Tucson Art Museum

A good indicator of the cultural identity of any American city, in my opinion, is it's art museum. At the Tucson Art Museum the combination of the permanent collection and special exhibitions showcased the narrative of American westward expansion, but also the global significance of western art. The actual layout of the museum is like a reverse Guggenheim (New York) in the respect that it's a ramp that descends in a rectangular form. The museum contains respective European and modern collections, which includes Rodin, some Impressionists, and a great collection of folk art.

One of the current exhibitions on view at the museum was about Dutch-born artist Henry Balink, who did remarkable portraits of Southwestern Native Americans. The exhibition was supported largely from the private collection of Howard and Marilyn Steele who I was fortunate to meet the same day later on at the Tuscon Symphony Orchestra. I interpreted Balink's portraits as a nod toward traditional Dutch portraiture based on positioning of sitters and the cropping of the torsos. Yet, Balink added vibrant and sun toned colors in his portraits to make his own distinction upon a culture he found inspiring.

After the museum, my aunts treated me to a wonderful dinner at the the museum cafe with friends Jack Doyle and Ann Forsberg-Doyle. I had a great time at the museum, a wonderful dinner, and then a great night at the symphony. Who ask for a better culture packed day in Tucson?

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/