Tucson Botanical Garden

Several weeks ago I was able to visit Tucson, AZ to see my aunts Iris, Jan, and Lida. Over the next coming weeks I'll be sharing several blogs about my trip to Tucson. 

This week's blog entry starts with my visit to the Tucson Botanical Gardens. A traveling exhibition, developed by the New York Botanical Garden, showcasing several exhibits about the life and home of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907 -1954). The exhibitions included a recreation of a small Mayan temple that Frida and her husband Diego Rivera used as a focal point in their garden in Mexico City. Their 'Casa Azul' or 'Blue House', painted a vibrant bright blue, is still in Mexico where visitors are welcomed. Frida's life and expressive career as a painter was inspired-in-part by nature (specifically the dessert climate), as thematically proved in the garden exhibits.
 
The garden had wonderful specimens of native Southwestern plants, shrubs, trees, and cacti. It also included a small cafe that featured a Frida-inspired menu. It was an extreme pleasure to have dinner with my aunts, learn about new species of cacti and plants, and celebrate the work and life of Frida.

 

Detroit Institute of Arts

I visited Detroit several weeks ago, because I wanted to check out the Detroit Institute of Art, which is well-known for its murals by Diego Rivera. I was surprised by the abundance and quality the Institute had in its overall collection. It had a very strong selection American artworks, including pieces from the Hudson River School, and very strong Medieval and Renaissance collections as well. 

The a true highlight of the museum, Rivera's murals, are stunning and exhilarating. I was floored at how well the murals configured within the atrium space at the museum. Rivera's take on industrial progress and the city of Detroit reflect his beliefs of Marxism and critical views on capitalism. Rivera tried to encompass all aspects of industry, from complex mass manufacturing to the human cost of fast-paced production lines that diminished the individual. 

The Institute also had an extremely strong European collection that included many master painters and sculptors. It's always fun encountering familiar works of art at different stages and scales, such as Carpeaux's Ugolino and His Sons (pictured below).

I had a wonderful time at the Detroit Institute of Arts and I hope to make it back sometime next year. 

A portrait by Thomas Eakins

A landscape by Renoir

A model for one side panel for the Arc de Trimoph in Paris.

Henry Fuseli's The Nightmare

See The Met's finished Ugolino: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/67.250/