Ohio is an art lover's paradise, with four of the world's great art museums. First ranked is the Cleveland Museum of Art, which has not been visited by this writer in far too long. Next comes the incomparable Toledo Museum of Art, a sleeper of a gallery with more masterpieces on display than can ever be comprehended on one visit. Not far behind comes Cincinnati's museum, followed by Columbus. The latter can easily be grasped in a day or less.
Cincinnati's museum is high atop Mt. Adams, with breathtaking views down towards the city. Cincinnati was once the most important city in the Midwest, and the gateway to the far west. It was eventually eclipsed by Chicago and St. Louis. However, it attracted artists in droves, and many of them are of international calibre. One of many things the Cincinnati Art Museum does so well is display hometown art. The Cincinnati Wing celebrates local painters, sculptors, and decorative arts creators in one of the most spectacular displays of art I have ever seen. One of the sideline highlights is the number of paintings that depict Native American themes, with fabulous works by four different painters, including two local boys. Another highlight is the collection of Rookwood pottery, one of two major potteries that were established in Cincinnati in the late 1880s. Workers from England were hired and brought over, and the results continue to impress us today, though the old version of the industry is now defunct. Someone has restarted Rookwood again, and on my next visit I would like to learn more about this.
Harvest Dance, J. H. Sharp, depicting a scene from Taos Pueblo, NM.
Guard of the Harem, Frank Duvenek
Part of a bedroom suite.
Detail of headboard.
Another locally made headboard.
Tiled fireplace.
Rookwood Vase.
Locally made pottery; bats and spiders.
The Cincinnati wing houses about 20 incredible galleries, and requires quality time to appreciate all there is to see. I was completely enthralled by my visit! The building itself is quite warm and inviting. The best thing about my Friday all day visit was how quiet it was. At any one time, I'm certain that no more than 40 or 50 people were wandering the 85 galleries, laid out on two floors. There is a full service restaurant, as well as a small coffee bar. I partook of both. The gift shop gave me two neat ideas for gifts for my niece.
Japanese ceramic dish.
Main entrance to the museum--the art of children's author and illustrator Robert McCloskey. Among many other fun drawings were those he did for his famous "Make Way For The Ducklings." This was a very fun exhibit, and with about ten people there, it was the busiest room in the museum.
View of front foyer and gift shop.
Another view of the entrance hall, with the gift shop and small coffee bar.
The inner courtyard, which also has outdoor cafe seating.
The courtyard opens on three sides to galleries and the main cafe.
There are some beautiful spaces within the museum.
Ancient Near Eastern galleries, looking back towards the gift shop area.
I was alone in the Near Eastern Galleries, and appreciative of the quiet displays. Quite a few individual objects spoke to me today.
Near Eastern silver drinking cup. Sigh.
After entering the museum, turning right takes the visitor into the Ancient Near East galleries, followed by Islamic Art, followed by China and Japan. Egyptian art is in another part of the museum, alongside African tribal art.
Chinese ceramic dish.
Japanese teapot.
Japanese netsuke, not even an inch in height.
Another highlight to a museum visit is seeing three works of art that were created for the now abandoned Terrace Hotel, downtown. Vast murals by Joan Miro and Saul Steinberg (illustrator for the New Yorker Magazine), as well as a Calder mobile, are on display once again in the same building. Google the Terrace Hotel murals in Cincinnati to see historic photos of them in situ.
The mobile by Calder and mural by Miro are on display in the large hallway that faces the cafe.
The Steinberg murals are on display straight ahead past the main entrance, in a very cool lounge area, with floor to ceiling windows facing onto the inner courtyard.
Mural detail, with scenes of Cincinnati.
Another detail from the hotel mural by Steinberg.
Entrance to the Old Masters galleries. Note the small painting in the right foreground, one of the gems of the museum (see below).
One of the great paintings in the world, Judith With the Head of Holofernes by Botticelli. His delicate and sweet-faced blonde maiden is packing a sword, and she knows how to use it!
The small but voluptuous sketch for Rubens' master painting, now in the National Gallery, London.
The gallery has medieval Spanish art on display in a reconstructed chapel.
Detail from a painting by Flemish artist Henri Met de Bles.
Sunset Landscape by George Inness, American.
One of my favourite paintings in the museum (I have a lot of those), a landscape by Courbet.
Detail of a corner of a painting by Daubigny, from the Barbizon School.
The incomparable "Undergrowth With Two Figures," by Van Gogh.
Detail of above.
The Red Rooster, by Marc Chagall.
Flight Into Egypt, Marc Chagall.
Sun On Prospect Street (Gloucester, MA), by Edward Hopper.
Pair of incredible lamps from the 1930s!
Venetian Woman, Sargent.
The Indian Scout, by Remington.
American Folk Art Gallery
Cincinnati Museum of Art
In the contemporary galleries they were showing a short film on continuous loop. A snobby woman is discussing contemporary art within the museum when suddenly Mr. Peanut shows up and sets about destroying the collection and the building. Quite fun, it was called Nutzilla!
Mr. Peanut arrives at the art museum in a bad mood!
He is hell bent on destruction!
His fist smashes holes in the ceiling, and he grabs artworks and eats them or throws them away. He also grabs the textile on left and blows his nose on it.
Mr. Peanut visits the Cincinnati Museum of Art!
In Part Three I will discuss three fragments of sculpture from the museum. Stay tuned!
Mapman Mike
