Museum hopping



In true fashion, I spent last week lounging at home in my pajamas, ordering breakfast in or wandering out occasionally to my favorite diner. I did get to catch up on my DVD-viewing. I went through Catch Me If You Can, Reservoir Dogs, The Debut, Spellbound and Better Luck Tomorrow in five days. Reviews forthcoming, if I get to it. Also I spent about a day making lists. Things to Do lists. A Museums to Visit list, with addresses, subway directions, office hours and entrance fees. I made a spiffy two-week calendar in Photoshop with bright, springy colors and filled it with my tentative itinerary. I updated my Movies to Watch and Books to Read lists. And updated and revised my Things to Do list. I went to the doctor's and the lab. I went to my friend's baby shower, where I manned the grill and assembled baby bouncers for her twins.



The company I work for ties up with most of the major museums so, fortunately, I have free entrance! On Tuesday, I went to the Met, which houses works of art ranging from Greek to modern. The weather was beautiful and the museum was packed. People sat on the steps outside eating sandwiches. I didn't have time to walk through the whole musem - a day isn't enough, more so the measly couple of hours I had left until closing time just because I waited for the Ellen DeGeneres show. Urgh. I did get to finish the whole first floor (yes!), including Arms and Armor, Egyptian Art, the Temple of Dendur, and the Greek Sculpture court.







I had my map out the whole time, which was good because the Met is a dizzying labyrinth. I had to pause quite a few times, gather my bearings, pinpoint my location on the map and find my way in and out of various galleries. I know it would have been delightful to just get lost but this is me, I would never have found my way out. There was a particular group of paintings in the Medieval Art section that caught my attention. They were mostly Roman Catholic images - Jesus in the Garden, the Apostles - but looking at them, the first thing I thought of was the set of tarot cards that my lola (grandmother) used to have. Come to think of it, it's very strange that my lola would even have tarot cards as she wasn't so inclined. I did like those paintings very much and even spent a couple of minutes just sitting on a bench and admiring them.



It's always a little overwhelming when you actually see a famous work of art "in the flesh". It's amazing how this work of art conceived of and actualized hundreds of years ago by somebody long dead can still strike a chord in somebody like me. I didn't realize how much I liked art. Damn, too bad I haven't taken advantage of the corporate discount thing until now. I found this woman admiring Renoir's Two Girls at the Piano. She didn't know I was taking her picture.







One of my favorites at the Greek sculpture court is this one.







I don't know who he is and it's been bugging me all night. Those are his sons surrounding him and they're pleading with him about something. Does somebody out there know, until I read up more on Greek mythology?



The Temple of Dendur was given to the United States by Egypt in 1965 as a gift. On one of the walls is the tag of an ancient graffiti artist. (Leonardo 1820)







I spent the most time in the section containing the mummies. It was eery and fascinating at the same time.







The next day I renewed my passport at the Philippine Consulate (disorganized, nasty clerks, coin-operated copy machines). And then afterwards I went to Cooper-Hewitt, where Christopher Dresser's works were on exhibit. The people there were incredibly snotty so I didn't even attempt to take pictures. The Guggenheim was exquisite. I could stay there all day staring at the Picassos and Van Goghs. Their current exhibit is Speaking with Hands, a collection of artworks that have anything to do with hands.







Last stop was the American Museum of National History where I finally met my childhood idol, Stegosaurus.







Yesterday, back to consul to pick up passport. Was told office was closed. Extremely pissed. Headed to Museum of Television and Radio where The Jury was premiering. Spent two hours in the library watching Best Television Commercials from 1994.



Today, MOMA QNS and PS1. At MOMA QNS I spotted an old couple sitting on a bench in front of a painting. They looked so cute I took out my camera, but they stood up before I could take a picture of them. I did manage to take a picture of this museum attendant with two Warhols.







I spent five hours looking at Dieter Roth's work today and I think I'm going a little crazy. This is one of his installations. It's called Solo Scenes. Pictures weren't allowed but I took these before I asked (oops). It's composed of 131 DVD players and 131 monitors, mounted on three shelves. And it's hundreds of hours of footage of Roth at different points of his day - eating, playing the piano, reading the newspaper - from 1997 to 1998.







He's one of those guys who are walking the thin line between genius and lunacy. Do check out the online exhibit. Will post more (maybe with pictures) next time when I'm not as sleepy and when I don't have to walk three miles the next day.