Day 29 – 7/25/15: Rearranged Modern Galleries, Sargent Exhibit

Edward Hopper: Tables for Ladies

Just two weeks after my last trip, I came back to see the special Sargent exhibit with Bev, as well as the new layout for the Modern galleries. The new layout, entitled Reimagining Modernism 1900-1950, arranges paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts around seven broad themes: Avant-Garde, Direct Expression, Abstraction, Bodies, Work and Industry, The Metropolis, and Retreat. While the new explanations are useful, it is not clear that the artworks are arranged any better than previously, which  also seemed fairly coherent. The collection as exhibited is a nice overview but fairly thin. There was only one work each by major artists such as Hopper, O'Keefe, Rockwell, or Benton, among others. This appears to be a work in progress. Gallery 913, which was supposed to be included, was closed, breaking up the two halves of the exhibit. Also closed were the back galleries (904-907), which previously (and perhaps still) also encompassed this time period, so I’ll wait to see what develops. All this may be temporary. According to news reports, the Met plans to move its entire Modern and Contemporary collection to the old Whitney Museum temporarily while it completely rebuilds its Modern Wing. 

Sargent, Lily Millet (Private Collection)

After lunch Bev and I went to the special exhibit, John Singer Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends, which contained more Sargent portraits than we ever imagined existed. They were drawn from a huge number of collections, including many simply labeled as “Private,” so we're unlikely to see them again. The Met asserts that its own collection of works by Sargent is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world – a claim that Boston’s MFA also makes. Which collection is actually better will have to be resolved later. I did note that the very day we saw this exhibit, the MFA opened an exhibit of Sargent letters, photographs, and sketches from The John Singer Sargent Archive, which was just donated to the MFA. 

Finally, after resting at the Balcony Lounge, with interesting contemporary classical music and overpriced drinks and snacks, we finished the evening at another special exhibit, Sultans of Deccan India, 1500-1700.