RICH CULTURAL VENUES IN THE BIG APPLE (c) By Polly Guerin

Astonishing archaeological discoveries, monumental art works, rich cultural venues right here in the Big Apple, plus Polly's Picks in restaurant and theater. It’s the Best of New York, my friends, the very of Best in New York. Here’s the Scoop!!!
HISTORIC IMAGES OF THE GREEK BRONZE AGE A breathtaking visit to the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations, focuses on the work of Swiss-born Emile Gillieron (1850-1924) and his son who were among the foremost art restorers of their time. The installation of exquisite reproductions of the "Ladies in Blue" pictured above and “Throne of Minos” at Knossos includes original works and numerous watercolors. The restored frescoes created by the Gillierons’ are a tribute to their creative ability to recapture the past. Curator Sean Hemingway, an archaeologist in his own right, cites the fact that the installation draws from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s own collection of Gillieron works, which is the largest in existence. Immerse yourself in the exquisite terracotta and the dulcet blues that are as translucent as the Aegean Sea itself. Though November 13, 2011 www.metmuseu.org.
RYOJI IKEDA the transfinite Not to be Missed!!! Japan’s leading electronic composer and visual artist Ryoji Ikeda unveils ‘the transfinite’ an immersive sonic and visual environment that subsumes visitors within abstract expressions of digital information and binary code on a scale that defies comprehension. Breathtakingly provocative black and white projections are keyed to a tightly synchronized musical composition that explores how data defines the world we live in. At the Park Avenue Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall, 643 Park Ave. at 67th St. For information and ticketing, visit www.armoryonpark.org or call 212.933.5812
A LITTLE JOURNEY BY RACHEL CROTHERS, Polly’s Theater Pick of the Week features a stellar cast in a heartfelt human comedy, circa 1918, when ten strangers on a train take the ride of their lives on a 4-day trip westbound for the Coast. The story unfolds with love and sorrow showcasing an eccentric and charming array of unforgettable personalities traveling on a Pullman style train in the round (very much like a merry-go-round) as it moves into different vignettes and the multi-faceted stories unfold with passenger interaction. At the Mint Theater, 311 W. 43rd St., 212.315.0231, www.minttheater.org.
‘ELSEWHERE’ Polly’s Restaurant Pick of the Week is affordable and quaint right in the heart of Theater Row at 403 W. 43rd St. Brunch is a value and the maple soaked French toast ($15) is divine. I had eggs Benedict ($12) and Coffee ($3) and a Rhubarb Cobbler ($7) that was as delicious as grandmother made. Libations are separate. Lunch is not pricey, nor is dinner. It’s a ‘find’ and there’s cozy dining in a little glass-ceiling enclosed garden room. Call 212.315.2121 www.elsewherenyc.com
Ta Ta darlings!! I’m going to immerse myself in “The Transfinite,” and define my role in the digital age. Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. For Polly Blogs go to www.pollytalk.com and in the right-hand column click on the link to the Blog of your interest.

INTELLECTURAL CULTURE, THE BEST OF NEW YORK (c) By Polly Guerin

Art, Literary Celebrities and sculpture venues provide dazzling intellectual culture in the Big Apple, and most are free for the viewing. It’s the Best of New York my friends, the very Best in New York. Here’s the Scoop!!!
'ECHO' IN MADISON SQUARE PARK It’s startling, it’s amazing!!! Among the trees on the central Oval Lawn of Madison Square Park Spanish sculptor, Jaume Plensa’s 'ECHO' a 44-foot-tall sculpture of an elongated white head overpowers the view. A monument to everyday people the fiberglass-reinforced sculpture of the head and neck of a young girl, its monumental size and vertical orientation, reflects the architecture surrounding the park, yet the sculpture exudes a welcoming tranquility in this urban oasis. Location: 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue. www.madisonsquarepark.org. ROOMS WITH A VIEW The Open Window in the 19th Century is the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s small but elegant exhibition gives us a peak into the refined interiors of houses where singular people peer out of windows in melancholy repose or lover’s chat by an open window and the artist’s studio of Caspar David Friedrich with its spare interior enchants with its spare floor boards and casement window. Most fetching is “Woman at the Window” (1822) by Friedrich pictured above. As sunlight streams through the window one only can imagine that she is dreaming of some far off reverie. A precious exhibition both nostalgic and winsome. Through July 4, 2011. www.metmuseum.org. A LITERARY CELEBRITY: LETITIA ELIZABETH LANDON A woman determined to succeed, in her day Letitia Landon was an international literary celebrity, whose works were widely circulated throughout the British Isles, on the Continent, and in the United States. Her success as a young single woman carving out an independent career in the tough arena of literary London in the 1830s is also profiled in Polly’s Blog: http://www.amazingartdecodivas.blogspot.com. On view through May 27th at the Grolier Club 47 East 60th Street are manuscripts, first editions, prints, photos, and other materials that illuminate the life and art of a leading British writer of the late Georgian and early Victorian period. www.grolierclub.org. FREE of charge, Monday-Saturday, 10am to 5pm. ILLUMINATING FASHION Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands explores the evolution of fashionable clothing in Northern Europe drawn from The Morgan & Library’s collections, over fifty illuminated medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and early printed books are feature. The exhibition demonstrates the richness of symbolism and how artists used clothing and costume as codes to help viewers interpret an image. In these works of art, what people wear is a clue to their identities and moral character. Discover for yourself. Exhibit May 20 through September 4, 2011. www.themorgan.org.
Ta Ta Darlings!!! I am dashing off for the press preview of Illuminated Fashion to hopefully shed light on historical costume. Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. Polly Blogs: www.pollytalk.com and in the right hand column click on the link to the Blog of your interest.

AR VERNISSAGES ALL AROUND THE TOWN (c) By Polly Guerin

Eastside/Westside all around the town rich cultural venues in galleries and museums reach new heights of entertainment from an exhibition devoted to Picasso’s muse, contemporary art at Sotheby’s, the Cone Sisters collection to McQueen the wizard of fashion art. It’s the best of New York my friends, the very Best of New York. Here’s the scoop!!!
PICASSO AND MARIE-THERESE “L’Amour Fou” The woman at the show at the Gagosian Gallery is Marie-Therese Walter, called the greatest sexual passion of Picasso’s life. Not only was she his submissive sexual conquest, artistic muse and the mother of his daughter, she is credited with bringing Picasso out of Cubism into the fleshy portraits infused with color, decoration and sensuality. The mistress was seventeen, he was 45, and she had never heard of Picasso but became his longtime secret between-the-wars mistress-muse for ten years. In the 80-work show the many guises of Marie-Therese are portrayed but most fitting to their clandestine relationship he sews her mouth shut to indicate the close-lipped secret affair that he was hiding from his wife Olga. At Gagosian Gallery, 522 W. 21st St., through June 25. 212.741.1717.
KOONS’ PINK PANTHER
Sotheby’s Contemporary Art auction will be led by Jeff Koons' iconic Pink Panther. One of the most important works by the artist, the porcelain figure of a bare-breasted blonde hugging the Pink Panther is showcased in a mirrored alcove as the statue revolves in a glittering display of sensuality. All of the art including major works by many leading artists of the 20th and 21st centuries are on view from May 6 to April 29; the auction takes place on May 10. On May 25 Sotheby’s will present “A Discerning Eye,” a remarkable single owner sale that includes a delightful miniature of Frida Kahlo, just 2 inches in height, the smallest self-portrait of the Mexican painter for her lover, the artist Jose Batoli, who kept the small treasure in his possession for over 50 years. Pre-sale exhibition opens on May 21. Sotheby’s New York, 1334York Ave. @ 72nd St. 212.606.7000.
THE CONE SISTERS OF BALTIMORE
Claribel and Etta Cone began buying art directly out of the Parisian studios of avant-garde artists in 1905 and eventually amassed one of the world’s greatest art collections including works by such artists as Gauguin, Renoir, van Gogh and Cezanne. They followed their passion and discovered the unknown Pablo Picasso and included Henri Matisse and Gertrude Stein among their friends. In addition to the masterworks of French art, textiles, decorative arts, photographs and memorabilia provide an insight into the Cone sisters’ remarkable story. “Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters” exhibit at The Jewish Museum opens May 6. http://www.thejewishmuseum.org. Pictured above from the Cone Collection, Henri Matisee, Striped Robe, Fruit and Anemones. (1940)
THE MET’S EXTRAVAGANZA
Homage to the late Alexander McQueen at Monday night’s gala took on a Scottish theme with bagpipers to wood décor and a verdant garden ambiance. Prior to gala night Daphne Guinness honored the designer publically getting dressed in a window of Barney’s Madison Avenue store for street viewers to see her stepping into McQueen’s floor-length gown made out of ostrich features. A stunning list of celebrities turned out to pay tribute to the daring designer wearing dramatic curve-hugging silhouettes to fabulous, frothy ball gowns everywhere. There was the macabre as well, such as the scene “Highland Rape,” in a destructed scene with mauled models. The spectacle at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, 1000 Fifth Ave., from May 4-July 31. http://www.metmuseum.org/.
Ta Ta darlings!!! Picasso’s amazing oeuvre at Sotheby’s includes his surrealist “Woman,” but I’m also heading West to the Gagosian to see the many faces of Marie-Therese. Fan mail to pollytalk@verizon.net and for Polly Blogs go to www.pollytalk.com and in the right hand column click on the link to the Blog of your interest.

A FASHIONISTA'S HOLIDAY IN New York City (c) By Polly Guerin

Art is fashion, fashion is art and the MET roof is alive with monumental sculptures, while antique dealer lectures and lady collectors delight in a spring splurge of openings. The best of New York my friends, The best of New York. Here’s the scoop!!!
SAVAGE BEAUTY, Alexander McQueen Fashion in the extreme!!!
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s spectacular homage to the late British Fashion designer Alexander McQueen (1969-2010) showcases 100 ensembles and 70 accessories from the designer’s career, mostly exceptional creations, pieces that dramatized a seasonal fashion show’s finale. His couture level artistry included armadillo-shaped heels worn by lady Gaga and his famous ‘bumster” new shape trousers coveted by every fashionista from coast to coast. From May 4 to July 31, the Costume Institute at the MET. www.metmuseum.org.
ON THE ROOF, Cocktails with Anthony Caro’s Sculptures
The most influential and prolific British sculptor of his generation Anthony Caro’s monumental steel sculptures steal the view on The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Roof Garden where the massive forms create a dialogue between sculpture and the unparalleled views of the New York City skyline. See the large scale works during the cocktail hour when the Martini Bar offers several cocktails named after the sculptures such as the Midday Martini, named after ‘Midday’ the giant yellow sculpture; the cocktail Blaze On inspired by ‘Blazon,’ the compelling brick red behemoth, and the After Summer libation named after the breathtaking sculpture ‘After Summer.’ On view April 26-October 30. Next year Caro’s undulating, three- block steel sculpture will dominate the Park Ave. center malls from 59 to 62nd St. Remember you hear it on Pollytalk first.www.metmuseum.org.
COLLECTING MATISSE AND MODERN MASTERS
Henri Matisse called them “My two Baltimore ladies.” Their friend Gertrude stein wrote a poem about them entitled, ‘Two Women.’ The sisters Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone began buying art directly out of the Parisian studios of avant-garde artists in 1905 including Picasso who was virtually unknown at the time. The Cones followed their passion and eventually amassed one of the world’s greatest art collections including Matisse, Gauguin, Renoir, Cezanne and van Gogh. The Jewish Museum presents over 50 works from the Baltimore Museum of Art’s renowned Cone Collection from May 6 through Sept. 25. In addition to masterworks of French art, the exhibition includes textiles and decorative arts, some of which have never been seen in NYC before. www.thejewishmuseum.org.
CELEBRATED LECTURE SERIES AT AADL
The Inaugural Spring Show of the Art and Antique Dealers League of America’s lecture series features lively discussions by prominent international museum curators, scholars and prominent interior designers. Thursday, April 28 at 11:30 am, Le Bon Marriage, The French Alliance of Modernism and the Luxury Trades with Derek E. Ostergard; at 3 pm, Architecture for Animals: Menageries and Aviaries in 18th and 19th-Century England with Tim Knox. On April 29, 11:30 Beauty and Art in the Living Jewel with Ruth Peltason and at 3pm Decorating with Antiques for Today with Mario Buatta. Sat. April 30 at 11:30 am Marie Antoinette in America with Ronald Freyberger. Park Avenue Armory, 67th and Park Ave. April 28-May 2. 11 am to 7:30 pm; and Monday May 2; 11 am to 5 pm. $20 Adm., five-day pass $40. www.springshownyc.com.
Ta Ta darlings!!! I’m taking to the skies on the MET roof and sipping my Blaze On cocktail. Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. To view Polly Blogs go to www.pollytalk.com and in the right-hand column click on the link to the Blog of your interest. There are five Blog choices.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY, ANTIQUES, POETRY MONTH (c) By Polly Guerin

Cultural diversity, Live Out Loud, headlines events in the Big Apple this week with Art and Antique dealers salute to animals, April is Poetry Month and a vicarious trip to Vienna 1900. Only in New York my friends, only in New York. Here’s the Scoop!!! ART AND ANTIQUE DEALERS LEAGUE OF AMERICA Immerse yourself in one of the most exciting new fine art and antiques shows which offers every collecting taste from antiquities through the 20th Century at all prices. Of special interest is the selection of animal-motif fine and decorative arts set aside to benefit the ASPCA on opening night. The lecture program includes Architecture for Animals: Menageries and Aviaries in the 18th and 19th Centuries, by Tim Knox, director of the Sir John Soane Museum in London, as well as decorating talk by the always-entertaining Mario Buatta, the beloved “Prince of Chintz.” Park Avenue Armory, 67th St. and Park. Visit www.springshownyc.com. Gen. Adm $20, 5-day pass $40. LIVE OUT LOUD Celebrating ten years of supporting and inspiring lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Live Out Loud celebrates its Tenth Annual Young Trailblazers Benefit Gala, on April 25th at The Times Center in New York City with host actor Michael Urie at the podium. Live Out Loud, a non-profit founded by Leo Preziosi, presents programs workshops and panels at high schools and colleges. The Homecoming Project, a grassroots initiative brings successful gay adults to their high schools to share their stories with today’s students. Honorees include fashion designer, Ralph Rucci, Hal Rubenstein, fashion director InStyle; theater producer Daryl Roth and others. Tickets start at $125. Contact 212.228.7446, ext 15 or visit www.liveoutloud.info. CELEBRATING NATIONAL POETRY MONTH Call up your muse and write a poem. National Poetry Month instituted in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets brings poetry to wider public attention through readings workshops and other events. More than 40 American men and women of verse are represented, along with a one-liner quote such as Langston Hughes’ “My soul has grown deep like the rivers.” In the American Poet’s Corner at St. John the Divine on Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side. Edgar Allan Poe lived in New York on West Third Street when “The Raven” was published. Chick on the link for Polly’s poetry: http://www.poetryfromtheheartbypollyguerin.blogspot.com. VIENNA 1900: STYLE AND IDENTITY A time and place of incredible richness “Vienna 190—its intellectual strength, its sensuality and it emotional directness—is the core of the Neue Galerie New York’s exhibition featuring more than 250 paintings, sculpture, works on paper, fashion and decorative art objects. Highlights include the painting Hope II (Vision) by Gustav Klimt and decorative works by Otto Wagner, Josef Hoffmann, Adolf Loos and other notables. 1048 Fifth Ave. at 86th St. Film showing includes A Woman’s Pale Blue handwriting (105 min) on Mon, April 25 and May 2 Free of charge at 4pm in Café Fledermaus. www.neuegalerie.org. Ta Ta darlings!!! I hope to see you at Live Out Loud on Monday, April 25th. Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. To access Polly’s Blogs go to www.pollytalk.com and in the right hand column click on the link to the Blog of your interest.

ART VENUES SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS (c) by Polly Guerin

SOFA NEW YORK 2011

As jonquils spring forth nodding their yellow heads towards spring art venues in New York rise to new heights exploring art on a roof garden, Nordic vernissage and historic walking tours. Here’s the scoop!!! SCULPTURES by ANTHONY CARO Soaring to new heights Caro’s steel sculpture installation on the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a breathtaking leap into space. Considered one of the most influential and prolific British sculptors of his generation, Caro has been a key figure in the development of modernist sculpture over the last 60 years and the elegance and wit of the unexpected, delicately colored forms will look marvelous silhouetted against the undulating green carpet of Central Park. Mark your calendar. April 26-October 30 (weather permitting). http://www.metmuseum.org/. NORTH BY NEW YORK New Nordic Art a new installation at Scandinavia House, The Nordic Center in America, presents a condensed overview of recent art from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden focusing on the dynamism and diversity of contemporary Nordic artists. The exhibit includes painting, sculpture, photography and video installations. Opens April 14th, at 58 Park Avenue @ 38th St. http://www.scandinaviahouse.org/. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS IN MURRAY HILL Touring in New York…The Amateur Comedy Club, a private membership club and America’s oldest performing theatrical society in the country occupies two carriage houses in Sniffen Court area opens its doors to a tour on April 13th at 5pm, including a visit to the exteriors of all ten 1860s carriage houses along the charming, landmarked enclave, plus the de Lamar’s landmark Beaux Arts mansion is also on the agenda. The Space is limited. Contact: http:://www.hdc.org./secretlivetour/htm. SOFA NEW YORK The 14th Annual contemporary design and decorative art fair opens April 14 through Sunday April 17 at the Park Avenue Armory featuring 50 galleries representing 12 countries of the most innovative masterworks in ceramics, glass, metal, wood and fiber by major artists. The event features an acclaimed Lecture Series with prominent scholars, artists, and curators. At Park Avenue @ 67th Street. General admission $25, four day admission $40. Tickets available at http://www.sofaexpo.com/ or at the door.

Ta Ta darlings!!! I’m going Behind Closed Doors for a sneak look at how the swells live. Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. Access Polly Blogs at www.pollytalk.com and in the right hand column click on the link to the Blog of your interest.

POETRY IN THE ARTS DOMINATES BIG APPLE VENUES(c) By Polly Guerin

Bold and startling historic ceramics speak volumes on poetry while drawings and illustrator art openings draw the pleasure of your company as does the Cherry Blossom festival. Here’s the scoop!!! POETRY IN CLAY A rare opportunity to see Korean Buncheong Ceramics exploration of the bold and startlingly modern ceramic tradition that flourished in Korea during the 15th and 16th centuries of the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), as well as its eloquent reinterpretations by today’s leading ceramists. The exhibition showcases a number of masterpieces, including six registered treasures, such as the stunning drum-shaped bottle with inlaid peony decoration, pictured here. April 7-August 14, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave. http://www.metmuseum.org/. R. CRUMB: Lines Drawn on Paper Any adult who is an aficionado of the comic book genre is familiar with R. Crumb, the godfather of underground comics, and now comes a “Don’t Miss” chance to see his work mounted on display at the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators. Nearly 100 of Crumb’s amazing oeuvre, including covers and inside pages from ZAP and Weirdo, as well as drawings of Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural are a chance to recapture youthful enthusiasm for Crumb’s work. The FREE exhibit runs through April 30 at 128 E. 63rd St. http://www.societyillustrators.org/. JOHN STORRS: Machine-Age Modernist Art Deco enthusiasts mark your calendar for the John Storrs’ exhibit of one of the most important modernist sculptors to emerge in the early 20th century. He adopted the columnar, “building block” idiom in his work, free-standing stone sculptures in both figural and abstract modes that echo the burgeoning Art Deco movement. His work attests to a society enraptured with the sleek aesthetic embodied in early skyscrapers. FREE From April 12 to July 9th, at Grey Art Gallery/NYU 100 Washington Square East. April 12. http://www.nyu.edu/. IN LOVE WITH CHERRY BLOSSOMS They’re petaling romance at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. As the pink petals fall around you the Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the most romantic ways to welcome spring during the annual month long event when the 52-acre garden is blanketed in petals. Check their website: www.bbg.org. for the up-to-the-moment progress reports on the blossom-budding of the 42 species of cherry trees. Sit under the trees and write poetry. Ta Ta darlings!!! No need to travel far. I’m visiting the Cherry Blossom Festival in Brooklyn. Fan mail always welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net. Visit www.pollytalk.com and in the right-hand column click on the link to the Polly Blog of your interest.