Trip to the Met and Lee Young Hee Museum
Went to NYC yesterday with some friends and saw an exhibit on Korean art, the renovated American Wing at the Met and a musuem of Korean traditional clothing.
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/KoreanRenaissance/worship_paradise.aspx?id=32
The exhibit of Korean art was nice, but small. Since it was located right in the middle of Asian Art, we saw lots of other great stuff also:
An entire room of sublimely serene bhodisattvas
Lots of Tang pottery including some figurines with fantastic costume details and an amazingly dynamic piece I called "raging camel trying to bite its rider".
3 little figurines called "rural dancers" that looked like potbellied Gumbies stomping in glee.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/11/na/ho_1972.60.1.htm
At one friend's insistence, we went to see the Frank Lloyd Wright room in the newly renovated American wing. It was a nearly transcendent experience. I've seen the pics, but they don't begin to compare with how you can appreciate the harmony of a space by being in it.
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Tiffany/menu.html
Also in the American wing, a room full of Tiffany vases, tons of stuff we will have to go back to see later, and a stunning grand courtyard filled with turn of the century sculptures,
http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/american_decorative_arts/american_wing_2009.aspx surrounded on three sides by architectural antiques such as Tiffany windows, favrile glass mosaics, neoclassical building facades and one wall and roof of glass.
We also had a lovely tour of the Lee Young Hee museum, a small private museum that specializes in traditional Korean costume. It has excellent repros of court costumes and a very nice selection of extant everyday costumes. The garments are lovely, the craftsmanship and textiles are insanely exquisite, and I could go on for hours about the sophistication of the traditional color combinations. I'll just offer one for your enjoyment: A piney teal green with a coral-ish deep rose, offset with hints of plum and deep indigo.
After the museums we had a lovely Korean dinner near the train station. I think perhaps the 6 cloves of roasted garlic I ate may have been too much. I'll find out when I go dancing later today!
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/KoreanRenaissance/worship_paradise.aspx?id=32
The exhibit of Korean art was nice, but small. Since it was located right in the middle of Asian Art, we saw lots of other great stuff also:
An entire room of sublimely serene bhodisattvas
Lots of Tang pottery including some figurines with fantastic costume details and an amazingly dynamic piece I called "raging camel trying to bite its rider".
3 little figurines called "rural dancers" that looked like potbellied Gumbies stomping in glee.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/11/na/ho_1972.60.1.htm
At one friend's insistence, we went to see the Frank Lloyd Wright room in the newly renovated American wing. It was a nearly transcendent experience. I've seen the pics, but they don't begin to compare with how you can appreciate the harmony of a space by being in it.
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Tiffany/menu.html
Also in the American wing, a room full of Tiffany vases, tons of stuff we will have to go back to see later, and a stunning grand courtyard filled with turn of the century sculptures,
http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/american_decorative_arts/american_wing_2009.aspx surrounded on three sides by architectural antiques such as Tiffany windows, favrile glass mosaics, neoclassical building facades and one wall and roof of glass.
We also had a lovely tour of the Lee Young Hee museum, a small private museum that specializes in traditional Korean costume. It has excellent repros of court costumes and a very nice selection of extant everyday costumes. The garments are lovely, the craftsmanship and textiles are insanely exquisite, and I could go on for hours about the sophistication of the traditional color combinations. I'll just offer one for your enjoyment: A piney teal green with a coral-ish deep rose, offset with hints of plum and deep indigo.
After the museums we had a lovely Korean dinner near the train station. I think perhaps the 6 cloves of roasted garlic I ate may have been too much. I'll find out when I go dancing later today!