IdyllopusPress Presents

Chairs Not in the High Museum Collection (1-5)

Chairs Not in the High Collection #1
Chairs Not in the High Museum Collection #1, Jan 2008

Chairs Not in the High Collection #2
Chairs Not in the High Museum Collection #2, Jan 2008

Chairs Not in the High Collection #3
Chairs Not in the High Museum Collection #3, Jan 2008

Chairs Not in the High Collection #4
Chairs Not in the High Museum Collection #4, Jan 2008

Chairs Not in the High Collection #5
Chairs Not in the High Museum Collection #5, Jan 2008

H.o.p., by the way, had a pretty good time. He enjoyed the audio tour for the Inspiring Impressionism exhibit (which was packed with people) but I think he loved even more the layout of the museum, the walkways. Wanting to do the Inspiring Impressionism exhibit in a leisurely manner, we only had a brief look at what else was there, this outing. There were few enough people in the upper floors that when we got to the Howard Finster area he made a game of insisting I close my eyes, then turning me around and having me walk back a few steps and forward a few steps and turning me around again, doing this for a little while each time, hoping to disorient me, then having me open my eyes again on a work of art before which he’d maneuvered me into position.

Claes Oldenburg’s “Balzac Pétanque” was a big hit with him, just as was his “Giant Soft Fan” that he saw at MoMA.

What a great name, “Balzac Pétanque”.

He also really enjoyed just being while seated opposite Cezanne’s “Still Life with Statuette”, which is funny as it’s a work I’ve never liked, and I just as much disliked it in person as in a book.

H.o.p. likes sitting at museums. In every room with seating he grabs an opportunity to sit on a bench or chair or sofa and become a part of it all, rather than just being an observer going through and examining the paintings. He wants to settle in for a while and just be. Soak something in. I know how he feels because I enjoy it as well, and know too it is less a matter of appraising art than experiencing the environment.

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Juli Kearns

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4 responses to “Chairs Not in the High Museum Collection (1-5)”

  1. Jennifer Avatar
    Jennifer

    I love that he loves to sit! How wonderful. I think the world would be a better, more peaceful place, if more people sat in museums and soaked it in.

    Reply
  2. Mary Jane Avatar
    Mary Jane

    I love your photo series!! Thanks for sharing your vacation… I havent been to New York in 20 years… I went to the Frida Khalo show last night at the Walker… after an hour in line and a lot of patience viewing the work with 250 people at a time allowed in… I found a really nice chair and just sat there for a while…I didn’t want to leave the feeling of being there was awesome.

    Reply
  3. Arvin Hill Avatar
    Arvin Hill

    Love the series. The washed out, low contrast of the floor & walls.

    Not fond of the museum’s policy. It’s okay to photograph art as long as it isn’t shared with the general public? What a bunch of hooey.

    Museums have always heralded themselves as keepers of the flame, i.e. sharing art with the public. Considering the restrictions commonplace at museums all over the world (excluding the obvious common sense ones such as the deleterious effects of bright light/flash on delicate works), the truth about the role of The Museum is considerably darker.

    It’s been too long since I’ve visited one. On a whirlwind tour through China last spring, we were fortunate to visit The Shanghai Museum, although we were limited to a couple of hours, which was downright cruel. I could have spent two days there.

    On a side note, being liberated from dial-up means I can enjoy your site to its fullest – which I am.

    Reply
  4. Idyllopus Avatar
    Idyllopus

    Arvin, it was stunning walking into the Pacific Northwest Hall at the NY Museum of Natural History. But then there’s the bitter history of how museums have amassed much of their collections in the first place.

    And despite it all, if I lived in NY or DC I can imagine myself daily in the museums as just one piece is enough to captivate me for a day. And NY’s Metro Museum of Art has at least only a suggested donation amount for adults. If you don’t have the money to pay it they don’t refuse you entry. Here in Atlanta, the High has one free Saturday a month for Fulton County residents(at least there’s that) and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History I think has only one free day a year.

    Two hours at The Shanghai Museum…yeah, that’s cruel. I’m reminded of Goddard’s “Band of Outsiders” and the running visit through the Louvre. I thought of the scene more than once while visiting the museums in NY.

    Reply

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