Archive
MUSEUMS CLOSE ACROSS THE MIDWEST DUE TO LOW TEMPERATURES!
This is the Anish Kapoor Cloud Gate at Millennium Park, Chicago.
Chicago’s museums are mostly closed due to severe weather conditions with some temperatures as low as -51 F (-46 C ).
The Art Institute, the Field Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art are closed today, Wednesday. So are the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Toledo Museum of Art and the Dayton Art Institute.
Come to Texas and visit our museums!!!
Cheers,
Elisabeth
THE TRAMMEL AND MARGARET CROW FAMILY HAS DONATED THEIR ENTIRE COLLECTION OF ASIAN ART
THE TRAMMEL AND MARGARET CROW FAMILY HAS DONATED THEIR ENTIRE COLLECTION OF ASIAN ART – INCLUDING THE MUSEUM, INCLUDING 23 MILLION IN SUPPORT FUNDS, INCLUDING A 12,000 BOOK LIBRARY TO THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS.
This move is comparable to the Asian art gift Avery Brundage gave to the City of San Francisco over 50 years ago eventually founding the ASIAN in SFO.
My first experience with the Crow’s Asian art happened in the late 1980s when my mother was visiting from Vienna and decided to stay at the Anatole in Dallas. The Anatole (one of the Crow hotels I later learned) was lovely but it was the large Indian marble temple and the Khmer sculptures in the lobby and in glass cases that immediately caught may attention. And then I learned more and more about the Crow collection, and over twenty years ago the Trammel and Margaret Crow Museum of Asian Art opened on Flora in Dallas with works from Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam, with the famous jade room at its center. I understand that the collection comprises some one thousand pieces of art.
The Museum will continue to operate in its current location with a full schedule of exhibits with items from ancient to contemporary times. And its long time director Amy Lewis Hofland will continue in her role for both museum sites. So beyond the original idea of Mr. Crow of increasing the public’s knowledge about and appreciation for Asian art, the University of Texas at Dallas is continuing to help students and to a larger extent the Texas community appreciate and learn about Asian art. I could not be happier about this for Texas!
Cheers,
Elisabeth
ON THE STEPPES OF GENGHIS KHAN – MONGOLIAN NOMADS
MOESGAARD MUSEUM, Denmark
Open until April 2019
ON THE STEPPES OF GENGHIS KHAN – MONGOLIAN NOMADS
Some of us always had a soft spot for Genghis Khan, the 13th century Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, and of the largest contiguous empire in history. The first thing I learned about Ghengis Kahan was that he listened to and respected his mother; that he was brutal and gentle at the same time; open to foreign religions; and instituted sophisticated government and taxing systems. The exhibit includes fantastic works from international loans and Danish museums showing the rich culture of these nomads of the steppes with their sheep, goats, horses and camels, often on the move, and in contact with merchants on ancient and present trade routes, bringing material wealth that can be seen in their ornaments, fabrics, costumes, tents and furniture. Reviews point out that the exhibit shows an intriguing alternative to our sedentary life.
Cheers,
Elisabeth
CAN GAZING AT BOTTICELLI’S VENUS CAUSE A HEART ATTACK ???
An Italian man fainted while gazing at the Venus painting (ca. 1485) at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, and suffered a heart attack two weekends ago and is said to now recover.
Variously known as Stendhal Syndrome, hyperkulturemia or Florence syndrome this disorder appears to be specific to Florence when admiring and focusing on such magnificent paintings like Venus ascending from the ocean.
Have you been to Florence and seen this painting?
Cheers and Happy New Year!!!
Elisabeth
GANESHA:THE PLAYFUL PROTECTOR
Six-armed dancing Ganesha from India, Denver Art Museum.
GANESHA:THE PLAYFUL PROTECTOR
An exhibit developed in collaboration with the National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh.
https://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/ganesha
On view through January 13, 2019
Enough time to travel to Denver and visit Ganesha in person- the remover of obstacles, known for granting wealth and success, found throughout the Asian subcontinent and across geographical and religious lines.
Cheers,
Elisabeth
Cambodian Ganesha
PEACOCK IN THE DESERT, THE ROYAL ARTS OF JODHPUR, INDIA
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston until August 19, 2018
https://www.mfah.org/…/peacock-in-desert-royal-arts-jodhpur…
Seattle Art Museum, October 18, 2018 to January 19, 2019
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, later
The exhibition with splendid objects mainly from the Mehrangarh Museum Trust and private collections of the royal family of Jodhpur focuses on lavish ceremonial objects, sumptuous jewels, intricately carved furniture, a silver howdah, a monumental 17th century court tent for a durbar, a collection of paintings, arms, jewelry (many pieces from the Al- Sabah Collection, Kuwait,), a stainless steel Rolls-Royce polished to look like silver, – all objects of exquisite taste collected over some five hundred centuries by the rulers of the Marwar-Jodhpur region and the Rathore dynasty that ruled for some 700 years. The exhibit shows physical treasures and also demonstrates the care of the Maharaja of Marwar-Jodhpur GajSingh II with regard to his inherited legacy – land, buildings and people.
Bought the heavy book catalogue with hundreds of photographs and a very welcome glossary !
Go and see!!
Cheers,
Elisabeth
FORM INTO SPIRIT: ELLSWORTH KELLY’S AUSTIN
https://blantonmuseum.org/exhibition/form-into-spirit-ellsworth-kellys-austin/
Through April 29th!
A free standing building with luminous windows -his final work was unveiled only this past weekend. It is also likely the most ambitious work the American artist ever made: a 2,700-square-foot building loosely modeled after a Romanesque church on the grounds of the Blanton Museum.
Go and see it soon.
Cheers,
Elisabeth
BINDING THE CLOUDS: THE ART OF CENTRAL ASIAN IKAT
In case you have not noticed that The Textile Museum is now part of the George Washington University Museum
701 21st Street, NW, Washington,D.C.
https://museum.gwu.edu/textile-museum
From March 10th – July 9th, 2018
BINDING THE CLOUDS: THE ART OF CENTRAL ASIAN IKAT
will be shown from what is now Uzbekistan and Central Asian oasis towns.
Uzbekistan still makes very colorful and interesting ikat fabrics often seen at international folk art shows; saw it last in Santa Fe.
NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM IN KANSAS CITY
https://nelson-atkins.org/events/a-jain-shrine-from-india/
The Nelson-Atkins has many treasures and one has been kept in storage and now cleaned up : acquired in 1932 the ornately carved and in great detail painted shrine is presented in REVEALING A HIDDEN TREASURE: A JAIN SHRINE FROM INDIA,
dated to the 16th century. Jainism is an ancient religion of India with the followers called Jains, practicing non-violent behavior and often praying in front of house shrine of which this one is a splendid example.
My first experience with the Nelson-Atkins was many moons ago when Laurence Sickman was director; together with Langdon Warner Laurence Sickman bought Japanese and Chinese sculpture, paintings and furniture for the Nelson-Atkins.
Buddhism 7th century B.C.
Jainism 6th century B.C.
Cheers,
Elisabeth
THREE EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS IN HOUSTON
MODERNISM ON THE GANGES: RAGHUBIR SINGH PHOTOGRAPHS
https://www.mfah.org/exhibitions/modernism-on-the-ganges-raghubir-singh-photographs
March 3 – June 3, 2018
Raghubir Singh, born in Jaipur (1942-1999) lived in Asia and Europe and often returned to his native India. In 90 images and over a thirty year period, Singh who was influenced by Cartier-Bresson, photographed often with a hand-held camera in color everyday life and festivals. One of my favorite is the one showing the Professional Lunch Distributor or Dhabadwallah with his tiffin boxes.
BESTOWING BEAUTY:MASTERPIECES FROM PERSIAN LANDS
https://www.mfah.org/exhibitions/bestowing-beauty-masterpieces-persian-lands
Through February 11, 2018
Comprising some 100 works of art from the 6th to the 19th century on view to the public for the first time, from the Hossein Afshar Collection, one of the most important collections of Persian art in private hands……..does anybody have information about Hossein Afshar?
PEACOCK IN THE DESERT: THE ROYAL ARTS OF JODHPUR, INDIA
https://www.mfah.org/exhibitions/peacock-in-desert-royal-arts-jodhpur-india
March 4 – August 19, 2018
Masterpieces never before seen outside the palace walls of the kingdom of Marwar-Jodhpur in Rajasthan, covering four centuries of sumptuous jewels, arms and armor, intricately carved furnishings, a monumental 17th century court tent, paintings and textiles – all together some 250 objects from Indian courtly life together with large scale photo murals will be shown.
Exhibit runs concurrent with Raghubir Singh’s photo exhibit it.
Elisabeth Wien's Blog 