travel – Art Walks Boston

Road Trip: Yale University Art Gallery

Unlike my previous road trip recommendation this one means you have to leave the state. Still, visiting the Yale University Art Gallery is well worth the trip. Like Harvard, Yale has a remarkable collection and the galleries are small enough that it can be taken in over the course of an afternoon.

It’s a couple of hours from Boston. We did it as an add-on trip coming back from New York. That’s a pretty great way to do it as it breaks up the drive nicely. We added lunch at Heirloom.

There are some real standouts in the collection. Van Gogh’s Le café de nuit is the most obvious blockbuster, but as you can see you can slo take in works by artists as diverse as Manet, Basquiat, Motherwell and Bronzino over the course of an afternoon. I was personally very impressed with the excellent collection of works by the American Thomas Eakins. It was the best concentration of his work I’ve seen outside of Philadelphia and it was a real highlight of the afternoon.

Posted on February 6, 2017 by artwalksboston

Happy Street Art and Graffiti Super Bowl Week!

Art Basel Miami Beach starts today. I am sadly not there this year. To make myself feel better, I’m going to share some photos I’ve taken at the show over the years. Buckle up!

Posted on December 1, 2016 by artwalksboston

Food in Arles: Cuisine de Comptoir

If you find yourself in Arles and you’re looking for lunch, I’d gladly recommend Cuisine de comptoir. If you get into town via the train and do the common sites in town (the Roman arena, theater and the van Gogh sites), it’s at the far end of your walking itinerary. We had a classic Provençal lunch of tartines and a half carafe of rose. You should do the same if you find yourself there. We’ve gone tartine crazy since we’ve been back.

Posted on August 8, 2016August 8, 2016 by artwalksboston

The Ancient Roman (and Natural) Glory of Pont du Gard

As I mentioned, I just spent a week in France. I stayed in Paris for a couple of nights and then spent the rest of the time in Avignon. On of our side-trips from Avignon was to the incredible Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard. If, like me, you enjoy a Roman ruin or two, it’s a can’t-miss attraction. It’s also a can’t-miss attraction if you like the great outdoors as the aqueduct sits in an incredible natural site with miles of walking and hiking trails and several large sections of riverside beach. Every drive in the area is pretty, and if you’re not driving it’s easy to get to (if you time it properly) for just a couple euros from Avignon or Nimes by bus.

The bus from Avignon (the A15) leaves from the bus depot, right next to Gare Avignon Centre. The Rick Steves Provence book mentions an Ibis Hotel. Which is valid, except there are two on that street. The one you want is next to the Train Station. Make sure you keep your ticket, if you reuse it you get a discount on your next ride.

It’s well worth the time and nominal (7-8 Euro) admission fee.

Here are some photos.

Posted on August 5, 2016August 5, 2016 by artwalksboston

Looking with Some Jealousy Towards London- This Current Show At the National Gallery Looks Great

I read about this exhibition, Painters' Paintings: From Freud to Van Dyck, in last week’s Economist, and it looks fascinating.

Explore the connections between painters and the paintings they possessed in an exhibition spanning over five hundred years of art history

‘Painters’ Paintings’ takes its inspiration from works in the National Gallery Collection once owned by painters, revealing the private acquisitions of Freud, Matisse, Degas, Leighton, Watts, Lawrence, Reynolds, and Van Dyck.

The exhibition investigates why these painters acquired other painters’ works – for artistic inspiration, to support fellow artists, as status symbols, as investments, even out of obsession.

It also considers the fascinating relations painters had with the paintings they possessed, and what happened when their acquisitions entered public collections.

‘Painters’ Paintings’ features more than eighty works spanning over five hundred years of art history, from Freud’s 2002 ‘Self Portrait: Reflection’ to Bellini’s Agony in the Garden of about 1465.

About half of the works are exceptional loans from public and private collections, including Cézanne’s ‘Three Bathers’ once owned by Matisse, Sisley’s ‘The Flood. Banks of the Seine, Bougival’ once owned by Degas, and Gainsborough’s ‘Girl with Pigs’ once owned by Reynolds

Each painting offers a unique insight into the private worlds of these celebrated masters.

It runs until September 4 and I’m definitely contemplating making it over there to see the show. The lower Pound will be nice as well. When I was there last time it was something like $1.65.

Anyway, if you’re there or are going to be there, it looks like something to check out.

Posted on July 14, 2016July 14, 2016 by artwalksboston