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| The original building of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art |
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| The new wing is known as the Bloch Building, after the major benefactor |
My first concern was to study the new wing, which was designed by Stephen Holl. We had seen it a few years before when it first opened, but the day was rainy and gray, so I didn't get good photos. Today was bright, with a warm wind keeping the clouds at bay.
Stephen Holl is a minimalist with exceptional flare, and he took advantage of a difficult site to create a structure that is so minimal that it seems to disappear into the environment, but so innovative that it is spectacular to see. The problem with the site is that the old Nelson-Atkins with its traditional styling and lofty setting was much revered. It was important for the new building not to compete with the old building, and it was highly preferred that the hillside be left intact, even though the museum needed a lot of new gallery space. Holl's solution was to create four pavilions that look like streamlined ice bergs, and to place them so they descend down the hillside. To keep the building's profile low, the art galleries are actually located below ground. The pavilions are translucent, so they serve as light wells for the galleries. The design minimizes the wing's above-ground presence, but the way these bright cubes spill down the hill is quite thrilling.
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| The Bloch wing hides quietly behind rows of trees |
Inside all is plain and austere, but there is an abundance of fresh clear light. There is nothing like decoration, but the walls go off at unexpected angles, and the ceiling makes unexpected curves. I just love being there.
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| Interior of Bloch Building |
The lowest gallery on the hill provides the perfect setting for the meditative sculptures of Isamu Noguchi. A window wall brought the park outside into the gallery and enhanced a bed of river stone. There were two soothingly silent fountains and several other fine large sculptures by Noguchi in a garden-like arrangement that embodied the essence of meditation.
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| Noguchi indoor sculpture garden |
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| Fountain with water barely spilling over stone by Isamu Noguchi |
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| Isamu Noguchi, 1904-1988 Avatar, 1947 |
Nearby I discovered another work arranged like a stone meditation garden, but its intent was socio-political. It consisted of tires embossed with Aztec designs, then rolled across fine white sand to create an imprint. It says something about the exploitation of labor in Mexico, but it also has humorous and aesthetic appeal. It was by a Mexican sculptor, a woman, who was previously unknown to me, Betsabeé Romero.
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| Betsabeé Romero, b. 1963 Sugar Skin, c. 2013 |
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| Louise Nevelson, 1899-1988 End of Day—Nightscape IV, 1973 |
Comparing these two works, notice that the work of the younger sculptor is much more complex. Romero co-opts some of Nevelson's aesthetics and employs it for a cultural statement. Artists of Nevelson's generation were seeking a kind of purity, trying to make self-contained aesthetic statements. Artists of Romero's generation sought to make more expressive works, expressive both of society and of themselves.
Here's another example by a woman sculptor who is not yet well-known.
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| Yinka Shonibare, b. 1962 Planets in My Head, Physics, 1010 |
The new wing also has several galleries of paintings from the 20th century. Here's a sample of my favorites.
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| Neil Welliver, 1929-2005 Late Squall, 1984 |
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| Richard Estes, b. 1932 Bus Window, 1973 |
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| Wayne Thiebaud, b. 1920 Apartment Hill, 1980 |
The old museum is a very nice example of beaux arts architecture; it is sort of a mediterranean villa with galleries oriented around a beautiful interior courtyard called Roselle Court, which also has a nice cafeteria where Dan and I met for lunch.
One reason this museum is such a draw for us is their large collection of paintings by Thomas Hart Benton, a native of Missouri. In order to indicate this great artist's range, here is a large sample of his work.
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| Thomas Hart Benton, 1889-1975 Hollywood, 1938 |
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| Thomas Hart Benton, 1889-1975 Persephone, 1939 |
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| Thomas Hart Benton, 1889-1975 Still Life, 1936 |
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| Thomas Hart Benton, 1889-1975 The Sun Treader (Portrait of Carl Ruggles), c. 1934 |
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| Thomas Hart Benton, 1889-1975 Open Country, 1952 |
Another artist from Missouri, Richard E. Miller, moved to Giverny and painted in an Impressionist style, specializing in beautiful women in delicate light and tasteful settings.
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| Richard E. Miller, 1875-1943 At the Window, c. 1912 |
When we first started our art travels, Dan and I took an interest in an appealing painter whose work we saw in art magazines, but not in major museums, Birger Sandzén. We happened to be passing near his home in Lindsborg Kansas, so we toured the museum devoted to his work. He was an immigrant from Sweden, who did most of his painting while teaching at Bethany College in Lindsborg. He specialized in landscapes in luscious colors and rhythmic simplification. I was happy to see that his work is getting recognition by the art establishment.
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| Birger Sandzén, 1871-1954 The Great Peak (Longs Peak), 1938 |
The museum gives pretty good coverage of American art in the 19th century. Early in the century, sailing ships were as important as jet planes, and quite a lot more attractive. Painters like Fitz Henry Lane specialized in them. This is one of his best. Notice the control of whites, from the bright sails to the hazy clouds.
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| Fitz Henry Lane, 1804-1865 “Starlight” in Harbor, c. 1855 |
This painting by George Inness, also one of his best, is in some ways archetypical of 19th century American painting. It shows a wide, idyllic pastoral landscape with tiny figures of soldiers marching in the distance, only the slightest acknowledgement of reality. And isn't this the way life is? Our personal lives muddle along seemingly unaffected by constant warfare around the world.
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| George Inness, 1825-1894 Peace and War, 1848 |
Turning to the museum's European section, they can be very proud to show three works by the group of women painters who achieved fame, and even entrance into the prestigious Academy, in late 18th century France. The foremost of these was Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun. She specialized in idealized portraits of aristocratic women wearing Romantic garb, each one more appealing than the last.
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| Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1755-1843 Portrait of Marie Gavrielle de Gramont, Duchesse de Caderousse, 1784 |
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| Adelaide Labille-Guiard, 1749-1803 Portrait of Joachim Le Breton, 1795 |
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| Attributed to Rose Adélaïde Ducreux, 1761-1802 Portrait of Diane de la Vaupalière, Comtesse de Langeron, c. 1790 |
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| Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640 The Sacrifice of Isaac, c. 1613 |
Now it is necessary to enter a complaint about this fine museum: its hours are not at all friendly to travelers. It is closed both Monday and Tuesday, plus it closes at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, which left us very few hours to cram in a lot of art. When the guards kicked us out, we felt very disappointed.
We still had some energy and the light was perfect when we emerged from the museum, so we lugged ourselves around the beautiful sculpture garden, even though the afternoon was hot and muggy.
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| Henry Moore, 1898-1986 Reclining Figure: Hand, 1979 |
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| Henry Moore, 1898-1986 Sheep Piece, 1972 |
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| Roxy Paine, b. 1966 Ferment, 2011 |
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| Ursula von Rydingsvard, b. 1942 Three Bowls, 1990 |
After an hour of hiking up and down hills and taking photos, we were well-cooked. I rested and did computer work in our air-conditioned room. Dan had dinner at the Marriott Hotel, across the street, sitting at the bar. He said the crowd was very lively and he had a lot of fun.
