Darlin' I Love You But Give Me Park Avenue

Apart from becoming a connoisseur of street-vendor gyro wraps this summer, I’ve also managed to accomplish a few more of what you might call “high-brow” cultural activities as well (although I would still argue that the street gyro is an art in itself).

Aunt Sally, Erin, Emilie and I went to the MET a few weeks ago, which included several unexpectedly scary moments. We saw the Alexander McQueen "Savage Beauty" exhibit first, which featured pieces spanning from collections across the late McQueen’s lifetime. Aside from the clothes – which were striking on their own – the design of the exhibit was a work of art in itself! It was quite a transformation from the average museum scene as we wandered through a dreamy Tim Burton-esque maze of butterfly headpieces and McQueen’s signature skulls. I felt a little bittersweet as I moved through the exhibit because it was clear that McQueen was not only a remarkably gifted artist, but also a deeply troubled man.

When the group finally emerged at the exit my aunt exclaimed, “I thought I was going to be lost in there forever!” and I have to admit, I felt the same way. All in all, it was a good kind of scary though. Here's a taste of one of the tamer sights to see at the exhibit: 

...Probably from his ready-to-wear collection. 

After the McQueen exhibit's disturbing factor we were all famished, so we set off in search of food. Before we could find something to eat, however, we got trapped in another trippy exhibit called "Richard Serra Drawing: A Retrospective." Instead of turning around and running for our lives at the first sight of a huge canvas painted completely black, we decided in our hungry delirium to simply charge through the whole exhibit at a kind of gallop/run. We got lots of stares. While I enjoyed the McQueen "Savage Beauty" exhibit, I think it's safe to say that the full effect of Richard Serra’s drawings might have gone over my head.

Here is a shot of one room inside the Serra exhibit.

Does anyone get this? I’m open to an art lesson. Seriously.

Needless to say, we finally found the cafeteria, and I got a real Coke (none of that Pepsi stuff), and soon all was well in the world. I loved the MET, and I’ve decided to go back in a few weeks and skip the big exhibits to make sure I see everything they have in their permanent galleries. For now, I’ll have to stick with my current view of the museum, which is from the backside, on my runs through Central Park. Tough life, I know!

That's me! This is on the roof of the MET, looking over Central Park.

When Courtney came to visit, we took a trip to the MoMA, which had far fewer scary moments in store for us than the MET. This also could have to do with the fact that we didn't repeat the mistake of entering a museum on an empty stomach, but instead we stuffed ourselves with pints of banana pudding from the Magnolia Bakery on the way there. I even showed Courtney my habit of eating it out of the carton with a spoon as we walked down the street. You can’t pass that place without getting something! I swear they pump delectable air out to the street to ensnare innocent passers-by…

But I digress. The MoMA is a nice short walk from the apartment, and it is small enough that exploring the museum is completely doable in one day. We saw Starry Night and many other famous pieces, which is always neat, but one of my favorite parts was actually the current exhibit, "German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse." When I walked in the room, I was immediately drawn to Otto Dix's 1923 Nocturnal Apparition, shown below. Something about the contrast of the woman’s gaunt, haunting face and her disturbingly jovial hat initially caught my eye. On the surface, the piece symbolizes a post-war German society, yet it also includes an interesting side-profile portrait of Dix on the left. 


My visit to the MoMA made me realize the extent to which everyone experiences art differently. Our group dispersed almost instantly as we walked in the door, and when we left everyone had their own impression of what they found most interesting; I practically walked right by Starry Night without even noticing it, yet for some reason I walked straight up to Dix’s piece without missing a beat.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for a post about my first trip to Yankee stadium! 

-Laura