn’t crowded. It didn't start to crowd up at all until I was leaving the gallery and even then, it wasn't mobbed. I visited the rest of the museum which also wasn't overly crowded. I wandered through the automobile exhibit and the Calder. Then made sure I got to see the two Hoppers on display, my favorite,

Gas  https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80000?artist_id=2726&page=1&sov_referrer=artist

and Night Windows

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79270?artist_id=2726&page=1&sov_referrer=artist

Just like my visit after the museum reopened, I was able to be alone with Monet's lilies,

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5110/installation_images/48638

saw Van Gogh’s Starry Night all by myself,

 https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802

a wonderful Klimt painting Hope II, https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/1/61 

Cristina's World by Wyeth, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78455 

and the first watercolors by Charles Demuth I've seen, that weren't of fruit or vegetables. This is a link to his page at MOMA, listing all 16 of his works in the collection, which includes several of the fruit and vegetable paintings as well. https://www.moma.org/search/?bucket=2&query=charles+demuth

Here are a few well-illustrated reviews.

The Cézanne We’ve Forgotten How to See

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/27/arts/design/cezanne-moma-drawings.html

Cézanne’s drawings, watercolours and sketchbooks to get star treatment at MoMA

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/preview/cezanne-s-drawings-watercolours-and-sketchbooks-to-get-star-treatment-at-moma

Cézanne on Paper

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2021/07/02/cezanne-on-paper/

All in all, a very pleasant and successful morning. Below are some of the things I enjoyed.

Three Pears, ca. 1888–90 - The Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation, on long-term loan to the Princeton University Art Museum

https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/cezanne-modern/c%C3%A9zanne/three-pears

Cézanne’s ‘Still Life with Cherries’ (1890) © Fondazione Magnani-Rocca

https://tinyurl.com/9dp6h534

Still Life with Apples on a Sideboard – Dallas Museum of Art

https://collections.dma.org/artwork/3045708

Rose Bush – Private collection

https://www.1st-art-gallery.com/frame-preview/17008783.webp?sku=Unframed&thumb=0&huge=0

Pot of Geraniums (Pot de géranium) c. 1885 - Collezione Marco Brunelli, Milan

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/22/b6/76/22b676b2dd260220327b33c0b0f49f97.jpg

Curtains 1885 - Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France

https://www.wikiart.org/en/paul-cezanne/curtains-1885

Boy in a Red Vest - 1888-90 – MOMA

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79086

Still Life with Blue Pot – J.Paul Getty Museum

https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/27/paul-cezanne-still-life-with-blue-pot-french-about-1900-1906/

And here are some articles and videos I’ve recently come across.

This press release announcing a new gift is something to look forward to. 26 quality drawings which will be on display at Frick Madison in Fall 2022.

Frick Announces Its Most Significant Gift of Drawings and Pastels

https://www.frick.org/sites/default/files/pdf/press/2021/Eveillard_Gift_Release_FINAL.pdf

This is a link to images of all 26 drawings.

https://www.frick.org/sites/default/files/pdf/press/2021/Eveillard_Gift_Image%20List_FINAL.pdf

This is the final Curator’s cut from the Met. It discusses two pendant portraits by Ingres that are wonderful paintings.

Kathy Galitz on Ingres’s Portraits of the Leblancs | Curator's Cut

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5Ro95LNnyI

Another video series from the Frick, this video exploring Degas’s Rehearsal is 11 minutes.

Closer Look: Degas's "Rehearsal"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UevE7yvUXVU

This article concerns a magnificent painting in the Met’s collection, one that coincidentally was donated by our favorite benefactor, Mrs. Wrightsman. The article points out how the painting was altered due to the political climate just before the French revolution.

Conservators at the Met Have Discovered a Hidden Composition Under Jacques Louis David’s Portrait of a Famed Chemist

 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/hidden-composition-jacques-louis-david-portrait-chemist-lavoisier-2004720

And way down here at the bottom, a few Flickrs.

Andy G.

Sissy Michelle

https://www.flickr.com/photos/112581963@N05/51149045083/

Way down the rabbit hole!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chastitytania/51104191951/

Cute Mai Ayase

https://www.flickr.com/photos/182570265@N08/50600272843/

My new girls white dress

https://www.flickr.com/photos/134925861@N04/51140659553/

www.fetish-zona.com - Rubber Doll Jenna – Sissy boy doll, which fucked by slender mistress – HD 720p

https://www.flickr.com/photos/170242883@N02/50972624583/

[andyg0404]

Hi,

It’s been a while since my last art post and I’ve visited a number of venues, some of which I’ll report on below.

I’ve been to the Barnes Foundation museum twice with my older brother, but it’s been a number of years. Recently a friend and I drove down to Philadelphia to visit it in its new location, several blocks from the Philadelphia Museum. It was originally in Merion and the town had a contentious relationship with the Foundation doing its best to limit accessibility. Mr. Barnes stipulated it couldn’t be moved and the way the art is hung had to be maintained. The trustees were finally able to break the covenant and build this beautiful new building in Philadelphia and recreate the interior of the original structure so as to exactly mirror the manner in which the art was hung. Ironically Merion was very unhappy about the move. Apparently, they hated it being there, but hated its leaving even more.

It’s not hung like most museums, pictures are right next to each other and cover the entire wall, as well as being hung above doorframes. With no informational cards next to them, only being identified by the little plaques on the frames. Some of the frames didn’t even have that and some of the paintings are misidentified. The museum offers an excellent guide to the entire collection, by posting a QR code which you scan that brings you to the museum website where each painting can be identified along with background information. It was one of the most enjoyable days I’ve spent in a museum.

It has one of the finest collections of Impressionist art and needs to be seen to appreciate how overwhelming the collection is. The top four holdings are, 181 paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 69 by Paul Cézanne, 59 by Henri Matisse and 46 by Pablo Picasso.

They also had a special exhibition of Suzanne Valadon, which had many paintings from overseas. She is not someone I’m overly familiar with which is not surprising as this is the first major U.S. solo exhibition of her work. Angela asked the guard if she could take pictures and he said yes, please do, as you will probably never see many of these paintings again. There were a number from the Met which I don’t think I’ve ever seen. I mentioned to the guard that I didn't think they were on display at the Met and he agreed. I also had forgotten that she was the mother of Maurice Utrillo whose fame eclipsed hers. I didn't know he was an alcoholic and mentally unstable as well as being a great artist and that he lived with her until just a few years before she died.

This is a review of the Valadon exhibit from the New York Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/20/arts/design/valadon-painter-barnes-philadelphia.html

This is a link to the Barnes page from Wikipedia and it describes who Barnes was, how he made his fortune and the history of the Foundation. At the bottom is a nice selection of art from the collection.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnes_Foundation

One day a few weeks ago I walked up to the Jewish Museum on Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street. It’s been a while since I’ve visited. The current exhibit lured me.

This is a link to the website explaining the idea behind the exhibit.

Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art

https://thejewishmuseum.org/exhibitions/afterlives-recovering-the-lost-stories-of-looted-art

This is a well-illustrated review of the show from the Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/arts/design/afterlives-looted-art-jewish-museum.html

And below are images of some of the things in the exhibit. I really like the Pissarro portrait of Minette. Well, obviously I like them all, but I thought the Minette was really sweet. 

Bernardo Strozzi - An act of mercy, giving drink to the thirsty

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bernardo_Strozzi_-_An_act_of_mercy,_giving_drink_to_the_thirsty.jpg

Gustave Courbet - Nude Reclining by the Sea

https://www.philamuseum.org/collection/object/59522

Camille Pissarro – Minette

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camille_Pissarro,_Minette,_ca._1872._Oil_on_canvas,_Wadsworth_Atheneum_Museum_of_Art,.jpg

Cezanne - Bather and Rocks

https://chrysler.emuseum.com/objects/21183/bather-and-rocks

Matisse - Girl in Yellow and Blue with Guitar

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/191565/girl-in-yellow-and-blue-with-guitar

Matisse – Daisies

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/100226/daisies

Claude Lorrain – Battle on a Bridge

https://www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-8068206/

Pissarro - Portal of the Church of Saint-Jacques in Dieppe – This from the permanent collection.

https://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/34764-portal-of-the-church-of-saint-jacques-in-dieppe-portail-l-eglise-saint-jacques-a-dieppe

This week I walked up to Acquavella Gallery for a Picasso exhibit. While I enjoy much of his work, there’s also a fair amount that I’m a little cool toward. Like Dali he seemed at some point to be painting for the monetary value rather than through inspiration. But this exhibit is quality all the way. It’s a fairly large exhibit, four rooms with about 86 paintings and drawings. I’ve copied several things below. The first three are watercolors and I thought them rather special. Much of the exhibit is from private collections.

This is a link to the website with additional images and a room-by-room view.

https://www.acquavellagalleries.com/exhibitions/picasso?view=slider#3

Composition: Nu sur la plage [Composition: Nude on the Beach] Cannes, July 16, 1933

https://tinyurl.com/a3z57mf6

"Homme Assis," (1933)

https://tinyurl.com/mpad76xx

Personnages sur le plage  1933 Cannes – Figures on the beach

https://hypebeast.com/2020/6/acquavella-art-basel-online-viewing-room-2020-info

Tete de Femme Paris late 1902 – I find this to be a really striking portrait. I couldn’t find it on the Internet, so I’ve attached it to this post at the very bottom. That is if I’ve remembered to do so. My memory sometimes is a little fleeting.

Sylvette (III) – Vallauris, April 29, 1954

https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/f3d1f5c7035fcd9f_4-4837/home-design.jpg

Tête de femme [Head of a Woman] Fontainebleau, summer 1921

https://tinyurl.com/abucm4um

Course de taureaux (Corrida) [Bullfight (Corrida)] Barcelona, [summer] 1900

https://tinyurl.com/ycnxavyx

Below are articles and videos I’ve accumulated since my last email.

This is the most bizarre thing I’ve read in a while. When did we enter Blade Runner territory?

An Art-Making Robot Was Detained on Her Way to Show at the Pyramids Because Egyptian Customs Officials Thought She Was a Spy

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/robot-artist-ai-da-detained-by-customs-officials-2023380

A review of what looks to be a blockbuster exhibition at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston.

The Problematic Allure of Titian’s Poesie Paintings

 https://tinyurl.com/wet2hb4k

This is fairly embarrassing for the Gallery, but they haven’t given up on the painting.

AI Analysis Says National Gallery’s ‘Samson and Delilah’ Painting Isn’t a Rubens

https://tinyurl.com/5bey3p6v

An article on a favorite.

Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ Has Captivated the Public for Over a Century—Here Are 3 Things You Might Not Know About It

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/3-things-about-vincent-van-goghs-starry-night-2020713

These articles and their accompanying videos are all from Christie’s in conjunction with the upcoming auction of the Cox collection of Impressionist paintings. I have a reservation to visit Christie’s on Monday November 1st and I am really looking forward to it, should be awesome. My brother plans on going on the 3rd.

Foreign exchange: how American Impressionists were inspired by their French contemporaries

https://tinyurl.com/e4c23bwc

‘Radical and innovative’: Cézanne’s love letter to a coastal French paradise

https://tinyurl.com/s429ewfx

‘The glory of the garden’ — reflecting on Monet’s painterly garden scenes

https://www.christies.com/features/claude-monets-garden-paintings-by-richard-thomson-11853-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#fid-11853

10 things to know about Gustave Caillebotte 

 https://tinyurl.com/yxnymnve

Claude Monet’s Le bassin d’Argenteuil: an ode to leisure and light

https://tinyurl.com/2ua4kxth

The Final Years of Van Gogh's Life

https://youtu.be/aeBjHsM0gmU

And a few Flickrs would be appropriate about here.

Andy G.

had some time to myself!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/158274655@N05/48663310596/

asian sissy

https://www.flickr.com/photos/156813267@N06/48107279472/

Curtsey

https://www.flickr.com/photos/53921045@N08/7954165034/

Sally Sissy

https://www.flickr.com/photos/190751835@N03/51140222448/

IMG_3443 5 x 7 L

https://www.flickr.com/photos/192063243@N05/50926655103/

[andyg0404]

Hi,

I mentioned visiting friends for Xmas. This entails driving, something I really hate doing. I was never fond of it, but as I’ve aged it’s gotten much worse. It’s hard in nice weather during the day. It’s worse at night, or in the rain or snow. I drive very little, which with my weak eyes, poor reflexes, lack of depth perception and no sense of direction is a good thing. My Xmas trip was about 140 miles roundtrip. An hour more or less each way which is also about my limit. I don’t want to nap on the ride home.  Including that my annual mileage this year was 252. When I bring it in for service annually my mechanic tells me the oil hasn’t changed color.

I hadn’t been wearing the mask in the streets when I visit the City, but with this latest Omicron outbreak, I now wear it for the entire trip, on the bus, through the Port Authority, inside the galleries and museums and on the bus home.  Just about everyone I pass on the street is wearing a mask. The request for my Covid vaccination proof isn’t total. The Met always asks for it, as well as ID to prove that I’m the person to whom it was issued. The Met is also now limiting attendance and the last time I was there, when I left there were people lined up outside on the steps waiting to get in. But I’m going to discuss my visits to two galleries, two favorites of mine. Questroyal Gallery for American art and Ronin Gallery for Japanese woodblock prints. The former didn’t ask for vaccination proof while the latter did. I was happy that aside from the employees, I was the only one in the gallery. I’m grateful to be retired, but I’m especially pleased not to have to go to work during the pandemic. I would not want to be riding the bus into the city during rush hour twice a day. I go in once a week now and only during off hours, when the bus is not crowded, and I always get a seat by myself. When I’m home in New Jersey it’s not an issue as I don’t go anywhere aside from the Shop Rite, and I always wear my mask when I shop. I do long for the time when none of this will be an issue anymore.

Since my last art email I’ve visited a number of venues and as I just mentioned, I’ll discuss two of them here.

When I visited Questroyal there were several exhibits on display with many beautiful paintings. One exhibit was for Tom Yost, a contemporary landscape painter. All his paintings were from the last few years and were very bright, colorful, and beautiful. My brother thinks he is a photorealist painter and in retrospect I have to agree. I wonder if the Hudson River paintings, some of which are similar to Yost’s, looked as bright when they were first painted before they lost that effect over time. The other exhibits were, The American Masters, and New York Forever: Important Paintings of the World’s City. They had all the usual names and favorites. A small William Bradford which I’m guessing is a study for a large painting in the Met’s collection. A small Albert Bierstadt of Niagara Falls. A Martin Johnson Heade painting of flowers. A Robert Henri painting of a little girl which I really liked a lot. A wonderful Sanford Robinson Gifford and a seamy Reginald Marsh, all of which I’ve copied below When I was compiling the images I couldn't find the Henri on the Questroyal website so I Googled it. It came up on a closed auction from Sotheby's and I didn't think about it as that's happened before. But I went back to look and realized it was the Sotheby's auction of deaccessioned museum paintings I had been to in May of this year.  Now I wonder if the gallery bought it at the auction or if someone else bought it and is now looking to sell it. It went in the midrange of the estimate so I also wonder what would prompt that person to do so.

This is a link to the website, with further links to all the objects in each of the exhibitions.

https://www.questroyalfineart.com/

On another morning I visited the Ronin Gallery. I went as the current exhibit was works by Hasui, but when I arrived, I was told I would be the first person to view the January exhibit of Hiroshige II which had just been hung. There were only a few prints by Hasui as the others had all sold. Nevertheless, I enjoyed what was on display. I’ve copied a few below the links to the other images at the bottom of this email.

Here are links to Ronin Gallery with prints by Hasui and Hiroshige II.

https://www.roningallery.com/exhibitions/Hasui-Kawase-1883-1957

https://www.roningallery.com/search?keywords=hiroshige%20ii

Below are some articles and videos I’ve come across recently.

This is a fairly bizarre article about a color-blind artist who had an antenna implanted in his head which allows him to see colors. Seeing colors is great, but I’m not sure I’d want to walk around looking like a Martian. Although when I was a kid, one of my favorite shows was My Favorite Martian. It was about a Martian who looks like an earthling, crashlanding on Earth. A young newsman finds him and lets him live in his garage while he repairs his spaceship, explaining his presence by introducing him as his uncle. One of his special abilities is to emit two antennas from the back of his head and then become invisible, but he and the newsman keep it a secret to prevent panic.  They were very funny shows, at least to 12-year-old Andy.  This the actor Ray Walston in character as the Martian. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Walston


From Tom Cruise to time travel: colour-blind ‘cyborg’ artist who hears colours through implant invents time-sensing device

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3160496/tom-cruise-time-travel-colour-blind-cyborg-artist-who-hears

This article is about a painting that was handed down from its original recipient, who received it from Van Gogh, and has been in the family for 132 years.

Never before seen Van Gogh stirs questions and controversy

https://artdaily.com/news/140643/Never-before-seen-Van-Gogh-stirs-questions-and-controversy

This is an interview with the author, a Van Gogh scholar, regarding his latest book which chronicles the last days of Van Gogh’s life. Many beautiful images.

‘Van Gogh’s Life Was Made for a Novelist’: Author Martin Bailey on the Artist’s Mysterious Last Days—and How He Really Died

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/martin-bailey-van-gogh-finale-book-2030322

This article on one of my favorite artists and shows three of his paintings that went on the block in November.

Beyond realism: 10 things to know about Edward Hopper

 https://www.christies.com/features/10-things-to-know-about-edward-hopper-11934-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#fid-11934

Recently I read a book of short stories edited by Lawrence Block; In Sunlight or in Shadow, Stories inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper. It came out in 2016 and I remember thinking it was something I would enjoy, but I never got around to buying it. A few weeks ago I was on a site and someone recommended it and I immediately ordered it. It was very enjoyable. 17 paintings by Hopper, each followed by a short story inspired by the painting. All noted authors such as Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Stephen King and Joe R. Lansdale. Some were better than others, but all of them were entertaining. If you’re a reader and a fan of Hopper you will enjoy it.


This video concerns a painting by Renoir that is came up for auction in November. It has an interesting provenance. The dealer, Durand-Ruel acquired it from the artist and then sold it to Albert Barnes. Several years later Durand traded a different Renoir to Barnes to reacquire this one.

Renoir’s Jeune fille and the Triumph of Impressionism

https://tinyurl.com/5687b4c2

This article addresses what’s underneath a number of Vermeer paintings.

The Girl With a Pearl Earring’s Lavish Jewel May Be a Fake and 4 Other Secrets Scholars Have Uncovered in the Work of Vermeer

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/scholars-5-secrets-vermeer-2032943

Article from Christie’s on the only one of Picasso’s lovers to leave him as she turns 100 years old.

Françoise Gilot: A life with passion

https://tinyurl.com/42yywduw

This article from Christie’s is about Julius and Camilla Priester who were forced to leave behind their fantastic art collection when they fled Nazi Germany. And how their heirs finally got them back many years later.

Restitution: how these Old Master works confiscated by the Gestapo were returned more than six decades later

https://tinyurl.com/yckk87kc

And this was an interesting article about a painting I’ve long liked, but unfortunately have never had the pleasure of seeing in person.

Thomas Gainsborough’s ‘Blue Boy’ Was Once the World’s Most Famous Painting—Here Are 3 Surprising Facts About It

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/three-things-thomas-gainsborough-blue-boy-2048661

Below are links to the images from Questroyal and Ronin.

Cove at Sherwood Point, 2019 - Tom Yost

https://www.questroyalfineart.com/cove-at-sherwood-point/

Icebergs, Labrador - William Bradford

https://www.questroyalfineart.com/icebergs-labrador/

Niagara Falls - Albert Bierstadt

https://www.questroyalfineart.com/niagara-falls/

Mount Etna from Catania - Sanford Robinson Gifford

https://www.questroyalfineart.com/mount-etna-from-catania/

Cherokee Roses in a Glass - Martin Johnson Heade

https://www.questroyalfineart.com/cherokee-roses-in-a-glass/

Pegeen - Robert Henri

https://tinyurl.com/fzv2tccd

Burlesque Queen - Reginald Marsh

https://www.questroyalfineart.com/burlesque-queen/

Hasui - Spring Night at Inokashira Park

https://www.roningallery.com/Spring-Night-at-Inokashira-Park

Hasui - Tamon Temple at Hamahagi in Boshu

https://www.roningallery.com/tamon-temple-at-hamahagi-in-boshu

Hiroshige II - The Coast in Tsushima

https://tinyurl.com/yckk83tz

And here are the first Flickrs of the New Year.

Andy G.

04 Posoing in her pink dress 4

https://www.flickr.com/photos/savannasteel/51156295314/

1950s girl-about-town

https://www.flickr.com/photos/debbie_lewissmith/51286467318/

IMG_20191027_233701

https://www.flickr.com/photos/148891305@N07/50864068263/

White Satin

https://www.flickr.com/photos/61636721@N06/51311680535/

P1130936_

https://www.flickr.com/photos/36322396@N08/50155781041/

[Betty]

Don't believe anything from South China Morning Post. That's a phoney gimmick for clicks, an artist trying to get attention, or outright BS. Although it is possible to have a sensor that picks up a color, & makes a vibrator vibrate a skull to a certain pitch, it's not likely it was implanted. Every time he would bump something above or ahead of his head, it would crack it out of his skull. Not even necessary to implant it anyway -- anything strapped to your head can vibrate your skull without being implanted. He can also hear the vibrations by simply wearing an earphone. And why can't he shut it off? What possible purpose would it serve to disable shutting it off?  We're surrounded by colors... how directional is that thing? My "Bullshit-O-Meter" says that article is BS.

I liked My Favorite Martian. But he probably was much more famous in his reoccurring role as the Starfleet Academy's groundskeeper, & as an alien in the Star Trek NG & Voyager series. But he turned up in lots of movies & TV shows.

[Betty]

Tracing images with pinhole cameras projecting the image on the canvas to make paintings mentioned in the other article was old tech by the time of the Girl with a Pearl Earring. Galileo was already regularly selling his telescopes using lenses in 1609. Many artists where using lenses by then to project superior images onto the canvas to trace them out (the way cameras project images onto film), then fill in the details & color later. It was a trade secret, & rarely discussed. But it is assumed there are many post 1600 paintings that might have started as traced images projected by a lens.

When I was a kid I wished I was "Blue Boy" & other "classical" boys in art.

[Betty]

The good old days when men & boys wore long hair & pretty clothes.

[Angela M...]

Yes Betty I remember Blue Boy but I wished to be "Pinky" the little girl in the partner painting that is in some galleries. I remember them both on exhibit at the British Museum back in the 70's I think, when I was in London. I remember in Grade 7 using a projector to copy an image for our teacher and then painting it in water colours for something but just can't remember what it was or why he wanted it. I could have done it free hand but he wanted to have it blown up pretty big for some reason.