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| The Chrysler Museum |
If you throw 4 or 5 pieces of art into a room and call it a
museum I will probably stop in and see it. So, on my one day in Norfolk VA I
decided to visit the Chrysler Museum of Art. It is a lot more than just 5 pieces
of art, and well worth the trip.
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| Wlater P Chrysler - Harris & Ewing, photographer via wikicommons |
The Chrysler Museum was founded by Walter Chrysler Jr., the
son of the car magnate. In 1971 he merged his collection with that of the
Norfolk Museum of the Arts and Sciences. He chose Norfolk because it was the
hometown of his wife, Jean Esther. The museum sits at the head of The Hague, an inlet that serves as the
border to the Ghent District, an area of historic homes, mostly built between
1890 and 1902. The main building opened in the 1920’s and was renovated and expanded,
reopening in 2014.
The permanent collection of the Chrysler is an excellent
survey of art history, ranging from Greek/Roman statuary to contemporary art,
with excellent examples from the entire history. There are also collections of
Asian, Egyptian and African art.
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| Art of Life in America by Thomas Hart Benton (top) and American Beauty by Walt Kuhn |
What is most impressive to me is the organization of the
display of the art-work and the thought that has gone into the writing of
labels throughout the museum. Galleries are not just organized by genre or era,
but also with thought to connecting historical themes. Landscapes or portraits
of a given era, if not the same genre, are displayed together in the same
gallery. What I really loved were the labels written for almost every piece. In
addition to the name of the work and artist, they included additional
information about the style, genre or history of the piece. There are also
explanatory videos placed near some pieces that the curatorial staff feel need
extra information.
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| Museum Entrance Hallway |
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| MacPherson and MacDonald by Gari Melchors |
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| Soldiers Wives Waving Goodbye by Kathe Kollwitz |
This care in arrangement and labeling is just as evident in
the two special exhibits at the museum. Highest
Heavens is a collection of European style art from the Spanish and
Portuguese colonies in the Americas from the 16th and 17th
centuries. Art of the Revolution
consists of photo and posters from China created during the 1960’s and 70’s. In
both displays the works are organized by themes, Angels or The Virgin Mary in
Highest Heavens; military or cultural posters in Art of the Revolution. Here,
again, the labels are fully explanatory, and in Highest Heaven they are in both
English and Spanish.
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| Ife by Elizabeth Catlett |
Beauty - inspired by Ife
by Elizabeth Catlett
There
you lay
Resplendent
Ebony
skin
Like
the myth of Africa
You
smile slyly
Inviting
me in
Knowing
that the reality
Is
so much deeper than myth
Nice post. I don't know if I'll ever get there but interesting points about how the art is displayed. I do however love the final piece. She is so intriguing holding strength and femininity and delicacy and awareness and beauty and patience and intelligence and sadness and endurance. I love the verse you include. It gives the whole post such a personal touch, a window into the blogger's perspective. Well done. AMD
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