THE ART OF MUSIC at the MET: Review By Polly Guerin

Humanity has been drawn to make music and communicate beyond the human voice, across cultures and time, with instruments of incredible beauty and ingenuity, and nowhere is it more effectively represented than today at the Met's Andre Mertens Galleries for Music Instruments. 
     Daniel W. Weiss, President and CEO of the MET commented, "Nearly two years in the making the reopening of our Musical Instruments galleries has resulted in a new, more insightful narrative for our visitors that draws and reflects the unique strengths of the Museum's musical collection, presenting a comprehensive perspective on global music."  Image clockwise fro top left: Bartolomeo Christofori, Grand Piano (detail) 1720. Cypress, boxwood, paint, leather and fir. The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments. 1889. Alolphe Sax, Alto saxophone in E-flat, ca. 1855. Brass. Purchase, Robert Alonzo Lehman Bequest 2005. William Forster, "Royal George" cello, 1782. Spruce, maple, and ebony. Gift of Mona and Bradford Endicott, in honor of Ken Moore, 2016. Sankh. Indian, 19th century. Shell (Turbinella Pyrum), brass, and wax. Purchase, the Barrington Foundation Inc. Gift, 1986)
     THE ART OF MUSIC explores the artistry of music and instruments across four thousand years of musical instruments from across the globe. The four renovated galleries display the treasures of the collection. These include the world's oldest surviving piano, made by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Florence in 1720.  the scope of The Met's instruments collection offers the rae opportunity to illustrate the use of music and instruments to express status, identity, and spirituality, along with the impact of trade. Not to be missed is the Openwork, rattle bell, ca, early 1st millennium B.C., the Ming Dynasty cloisonne trumpets and  pre-Columbian drums; Andres Segovia's guitar, and violins by Antonio Stradivari and Andrea Amati.
       

The Art of Music, Andre Mertens Galleries

Of particular note is the Kona,  from Senegal made of such diverse materials as goatskin, antelope hide, ebony, metal, wood, from The Koyate family, a dynasty of West African storytellers who chronicle history and preserve epic stories. 
     Then, too, the 1845 Saxophone, by Adolphe Sax (Belgium), introduced in 1834, was original and before its time.  However during Sax's lifetime it achieved success and universal popularity through jazz and pop, two genres that  ironically did not exist until long after the saxophone's introduction. 
New to the gallery are two audio and video kiosk and an Audio Guide with more than 50 audio clips of the instruments.
   

Stuart Davis Mural for Studio B WNYC

Observational review points to the fact that although instruments are primarily intended to create sound, they are also powerful visual expressions and are often works of art in their own right. As such, their artistic appearance frequently reflects contemporary style, and the production techniques and materials used to make them are often found in other art forms. Included in the gallery are related objects and paintings from across The Met collection that illustrates the universal presence of music and instruments in art and society.
       The much favored instrument by today's artists on display is the Antonius Stradivari. Italian, Cremona 17ll. The arching of the Stradivari's top and back contributes to providing a louder volume, which helped to make the instrument popular with soloists in the nineteenth century. Image: At the end wall of the show is the magnificent Stuart Davis mural for Studio B, WNYC Municipal Broadcasting Company, 1939 incorporating elements that reflect musical instruments and broadcasting theme. Take note also, of a painting paying tribute to Mary Elizabeth Adams Brown. In 1889 she donated 300 instruments. Then, too, Brown would continue to collect until 1918, building a collection of more than 3,600 instruments for the Met Museum.
     A series of gallery-based concerts inspired by The Museum's Musical instruments collection, called TRADE WINDS  take place on April 27 and June 15.  The concerts are free with Museum admission.  For further info contact www.metmuseum.org/music galleries.
     Ta Ta Darlings!!!  "If music be the food of Love," (Purcell), the new Musical Instruments Galleries are indeed worth a visit  Fan mail welcome: pollytalknyc@gmail.com.  Visit Polly's Blogs at www.pollytalk.com and click on the left-hand list of Blogs that solicit your attention.

Public Parks, Private Gardens at the Met: Review By Polly Guerin

/Georges-Pierre Seurat, La Grande Jatte 1884

As we collectively pine for Spring's arrival the exhibit, Public Parks, Private Gardens at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is timed perfectly to coincide with our yearnings for Plein Air experiences.
      In this breathtaking exhibition leisurely take the time to saturate yourself in these gorgeous gardens and follow in the footsteps of nineteenth-century artists who celebrated the outdoors 'en plein air' as a place of leisure, renewal and inspiration. This exhibition, which extends to July 29, 2018, explores the horticultural developments that reshaped the landscape of France in an era that gave rise to Naturalism, Impressionism, and Art Nouveau. (Image: Georges-Pierre Seurat, Sunday Afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte, Paris, 1884 Metropolitan Museum of Art). 

Claude Monet, Garden at Sainte-Adresse, 1867

 Contributing to the romance with gardens was the arrival of shiploads of exotic botanical specimens from abroad and local nurserymen pursued hybridization. In this manner the availability and variety of plants and flowers grew as did the interest in them. Then, too, the opening of formerly royal properties and the elegant transformation of Paris during the Second Empire into a city of tree-lined boulevards and parks introduced the public green spaces to be enjoyed as Open-air Salons where people could engage in leisure activities. At the same time, suburbanites were prompted to cultivate their own flower gardens. Image: Claude Monet, Garden at Sainte-Adresse, 1867, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
     The exhibition is organized thematically in five galleries. REVOLUTION in the GARDEN, for example, traces the decisive shift that transpired in garden design in the years bracketing the French Revolution of 1789. a series of works illuminates the guiding influence of Empress Josephine Bonaparte, first wife of Napoleon 1, who ignited fashion for floriculture at the start of the 19th century. PARKS for the PUBLIC , the selection of works here focuses on parks in and around Paris that captivated artists' attention including the Bois de Boulogne, Versailles, The Luxembourg Gardens as seen through the eyes of Eugene Atget, Childe Hassam, Berthe Morisot, Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat, and James McNeil Whistler. Image: Lydia Crocheting in the garden at Marly 1880 by Mary Cassatt. The second half of the exhibit is devoted to gardens and unfolds in two sections "Private Gardens" and Portrait in the Garden."  

Lydia Crocheting by Mary Cassatt 1880

Not to be missed is the central courtyard with the exhibition---a soaring space illuminated by an immense skylight---replanted to evoke a French conservatory garden of the period and furnished with green iron benches redolent of Parisian park setting.
     Check the Met's website for special events and programs www.metmuseum.org. In a Sunday at the Met program on April 29 from 2 to 3:30 p.m., scholars and designers will discuss the ongoing significance and evolution of public parks from 19th-century Paris to present-day New York.
      Ta Ta Darlings!!!  This is quite a gorgeous exhibit and in many ways will provide a pleasant way to spend time in the park, indoors, of course.  Fan mail welcome: pollytalknyc@gmail.com. Polly's Blogs can be accessed at www.pollytalk.com, just click in the left-hand column on the column that resonates with your interest. 

UNSEEN OCEANS: A Splashy Review: By Polly Guerin

Dive beneath the waves and explore the UNSEEN OCEANS!  No bathing suit needed, just your innate curiosity to learn the latest advances in ocean exploration, the technologies behind them, and the mysteries that remain. 
     The American Museum of Natural History exhibition opens today and remains in a permanent space through Sunday, January 6, 2019. Plenty of time to get your feet wet, so to speak, and embark on a journey that takes you from the oceans' sunlit surfaces to their inky depths as you discover the latest ocean science and encounter the researchers and technologies that reveal our blue planet as never before.  It's a colorful world, alive with electrifying images revealing the unseen habitats of the oceans' most mysterious animals and inhospitable areas in unprecedented detail.  However, sinking deeper into the ocean, daylight fades, most colors disappear and life is bathed in blue. But diving at night with specially-designed lights and cameras museum researchers have discovered a wide variety of fishes and other marine animals are fluorescent, glowing in startling shades of red, orange, and green when illuminated with high-energy blue light. 
Photographs by Roderick Mickens, AMNH)

     Yes, our world is an ocean planet. More than 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by, yet surprisingly little of these vast realms has been explored.  Now, with the use of 21st-century technologies like robotics, satellite monitoring, miniaturization, and high-definition imaging, our concept of the vast oceans is beginning to change. 
     "All life on our planet depends on the oceans, yet they remain one of the last great frontiers," said Ellen V. Futter, president of the AMNH. "Today a new generation of marine scientists with a pioneering spirit of ingenuity and adventure, and an explosion of technological and imaging advances, are creating a golden age of ocean exploration, yielding astonishing discoveries at dark and mysterious depths." Image: Hercules,at a remotely operated exploration vehicle with instrumentation, lights and a robotic arm.  
     This multi-dimensional exhibition impresses upon the visitor that ocean exploration is as exciting and important as space exploration. In Unseen Oceans, visitors are invited to explore a series of circular, media-rich galleries showcasing a range of marine environments and introducing scientists who are using cutting-edge research tools and developing new methods to explore the oceans top and bottom.  

The ocean floor is another world swirling with discovery.  Only about 10 to 15 percent of the sea floor has been mapped with accuracy, meaning that we know the surface of Mars much better than the submerged landscapes of our own planet. But today, with the use of sound waves, radar and lasers, scientists are beginning to construct extraordinary detailed images of these environments. In Unseen Oceans you will encounter a gallery that features a scientifically-accurate re-creation of landscapes including a local "landmark": the Hudson Canyon, a spectacular underwater feature only 100 miles from New York City. Image: The Plankton Room
     PRESERVING THE OCEAN'S FUTURE As the human population has exploded, the demand for seafood has surged and destructive, wasteful fishing practises have cause the number of fish to plummet by 50 percent since 1970. Unseen Oceans also highlights the threat to the ocean's vital abundance--including over fishing and habitat degradation--as well as the conservation scientists and forward-thinking governments that are making progress toward protecting the rich diversity of living things in the sea.
      This is a breathtaking exhibition that unravels mysteries of the ocean with interactive exhibits that enchant both child and adult. For additional information, call 212-769-5100 or visit the Museum's website at www.amnh.org.
     Ta Ta Darlings!!! What a wonder world to explore. Unseen Oceans is a "must."  You will be amazed and learn more about the ocean that you never knew before. Fan mail is always welcome
email: pollytalknyc@gmail.com.  Follow Polly's Blogs on www.pollytalk.com and click in the left-hand column on the Blog link that resonates with your interest.
          

International ANTIQUARIAN BOOK FAIR: Review By Polly Guerin

A mecca for literary cognoscente, bibliophiles and a haven for the curious seekers, the NEW YORK ANTIQUARIAN BOOK FAIR (NYIABF) in its 58th year lands at the Park Avenue Armory, Thursday, March 8 and stays on through Sunday, March 11th.  I'm giving you this heads up on the Fair to provide you with plenty of time to view the exceptional offerings spanning the history of the written word that ranges from pre-Gutenberg to the 21st century. 
       So why do ancient books and ephemera matter? As one scholar remarked, "The story of books is almost the story of civilization itself."  

Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts

While the Fair is considered a "must see" for seasoned connoisseurs and scholars, it has offerings in every conceivable genre and subject---something for everyone. The FAIR is not for the faint of heart, however, it is wise to invest more time to browse and linger over works that interest you. There is a vast treasure trove of material--rare books, maps, illuminated manuscripts, incunabula, illustrations, historical documents and print ephemera. The dealers welcome your inquiry and some have unique offerings at accessible price points. Now in its 58th edition the FAIR presents more than 200 exhibitors culled from the finest American and International antiquarian dealers.  For instance, illustrated herewith is an example of a rare book you will find at  the dealer, Phiillp J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts. Over the years their business has gravitated toward historical artifacts that are physically attractive in some way---illuminated material, fine bindings, beautiful typography and paper, impressive illustrations and much more.     

Salvatore Dali at Biblioctopus

DALI fans may be interested in Biblioctopus, a multi-faceted book dealer which specializes in such diverse offerings as cuneiform tablets of 3000 BC to a wide range of first editions of the classics of fiction and diverse print material. This rare and amazing image of  Dali, the surrealistic artist, illustrates his incredible ability to create weird and wonderful works of art. This is an over-painted photographic cut out portrait, painted and signed.
     Ah, what joy it must be to hold the first edition of a famous author's book and then to own it. Then, too, there is Royal Books, a rare bookstore specializing in Cinema, Film Ephemera, 20th Century Literature and Arts and Culture. Among items this dealer intends to exhibit at the Fair THE

Royal Books rare Maltese Falcon

MALTESE FALCON, by Dashiell Hammett,  is perhaps the most influential single work in establishing the conventions of hard-boiled fiction. This first edition is a price clipped, yet un-restored first edition dust jacket. Another one-of-a-kind offer is Y0JIMBO, the original shooting script for Akira Kurosawa's legendary 1961 film based thematically on 

Dashiell Hammett's novels, "The Glass Key" and "Red Harvest." It is a working copy, with annotations throughout. The adventure continues with far too many worthy dealers (200) to include here, except to mention one more.       

Eric Chaim KIine Judaica and Rare Books

Eric Chaim Kline Judaica and Rare Books tugged at my interest with this Marc Chagall Lithograph complete with twelve original lithographs signed. But there is much more to their story; like some other dealers, they take books on assignment and do appraisals for estate insurance.
     What's in Your Attic? Special Event-DISCOVERY DAY, Sunday,  March 11 offers a FREE event with paid admission. Ticketed visitors the opportunity to bring to the FAIR their rare books, manuscripts, maps, etc. (up to 5 items). Exhibitors will be on hand to offer expert advice and free appraisals. Daily admission is $25, students with ID $10. And I just know a one day visit is not enough there is a Run of Show at $45.  LOCATION: Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue, New York. The FAIR is produced by Sanford L. Smith + Associates. www.nyantiquarianbookfair.com. 
      Ta Ta Darlings!!! You will know where to fine me this weekend...total immersion at the Fair. Don't you have a rare treasure to bring to Discovery Day? 
Fan mail always welcome pollytalknyc@gmail.com.   Visit Polly's Blogs at www.pollytalk.com and click in the left-hand column to the Blog lings that resonate with your interest.