Art in New York City

100 Years of Bacon

The Metropolitan Museum of Art isn’t just for classical art. To see some amazing contemporary work, check out Francis Bacon: A Centenary Retrospective through August 16. The first major New York exhibition in 20 years devoted to the Irish artist, who lived from 1909 to 1992, will bring together the most significant works from each period of Bacon’s career. Some 65 paintings and never-before-seen works and archival material from the Francis Bacon Estate will be on display—and you can’t see this exhibit anywhere else: The Metropolitan Museum is the only U.S. venue of the exhibition tour, and several pieces will only be presented at the Met, including Study for Portrait I, 1953; Painting, 1946; and Self Portrait, 1973.

If you want to learn more about the painter, a selection of 65 items from the Bacon’s famously cluttered London studio, his estate, and other archives will be included in the exhibition to help visitors understand the artist behind the art. The objects include pages the artist tore from books and magazines, photographs, and sketches—all of which are source materials for the finished paintings on view in the exhibition.

Visit www.metmuseum.org for more information.

Art Tours

After the Bacon exhibit closes, go on a world tour without leaving the City. Art Smart, an art-focused tour company, will take the culturally curious to exhibits in numerous museums featuring artwork from around the globe. Some of the options include:

Asia in New York

Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Humanism in China: A Contemporary Record of Photography at China Institute Gallery
Serizawa: Master of Japanese Textile Design at Japan Society
A private tea ceremony

Paris in New York

Monet's Water Lilies at The Museum of Modern Art
Hopper in Paris at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Watteau, Music, and Theatre at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The permanent Vanderlyn room at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Egypt and the Middle East

The Newly reinstalled Islamic art galleries at the Brooklyn Museum
Overview of the Egyptian Galleries and Temple of Dedur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery, specializing in Middle Eastern art

Visit www.artsmart.com for more information.

A Different Kind of Art; A Different Kind of Museum

Okay, so paintings don’t really do it for you. No problem; there are still plenty of museums you can visit. If you’re a music fan, get thee to SoHo and hit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ANNEX NYC.

The New York City branch of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opened late last year, and its galleries are filled with the personal mementos of Rock legends like The Beatles, The Stones, Madonna and Bruce, guitar heroes like Hendrix and song poets like Dylan.

Currently, the museum’s main exhibit is “John Lennon: The New York City Years,” which explores John Lennon’s passion for music, art, politics and film, with New York City as his backdrop. Highlights of Lennon’s artifacts include his inimitable fashion statements, iconic photographs, legendary instruments, original handwritten lyrics and artwork. You can also see Lennon’s actual "New York City" t-shirt, as well as the famed Telecaster guitar Lennon used during the historic Elton John concert at Madison Square Garden in 1974. The exhibit also presents numerous rare and original hand written lyrics, with more than ten songs on display, including "Nobody Told Me," "Luck of the Irish," and "Whatever Gets You thru the Night."

You can even count the visit as your good deed for the day: A portion of the cost of each ticket to the exhibition will be donated to Spirit Foundations, a charitable foundation set up by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Great music and philanthropy—all in a day’s play in New York!

Visit www.rockannex.com for more information.

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