Gifts to the Tsars

Today’s article is another in the series on art exhibitions I wished I could have attended. The exhibition, Gifts to the Tsars 1500 – 1700 – Treasures from the Kremlin, was organized by the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the State Historical-Cultural Museum Preserve, Moscow Kremlin. This exhibition took place in Indianapolis in 2001 and 2002.

A point of interest about this exhibition is that it was as much as a history and cultural lesson about a far away country as it was a presentation of great art. The show included gifts of the sixteenth and centuries, European decorative arts, and ambassador gifts which included masterpieces of silver.

This exhibition not on presented treasures in the form of objects from a very unique museum as well as rare documents. Jewelry, gemstones, silver and gold vessels, plates, cups and other items were included in this exhibition. Many of the items in the exhibit were from other countries but some were items created in the Kremlin workshops.

Smithsonian Libraries Exhibition

Today’s I am continuting the series on art exhibitions I wished I could have attended. The featured exhibition is An Odyssey in Print – Adventures in the Smithsonian Libraries. This exhibition was held at the Grolier Club in New York in 2001 and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C in 2002 - 2003.

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries in located in numerous places throughout the United States and the Republic of Panama. The Smithsonian Institution Libraries in the center of the world’s largest museum complex. The museum contains over 1.5 million books and manuscripts.

The exhibition organized as a 3-part adventure through the magnificent collection. Part 1, Journeys over Land and Sea, concentrated on works that demonstrated how the world was seen and recorded by Europeans and Americans. Part 2 Journeys of the Mind, explored how scientists have provided information that helps us understand the world. The final part, Journeys of the Imagination, presented work created through the imaginations of artists, architects and book designers.

It’s hard to imagine that this exhibition did not include something for nearly every one. If you are a lover of books and libraries, this would have been an excellent exhibition to attend.

Art Exhibition - Munch and Scandinavian Art in Late 19th Century

Today’s article is about an exhibition on late 19th century Scandinavian art. The exhibition, Munch and the Spirit of the North – Scandinavian Art in Late 19th Century, took place in September 25, 2010 to March 6, 2011 in Italy. This show was an exhibition within an exhibition. The larger show featured great artists of the North in the late 19th Century. The smaller exhibition presented work by Edvard Munch. The exhibition presented thirty paintings and 10 works on paper by Munch. This exhibition was the most extensive showing of work by the Norwegian artists. The show focused on his early works and many were landscapes from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. More recent exhibitions have focused on the darker periods of Munch. A lot of attention in recent years has been directed to Munch’s “Scream” paintings. This was an exhibition that celebrated Edvard Munch’s early work without visiting his depressive nature. You can find a great collection of art books and exhibition catalogs at Nella’s Books and Collectibles.