Fabulous Fashion at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

I often wait for an exhibit to be almost over before I'll force myself to go- especially during these cold months fraught with all kinds of weather. Seeing the latest fashion exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was no exception. Fabulous Fashion: From Dior's New Look to Now had been on my list since before it opened in mid-October. Whether  you are a fashion addict or casual observer, it was a really nice selection of cocktail dresses, glorious gowns, shoes, hats, handbags, and bridalwear.

A Dior silhouette with classic cinched waist, 1948; Woman's Fumo (Smoke) Evening Dress - silk shell detail by Roberto Capucci, 1985

These two designs reminded me of my own prom dress from the 1980s- Pierre Cardin and Jacqueline de Ribes, 1990.

My favorite ruffled detail on a light and fluttery dress by Pierre Cardin.

Issey Miyake's colorful  and unique "Flying Saucer" dress was a crowd favorite, 1994; Detail of cocktail dress by Emilio Schuberth, 1961

Evening dress and petticoat designed by Anne Fogarty in 1953 (above); Draping as shown by Marc Bohan (yellow dress with cape, left), 1983

Pierre Cardin - Woman's Evening Ensemble: Top and Skirt, 1989

Museum Voyeur

Guggenheim, New York - Fall 1994

Favorite Fall Getaway - Storm King

There's nothing like a peaceful stroll through Storm King in the fall. It's one of my favorite places (and escapes a short distance from New York City), especially this time of year. The outdoor museum has participated in bringing programs and the sculpture of Mark di Suvero to their adjunct location on Governor's Island during the summer months. But the real thing and the experience of being on the grounds just can't be duplicated!

Latest Work - Science and Math for Back To School

Blow off the dust from that old book! My latest inspirations come from the worlds of science and math. Vintage Coral and Seaweed (left) is like discovering an 18th or 19th century print from an old botany book  uncovered from the spiderwebs of the lost stacks in the Natural History Museum. Pie Shell (right) is a visual math pun based on the Pythagorean Theorem for triangles and pi.

Getting Medieval - The Cloisters

So far, February has been about as pleasant and mild as a day in April. The spring flowers are about as confused as we are. On a particularly bright, warm day last week, I made an afternoon trip to the Cloisters Museum far up in Manhattan’s most northwestern corner. It is an extension of Midtown’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, housing the main collection’s spillover of Medieval art. The area boasts breezy views of the Hudson and the cliffs of the Palisades on the New Jersey side.

The Fort Tryon Park heather field.

One room displays a series of seven tapestries chronicling the hunt and capture of a unicorn. The image above, The Unicorn in Captivity, is probably the museum's most famous image. As I looked around the room, the woven pieces appeared to become increasingly violent and somewhat sad. I felt for this poor creature. As I learned by eavesdropping on the three o'clock tour, the horn of the unicorn was highly sought after in Medieval stories because the possession of its horn was thought to remedy any potential poison in one's wine. The fear and suspicion of being poisoned in these times must have been pretty high - this is also the storied origin of the tradition of clinking glasses during a toast. Each person holding a cup of wine was to tip a little of his/her beverage into the other's so that if poison were a possibility by the other party, each would then have the poison and be expected to drink.

It’s been a while since I have revisited my “early”artistic roots for my graduate thesis when I studied the relationship between modern art and Byzantine art with a focus on Matisse and Picasso. I was particularly interested in seeing some stained glass and illuminated manuscripts from Spain that I studied many years ago. Walking around the museum’s enclosed herb gardens and having its corridors practically to myself made for a really spectacular day.

Book Review: Vanished Smile - The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa's special display room, Louvre (Paris - May 27, 2005)

One hundred years ago today (also a very hot summer day in Paris), arguably the most famous painting of all time disappeared from the Louvre Museum. Although her true identity remains a mystery, she is known as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa or La Gioconda (dated c.1503-1506). I read the book, Vanished Smile, a few months ago thinking it was fiction based on reality. Though I went to graduate school for art, this event was strangely absent from the curriculum.

The book chronicles her mysterious disappearance through the periodicals of the day and makes for a very interesting read. Two days later, amidst turmoil and confusion, the new vacancy at the museum was the headline of all the Paris newspapers. The curious events surrounding her escape occurred at a time when security systems were lax; the advent of photography also played a big role. Her disappearance added to her world-renowned charm. Suspicion throughout the city grew worldwide. Even Picasso and his cronies were on the list of possible suspects. Who took her? How and when was she returned? Here's a hint, but I guess you'll just have to read all about it.

Today, she lives once again back at the Louvre in a special room with a multi-million dollar security system as she receives visitors who have to stand in line to get a short-lived glimpse of that famous enigmatic smile.

Museum Buttons - Collecting

Every time I come back from a museum visit, I dutifully put my little metallic badge in a jar that I have for such items. I don't even remember how this peculiar little collection started. It was probably when I first noticed that there was a different color every time I went. It soon became a small obsession like hunting for the prize at the bottom of the cereal box - collect all five! 

Most of the buttons are from multiple visits to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art each emblazoned with a giant "M" diagrammed like Leonardo's Vitruvian Man. They are from the days when I was a student practically living in one perfectly-ventilated environment or another. Others are from the New Museum, the Whitney, the MFA in Boston, DIA in upstate New York, the Morgan Library, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (identified and distinguished by the gryphon on a colorful background). As I see them all spread out, I realize, that's a lot of looking at art!

Guggenheim on Display

I was walking on Fifth Avenue past the Guggenheim Museum a few weeks ago in late October. What I saw that night stopped me in my tracks. There was a crowd gathering too- especially across the street. The world famous art museum featured a world-class visual display on its outside. Clever site-specific projections (with sound) wrapped the 4-tiered architectural masterpiece. The 15-minute loop was a celebration of video and video artists for the "YouTube Biennial of Creative Video". I stood there mesmerized for about 45 minutes just taking it all in over and over again. Take a look at some of my favorites.

And for the first time on my blog, here is a YouTube video of my own for your viewing pleasure!