HOLIDAY EXHIBITIONS DAZZLE (c) By Polly Guerin

The holiday spirit dazzles and delights the onlooker but nothing soothes the mind more than an art gallery exhibition to remind us that cultural pursuits far outshine the decorations. Here’s the scoop!!!

Tokyo 1955-1970: A New Avant-Garde is the first museum exhibition to focus on the city of Tokyo during the remarkable period from the mid-1950s through the 1960s, when the city transformed itself from the capital of a war-torn nation into an international center for arts, culture, and commerce. The exhibition encompasses many mediums—including painting, sculpture, photography, drawings, graphic designs, architecture, video and documentary film representing over 200 works by more than 60 artists and art collectives. In conjunction with the exhibition, MoMA presents a performance program that brings together four contemporary artists and artist groups, based in Japan and New York. The performance series takes place in January and February 2013, in various places around the museum. The Museum of Modern Art, through February 25, 2013, 11 W. 53rd St. Image: Yokoo Tadanori: Diary of a Shinjuku Thief, 1968 screenprint. The Museum of Modern Art, Gift of the Designer.
MATISSE: In Search of True Painting. Henri Matisse, one of the most acclaimed artists working in France, throughout his career questioned, repainted and reevaluated his work. Fascinated by the artistic process he once hired a photographer to document the evolution of his paintings and then conceived an exhibition that juxtaposed finished works with pictures of their earlier incarnations. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Matisse: In Search of True Painting exhibition presents this particular aspect of Matisse’s painting process by showcasing 49 vibrantly colored canvases as well as a selection of sculptures and works on paper from a series titled “Themes and Variations.” Dec. 4, 2012 through March 13, 2013. 1000 Fifth Ave.
FERDINAND HODLER: View to Infinity. The Neue Galerie presents the first major New York museum show to focus on the late work of Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918), the premier Swiss artist of the early twentieth century. The exhibition includes portrait paintings, majestic Swiss landscapes, incisive self-portraits, and the moving series of works chronicling the illness and early death of the artist’s lover, Valentine Gode-Darel. The artist’s landscapes have been described by one critic as “mystical celebrations of light and color.” Hodler attributed symbolic meaning to colors, "Blue is the color that, like the sky, like the sea, speak to me of all that is translucent and magnificent.” Through January 7, 2013. Neue Galerie New York at 1048 Fifth Avenue at 86th Street.
Polly’s Movie Pick of the Week: HYDE PARK on HUDSON. Bill Murray as Franklin D. Roosevelt and portrays the political life of the American Legend with charm and conviction. Roosevelt’s love affairs are another matter of interest; some exploits as never portrayed before.
Ta Ta Darlings!!! Hodler is worth the trip uptown and then, of course, there is the Café Sabarsky for afternoon tea. Fan mail welcome at pollytalk@verizon.net. Polly’s Blogs are best accessed at her website pollytalk.com. Just click on the link in the left-hand column for visonarymen, womendeterminedtosucceed, poetry or fashion.