A fond farewell to New York City.

Well, I’ve reminisced about almost all my adventures in New York City. But before I bid farewell, here are just a few remaining odds and ends.

The Museum of Modern Art
Normally, I’d have big posts from MoMA. But this trip we made the mistake of visiting MoMA on Friday, which is free thanks to a sponsorship from Target. You might think free is good. But the place was a madhouse. I’ve never seen so many people in a museum. Which meant you really couldn’t see anything. So we ignored most of the museum. There were a few things worth seeing (and fortunately the crowds seemed more drawn to other areas of the museum).

Also mentioned in a previous post, I really liked Into the Sunset: Photography’s Image of the American West. However my favorite exhibit at the museum was Performance 1: Tehching Hsieh. Taiwanese artist Hsieh is best known for his five One Year Performances. Between 1978 and 1986, the artist spent one year locked in a cage, one year punching a time clock every hour, one year completely outdoors, one year tied to another person, and one year without making, viewing, discussing, reading about, or in any other way participating in art. This show tracks the year Hsieh spent locked in a small cage he built in his apartment. He only received a daily visit from an associate who brought food and took away his waste. There are pictures taken each day of his self-imposed incarceration and the actual cage, which makes you claustrophobic just looking at it.

This is piece by Ed Rushca is at the entrance to Into the Sunset.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Just a few more things I liked at the Met.

I've been following the work of Liza Lou for years but only through magazines and the internet. So I was excited to see this astonishing piece in person. Titled Continuous Mile (2007-08), this work is a mile of rope meticulously crafted from glass beads strung on cotton. Wow!

I love the giant portraits of Chuck Close. At the Met these two hang on opposing gallery walls, delivering dramatic impact.

Swatch vs. Koons.
OK, I spend too much time concerning myself with art. So it should come as no surprise that I frequently imagine that the art world is influencing pop culture—particularly global corporations. I couldn’t help but notice how reminiscent the giant flower animal in the Swatch Times Square flagship store is of Jeff Koons Puppy, a giant dog topiary--only Koons used real flowers. What do you think?



Well that’s it—the end of my New York posts. Let’s hope I can return soon.