Sunday, September 17, 2017

Summer Vacation Redux #29: Denver Art Museum, part 1

In terms of square footage, the Denver Art Museum is immense.  The North Building, with its modernist take on the medieval castle, was designed by the renowned Italian architect, Gio Ponti (1891 - 1979).  The structure opened its 210,000 square feet of gallery space in 1971.  As fate would have it, though my visit there this August was quite fortuitous, it was also quite fortunate as the entire structure is on the verge of closing for a multi-year renovation and expansion.  I find the exterior design nothing short of ghastly, but appreciate that it is itself a massive work of art.  For all of the foreboding penitentiary vibe you get looking at if from without--the interior spaces couldn't possibly be more comfortable, spacious and inviting.  

With so much ground to cover and art to see the plan came into light.  Start in the older North Building and go to the top floor first.  Work my down to the ground, cross the covered walkway into the Hamilton building and repeat the process.  Toss in a lunch at some point, and save enough time to walk over to the Clyfford Still Museum.  I had just seven hours; it might be tight.  But immediately I received a minor disappointment that turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  The seventh (top) floor of the North Building was already closed.  Ergo, first stop was the sixth floor and the home of European & American Painting and Decorative Arts. 


Now, this is another real plus for the Denver Art Museum--it knows its niche.  And the art of both Europe and America from the Renaissance to the Post-Impressionists is not it.  Not that they don't have some beautiful works, even some iconic works, but their collection is thin in keeping with a museum that came along with fewer resources than the Big Boys on the East Coast and fewer opportunities to build their collection.  So you'll see some wonderful works, but they'll be just the tip of this museum's enormous iceberg of art.  Here are a few I especially liked.

 "Madonna and Child with Columbines" circa 1490 by Anonymous Follower of Leonardo da Vinci 

The very moment I saw this painting I immediately thought "Leonardo da Vinci!?"  But I know that the only da Vinci painting in North America is at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.  So when I say that it was attributed to one of his Followers, I was completely thrilled at my budding art instincts and what's more I also noticed that the Christ Child was reaching for Columbine flowers.  How utterly perfect--Columbine being the Colorado state flower.  On the way up in the elevator I had a brief conversation with one of the staff who alerted me to a recently discovered Canaletto that had been buried in their collections archive and forgotten for years before being rediscovered, fully conserved and just place back on view.  I ran into him again and told him about how delighted I was by this painting, of which he was unfamiliar, but excited to discover, too.  Seven hours might seem like a long time, but really--in the presence of art, what is the meaning of time?
 "The Family of Street Acrobats: The Injured Child (La Famille de Saltimbanque: L'Enfant Blessé)" 1873 by Gustave Doré, French
 "From My Studio Windows" circa 1890 by William Lamb Picknell, English
 "Fishing Boats" 1883 by Claude Monet, French
 "The Peaceable Kingdom" circa 1847 by Edward Hicks, American

This work certainly falls into the category of iconic; however, what many people don't know is that Hicks painted some version of this scene dozens and dozens of times!  There are at least 62 known copies all made by Hicks, himself.  It was his bread and butter.  You may have scene it in one museum and thought to yourself, "Didn't I see that at that other museum?" and the answer to your question is probably "Yes!" 
 "Arrangement in Blue" 1970 by Luigi Lucioni, Italian

One advantage to a thin collection, you often discover works by amazing artists who are completely unknown to you, like this one.
 "Contemplation" circa 1772 by George Romney, English
 There is a gallery dedicated to furniture and the decorative arts.
There is a "library" with lots of odd works, kind of like a Dutch Cabinet of Wonders.  This space also has book to peruse and interactive activities geared to children.

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