After a pleasant walk cross-town through Central Park, I made it for the last day of the Oskar Kokoschka show at the Neue Galerie. This museum is elegant but quite small, & the 3rd floor was closed due to the hanging of a new exhibit, making it even smaller. Kokoschka is represented by half a dozen portraits, the sitters looking fretful at best, & a selection of drawings, water color studies & prints. I was amused by the colored drawing Die christliche Liebe (Alma Mahler und der Künstler). The 2 figures are walking in a garden. Alma is a large, pear-shaped figure in a blue dress, & the artist represents himself as an undersized, child-like figure in a red outfit walking beside her. His outstretched hand directs the viewer to a couple kissing in the bushes.
I can't say that I have much of an eye for Klimt, but the room of his decorative square canvases, featuring the portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, is admittedly stunning & worth the price admission.
Also striking is the period furniture sitting in the corners of the gallery. I liked the large Koloman Moser collector's cabinet with its oak veneer stained black but with the grain pattern chalked white. The scroll-like "Knieschwimmer" club chair by Adolf Loos generated much discussion among the visitors, as we tried to figure out if it could be made comfortable. We decided that the chair must have had a separate foot rest which is now missing.
For the full experience, I had lunch in the pricey, Viennese-themed restaurant, Cafe Sabarsky. This seems to be an attraction of its own. There was a line to get in, though I could be seated immediately if I was willing to share a table. As a result, I had a delightful conversation with a woman from Mississippi who once did standing room at the San Francisco Opera to hear Beverly Sills in Traviata.
8 comments:
Presumably you know about Kokoschka's relationship with Alma!
Gosh, that Alma certainly seems to have made the rounds!
In my own very serious youth, Jugendstil seemed a bit too decorative for me, and Klimt reminded me of gaudy wallpaper. However, I do like looking at his paintings up close, particularly how the blues and pinks render the skin.
I saw Adele Bloch-Bauer I at the Belvedere when I was an undergrad on a study abroad program. Otherwise, I would have never left the Kunsthistorisches. She is certainly striking.
Alma certainly did get around... and she rarely went slummin'. A courtesan rather than a hooker, and she could write a damn good song too.
Glad you enjoyed the Neue Galerie. One of my favourite places on the planet, and so fitting that in the setting of the Cafe Sabarsky - a shadow city haunt if ever there was one - you should have a conversation about a faded courtesan!
Tattler: I too may have been prejudiced against Klimt by all those decorative college-dorm posters I saw in my own youth. But you are right that close-up examination of his painting is extremely rewarding. Many unexpected colors & textures. Especially unnerving are all those eyes in her dress.
Thank you, Mr. Plumley, for tying all the elements of my Neue Galerie experience together. It's a relief to know that it all means something after all!
Next time you find yourself in Boston, make sure you go to the MFA to check out Kokoschka's Two Nudes (Lover) painting.
Neue Galerie and Cafe Sabarsky is my most favorite spot in Manhattan.
Thanks for pointing this painting out! It could indeed be the source of the satiric drawing of the same couple I saw in the Neue Galerie. I have been to the MFA in Boston, so I may have seen this several years ago.
The Neue Galerie & its restaurant seem to be a big hit with readers of this blog...
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