On Friday, April 9th, I spent the day at MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York City. I bought a ticket in advance so I could see the Tim Burton exhibition, which I had been waiting for anxiously. I have been a huge fan of his work for a very long time and I was going to see drawings, paintings, cartoons, models, costumes, figures, and video of course. There were no photographs allowed at his exhibition, so you’ll only be able to see the entryway photos and various other shots from various exhibitions and the outdoor garden.
The day started with a fascinating show on the 2nd floor of William Kentridge’s Five Themes: Ubu and the Procession, Soho and Felix, Artist in the Studio, The Magic Flute and The Nose. Kentridge is an artist who tells stories about the world around him and his art is inspired by his birthplace of Johannesburg, South Africa. He uses the mediums of printmaking, drawing, cut paper and film and I watched various films of the artists working, his animated stories of people in various situations and his pictures using black paper cutouts glued to textual paper.
Also on the 2nd floor was a live show. A woman dressed all in red sat at a table and stared ahead… anyone from the audience could come sit quietly opposite her and stare back. Once the visitor was tired or wanted to move on, someone else from the audience would take his or her place. It was quite interesting to watch the stare down and the audiences reaction as they walked by wondering what the ?@*? is going on? There were hundreds of people around watching and the museum was filming the event.
Upstairs to the 4th and 5th floors to walk around leisurely and visit with some my favorite artists. Impressionists, Modern Art, ahhhh… Monet, Matisse, Van Gogh, Picasso… a trip to a museum wouldn’t be complete without seeing some of this.
After a bite at one of the cafes I went down the main floor again and out to sculpture garden to relax, listen to some music (my ipod) and photograph a few interesting spots.
Finally, my allotted entry time for the Tim Burton exhibit. I was so excited! Upstairs I went and as I walked in, I’m immediately blown away. All I can say is the event was everything I’d hoped for and more. Seeing his early drawings and paintings and the progression as his career took off, we were able to see his craft being fine tuned. His wackiness and sense of humor were present from the beginning and his style and imagination exploded into the amazing, wonderful art and films he’s doing now. Some of what was displayed, a full-size Edward Scissorhands, two severed heads in a case (yikes!), costumes from Batman, blades from Sweeney Todd, some early animated cartoons, miniature models of his well known characters and more. I was so thrilled and wound around and around, going back to certain spots to see things again and again. I bought a book before leaving the museum but if there’s a more extensive one, I’ll be getting that also.
A splendid afternoon and now have a look at my photo gallery.
