Have you ever travelled to see a particular artist's artwork or accidentally run into a thought-provoking art exhibit? Perhaps there is one that you're hoping to see some day?
I would love to see:
- The ice sculptures at the Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.
- A "before i die" wall - created by Candy Chang and now global
- Banksky's graffiti in New Orleans and the West Bank Barrier Wall
- Austrian artist Gustav Klimt's artwork e.g. famous one is "The Kiss"
- Musée du Louvre (I know, cliché, but it's the Louvre!)
Sometimes art exhibits can, sigh, be a bit boring and not meet up to the expectations after seeing so many replicated copies of famous pieces around the world. However, some exhibits surpass what we expect, others take us by surprise, and still others keep us hoping for the day we'll get to see them in person.
Some exhibits that really left quite an impression with me were:
- Santa Monica, CA - Gregory Colbert with some beautiful imagery of animals and people together, like a man swimming with a sperm whale, a boy sitting next to a cheetah on a rock, or a woman dancing next to a flying falcon.
- San Francisco, CA - Ai WeiWei on Alcatraz
- Seoul, South Korea - Floating wire figurines - never found out the meaning behind them, but very beautiful and unexpected
I guess the more interesting question might be WHY did you (or do you) want to see certain exhibits or pieces of art?
Reply to this Interesting topic! I often plan art museum visits in my travels, so I rarely have truly unexpected art encounters. One that was completely unexpected was St. Joseph Old Cathedral's memorial to the Oklahoma City bombing, which occurred directly across the street. It features a stature of a weeping Jesus Christ facing a black brick wall with 139 holes in it. The site prohibits pictures, so I don't have any to show : (
I knew about this incredible folk art installation in advance, but still found it worth planning a day around: the Heidelberg Project in Detroit:
A Place for Wonder in a City of Ruins
Burning Man is far more than artwork, but it was one of the reasons I went. The festival was worth planning a road trip around:
The Autonomous World,
The Rites of Passage,
Disco Inferno (Burn Baby Burn),
The End Of What is, or the Start of What Could Be?
I've also visited a number of regional museums where I expected a medium collection and was blown away by the visit. Here's a few of them:
1. The Butler Museum of Art in Youngstown Ohio has the largest collection of new media artwork in the country:
New Creativity in New Media
2. The Port Angeles Art Museum in Port Angles Washington has an incredible sculpture path through a forest:
Wildflower View Fest
3. The Virginia Institute of Art has the largest collection of Faberge jewelry in the United States, an extensive collection of Civil War art, and incredible modern art from Virginia:
The Fountain of Creativity Reply to this I have a passion for carved grottoes in China. Travelblog has bent my arms so much that other countries have slowed down the completion of my Big 5 carved grottoes of China (and as many others as I can) quest.
Yungang in Shanxi, Maiji Shan in Gansu, Dazu in Sichuan, Longmen in Henan all done...still to make Mogao Dunhuang in Gansu to complete the Big 5.
Ticked some of the smaller grottoes throughout China too many to count.
I've seen the Big 5 in Africa...but the Big 5 in China still eludes me!
Thank you to this Forum for reminding me. Try harder...Try harder...Try harder!
Reply to this These are precisely the types of art/exhibit/what-do-you-call-it I was thinking of — some excellent shares.
Ezra - I've never been to burning man, but the things I've heard and the photos I've seen really makes it seem like a surreal experience. The impromptu structures that you shared on your blogs are so massive -- in creativity and size (really nice having the juxtaposition with people to appreciate the size of the work!). Your post reminds me that even buildings can be (unexpected) works of art that we can run into while traveling.
Dave -- Beautiful! Reminds me of going to Mesa Verde in Colorado when I was younger. So incredible when nature and culture come together to create something so artistic, functional, and perhaps habitable. I wonder if something like Renzo Piano's
Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center (
Wikipedia details ) would be the antithesis or the modern interpretation of these natural creations -- all so wondrous.
Thanks for sharing!!
Reply to this I recently ducked into a little art gallery/cafe called The Suter Gallery in Nelson, New Zealand. I am not particularly an avid art gallery attendee but it was a spur of the moment decision. The artist that was having his work showcased that day was Euan MacLeod, a New Zealand born artist, but a resident of Australia for the past several years. I found myself being drawn into his paintings, like a vortex I could not depart from. His paintings have a very dense and heavy feel to them considering the way he uses his paint. His paintings have a dark and empty feel to them, but it's something familiar that you find yourself relating to. The use of the same faceless, characteristic-less body also helps in being able to see yourself in that "manikin like" figure. I found myself being utterly and surprisingly captivated by his work. I believe that going into an art exhibit without any preconceived notions or expectations is the best way of viewing.
Reply to this I occasionally enjoy a well-made graffiti. Other than that, my art is pretty expected. Though I sometimes roam into a bit more modernist museums and you never know what expect there.
Reply to this When we were in Brisbane, Australia we realized there was an Andy Warhol traveling exhibit. We had been wanting to see this for some time. We actually lived in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA for a while and never managed to see the exhibit due to lack of time and too much work. We were thrilled to finally see his work on display.
One of the must do's while we were in Paris were the Louvre and the Museum d'Orsay. As you say, it is the Louvre and it was wonderful but we liked the Museum d'Orsay better in many ways. However, we sat at Cafe Marley outside the Lourve with a bottle of wine and a platter of cheese and watched the sunset. The lights come up and it is magnificent. Can't wait to see that again.
The graffiti is Berlin is spectacular.
Reply to this I have been to the Louvre twice, and found it overwhelming ... twice. I think the most disappointing thing I found the 2nd time, and this was in 2009 so it may have changed was that every "popular" exhibit was surrounded by a throng of people with their phones taking photos. It just spoils the whole effect.
I love the Musee d'Orsay, but my favourite surprise find was the Rodin Museum and sculpture gardens. This small museum contains early drawings, sculptures and a wonderful garden.
My other surprise was in Rome on a trip to the Vatican - I was primed for the Sistine chapel but was more surprised by the other galleries both leading up and after it. I loved the tapestries gallery of ancient maps, and there is a wonderful modern art gallery right near the end that surprised me. Very overwhelming in its sheer size and diversity.
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