Cincinnati Art Museum

Saturday
It was quite cold today, under grey dismal skies, so it seemed a good morning to go down to the Art Museum and take in a couple of the exhibitions we've been meaning to see. First we went to the tile store to return some samples we've had on loan for our master bathroom floor, and also to pick out a tile to use at the back of the counter in our laundry room. Then we continued on down to the art museum. The Pinocchio statue is a recent addition, having been unveiled just a few weeks ago - it is by a Cincinnati native Jim Dine. The exhibit I particularly wanted to see was "Monet in Giverny: Landscapes of Reflection". This exhibition brings together twelve of Monet's later masterpieces to look anew at the range of Monet's output in Giverny. It "takes reflection in all of its meanings as the governing theme-as a literal motif as well as a metaphor for both Monet's experimentation and our own thoughtful viewing of his painting".
The second exhibition was Picasso prints, which presents works from the museum's permanent collection, revealing the prodigious invention of Pablo Picasso in the medium of printmaking.
The third exhibition was rather bizarre, Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth. This exhibition features the work of Chicago-based African American artist Nick Cave and combines aspects of sculpture, fashion design, dance and video art. I certainly wouldn't have gone specifically to see it, but since we were there, and different parts of the exhibit were spread about in different parts of the museum, you couldn't really miss it! Much of the exhibition consisted of his "soundsuits" - full body, form fitting 'suits', layered and textured with metal, plastic, fabric, found objects, and colorfully dyed human and animal hair designed to rattle, swish, and resonate in rhythm with the movements of the wearer, usually Cave himself. He acquires a lot of his material from thrift stores, yard sales etc. Some of the items he used were crocheted granny squares or pot-holders, and it was quite strange to think of people having made those years ago for themselves, or maybe a family member, little thinking they would end up being part of a 'work of art' and touring various art museums around the country! We also explored some of the permanent collection in the museum, before enjoying a very nice lunch in their cafe. Then we came home and Roger carried on with wall-papering our bathroom, and I was doing some ironing and helping him as needed. A satisfying day!

One year ago: Fleischmann Temple