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Art Auction Preview, Like A Catered Pop Up Museum, Right?
The yellow Lotus occupied a prime curbside spot in front of the valet stand outside of the Heritage Auction annex. As I walked past the car, I had an urge to confess to the valets that I had never been to an art auction preview before, but acknowledge that I hadn’t seen a Lotus before … Continue reading
Featured Posts
Jay Gatsby is one of those mysterious figures who, as they become revealed to us, reveal something about us. Leonardo DiCaprio, as Jay Gatsby, delivers a performance that stays true to the myth of the man while allowing us to pick apart the myths that are his bane. Despite the nuance and strength of DiCaprio’s performance, F. … Continue reading
The recent openings of the Winspear, the Perot Museum and the brand new Klyde Warren Park usher in a new era for downtown Dallas. Just down the street from the Perot, and caddy corner from KWP is a more inconspicuous update to this thriving area: The Economy in Action Exhibit at the Dallas Federal Reserve … Continue reading
“Chagall, Beyond Color,” at the Dallas Museum of Art, pairs Chagall’s distinctive paintings with his art objects in other media. Chagall’s vision as a set decorator and costume designer are the focus of the first three galleries. Sculpture and collage are included in the second half of the exhibition, the highlight of which are his … Continue reading
There are a lot of things that make the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art different. Inseparable from the museum is it’s location in Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters to one of the world’s most controversial companies: Wal-Mart. In a town built on ruthless discounts and relentless efficiencies, Crystal Bridges is an elegant surprise. Most surprising is … Continue reading
If there was a first class lounge at an art museum, it would look like Muzeion in the Design District. There isn’t anything grandiose or flashy about it, but it feels like a sanctuary separate from our quotidian insta-, multi-, e-, dot com, i-world. What is immediately noticeable is the juxtaposition of contemporary art with … Continue reading
Lucian Freud’s portraits are like being at the DMV – except half of the people are naked, and unfortunately it isn’t necessarily the half you wouldn’t mind seeing naked. Freud (grandson of Sigmund Freud) is widely hailed for creating intensely psychological portraits. After wandering the exhibition, I found myself wondering more about what is revealed … Continue reading
My four year old is the worst storyteller. He includes details that are superfluous and leaves out details that are necessary to understand the conclusion of his story. At the same time, there is something marvelous about learning the details he notices and those he doesn’t. I love seeing how his embellishments seamlessly become a part … Continue reading
The location “Moonrise Kingdom” in Wes Anderson’s new movie by the same name isn’t instantly recognizable. After the lights have come up, however there is a realization that like Hotel California, it is a destination we all know. At a younger age, we all had these special, secluded places where we could go to try … Continue reading
In Brief:
- In a conference on big data & the arts entitled, "Ending Guesswork: Using Data to Foster Thriving Arts Organizations," Southern Methodist University announced the creation of the National Center for Arts Research. NCAR will apply business, marketing and analytics to the arts to "advance the arts through evidence-based knowledge." Beyond optimizing the performance of these organizations, NCAR will provide insight into strengthening relationships between arts organizations and local communities. NCAR bolsters Dallas, and especially SMU as an arts-destination. Their first annual report on the health of the US arts industry in the fall of 2013. http://blog.smu.edu/artsresearch/
- With a beautiful high skylight and dark ornate walls, gallery 203 is completely different from the rest of the St. Louis Art Museum. Chris Naffziger was able to solve the mystery of its distinct look on a recent tour. The adjacent galleries 204 & 205 were the original museum library (note the crown molding); Gallery 203 was the vestibule to the library.
