Rothko

Dan & Rothko @ MoMA

The Temple of Dendur

It was pretty cool to see the Temple of Dendur. Partly because it had been featured in Project Runway and When Harry Met Sally, partly because it's synonymous with the Met. The Metropolitan Museum of Art blew my mind. It was mind-boggling to believe I was really there. Ever since I was a kid and read The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, I wanted to go there.

It's hard to explain, but I felt rather patriotic that this world-class museum is in the U.S. Dan and I were lucky enough to visit museums of this rank in London and Paris, but I questioned whether my own country had a comparable collection anywhere. I've been to the Getty in L.A., the Art Institute of Chicago and countless other museums around the country, but the Met is undoubtedly the preeminent museum in the U.S. 

The only problem is, when I visit a mega-museum like this, it always seems like there's just not enough time. We saw a LOT of stuff yesterday, and still barely scratched the surface. Plus, it gets exhausting to see just the galleries/artworks you want to see, let alone the unexpected treasures you kind of stumble upon. 

Yesterday, we visited 

• the Superheroes special exhibit (fashion from and inspired by superhero movies) - no photos allowed, unfortunately
• Modern Art galleries (where they had a great selection of Giacometti & Modigliani)
• 19th-century European painting galleries (van Gogh, Seurat, Matisse, Redon, Picasso)
• Medieval art & armor
• Egyptian art and the Temple of Dendur

We also made a point to check out the Koons exhibit on the roof. It doesn't sound like much, but it wiped us out for the day. As usual, I geeked out and took a bunch of photos of paintings & sculpture. Dan joined in, with detailed shots of various paintings - including Chuck Close. Some of our photos are posted on Flickr for those wishing to vicariously browse the Met galleries. 

Was ist Neue?

The Neue Galerie was our first stop today to see the Klimt exhibit. It didn't take us long to get through the exhibit of about 7 paintings and many drawings / personal effects. I was a little disappointed that there weren't more paintings (and that the Neue didn't permit photos in the galleries), but the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer (postcard shown in picture) was worth the price of admission. Unbelievable. The Neue paid $135 million for this painting, which may still hold the record. Plus, the subject and provenance of the painting are pretty fascinating. 

Anyway, we're back at the hotel now...gearing up for the My Morning Jacket concert tonight. Auf Wiedersehen.