basquiat

Today after work, I walked over to the Musee d'Art Moderne on Avenue President Wilson. It's not too far from my office and since it was actually sunny (!) and not freezing (!!), it was nice to get out and move around. The museum is open until 10pm on Thursdays and right now there's a retrospective on Basquiat.

That's the sign they have up in the metro advertising the show. It's a huge exhibit but it wasn't unbearably crowded, so I got to wander through at a relaxed pace. I eavesdropped on a lecture that was being given to a group of high schoolers by one of their professors for a while and then milled around picking out my favorites paintings.

Jean-Michel Basquiat  Arroz con Pollo (1981)

Jean-Michel Basquiat  Flexible (1984)

I still have to say that Francesco Clemente is my favorite of the neo-Expressionists (and really, one of my favorite artists in any category. To put it plainly, I love him.) but I was so impressed by this show. Seeing the paintings in the flesh made a difference because I could really see the layers of the paintings and it added a whole new dimension and level of complexity that I never would have noticed otherwise.  And to me, that's the best- when you go to a show and are surprised by how much better the art looks in person than in reproduction.

Anyway, a very pleasant post-work treat. Happy Thursday!