From May 25th to the 28th I was in New York City to unwind for a couple of days. Despite temperature in the low 30’s (unusual for late spring NYC weather), it was a fantastic time. I did my usual routine of visiting various museums and eating profuse amounts of Japanese food. Normally I am in NYC during the Asian Art shows, so it is very seldom that I have more time to spend more time at the museums.
I was able to stop by the Neue Galerie on the Upper East Side. Famous for its collection of early 20th Century German and Austrian Art, the museum also holds the famous Gustav Klimt (1862-1816) portrait of the “Woman in Gold”, Adele Bloch-Bauer, from 1907. I have a special connection with this time period because it was part of my studies during my later university years and my M.A. at the University of Toronto.
At the Neue Galerie, they are featuring two simultaneous exhibitions. Taking up the third floor gallery is ‘Munch and Expressionism’. The show examines Edvard Munch (1863-1944) and his influence on various forms of Expressionism during the first two decades of the 20th Century. The smaller gallery on the second floor features ‘The Expressionist Nude’ with works including Oskar Kokoschka, Egon Schiele, Ernst Kirchner and Gustav Klimt. The restaurant on the first floor is also a 'must-visit' with its choice of Bavarian sausages and beers.
At The Met, I was able to check out three amazing shows. The first is ‘Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World’. Pergamon was a Greek colony in modern-day Turkey from the 3rd to 2nd century BC. Many paintings, ceramics, bronzes and sculptures are featured. Pictured here is a massive marble sculpture of the Greek goddess of wisdom Athena.
The other exhibitions at the Met I saw include 'Global by Design: Chinese Ceramics from the R. Alburquerque Collection'. The image I chose is a set of massive garnitures from the Kangxi Period (1662-1722). ‘Masterpieces of Chinese Painting from the Metropolitan Collection’ is in the Chinese galleries. It includes Imperial paintings from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Many have been 'tagged' with Imperial Seals.
In the Chelsea District, the Rubin Museum of Art is showing ‘Nepalese Seasons: Rain and Ritual’. This exhibition depicts the influence of the seasons on Nepalese Buddhist and Hindu culture. Pictured here is a Massive Bronze Mask of Hath Dya, Nepal 16th Century. This deity is thought to have an influence on the harvests.
I leave you with my bento lunch at one of my favourite restaurants in NYC, Soba Totto, by Grand Central. For 25 USD I got a small salad, edamame, a side of sashimi (salmon, whitefish and tuna), stone pot rice and fish, beef tataki, etc. It also came with a small portion of hand made soba!
