The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in case you've never been there, is a monster. You could spend days in it and still not see everything. We had about four hours.
Main hall, Metropolitan Museum of ArtOur first stop, undoubtedly a popular one, was the European paintings. Now, I hadn't taken my camera, because most museums don't let you take pictures. I knew some did, but I have a big camera and frankly didn't want to haul it all that way on the off chance that this was one of the museums that allowed pictures. So I left it at the hotel. Wrong choice. I did use my cell phone to take pictures of a few items though, just to give a taste. I've also included links to the Met website, which has higher quality pictures not taken at odd angles (yes, because I'm short and have to look up at everything), but mine are more fun because they're genuine:
Vincent Van Gogh (my favorite!), Irises, 1890
Vincent Van Gogh, Wheat Field With Cypresses, 1889The cypresses really look like that in southern France - I was shocked when I saw them for real
Also lots of Seurat, Pissarro, Panini (including one version of his painting Interior of Saint Peter's, Rome, another of which is at the St. Louis Art Museum), Degas, Picasso (including lots of early stuff before he got really wacky), Monet, Rembrandt, Vermeer...need I go on?
We took a stroll through the modern galleries on our way to the cafe for lunch, mostly for curiosity's sake. And it was a curiosity indeed. As was my sandwich - an apple and tofu curry wrap with arugula. Interesting; something I would probably eat again, but probably not before I'd pick a regular old ham and cheese.
The after-lunch portion of the program included American landscapes, a brief tour through the Greek and Roman galleries, Arms and Armor, and the American art galleries. Unfortunately for the American galleries, many of the paintings and the decorative art pieces were in open storage, because the galleries were (still? again?) closed for renovation. Pretty much the only pieces that we saw which were in their original condition/location were the period rooms.
The former (and interesting) exterior of the building, before a new and totally architecturally devoid addition was added.
Armors for Man and Horse
Armor for Horse, Italian(It's a little fuzzy, but the engraving is impressive - trust me.)
Louis Comfort Tiffany, Necklace and Pendant, Moonstones/Sapphires/Platinum, 1910The picture below is terrible because the Eakins work was in the open storage that I talked about - rows and rows of paintings all jammed together behind plexiglass - but I had to take and post this picture. Remember when I talked about how much I loved the book Stoner? Does the cover image look familiar? I was very excited to see it there! I didn't even know at the time I read the book that it was an Eakins painting on the cover, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Thomas Eakins because of his association with the Head of the Schuylkill, a regatta I've always loved. A little bit of history about the link is available here, but I can mostly summarize it by saying that the painter was from Philadelphia and painted lots of rowers on the river.
Thomas Eakins, The Thinker: Portrait of Louis N. Kenton, 1900
And that, folks, wasn't even half of the museum. We missed a lot of the Eastern art (not S's bag, and I'd already been), as well as much of the photography and Native American art. But, like I said, we only had four hours. I think we did pretty well for ourselves.
Upon departing the Met, we marched 20 blocks south on 5th to the Frick Collection, which I've been to once before and absolutely love. It's quite a contrast to the Met - the entire collection is in the house of the steel magnate Henry Clay Frick, which he left to his wife upon his death for the remainder of her life, and then to the city of New York as a museum. Mr. Frick was a rich man in his own right, but multiplied his fortune many times over after a falling out with Andrew Carnegie, whom he worked with in the steel business (Frick supplied coke which was required for the manufacturing process). The buyout/hush/get-out-of-my-business money Frick received from Carnegie freed the former up to pursue his passion for art collection. In fact, there falling out is probably a big reason Frick donated his collection to begin with; there was a ongoing game of I'll-do-you-one-better between the two men, even in the philanthropic realm. There is actually a book, Meet You In Hell, about their feud. I may have to pick it up.
The Frick Collection houses paintings, sculpture, decorative pieces, furniture, and more. It's really quite an impressive collection, and the intimate setting was a nice reprieve after the overwhelmingly enormous galleries of the Met. As a bonus, included in the price of admission is an audio tour, which is filled with fascinating tidbits about the Fricks. For example, I learned that Mr. Frick hosted formal dinners twice weekly for 26. And it turns out that T.S. Eliot once did a reading of some of his poetry in the Fricks' music room. Also, I discovered while visiting Henry Frick's library that he had custom-made tooled leather book covers which rest over the top of the books to protect them from dust! He loved his books. You can get right up to the shelves and see what he liked to read; titles included a 14-volume set of Twain's works, Prison Life of Marie Antoinette, and a multi-volume history of the queens of Scotland.
While the paintings and sculpture in the house are amazing, I especially enjoyed the furniture - it's the would-be designer in me, I think. The pieces he had was incredible! There were a dresser and chest commissioned by Marie Antoinette (maybe he had a thing for her) and a commode originally made for the daughter of King Louis XV. Wild.
Sadly, we had to leave the Frick and double-time it back to our hotel so we wouldn't be late for our dinner. We went to a place on West 56th Street, very near our hotel. Afterwards, I changed clothes, putting one of my new Madison Avenue shirts to use, and went out to meet my friend S at a wine bar on the Lower East Side. We closed the place down, and three more places after that - I was out until 4 in the morning! On a Sunday night! I love New York, just because you can do things like that if you're so inclined. I am not often so inclined, but it's nice to know it's an option.
Thomas Eakins, The Thinker: Portrait of Louis N. Kenton, 1900And that, folks, wasn't even half of the museum. We missed a lot of the Eastern art (not S's bag, and I'd already been), as well as much of the photography and Native American art. But, like I said, we only had four hours. I think we did pretty well for ourselves.
Upon departing the Met, we marched 20 blocks south on 5th to the Frick Collection, which I've been to once before and absolutely love. It's quite a contrast to the Met - the entire collection is in the house of the steel magnate Henry Clay Frick, which he left to his wife upon his death for the remainder of her life, and then to the city of New York as a museum. Mr. Frick was a rich man in his own right, but multiplied his fortune many times over after a falling out with Andrew Carnegie, whom he worked with in the steel business (Frick supplied coke which was required for the manufacturing process). The buyout/hush/get-out-of-my-business money Frick received from Carnegie freed the former up to pursue his passion for art collection. In fact, there falling out is probably a big reason Frick donated his collection to begin with; there was a ongoing game of I'll-do-you-one-better between the two men, even in the philanthropic realm. There is actually a book, Meet You In Hell, about their feud. I may have to pick it up.
The Frick Collection houses paintings, sculpture, decorative pieces, furniture, and more. It's really quite an impressive collection, and the intimate setting was a nice reprieve after the overwhelmingly enormous galleries of the Met. As a bonus, included in the price of admission is an audio tour, which is filled with fascinating tidbits about the Fricks. For example, I learned that Mr. Frick hosted formal dinners twice weekly for 26. And it turns out that T.S. Eliot once did a reading of some of his poetry in the Fricks' music room. Also, I discovered while visiting Henry Frick's library that he had custom-made tooled leather book covers which rest over the top of the books to protect them from dust! He loved his books. You can get right up to the shelves and see what he liked to read; titles included a 14-volume set of Twain's works, Prison Life of Marie Antoinette, and a multi-volume history of the queens of Scotland.
While the paintings and sculpture in the house are amazing, I especially enjoyed the furniture - it's the would-be designer in me, I think. The pieces he had was incredible! There were a dresser and chest commissioned by Marie Antoinette (maybe he had a thing for her) and a commode originally made for the daughter of King Louis XV. Wild.
Sadly, we had to leave the Frick and double-time it back to our hotel so we wouldn't be late for our dinner. We went to a place on West 56th Street, very near our hotel. Afterwards, I changed clothes, putting one of my new Madison Avenue shirts to use, and went out to meet my friend S at a wine bar on the Lower East Side. We closed the place down, and three more places after that - I was out until 4 in the morning! On a Sunday night! I love New York, just because you can do things like that if you're so inclined. I am not often so inclined, but it's nice to know it's an option.
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