A spectacular museum - the best I've visited on this trip so far.
It was a couple of days ago that I visited, and what's most endured has been the trio of Magrittes that were on display: "Time Transfixed" (1938) or, in the French, "La duree poignarder", apparently "ongoing time stabbed by a dagger" and indeed appearing like a stab in its full dimensions; the Magritte-motif remix "On the Threshold of Liberty" (1937); and a final one which was less familiar, "The Banquet" (1958), but/and which has most lingered, glaringly. In fact, surrealism in general was particularly well represented, with strong examples from all its best exponents.
Really, the breadth and quality of what was on show was nearly overwhelming. The impressionists are very well represented too, including multiple examples of all Monet's most famous subjects - haystacks, water lilies, and bridges (and other buildings near water) ... my liking and admiration for him just keeps growing. The numerous Degas pieces are almost incidental in this setting, as good as they are.
The hits keep on coming. Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte - 1884" (1884-86) is vastly more impressive, not least because of sheer size, when seen in the actuality; Grant Wood's "American Gothic" (1930) to a lesser extent but still; and still more Georgia O'Keeffe, of course. A great Jackson Pollock ("Number 17A", 1948), and heading into the contemporary period, Gerhard Richter and some very charged Cindy Sherman.
And of course, there was a lot of remarkable stuff by artists who I'd never heard of before, though if I'm honest, in this company, it was probably harder than it otherwise would have been for them to pierce through.
Chagall - "America Windows" (1975-77) - the panels represent music, painting, literature, architecture, theatre and dance
It was a couple of days ago that I visited, and what's most endured has been the trio of Magrittes that were on display: "Time Transfixed" (1938) or, in the French, "La duree poignarder", apparently "ongoing time stabbed by a dagger" and indeed appearing like a stab in its full dimensions; the Magritte-motif remix "On the Threshold of Liberty" (1937); and a final one which was less familiar, "The Banquet" (1958), but/and which has most lingered, glaringly. In fact, surrealism in general was particularly well represented, with strong examples from all its best exponents.
Dali - "A Chemist Lifting with Extreme Caution the Cuticle of a Grand Piano" (1936)
Yves Tanguy - "Untitled" (1940)
Paul Delvaux - "The Lamps" (1937). I don't know much about Delvaux, but the couple of his on display were striking - I remember being quite captivated by one of his several years ago in Vienna too
More generally, there was a heap of good stuff by the European moderns; in addition to the above (not even mentioning a great de Chirico), there was a trio of Kandinskys, a couple of Chaim Soutine's (including another landscape at Cagnes), an interesting pointillist Klee ("Sunset", 1930), some intriguing Ernst Kirchners, sculpture and paintings by Giacometti, iconic Van Gogh, etc.
Kandinsky - "Painting with Green Center" (1913)
Giacometti - "Diego Seated in the Studio" (1950), which (a) reminded me of Bacon and (b) made me realise I'm drawn to representations of tortured human figures!
Van Gogh - "Self Portrait" (1887)
Monet - "Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer)" (1890-91)
The hits keep on coming. Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte - 1884" (1884-86) is vastly more impressive, not least because of sheer size, when seen in the actuality; Grant Wood's "American Gothic" (1930) to a lesser extent but still; and still more Georgia O'Keeffe, of course. A great Jackson Pollock ("Number 17A", 1948), and heading into the contemporary period, Gerhard Richter and some very charged Cindy Sherman.
Cindy Sherman - "Untitled #87" (1981). I don't know if I've ever seen any of hers that were as sheerly erotic as the ones here.
And of course, there was a lot of remarkable stuff by artists who I'd never heard of before, though if I'm honest, in this company, it was probably harder than it otherwise would have been for them to pierce through.
Hughie Lee-Smith - "Desert Forms" (1957). Actually, I have come across him before, but only very recently, in Boston.
Charles Sheeler - "The Artist Looks at Nature" (1943)
Eric Fischl - "Slumber Party" (1983)
Amy Sherald - "A clear unspoken granted magic" (2017)
One disappointment: "Nighthawks" was on loan as part of a travelling exhibition.
