DE YOUNG MUSEUM San Francisco
I went to see the PICASSO MASTERPIECES FROM THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS collection at the DE YOUNG MUSEUM in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Woody Allen’s new movie MIDNIGHT IN PARIS renewed my interest in Picasso because of the time travel sequences to Paris in the 1920’s. The film also included guest appearances by actors playing the roles of Salvador Dali, Ernest Hemingway, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cole Porter, Gertrude Stein, Degas and many more. The music was also tasteful and fit that bohemian period. You can read my blog review of Janet Klein And Her Parlor Boys’ performance at the Coffee Gallery Backstage. Her recreation of the music of the 1920’s is very accurate. Being involved in the arts, I have seen many works by Picasso. He’s not one of my favorites but he created such a diverse collection of works during his lifetime that many of them are striking and well thought out. There were quite a few pieces in this exhibit that I have never seen before. I’m very pleased to have seen them because I thought they were some of his best. To the uninitiated, the arts can be very subjective. How does one know good from bad art when it comes to artists like Picasso and beyond? Knowing what you like is a good starting point, but allowing the option to learn more about art and the thinking behind it certainly increases and shapes one’s views about it.I was equally interested in visiting both the DE YOUNG MUSEUM and THE LEGION OF HONOR museum. This was the first time I have seen them and would gladly make a point to see future exhibits there. In 2005 the DE YOUNG reopened as a newly remodeled state of the art museum. The architecture and grounds are beautiful to experience. The cost of admission allows viewers access to the LEGION OF HONOR museum as well. This is an older traditional museum comparable to THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART in Washington D.C. or the METROPOLITAN in New York City. The LEGION OF HONOR is located a short car drive from the DE YOUNG in Lincoln Park, with an elevated and beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge and surroundings.
The PICASSO exhibit will be up until October 10, 2011. If you plan on visiting this show, think about avoiding weekends. When the museum is crowded with other viewers, it can be difficult to get a good look at the art, but it is still worthwhile.
Tom Skelly – THE SOUND OF PICTURES – Sundays 7pm-10pm