Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Yesterday I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the first time since I moved here. I always forget how incredibly big it is. As I usually do, first I stopped by the Temple of Dendur. For you “When Harry Met Sally” fans, this is the room they were in when Harry decided to talk with the funny accent. The whole idea that they took this ancient temple and moved it from Egypt to New York completely amazes me. You can still clearly see the hieroglyphics. How is that possible? Wouldn’t you think that 2000 years in the desert would have eroded them away?
Also clearly visible is the graffiti people have put on them through the years. Some guy named “Leonardo” put his name on there in 1812. Take that Banksy. The whole thing with the temple, the other Egyptian artifacts, and the incredible room with the wall of windows looking out onto Central Park makes this one of my favorite spots in New York.
Then I went upstairs to the more modern art. My primary focus was an exhibit of art from the Alfred Steiglitz collection. Steiglitz was one of America’s premier photographers. Perhaps more than anyone else, he raised photography from a mere capturing of events into an art form.
Many people remember Steiglitz as the husband of Georgia O’Keefe. They met when O’Keefe exhibited works at Steiglitz’s gallery. Steiglitz owned several galleries in New York was one of the first Americans to recognize and exhibit works by the great artists of the early 20th century like Picasso and Braque. After his death O’Keefe donated a large number of pieces from his private collection to the Met. (As a footnote, apparently the Met was offered over 80 Picassos for $2000 following a show in 1913, which the museum declined. The director decided that kind of artwork would never be popular in America. Of course, they would be worth tens of millions today.)
I got off the train at 125th street rather than taking it all the way to Grand Central because the Met is on 83rd. It is a short walk from the train station to the subway stop. 125th is the main street in Harlem, but it is pretty safe during the afternoon. However, I did have a unique experience. It is not unusual to be solicited for money in New York. People hit you up on the subway, on street corners, with signs in Times Square and with cans in Central Park. But yesterday for the first time I was solicited for money by a guy who was texting on his cell phone at the same time. I mean seriously! What he needs more money for unlimited texting? Perhaps he is impoverished because he still has 3G. Maybe his old iPhone3 need upgrading. He sounded so pathetic you would have thought he hadn’t eaten in a week. But maybe he just had an overdue cell phone bill.
Also clearly visible is the graffiti people have put on them through the years. Some guy named “Leonardo” put his name on there in 1812. Take that Banksy. The whole thing with the temple, the other Egyptian artifacts, and the incredible room with the wall of windows looking out onto Central Park makes this one of my favorite spots in New York.
Then I went upstairs to the more modern art. My primary focus was an exhibit of art from the Alfred Steiglitz collection. Steiglitz was one of America’s premier photographers. Perhaps more than anyone else, he raised photography from a mere capturing of events into an art form.
Many people remember Steiglitz as the husband of Georgia O’Keefe. They met when O’Keefe exhibited works at Steiglitz’s gallery. Steiglitz owned several galleries in New York was one of the first Americans to recognize and exhibit works by the great artists of the early 20th century like Picasso and Braque. After his death O’Keefe donated a large number of pieces from his private collection to the Met. (As a footnote, apparently the Met was offered over 80 Picassos for $2000 following a show in 1913, which the museum declined. The director decided that kind of artwork would never be popular in America. Of course, they would be worth tens of millions today.)
I got off the train at 125th street rather than taking it all the way to Grand Central because the Met is on 83rd. It is a short walk from the train station to the subway stop. 125th is the main street in Harlem, but it is pretty safe during the afternoon. However, I did have a unique experience. It is not unusual to be solicited for money in New York. People hit you up on the subway, on street corners, with signs in Times Square and with cans in Central Park. But yesterday for the first time I was solicited for money by a guy who was texting on his cell phone at the same time. I mean seriously! What he needs more money for unlimited texting? Perhaps he is impoverished because he still has 3G. Maybe his old iPhone3 need upgrading. He sounded so pathetic you would have thought he hadn’t eaten in a week. But maybe he just had an overdue cell phone bill.
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