VISUAL PLEASURES: The New York Art Scene (c) By Polly Guerin

The art scene gratifies the senses on a visual level from the Old Masters to modern interpretations and abstract expressionism as only New York’s cultural institutions can deliver. Here’s the scoop!!!

MIRO The Dutch Interiors

Observe how an artist is inspired. Miro’s modernistic paintings are hung alongside the Dutch Golden Age paintings that inspired them. Pictured left: The Lute Player, by Hendrick Sorgh, Dutch, 1661 and above, Joan Miro's, Dutch Interior, 1928. This encounter between the Dutch Masters and Miro, one of the most esteemed advent-garde artists of the 20th century, is a rare opportunity to see how Miro moved from representational sources to his own language. Concurrently Jan Gossart’s Renaissance: Man, Myth, And Sensual Pleasures is the pivotal Old Master who redirected the course of early Flemish painting. Both exhibits through Jan. 17, 2011. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., www.metmuseum.org.
DIVINE COMEDY

Sotheby’s investigates the comedic side of art from ancient times to today through the lens of Dante’s epic poem, open to the public (FREE). Visitors to the exhibition will travel through Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise, exploring how for centuries artists have harnessed the power of humor in their work with an undercurrent of wit and satire. The Inferno, for example, will highlight the darker, more horrific side of humor. Featured artists include Salvador Dali, Any Warhol, Jeff Koons, Pieter Brueghel, and Auguste Rodin. Through Oct. 19th. At Sotheby’s New York, 1334York Ave. at 71st St., www.Sothebys.com. This exhibit is a lead in to the New York Comedy Festival which runs from 3-7 Nov. 2010. Tel: 212.606.7000.
ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM

A pivotal moment in modern art at MOMA celebrates the achievements of a generation that catapulted New York City to the center of the international art world sixty years ago. The exhibit traces the development of abstract expressionism from its beginnings in the 1940s to its seasoned maturity in the 1960s. 250 works on display cross a variety of mediums, masterpieces including artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning and Robert Motherwell, as well as works of art that have not been seen together for half a century. MOMA 11 W. 53rd St., www.moma.org.
BEYOND BORDERS: Fine Art from Canada

An exhibition of innovative Canadian art is taking place at the Agora Gallery in Chelsea. The works span the range of artistic expression, with artists imparting, with their unique styles, little pieces of the Canadian spirit. Playful, humorous, saturated with color, and presented in unique fashion, this is an exhibition to delight the senses. Opening reception, Oct. 7, 6PM. On view through Oct. 26. 530 West 25th St., 212.226.4406.

Ta Ta Darlings!!! You can’t blame a gal for improving her mind and pleasing her visual senses. Fan mail always welcome www.pollytalk.com. Please check out Polly’s Blog and google: http://www.amazingartdecodivas.blogspot.com, which has been renamed http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com/.

Mixed Media Attractions in the Big Apple (c) By Polly Guerin

Emilie Becat at the Cafe des Ambassadeurs --

The end of September calendar is over the top with mixed media presentations with the focus on Monopoly and Degas art venues, Frida Kahlo and Miro, only in New York. You can’t blame a gal for improving her mind. Here’s the scoop!!!
JEWELED MONOPOLY SET and Host Tournament at the Museum of American Finance unveils the display of an 18-karat gold Monopoly set covered with hundreds of precious gemstones designed by Sidney Mobell, on loan from the Smithsonian. Adults and children may participate in a Monopoly tournament, Oct. 15th, 48 Wall St. www.moaf.org. According to the Henry George School, Monopoly was original designed as a Georgist learning tool called the Landlord’s Game and it was later distorted to remove the Georgist message. Hear about “The Monopoly Game Scandal” at 121 E. 30th St. on Oct. 29th.
DEGAS Drawings and Sketchbooks

Introduces more than 20 drawings by Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas from The Morgan Library & Museum collection. Featured is the artist’s dynamic and varied use of drawings depicting contemporary life and portraits of himself, family members, and friends to intensive studies of dancers and performers. Peer into the exhibit and explore Degas’ innovative combinations of essence (thinned oil paint) and pastels as seen in Emilie Becat at the Café des Ambassadeurs. At 225 Madison Ave. Through Jan. 23, 2011.
FRIDA KAHLO: Face to Face

A new book by artist, Judy Chicago and art historian Frances Borzello turns attention to the work of Frida Kahlo, one of the world’s most revered female painters with a handpicked selection of a hundred portraits by Kahlo that speak to the full spectrum of women’s experience. You’ll remember that Judy Chicago’s best-known work is The Dinner Party, an important icon of feminist art and a milestone in 20th century art. At the Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Sun, Oct 3rd, at 2 p.m. http://www.brookynmuseum.org/.
MIRO: The Dutch Interiors

On view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art beginning Oct. 5 features the artist’s Dutch Interior paintings which have been hung alongside the Dutch Golden age pictures that inspired them. This encounter between the Dutch Masters and one of the most esteemed avant-garde artists of the 20th century is both unexpected and rare. Viewers will see how Miro moved from representational sources to his own language. 1000 Fifth Ave. www.metmuseum.org.
Ta Ta darlings!!! So much artistic bounty in the Big Apple. Mark your calendar. I’ll be at Frida’s venue. Fan mail always welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. Check out Polly’s Blogs: http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com and http://www.thefashionhistorian.blogspot.com.

NEW YORK, AN INTERNATIONAL FAIRYTALE CITY (C) By Polly Guerin

The Contortionist at Amercas Society

New York City, an international fairytale city, ushers in autumn on a high note of magical happenings with cultural digs to art venues, an artistic wonderland and amazing storytellers right here in the Big Apple, the place to be in September. Here’s the scoop!!!

ART and MYTH IN ANCIENT PERU:

Americas Society in collaboration with Museo del Arte de Lima presents, “The History of the Jequetepeque Valley” showcasing Pre-Columbian art from the north coast of Peru. Amazing, only in New York my friends, the exhibit represents 3,000 years of the region’s cultural history. A rare opportunity to view the diverse artistic styles employed by the various societies that occupied the valley with ceramic traditions, in addition to textile and metal objects. Some items exhibit a whimsicality and the spirit of fantasy figures. www.americassociety.org. Till Oct 23, 680 Park Ave. at 68th St.

(photograph: Daniel Giannoni)
ROY LICHTENSTEIN: THE BLACK-AND-WHITE DRAWINGS, 1961-1968 at The Morgan Library & Museum presents the height of the Pop Art movement with Lichtenstein’s highly finished, black-and-white drawings that represent an essential contribution the history of modern art. The artist’s drawings recast tawdry illustrations from packaging, newspaper ads, and comic books into works of striking visual intensity, echoing the clean-edge aesthetic of the 1960s geometric abstractions. Represented imagery, culled from consumer culture, include baked potatoes, BB guns and foot medication to name a few. www.themorgan.org. 225 Madison Ave. (between 36th & 37th Sts.) Opens Sept. 24th.

REJOICE! THE NEW YORK STORY CONTINUES: New York is an international fairytale city filled with dreams, adventures and remarkable tales of resilience and true grit. Regina Ress and Laura Simms, storytellers and magicians of words, celebrate the re-opening of the Provincetown Playhouse with stories, mythic and true life, of ordinary magic. Storytelling at the Provincetown Playhouse, 133 MacDougal St. (between West 3rd St. and Washington Sq.) Admission $5 General. Children and students FREE. For tickets: 212.352.3101. www.nyu.edu/ticketcentral/calendar.
CARNIVAL! Brings out the child in every adult. The Wade Thompson Drill Hall at the Park Avenue Armory transforms itself into a theatrical and artistic wonderland unlike anything New York City has ever experienced. Get ready for the high jinks with a 50-foot Ferris wheel, whimsical performances, rides, games and educational workshops in circus arts. Friday, Oct. 8: 3-9pm, Saturday-Monday Oct. 9-11: 11am-7pm.Tickets available at the door. At 643 Park Ave. (67th St). www.armoryonpark.org.
Ta Ta darlings!!! Count me in to show up at every one of these fascinating New York events. Feast your eyes on the diverse culture of the city. Fan mail always welcome at pollytalk@verizon.net. Polly’s Blogs include: http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com.

Liberary Lions Usher in Big Apple Culture (c) By Polly Guerin

Khubilai Khan, Yuan Dynasty
What’s the modern kitchen got to do with design? Plenty and plenty more venues usher in the season with Mark Twain and Khubilai Kahn exhibits, plus Manhattan’s Forgotten Cultural Landmarks. Here’s the Scoop!!!

MARK TWAIN: A Skeptic’s Progress: Samuel Langhorne Clemens, , better known by his pen name, Mark Twain, the quintessential American author, humorist lecturer, essayist and master of satire takes up residence at The Morgan Library & Museum celebrating the 175 anniversary of his birth in 1835. In conjunction with The New York Public Library this joint exhibition explores a recurring theme throughout Twain’s body of work: his uneasy, often critical, attitude towards a rapidly modernizing America. Manuscripts, rare books, letters and key nonfiction works include Life on the Mississippi. Opens Sept. 17th. 225 Madison Ave. (between 36th & 37th Sts.) www.themorgan.org.
THE WORLD OF KHUBILAI KAHN
Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, showcases extraordinary paintings and sculpture, as well as the decorative arts in gold and silver, textile, ceramics and lacquer. A rare opportunity to view paintings and calligraphy of every major artist and school of the period. A magnificent example is the “cloth of gold,” made famous over the world by travelers to Yuan such as Marco Polo. Visit www.metmusum.org to view details of the exhibit which opens Sept. 28th. At the Met, 1000 Fifth Ave.
COUNTER SPACE: Design and the Modern Kitchen explores the twentieth-century transformation of the kitchen as a space of huge symbolic and practical significance. Its centerpiece is an unusually complete example of the iconic “Frankfurt Kitchen,” designed in 1926-27 by Grete Schutte-Lihotzky, the earliest work by a female architect. Her compact and ergonomic design, with its integrated approach to storage, appliances and work surfaces, reflected a commitment to transforming the lives of ordinary working people. Opens Sept. 15 at MOMA, 11 West 53rd St. www.moma.org .
GOTHAM LOST AND FOUND:
Uncovering Manhattan’s Forgotten Cultural Landmarks is a FREE lecture by David Freeland, historian, music journalist, and author sponsored by the Victorian Society in American, Metropolitan Chapter. Freeland will give a visual tour of forgotten cultural landmarks including Bowery Beer Gardens, a Motion Picture studio in Unique Square and Tin Pan Alley with human stories that continue to define us as New Yorkers. At The New York New Church, 114 East 35th St., between Park and Lexington Ave, Tues. Sept. 21, 6 PM.
Ta Ta darlings!!! There’s so much culture abounding in the Big Apple, but Mark Twain tops my list of visits. Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. Check out my Blogs: womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com and poetryfromtheheartbypollyguerin.blogspot.com.

New York Celebrates September, Music in the Air (c) By Polly Guerin

If music be the language of communication let there be listeners as the Big Apple celebrates with concerts for the masses and special events to mark the ending of summer and fall’s special happenings. Here’s the scoop!!!

ONE WORLD SYMPHONY’s outdoor concert, Sidewalk Sketches, under the baton of Sung Jin Hong, artistic director and conductor, performs a FREE CONCERT FOR New York City on Sat. Sept. 11th 5:45 to 6:30 pm on the front steps of Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Fifth Avenue at 42nd St. Commissioned by The September Concert Foundation, Sidewalk Sketches is a tribute to New York City’s composers and writers and is a site-specific piece scored for winds, brass, percussion, accordion and singers. Not to be missed!!! www.oneworldsymnphony.org.
THE MUSIC OF AL-ANDALUS

A rare illustrated lecture with musical examples, Reynaldo Fernandez Manzano presents music of the ‘barbarian peoples,’ Arabic music and music of al-Andalus (in English with simultaneous English translation) at the Cuny Graduate Center, Segal Theater, 365 Fifth Ave. on Monday, Sept. 13th at 2 pm with a discussion and reception to follow the lecture. Sponsored by the Foundation for Iberian Music. iberianmusic@gc.cuny.edu. Reservations: Tel: 212.817.1819.

TALKING GLASS

Exhibition at the Czech Center is a unique exhibition resulting from a creative encounter of glass artist Borek Sipek and didgeridoo player Ondrej Smeykal. The architect and designer Sipek accepted the offer of Smeykal to create a series of musical instruments made of glass and took it as a great challenge. Their unexpected meeting was documented by Jan William Drnek, who large format photographs became a part of the project. Exhibit ends Sept. 10th. At the Bohemian National Hall 321 E. 73rd St. (Between 1st and 2nd Ave). info@czechcenter.com.646.422.3399.

ALFRED STIEGLITZ's NEW YORK

This groundbreaking, new exhibit at the Seaport Museum features famed photographer Alfred Stieglitz’s iconic New York City photographs. A central figure in the history of photographs and modern art and husband of artist Georgia O’Keefe, Stieglitz lived in New York City most of his life and chronicled its dramatic transformation into the archetypal metropolis of soaring skyscrapers, subways and electric lights. The exhibition opens to the public on Wednesday, Sept. 15 and runs through Jan. 10, 2011. www.seaportmuseum.org.
Ta Ta, darlings!!! I’m off to the Free One World Symphony concert. See you there. Fan mail to: pollytalk@verizon.net. Polly Blogs worth your time…go to http://www.womendeterminedtosucceed.blogspot.com and www.thefashiohistorian.pollyguerin.blogspot.com.