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| Room with a view. |
I recently returned from a week in Manhattan. Aside from the heat and humidity, I really enjoyed my stay. One of the highlights from the week was seeing a gaggle of Vegas-era, chubby Elvises singing on 2nd at 92nd on the 40th anniversary of The King's death.
Through the throng of on-lookers I was able to snap a quick pic of this charming-looking fellow--
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| Elvis is everywhere. |
I also visited the Neue Gallerie, a gallery primarily dedicated to showcasing works by Austrian artists, and saw an interesting exhibit featuring the work of a man called Richard Gerstl. I hadn't heard of Gerstl before my visit and with good reason. The family of the painter had initially kept his works away from the public for a couple of decades after Gerstl's suicide in 1908. After WWII, Gerstl became known in the US, but not as known as, say, Schiele or (especially) Klimt. Gerstl's work is very well known in Austria, from what I gather, but his art had not been exhibited in the USA until now. We visited the gallery on a weekday; the exhibit was not crowded.
During his life, Gerstl had hung out with composers, less so with other painters. Not a successful artist in life, he'd made money by teaching his composer friends to paint. Based on the exhibit, it would seem his affair with a certain composer's wife led to his ostracization from Viennese society culminating in Gerstl's suicide at the age of 25.
At 25, I could barely draw a flower with pencil and paper. By the age of 25, Gerstl had already produced numerous incredible works of art.
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| Self-portrait, 1907 |
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| Landscape study, Traunsee, 1907. |
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| Artist's father, 1906. |
We also visited the Cloisters in Upper Manhattan. A long-ish trip on the A train to 190th and a half mile walk led us to what is currently a museum featuring religious artifacts from medieval Europe. I think I enjoyed the grounds more than the museum itself, to be honest.
If one hasn't visited the cathedrals of Europe, then this museum is a must-see while in New York.
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| Garden grounds. |
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| View from Cloister grounds. |
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| I didn't catch who they were, but I liked their look. |
Oh I bet you had a wonderful time Bea. Love the artist's work. I'm not sure Hemmingway was correct about Paris being a moveable feast. NYC has to be up there, though I've never been.
ReplyDeleteOh, Donna! The Neue Gallery is small, but amazing. The standing collection includes furniture, tea services, time pieces all from the turn of the last century/early 20th. Klimt pieces including The Woman in Gold are on display. It's truly lovely.
DeleteIt sounds wonderful - and those grounds would have made my heart sing.
ReplyDeleteLove the portrait of the artist's father. I have no artistic ability (none, nada, zip) but love to marvel at the skill of others.
Yes, the rather large portrait of his father (and a similar one of his brother) were on display at the museum. It was wonderful to see them in person.
DeleteSounds like a great trip. I still can't draw a flower, and I'm way over 25.
ReplyDeleteHa!
DeleteManhattan is a great place to spend a week, but I am surprised you didn't include a trip to Trump Tower in your itinerary.
ReplyDeleteWe went by the day Trump left town. -had missed the nightly protests, but did see a wall of cop cars lined up across from his residence along the park. Maybe they were hanging out just in case some straggler protesters should up?
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