We were lucky enough to spend a week in New York City and we filled it with as much art as we could! Our visit was from February 26 - March 3 and we've shared a little bit of what was on display at each.
The very first museum we visited in NYC was The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and boy did it not disappoint. From the grand, high ceilings and huge windows that bathed each room in bright sunlight to the endless rooms full of ancient and modern art, the museum is one you could spend days exploring! We spent the majority of our time looking at the modern art on display, which featured the artwork of Chuck close, Georgia O'Keefe, Vincent Van Gough, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Alex Caulder, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Elsworth Kelly, Sol Lewitt, and too many more to name.
Next up, The Guggenheim itself is a piece of art unlike no other. With a dramatic, circular ramp that guides you through each floor's exhibition space and a ceiling that floods the centre of the space with light, we had a difficult time peeling our eyes away from the architecture and onto the work on display. The exhibition "Josef Albers in Mexico" consisted of sharp, architectural abstractions corralled together off the main ramp. The featured exhibition "Take My Breath Away" by Danh Vo wound up every floor, becoming increasingly revealing and immersive the higher you walk. Both shows were an impressive compliment to the gallery space and created an awesome visitor experience.
The Museum of Modern Art is full of large, open hallways and floor to ceiling windows that showcase the city that surrounds the museum. We were very excited to check out the permanent collection and we were not disappointed! Some of our favorites were by Gerhard Richter, Peter Doig, Andy Warhol, Roy Lictenstein, Elsworth Kelly, Morris Lewis, Frank Stella, Alex Calder, Vincent Van Gogh, and Cesanne. A visit to Monet's Water Lillies room went beyond our expectations, the paintings were so large it almost felt as if you were sitting inside it. Each room was full of a work more iconic than the next, with a new gem around every corner!
The Whitney, located on the Hudson River in Chelsea gave us a chance to see another part of New York City! The Museum had two major exhibitions open when were visiting: An Incomplete History of Protest: Selections from the Whitney's Collection, 1940-2017 and Where We Are: Selections from the Whitney's Collection, 1900-1960. The first show, "An Incomplete History of Protest" features pieces by artists who created work that confronted the politics and issues of their time. We saw incredibly powerful work by The Gorilla Girls, General Idea and Melvin Edwards to name a few. This show highlighted themes and issues that are still relevant today, making it an emotional experience. The show "Where We Are" showcased work by Morris Lewis, Georgia O'Keeffe, Alexander Calder, Clyfford Still, Frank Stella, Fairfield Porter and Larry Rivers. It was incredible to see work by artists we have admired for years!
The DIA Art Foundation is tucked discreetly into a Chelsea street, a stark contrast to the impressive exteriors of the four previous galleries we visited. It's first exhibition space showed a large number of works by Francois Morellet, which consisted of crisp, minimal and often installation based works on white walls softly enhanced by the sky lights above. The space was bright, silent, and easy to navigate through. In their second space, a few doors down, however, Rita McBride's "Particulates" placed us in a room that was quite the opposite. The room plunged us into a darkness lit only by her circular installation of light beams, which shone through a wet mist. The noise and smell of the water, accompanied further by the loud hum of electricity, made this an exhibition encompassing all senses. Both shows were well worth the visit!
We had an amazing experience visiting these iconic galleries in New York City and can't wait until we have another opportunity to visit this amazing city!
If you want to see more photos from our trip and more art we feature, check out our Instagram!
