Kansas City, Part 5
Oct. 15th, 2004 09:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariOct. 9, 2004
Today was absolutely gorgeous: sunny, clear, dry. amd comfortably warm. A perfect day to be out and about; which is good, because that's exactly what I had planned for today.
I started by going to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. It was slightly less than ideal because they were setting up tables and such for their 10-year gala tonight. Still, the collection, though small, is extremely good. They have lots of fascinating piece, including a couple of Georgia O'Keefe paintings. And this neat tentacly scuplture made out of shredded tires and wood. I wish I could remember the artist's name. As usual with modern art, there were some things I hated and there were some things I loved. Right at the entrance to the museum is a giant spider sculpture by Louis Bourgeois. It's made out of a dark metal and is kind of rough and stylized. It's actually quite creepy, but in a good way. I wish I could remember more specifics about the Kemper, but my visit to the larger Nelson-Atkins Museum later has overshadowed the Kemper.
I did have lunch at the Kemper. The food was really good and the skylit atrium of the restaurant was a great place to sit, even by myself. Then I walked through Mill Creek Park on my way to the Nelson-Atkins. It's the park with the large fountain I saw on Thursday. On closer inspection, I realized that the tint I saw in the jets is colored water, not lights.
Then I walked over to the Nelson-Atkins. Altogether it was a good walk - lush green park, nice neighborhoods. The museum is set back from the road across a huge tree-lined expanse of lawn.
The Nelson-Atkins is pretty big, almost as large as Boston's MFA. It's got a very diverse collection, too. There's a lot of sculpture, especially small statuary. I was particularly happy to see a work by Hans Memling, one of my favorite Flemish Renaissance painters. However, after having been to St. David's in Wales, I found the tomb effigies less fascinating without the actual sarcophagus and remains attached. The other good surprise was a gorgeous Rothko. His paintings are simple blocks of color, but they have a beautiful luminous quality that never comes through in photographs. The Chinese collection is also extensive and wonderful. They have a Chinese temple room that is every bit as good as the Japanese temple room in the MFA.
I spent the rest of the day relaxing and getting ready to travel home.
Today was absolutely gorgeous: sunny, clear, dry. amd comfortably warm. A perfect day to be out and about; which is good, because that's exactly what I had planned for today.
I started by going to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. It was slightly less than ideal because they were setting up tables and such for their 10-year gala tonight. Still, the collection, though small, is extremely good. They have lots of fascinating piece, including a couple of Georgia O'Keefe paintings. And this neat tentacly scuplture made out of shredded tires and wood. I wish I could remember the artist's name. As usual with modern art, there were some things I hated and there were some things I loved. Right at the entrance to the museum is a giant spider sculpture by Louis Bourgeois. It's made out of a dark metal and is kind of rough and stylized. It's actually quite creepy, but in a good way. I wish I could remember more specifics about the Kemper, but my visit to the larger Nelson-Atkins Museum later has overshadowed the Kemper.
I did have lunch at the Kemper. The food was really good and the skylit atrium of the restaurant was a great place to sit, even by myself. Then I walked through Mill Creek Park on my way to the Nelson-Atkins. It's the park with the large fountain I saw on Thursday. On closer inspection, I realized that the tint I saw in the jets is colored water, not lights.
Then I walked over to the Nelson-Atkins. Altogether it was a good walk - lush green park, nice neighborhoods. The museum is set back from the road across a huge tree-lined expanse of lawn.
The Nelson-Atkins is pretty big, almost as large as Boston's MFA. It's got a very diverse collection, too. There's a lot of sculpture, especially small statuary. I was particularly happy to see a work by Hans Memling, one of my favorite Flemish Renaissance painters. However, after having been to St. David's in Wales, I found the tomb effigies less fascinating without the actual sarcophagus and remains attached. The other good surprise was a gorgeous Rothko. His paintings are simple blocks of color, but they have a beautiful luminous quality that never comes through in photographs. The Chinese collection is also extensive and wonderful. They have a Chinese temple room that is every bit as good as the Japanese temple room in the MFA.
I spent the rest of the day relaxing and getting ready to travel home.
