February 2007 trip
In both New York (Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Washington (National Gallery of Art and National Portrait Gallery), there is an abundance of great Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and other late 19th and 20th century works, including paintings by Cezanne, Degas, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso and Balthus. I was also excited to see some beautiful paintings by the tempera/watercolour painter Andrew Wyeth.
In the Philadelphia suburb of Merion, the Barnes Foundation collection is unique. A huge number of works are crowded somewhat eccentrically into a purpose-built gallery completed in 1925. Albert Barnes (1872 - 1951) was a millionaire businessman turned art collector, who collected a great many Cezannes (69!), Matisses (59!) and Renoirs (181!). The African sculpture is equally impressive. Less intimidating than larger galleries, this world-class collection is outstanding, even if you have to crane your neck at times to see works arranged, in traditional salon style, on every bit of wall space practically to the ceiling of every room.
At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we were lucky enough to see an exhibition of German expressionist works showing a radical approach to portraiture (Glitter and Doom: German Portraits from the 1920s). Artists include Max Beckman, Otto Dix and George Grosz. The works are very arresting ‘in the flesh’, where the strength of the portraits and the savagery of these artists’ contempt for the pre-Nazi Weimar republic come across with great impact.
Many intense, hard-edged drawings were exhibited as well, demonstrating that these artists had great observational and drafting skills. The catalogue is available through the gallery or Amazon and is definitely one to have.
Two smaller NY galleries we visited:
Neue Gallery, 1048 Fifth Avenue at 86th St, which specialises in German and Austrian art from the Secessionist and Expressionist period, especially showcasing the works of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. The gallery occupies a mansion, built in 1914 and later lived in by a Vanderbilt, which is glorious in itself. Downstairs there is a glamorous and funky café in the style of the period. Sadly, there were only a few Schieles on view when we went and several more Klimts. We could have spent a long time browsing the small but very comprehensive bookshop.
Adelson Galleries, 19 E. 82nd St., where we saw an exhibition of John Singer Sargent’s (1856 - 1925) watercolours and oils from the Grand Canal, Venice, produced between the 1880s and 1913. The watercolours startle with their freshness and vivacity. The sense of atmosphere, space, light and weather captured in a few splashy strokes and in rich transparent colour makes these works breathtaking.