RichardBrafford.com/Museums

MUSEUMS/galleries

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● The Museum of Natural History
● The Met Fifth Ave
● Conceptual, Land, & Installation Art
● Dia Art Foundation
● James Turrell, Roden Crater
● Magdalena Abakanowicz, Marlborough
● Julian Schnabel, Pace

● Karl Wirsum, Corbett vs. Dempsey
● Karla Black, David Zwirner
● Andy Goldsworthy, Galerie Lelong & Co.
● Michael Heizer, Gagosian
● Joel-Peter Witkin
● David Smith, Hauser & Wirth
● Frank Gehry, Gagosian

● Bruce Nauman, MOMA
● Most Expensive Paintings Sold
● Michelangelo, The Met Fifth Ave
● Leonardo da Vinci, MFA Boston
● Es Devlin, Cooper Hewitt
● The Temple of Dendur, The Met Fifth Ave

The American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History: Located in New York City at the corner of Central Park West and 81st Street, was founded in 1869 by Theodore Roosevelt Sr. and is one of the world's greatest scientific establishments. It is home to some of my favorite carnivorous, flesh-eating lizards. These giant creatures once ruled the Earth until 66 million years ago, when a massive asteroid, approximately 9 miles wide and traveling at a speed of 60,000 miles per hour, collided with the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, causing a mass extinction. However, these creatures are not limited to history; they're akin to the criminals on Wall Street and the greedy landlords who exploit New York City.
The Tyrannosaurus rex, with "tyrannosaurus" meaning "tyrant lizard" and "rex" meaning "king," is often shortened to T. rex. He was discovered for the first time in 1902 in Hell Creek, Montana, by the Museum's renowned fossil hunter, Barnum Brown. Six years later, Brown uncovered a nearly complete T. rex skeleton at Big Dry Creek, Montana. The rock surrounding it was blasted away with dynamite to reveal a "magnificent specimen" with a "perfect" skull. The T. rex lived approximately 83.6 million years ago, reached a height of 40 feet, and weighed between 9,000 and 18,000 pounds. It could run at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour and was a fierce meat-eater, considered a perfect killing machine. Its serrated teeth were capable of crushing bones, and one of its favorite meals was the Triceratops.

Tyrannosaurus rex, American Museum of Natural History, NYC

Allosaurus, carnivorous theropod dinosaur, lived 175 million years ago, American Museum of Natural History, NYC

Exhibit: in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda, a carnivore Allosaurus attacking a Barosaurus defending its baby, American Museum of Natural History, NYC

The enormous Barosaurus is the world's tallest freestanding dinosaur mount. It comprises casts of real bone since fossils are too heavy to support it in this way. American Museum of Natural History, NYC.

In a prehistoric encounter between predator and prey, a Barosaurus rears up to protect its young from an attacking Allosaurus, the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda, American Museum of Natural History, NYC.

Triceratops, 'three-horned face', lived 66 million years ago, American Museum of Natural History, NYC.

Stegosaurus, herbivorous, four-legged, armored dinosaur, lived 155 million years ago, American Museum of Natural History, NYC.

Woolly Mammoth, lived 10,000 years ago, American Museum of Natural History, NYC.

Titanosaur" a sauropod herbivore discovered by Paleontologists in the Patagonian Desert of Argentina in 2014, American Museum of Natural History, NYC

Titanosaurs" lived about 145 million years ago, weigh about 70 tons, are 17 feet tall, and are 122 feet long. They are found at the American Museum of Natural History, NYC.

Titanosaur tail 82 feet" the exhibit features bones, fossils and a fibreglass replica of the creature, American Museum of Natural History, NYC.

THE MET FIFTH AVENUE Last summer the Met finished a $150 million renovation that replaced some 30,000 square feet of skylights above the European art galleries, now over 700 Paintings dated from the 14th to the 19th century in 45 rooms devoted to art from the Early Renaissance to the 19th century has been restored with a fresh new palette of colors for the walls. The galleries of European Paintings are on permanent display at The Met Fifth Avenue, NYC.

Portraits and Power in Spain, Gallery 625, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Velázquez, Spanish, (1599–1660), Juan de Pareja, 1608, Gallery 625, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Francisco Goya, Spanish, (1746–1828) Majas on a Balcony, 1810, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Caravaggio, Italian, 1571–1610, The Musicians, 1597, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Bronzino, Italian, 1503-1572, Portrait of a Young Man, 1530s, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Nicolas Poussin, French, 1594–1665, The Abduction of the Sabine Women, 1633, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Velázquez, Spanish, (1599–1660), King Philip IV, 1624, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Sir Thomas Lawrence, British, (1769–1830), Elizabeth Farren, 1790, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Sir Joshua Reynolds, British, (1723–1792) Captain George K. H. Coussmaker, 1782, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Thomas Gainsborough, British, (1727–1788), Mrs. Grace Dalrymple Elliott, 1778, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch, (1606–1669), Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, 1653, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Painters, Critics, and Rivals in the Age of Rembrandt, Gallery 616, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Flesh and the Spirit in the Age of Rubens, Gallery 621, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Edouard Manet (1832–1883), Olympia, 1865, in collaboration with the Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, Paris, and The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Edgar Degas (1834–1917), The Bellelli Family, 1869, in collaboration with the Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, Paris, and The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Edouard Manet (1832–1883), Study for "Déjeuner sur l'herbe", in collaboration with the Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, Paris, and The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Political Portraiture and Empire, Gallery 633, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Peter Paul Rubens Flemish, (1577–1640), Helena Fourment and Son Frans, 1635, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Anthony van Dyck, Flemish, Antwerp 1599–1641, James Stuart, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch, (1606–1669), Man in a Turban, 1632, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

El Greco, Greek, (1541–1614), Cardinal Fernando Niño de Guevara, 1600, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Titian, (Tiziano Vecellio) Italian, (1485/90–1576), Venus and Adonis, 1550, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Jan van Eyck, Netherlandish, (1390–1441), The Crucifixion; The Last Judgment, 1436–38, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Antoine Watteau, French, (1684–1721) Mezzetin, 1720, Gallery 629, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch, (1606–1669), Portrait of a Man, 1632, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Peter Paul Rubens Flemish, (1577–1640), Wolf and Fox Hunt, 1616, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Claude Lorrain, French, 1604–1682, Pastoral Landscape: The Roman Campagna, 1639, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Johannes Vermeer, Dutch, Delft, 1632–1675), Young Woman with a Water Pitcher, 1662, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Johannes Vermeer, Dutch, Delft, 1632–1675), Allegory of the Catholic Faith, 1672, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) Greek, (1541–1614), The Vision of Saint John, 1614, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Joos van Cleve, Netherlandish, (1485–1540/41), The Last Judgment, 1530, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Edgar Degas (1834–1917), Woman in a Bathtub, 1885, in collaboration with the Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, Paris, and The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Jacques Louis David, French, (1748–1825), General Étienne-Maurice Gérard, 1816, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Jacques Louis David, French, (1748–1825), Antoine Laurent Lavoisier and Marie Anne Lavoisier, 1788, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Titian, (Tiziano Vecellio) Italian, (1485/90?–1576), Filippo Archinto, Archbishop of Milan, 1550, Gallery 608, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Pablo Picasso, Spanish, (1881–1973), The Actor, 1905, Gallery 619, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The Death of Socrates Painting by Jacques-Louis David, 1787, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

The British Atlantic World, Gallery 628, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, French, (1749–1803) Self-Portrait with Two Pupils, Marie Gabrielle Capet and Marie Marguerite Carreaux de Rosemond, 1785, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City.

The Reliquary tooth of Mary Magdalene (one of my favorites) 15th century, The Met, NYC.

Roman marble portrait of Lucius Verus, co-ruler with Marcus Aurelius from CE/A.D. 161, until his death in 169, The Met, NYC.

Reliquary Bust of Saint Balbina, South Netherlandish, 1520, The Met, NYC.

Bust of god Amun, 18th dynasty, 1336-1327 B.C., The Met, NYC.

Greek, Hellenistic, Bronze Statue, 2nd Century BC, The Met, NYC.

Head of King Seti II, 19th Dynasty, 1203-1200 BCE, The Met, NYC.

Winged Bird-headed Divinity with Extensive Akkadian Cuneiform Inscriptions Gypsum alabaster, Neo-Assyrian period, ca. 883-859 B.C.E., From Mesopotamia, Nimrud, The Met, NYC.

Diorite Statue of Gudea, Prince of Lagash, c. 2120 BC, The Met, NYC

Ashurbanipal 685 – 627 BC Assurbanipal, Assyrian king, Neo Assyrian Empire, Babylon, The Met, NYC.

Marble head from the figure of a woman Cycladic, 2700–2500 BCE, The Met, NYC.

Bronze statue of Eros sleeping, Greek, 3rd–2nd century BCE, The Met, NYC.

Cycladic; Statuette of a woman, steatopygous; Stone Sculpture, Date 4500–4000 B.C. The Met, NYC.

CONCEPTUAL, LAND, & INSTALLATION ART The Étant Donnés: Marcel Duchamp's 1917 artwork, "Fountain," is widely regarded as the first conceptual artwork. It consists of a urinal that he signed and displayed in an American gallery, challenging traditional definitions of art. His final masterpiece: "The Étant Donnés," was created over 20 years 1946-1966 and remained a secret in Duchamp's Greenwich Village studio on East 11th Street in New York City. After his death in 1968, it surprised and captivated both artists and critics, making a significant impact on the art world. Today, it is permanently exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum, continuing to inspire a new generation of artists.

Conceptual, land, and installation artists have been at the forefront of the art world for decades, creating impressive projects that often go beyond the limitations of traditional commercial art galleries, which typically focus on sculpture and paint on canvas. Some key characteristics of conceptual art include its focus on ideas rather than traditional artistic media. This style often employs unconventional materials, embraces minimalism, and sometimes encourages audience engagement. Fortunately, photographic and film documentation makes these works accessible to the public. One of the most ambitious land art projects in the country today is the Naked-eye Observatory at the Roden Crater volcano in Arizona created by James Turrell, the last of his generation. Other notable artists in this field include Carl Andre, Alice Aycock, Walter De Maria, Hans Haacke, Michael Heizer, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Robert Smithson, Joseph Beuys, Fred Sandback, Mary Heilmann, Michael Heizer, Maren Hassinger, Larry Bell. These artists have elevated the conceptual art form to new heights, capturing the public's imagination and inspiring future generations.

Marcel Duchamp, Étant donnés, Manual Of Instructions 1968, Publisher: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia: Étant-donnés-manual@Philamuseum.org

Marcel Duchamp, Étant donnés, The Door, Assemblage/Installation, 1946–1966, on permanent view, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia: Étant-donnés-door@Philamuseum.org

Marcel Duchamp, Étant donnés, Through the peepholes, Assemblage/Installation, 1946–1966, on permanent view, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia: Étant-donnés@Philamuseum.org

DIA ART FOUNDATIONDia Art Foundation is a prominent nonprofit dedicated to initiating, supporting, presenting, and preserving innovative art projects. Founded in 1974 by Philippa de Menil, art dealer Heiner Friedrich, and art historian Helen Winkler, Dia plays a vital role in funding projects often overlooked by other sources. With a significant collection of works from the 1960s and 1970s, Dia Beacon in the Hudson Valley showcases these pieces, while Dia Chelsea in New York City presents exhibitions at 535, 541, and 545 West 22nd Street. Dia also manages a range of commissions, long-term installations, and site-specific projects, particularly focused on land art. The foundation's collection includes notable artists such as Joseph Beuys, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Agnes Martin, and Andy Warhol, marking a transformative period in artistic practice with large-scale, often ephemeral or site-specific artworks. Dia is committed to preserving this vital artistic legacy.

Robert Smithson, Leaning Mirror, 1969, Long-term view, Dia Beacon, New York, Leaning-Mirror@Diaart.org, Photo: Bill Jacobson Studio

Robert Smithson's earthwork Spiral Jetty (1970), Great Salt Lake, Utah, Spiral-Jetty@Diaart.org, Photo: Victoria Sambunaris

Robert Smithson, Beacon, New York, Map of Broken Glass (Atlantis), 1969, Long-term view, Dia Beacon, New York, Map-of-Broken-Glass@Diaart.org, Photo: Florian Holzherr

Walter De Maria, The New York Earth Room, Long-term view, 141 Wooster Street, New York City, Earth-Room@Diaart.org, Photo: John Cliett

Walter De Maria, The Lightning Field 1977, Western New Mexico, Long-term view, Lightning-Field@Diaart.org, Photo: John Cliett

Fred Sandback, Long-term view, Dia Beacon, New York, Fred-Sandback@Diaart.org, Photo: Bill Jacobson Studio

Michael Heizer, Negative Megalith #5, Long-term view, Dia Beacon, New York, Negative-Megalith-#5@Diaart.org, Photo: Bill Jacobson Studio

Meg Webster, Long-term view, Dia Beacon, New York, Meg-Webster@Diaart.org, Photo: Bill Jacobson Studio

Larry Bell, Standing Walls I, Long-term view, Dia Beacon, New York, Larry-Bell@Diaart.org, Photo: Bill Jacobson Studio

Joseph Beuys, 7000 Eichen (7000 Oaks), Long-term view 22nd Street, Dia Chelsea, New York City, 7000-Oaks@Diaart.org, Photo: Bill Jacobson Studio

Richard Serra, Long-term view, Dia Beacon, New York, Richard-Serra@Diaart.org, Photo: Bill Jacobson Studio

Mary Heilmann, Long-term view, Dia Beacon, New York, Starry-Night@Diaart.org, Photo: Bill Jacobson Studio

James Turrell, Roden Crater
Dia has been collaborating with and supporting James Turrell's Roden Crater project since the 1970s. Roden Crater is a cinder cone volcanic formation from an extinct volcano, housing a remaining interior crater. It is situated approximately 50 miles northeast of Flagstaff in northern Arizona, United States. Artist James Turrell acquired the land of this 400,000-year-old, 3-mile-wide (4.8 km) crater for a land art project. Since then, Turrell has been transforming the inner cone of the crater into an extensive naked-eye observatory specifically designed for observing and experiencing sky-light, solar-light, and celestial phenomena, with a special emphasis on the fleeting winter and summer solstice events.

1.) James Turrell, Roden Crater Project,

2.) A Naked-eye Observatory Earthwork, Arizona, US.

3.) Visit Roden Crater Website About Photo: © James Turrell

James Turrell, Roden Crater Project, Naked-eye Observatory Earthwork, Arizona, US. Photo: © James Turrell

Magdalena Abakanowicz, Marlborough Gallery

Magdalena Abakanowicz, Marlborough Gallery, 2009, NYC.

Julian Schnabel, Pace Gallery

Julian Schnabel, Bouquet of Mistakes, Pace Gallery, 540 West, 25th, Street, New York City, 2023

Karl Wirsum, Corbett vs. Dempsey

Karl Wirsum, (1939 – May 6, 2021), American artist, Marionettes, 1970, Corbett vs. Dempsey, New York City.

Karl Wirsum, (1939 – May 6, 2021), American artist, Marionettes, 1970, Corbett vs. Dempsey, New York City. (Robert Gero on the right)

Karl Wirsum, (1939 – May 6, 2021), American artist, Marionettes, 1970, Corbett vs. Dempsey, New York City.

Karla Black, David Zwirner

Karla Black, David Zwirner, 525 West, 19th, Street, New York, February 27—March 26, 2016

Andy Goldsworthy, Galerie Lelong & Co.

Andy Goldsworthy, Hanging Stones, 2024, Hanging Stones, Galerie Lelong & Co., New York City, Photo: Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy, Walking Wall, Limestone, 2019, Walking Wall, Galerie Lelong & Co., New York City, Photo: Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy, Stone Sea, Limestone, 2012, Site-specific installation: Stone Sea, Galerie Lelong & Co., New York City, Photo: Scott Smith

Andy Goldsworthy, Tree and Clay installation, 2008, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Galerie Lelong & Co., New York City, Photo: Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy, White Walls, May 8 – June 16, 2007, White Walls, Galerie Lelong & Co., New York City, Photo: Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy, Roof, 2004-05, Buckingham Virginia Slate, Site-specific installation: Roof, Galerie Lelong & Co., New York City, Photo: Andy Goldsworthy

Michael Heizer, Gagosian Gallery

Michael Heizer, Installation view, Gagosian Gallery, Installation view, Gagosian, April, 2022, New York City, Photo: Rob McKeever

Michael Heizer’s Herculean Effort to Move a 340-Ton Boulder across L.A. Levitate Mass, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Levitate Mass, LACMA, Photo: Frank Fujimoto

Michael Heizer, Asteroid, c. 2000, Michael Heizer, Gagosian Gallery,

JOEL-PETER WITKIN

Joel-Peter Witkin, American, b. 1939, Head of a Dead Man, Mexico City, 1990, toned gelatin silver print, Photo:joelpeterwitkin.com

Joel-Peter Witkin, American b, 1938, Portrait of Greg Vaughn, 2004, vintage toned gelatin silver print, Photo:joelpeterwitkin.com

Joel-Peter Witkin, American b, 1938, Bad Student, 2007, Photo:joelpeterwitkin.com

Joel-Peter Witkin, American, b. 1938, “What Is Poetry, When We See So Little”, 2002, Toned Gelatin Silver Print, Photo:joelpeterwitkin.com

Joel-Peter Witkin, American b, 1938, Gods of Earth and Heaven, Los Angeles, 1988, Photo:joelpeterwitkin.com

Joel-Peter Witkin, American, b. 1939, Anna Akhmatova, 1998, toned gelatin silver print, Photo:joelpeterwitkin.com

David Smith, Hauser & Wirth

David Smith, Late Sculptures, Gondola II, 1964, painted Steel, Hauser&Wirth.com, Photo: Jon Etter

David Smith, Late Sculptures, Primo Piano II, 1962, Steel, bronze, stainless steel, paint, Hauser&Wirth.com, Photo: Ron Amstutz

David Smith, Late Sculptures, Zig I, 1961, Steel, paint, Hauser&Wirth.com, Photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography Zürich

David Smith, Late Sculptures, Circles Intercepted, 1961, Steel, paint, Hauser&Wirth.com, Photo: Ken Adlard

David Smith, Late Sculptures, Rebecca Circle, 1961, Steel, paint, Hauser&Wirth.com, Photo: Ken Adlard

David Smith, Late Sculptures, Ninety Son, 1961, Steel, paint, Hauser&Wirth.com, Photo: Ken Adlard

Frank Gehry, Gagosian Gallery

Frank Gehry, Ruminations, February 8–April 6, 2024, Ruminations, Gagosian Gallery, 976 Madison Avenue, New York City, Photo: Maris Hutchinson

Bruce Nauman, MOMA

Bruce Nauman, Henry Moore Bound to Fail, Cast iron, 1970, Disappearing Acts, MoMA, MoMA PS1, 2018-2019, NYC.

Bruce Nauman, untitled, without title, card board and wood, 1986, Disappearing Acts, MoMA, MoMA PS1, 2018-2019, NYC.

Bruce Nauman, Carousel, polyurethane foam with steel and wire cables, 2015, Disappearing Acts, MoMA, MoMA PS1, 2018-2019, NYC.

Bruce Nauman, Bound to Fail, Charcoal on paper, 1966, Disappearing Acts, MoMA, MoMA PS1, 2018-2019, NYC.

Bruce Nauman, Leaping Foxes, polyurethane foam with steel and wire cables, 2018, Disappearing Acts, MoMA, MoMA PS1, 2018-2019, NYC.

Bruce Nauman, Double Poke in the Eye II, neon and white aluminum box, 1985, Disappearing Acts, MoMA, MoMA PS1, 2018-2019, NYC.

Bruce Nauman, Clown Torture 1, 1987, Disappearing Acts, MoMA, MoMA PS1, 2018-2019, NYC.

Bruce Nauman, Disappearing Acts, MoMA, MoMA PS1, 2018-2019, NYC.

Most Expensive Paintings Sold

Paul Cézanne, (1839-1906), The Card Players, 1892, Sold at Private sale, 2011, $250 million.

Willem de Kooning, (1904-1997), Interchange, 1955, Seller; David Geffen, Sold at Private sale, 2015, $300 million.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), Salvator Mundi, 1510, Sold at Christie's Art Auction, 2017, NYC, for $450.3 million, to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, (the most expensive painting ever sold)

Michelangelo, The Met Fifth Avenue

Michelangelo, Divine Draftsman and Designer: November 13, 2017–February 12, 2018, The Met Fifth Avenue, New York City: I captured as many memorable snapshots as possible during this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition displaying a rich collection of Michelangelo's drawings, marble sculptures, and his earliest paintings. Michelangelo stands as a towering genius in the history of Western art. Throughout his long life, he was celebrated for his mastery of drawing, design, sculpture, painting, and architecture, which provided the foundation for all the arts. He's rightly been called the divine one - considered one of the greatest artists to have ever lived.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564), Bacchanal of Children, 1532, Royal Collection of HM Queen Elizabeth II, UK.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564), Studies for the Libyan Sibyl and a small Sketch for a Seated Figure, 1511, Collection of The Met Fifth Avenue, NYC.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564), Archers Shooting at a Herm, Red chalk on paper, Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017, UK.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564), Expulsion from Paradise after Masaccio, red chalk on paper, copy sketch for the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoe of the same story, 1512, Collection of The Met Fifth Avenue, NYC.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564), Dream of Human Life, 1533, Black chalk on paper, The Courtauld Gallery, London, UK.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564), Study for the Head of the Cumaean Sibyl, Black chalk with touches of white gouache, 1508-10, Biblioteca Reale, Turin, Italy.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564), Cleopatra in Bust Length, Black chalk on paper, 1535, Casa Buonarroti, Florence, Italy.

Bronze bust of Michelangelo, 1560, Daniele da Volterra, (Italian sculptor, 1509–1566), Louvre Museum, France. (Daniele is infamous for covering over the genitals in Michelangelo's The Last Judgment fresco with fig-leaves)

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564), Male Nude, Seen from the Rear (verso), Black chalk, heightened with white, on paper, 1504, Graphische Sammlung, Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria.

Sebastiano del Piombo (Italian painter, 1485–1547), Cartoon for the Head of Saint James, Black & white chalk, on two joined sheets of tan paper; silhouetted; pricked for transfer, 1520, The Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, (1475-1564), Apollo-David (unfinished), 1530, carved marble, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, Italy.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, (1475-1564), Bearded Head in Profile (recto), black chalk on paper, 1508, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Itlay.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, (1475-1564), Study for the Nude Youth over the Prophet Daniel, Sistine Chapel, Red & white chalk on paper, 1511, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH.

Jacopo Pontormo (1494-1557) Venus and Cupid, oil painting on panel, 1533, from a lost drawing by Michelangelo, Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, Italy.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, (1475-1564), Cartoon of Venus Kissed by Cupid, 1535, charcoal on 19 sheets of paper, mounted on canvas, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Naples, Italy.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, (1475-1564), Study of a Man in Bust Length, (perhaps an assistant or laborer), Red chalk drawing on paper, 1525, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, (1475-1564), The Battle of Cascina, 1504, Michelangelo only created the preparatory drawing, Copy of the Battle by Michelangelo's pupil Aristotele da Sangallo, incomplete fresco for the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, (1475-1564), Head of a Bearded Man Shouting, 1525, red chalk on paper; Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, UK.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, (1475-1564), The Fall of Phaethon, Engraving, 1533, Black chalk, Royal Library, Windsor, UK.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, (1475-1564), Bust of Brutus, carved marble, 1540, Bargello Museum, Florance, Italy.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, (1475-1564), The Fall of Phaethon, Engraving, 1533, Black chalk on paper, Royal Library, Windsor, UK.

Leonardo da Vinci, MFA Boston The Idea of Beauty: April 15–June 14, 2015, Museum of Fine Arts Boston: As the same with Michelangelo show I made sure to capture as many memorable snapshots as possible during the once-in-a-lifetime exhibition that showcased 30 of Leonardo's drawings and manuscripts, underscoring his advanced understanding of anatomy and his meticulous portrayal of the natural world. Of note was the rarely displayed Codex on the Flight of Birds, a notebook brimming with his depictions and concepts of birds in motion aimed at realizing a flying machine, a visionary idea far ahead of its time, even though the invention itself was never fully developed. The preservation of these drawings, dating back 500 years to the High Renaissance, necessitated the galleries at the museum to be maintained under cool, dry, and subdued lighting conditions during the exhibition, making it challenging to capture them on film. Nonetheless, I was able to capture 15 commendable shots of the finest drawings.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), Head of a young woman, Silverpoint and white highlights on prepared paper, 1483, Biblioteca Reale, Turin, Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), Bust of a young woman with a cap, 1511, red chalk on paper, Biblioteca Reale, Musei Reali, Turin, Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), Teste di Giovinetta, red chalk on paper, 1495, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), Female Head with Veil perhaps a study for the Virgin, Maestro Della Pala Sforzesca, a Milanese pupil of Leonardo, 1485-1490, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), Drapery Study for a Standing Figure Seen from the Front, 1478-80, tempera and white chalk on canvas, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), Posterazzi View Of An Old Man Seated, Giclee Print: 1490, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), Head of an Old Man, 1515, Red chalk on paper, attributed to Cesare da Sesto a member of Leonardo’s circle in Milan, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), Heads of an old man and a youth, The young man is probably Salai Leonardo's male lover, Red chalk on paper, 1500, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), Master of the Pala Sforzesca, profile of an old man, 1495, silver stiff on paper, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), Study of human hand, Warrior with helmet, and eagle head, chalk on paper, 1515, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Michelangelo, Kneeling male figure; chalk on paper, 1510, Casa Buonarroti, Florence, Italy.

Michelangelo, Study of a male nude for the figure of Naason’s Wife in the Sistine Chapel, chalk on paper, 1511, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Michelangelo, study for the Sistine Chapel, chalk on paper, 1510, Georgian National Museum, Georgia.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), Codex on the Flight of Birds, ink on paper, 1505, 38 pages examines the flight of birds and proposes mechanisms for flight by machines, Royal Library of Turin, Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci, (1452-1519), “Profile of an old man”, chalk on paper, 1505, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Es Devlin, Cooper Hewitt

An Atlas of Es Devlin: November 18 - August 11, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York City: An Atlas of Es Devlin is the first monographic museum exhibition dedicated to British artist and stage designer Es Devlin (born 1971), who is renowned for work that transforms audiences. Since beginning in small theaters in 1995, she has charted a course from kinetic stage designs at the National Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera to installations at major institutions, including the World Expo, Lincoln Center, and the United Nations headquarters. Her sculptures for Olympic Ceremonies, NFL Super Bowl halftime shows, and stadium tours for The Weeknd and U2 frame narratives that feel personal at a monumental scale. This exhibition covers thirty years of Devlin's career, spanning from early sketches and notebooks to models of stage sets for London plays and blockbuster pop concerts, models of immersive installations, and an on-the-wall presentation of the 926-page book that is also a work of art in and of itself.

Es's working studio, table, sketches, stacks of magazines, books, & clippings, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Iris installation, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Archive Unboxed installation, Pencil, gouache, and ink drawings for inspiration, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Ink sketches, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Model, Laser-cut MDF, acrylic, 3D-printed resin, and LED, Staged 2022, NFL Super Bowl Halftime, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, California, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Model, Your Voices, Acrylic, filament, nylon thread, and LED, Installed 2022, Lincoln Center Plaza, New York City, USA, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

An Pencil, gouache, and ink drawings for inspiration, Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Sculptures, Ideas to Forms, Cut paper and board, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Model, Atlas, 3D-printed resin and LED, by Meredith Monk, staged 2019, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Walt Disney Concert Hall, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Model for the set design of Harold Pinter's Betrayal, 1998, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Inside the Artist's Studio, Model, 3D-printed resin and LED, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Model, UK PAVILION – DUBAI EXPO 2021, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Set design for the production of Bizet's Carmen in Bergenz, Austria, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Model, Please Feed the Lions, 3D-printed resin and LED, Installed 2018, Trafalgar Square, London, UK., An Atlas of Es Devlin, Cooper Hewitt, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

The Temple of Dendur, The Met Fifth Avenue

The Temple of Dendur at the MET, NYC, is dedicated to the goddess Isis, built during the Roman Period, under the reign of Emperor Augustus. The Temple was subjected to flooding caused by the building of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s, the Temple was saved from destruction and relocated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where it has been exhibited since 1978. The Temple is a great example of ancient Egyptian architecture, constructed using Aeolian sandstone, and characterized by pylon gates, sloping battered walls adorned with hieroglyphic pictorial carving, and post and lintel construction. The Temple of Dendur/smarthistory.org

1.) Temple during flooding caused by the Aswan High Dam 1963, The MET, NYC.

2.) A Permanent temple installation at the Met was built in 1978, The MET, NYC.

3.) Temple showing backlighting for color projection to display vignettes, The MET, NYC.

4.) Coloring the Temple: This display shows one vignette on the south wall of the temple colored by light to suggest how it might have looked when painted in the Roman Period. The MET, NYC.

5.) The Temple of Dendur between two statues of Amenhotep III, The MET, NYC.

6.) First Statue of Amenhotep III, The MET, NYC.

7.) Second Statue of Amenhotep III, The MET, NYC.

8.) Temple building from the front view, The MET, NYC.

9.) Pylon gate and temple entrance, The MET, NYC.

10.) Two highly decorated columns with composite tops depicting lotus blossoms, a style first used in Egypt between 664 and 525 BCE, The MET, NYC.

11.) The two columns on the porch rise toward the sky like tall bundles of papyrus stalks with lotus blossoms bound with them, The MET, NYC.

12.) Detail of lotus blossom capital after restoration, The MET, NYC.

13.) Over the pylon and above the entrance to the temple proper is the Winged sun disk of the sky god Horus, representing the sky, The MET, NYC.

14.) Caesar Augustus making an offering to Osiris and Isis, The MET, NYC.

15.) Carvings of papyrus and lotus plants symbolized the Nile god Hapy, The MET, NYC.