No More 'Cathedrals of Culture'

Wall Street Journal, August 24, 2010 By JUDITH H. DOBRZYNSKI

Over breakfast one recent Saturday, Kaywin Feldman, the director of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, recalled a moment years ago at a meeting of the Association of Art Museum Directors. Then in her mid-30s, one of association's youngest members, and director of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, she proposed a session on museums and the environment. "I was told it was irrelevant," she says.

By June of this year, when the AAMD met in Indianapolis for its annual meeting, the association had caught up with her thinking: Not only was a session devoted to making museums "greener," but Ms. Feldman was elected president.

View Full Image

Gene Pittman

The Walker Art Center's 'Open Field' event, where artists and audiences share in the experience of making art.

Ms. Feldman is part of a new generation of women and men in their 40s that is taking the reins at America's top art museums. It includes Christoph Heinrich at the Denver Art Museum, Thom Collins at the Miami Art Museum and James Steward at the Princeton Art Museum, to name a few. Shaped by their times, which differ markedly from the formative years of the directors they are replacing, many have different views of what a museum should be.

Not so long ago, directors were proud to say museums were "cathedrals of culture," collecting, displaying and preserving the best art. Today, that's regarded by some as elitism, and it's not enough. Reacting to demographic and social trends, they are bending the art-museum concept to reach new audiences and remain relevant. "We live in a more global, multicultural society that cares about diversity and inclusivity," Ms. Feldman says. "We're thinking about how we increase our service to the community." Doing their part to save energy is an example of that.

There's no shining line separating the generations, of course. Some directors have been preaching the "populist" gospel for years, often translating that into exhibitions about guitars, hip-hop or "Star Wars" paraphernalia and live music nights with cocktails, DJs and dancing.

Current thinking goes much deeper. Many young directors see museums as modern-day "town squares," social places where members of the community may gather, drawn by art, perhaps, for conversation or music or whatever. They believe that future museum-goers won't be satisfied by simply looking at art, but rather prefer to participate in it or interact with it. "The Artist Is Present" show by Marina Abramovic at the Museum of Modern Art—silent, one-on-one encounters between volunteers and the artist, which viewers hung around to watch—is a recent, popular example.

New technology and social media, from blogs to Facebook to YouTube, are helping to drive the trend. "We're on the cusp of a huge change in the way technology will change the visitor experience and how people learn about art," Ms. Feldman says. Adding to the pressure are changes in the art world, which is growing more global and more interdisciplinary, and in education, which skimps on the arts and is forcing museums to provide more context.

"The biggest transformation is how we're conceiving of social engagement with our audiences," says Olga Viso, who became director of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis in January 2008. "We are working out the strategy for engaging in a much deeper way and a multiplicity of ways. It's about breaking down boundaries."

Ms. Viso offered two recent examples. First, the Walker is staging "Open Field" on its grounds this summer, a "cultural commons" where artists and the public alike may create, perform, discuss books or current affairs, attend demonstrations or just watch everyone else. From its "Tool Shed," the Walker lends radios, blankets, playing cards, sketch pads, scissors and even iPads. Second, through Sept. 15, the public has been invited to vote on which works on paper, drawn from the Walker's collection, will be shown in its "50/50: Audience and Experts Curate the Paper Collection" exhibition this December.

Some of the curators, Ms. Viso concedes, are not comfortable with that concept, but she stresses that it's just one display, which the curators will install. In any case, she believes that "curators will have to share their research differently" henceforth. They'll have to Twitter, blog, work across curatorial departments and take a larger approach to their job. "We are actively in the process of updating their job descriptions," she says.

Elsewhere, broader outreach may be as simple as exhibition programming that goes beyond the traditional lectures and concerts—and beyond museum walls. In Oregon, for example, the Portland Art Museum recently organized an exhibition called "China Design Now." It featured works by about 100 designers, architects, filmmakers and artists who have moved China from its days as an imitator to being an innovator in design.

In conjunction, the museum contacted area designers, universities and design galleries, encouraging them to mount an exhibit or program on the same theme. Then it created a website to capture all the activities in the same place. "It extended the spokes of the museum's wheel," says Brian Ferriso, the museum's director, who previously headed the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Okla. He is careful about one point, though: "You never lose the curatorial voice. You add other voices."

Back at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Ms. Feldman sees exhibition content and acquisitions as a way to reach out to the community. "People want to see themselves on the walls," she says. "You have to make them feel comfortable." When she took over the Memphis Brooks in 1999, it had very few African-American visitors even though they make up more than half the Tennessee city's population. She increased their attendance by exhibiting and buying art made by African-Americans.

The Minneapolis area has few African-Americans, but it has a large East African population. When the MIA adds to its African collections, Ms. Feldman says that she'll be looking for art from that area.

The degree to which museum directors are adopting these strategies varies, of course, and they seem to be especially strong at contemporary art museums. But they are spreading.

The AAMD, the museum trade organization, has definitely taken a stand. Once something of a club limited to 100 directors of the largest museums, it has recently, Ms. Feldman says, made "service to the community," rather than budget size, the criterion for membership, which now numbers nearly 200.

The group has also won a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to help document and publicize stories about its members' community-service programs. These include activities like bringing art to those with Alzheimer's or posttraumatic stress disorder, and farming crops for donation to local food banks. The goal is "making art essential to everyone."

Ms. Feldman admits that her cohorts know that goal is not possible. "It's a vision, far out there," she says. But it's what they, for better or for worse, are trying to do.

Ms. Dobrzynski writes about the arts for the Journal and other publications, and blogs atwww.artsjournal.com/realcleararts.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection – Venice, Italy

I love this museum! It feels as intimate as a home. At the same time, it is grandiose enough for this extraordinary collection and for the view of the Canal Grande. Located in Peggy Guggenheim's former home, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is the best in Italy for European and American art of the first half of the 20th century. You should spend a couple of hours here, and then enjoy a cappuccino in the Museum Café, on a terrace overlooking the beautiful sculpture garden.
Outside: Construction of the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni probably began in the 1750s, but was left unfinished. Funding may have run out, or, as some say, perhaps the powerful and jealous Corner family living opposite the building blocked its completion. The long low façade is made of Istrian white stone. A lovely sculpture garden, where Peggy’s dogs are buried, is a fresh and calm oasis in front of the house. Through the house, one can reach the terrazzo, which offers a magnificent view of the Canal Grande, from the Academia Bridge to the Salute. In 1949, Peggy Guggenheim purchased the Palazzo and made it her home for the next thirty years. Early in 1951, Peggy Guggenheim opened her home and collection to the public and continued to do so every year until her death in 1979. The museum opened a year later.

Inside: The museum still has the feeling of a home. Photos of the original rooms show how Peggy was living surrounded by art. Just think how many famous artists, collectors, and art dealers walked in Peggy’s living room. And now you are here! Peggy’s collection includes major works of Cubism, Futurism, Metaphysical painting, European abstraction, avant-garde sculpture, Surrealism, and American Abstract Expressionism. The greatest artists of the 20th century are represented, including Brancusi, Braque, Dalí, de Chirico, Duchamp, Giacometti, Kandinsky, Klee, Magritte, Marini, Miró, Mondrian, Picasso, and Pollock. The museum also exhibits masterpieces from the Gianni Mattioli Collection, including famous paintings of Italian Futurism, such as “Materia” and “Dynamism of a Cyclist” by Boccioni, “Interventionist Demostration” by Carrà, works by Balla, Depero, Severini, and Sironi. The collection also includes important early paintings by Morandi and a rare portrait by Modigliani. My personal highlights are Balla’s “Abstract Speed + Sound” (in the kitchen) and “Mercury Passing Before the Sun,” Magritte’s “Empire of Light” (in the large room), Pollock’s “Alchemy” (in the guest bedroom), and Boccioni’s “Dynamism of a Cyclist.” (Last visited 03/2005)

Purna Bhakti Pertiwi Museum – Jakarta, Indonesia

The brainchild of Madam Tien Soeharto, the late Indonesian first lady, Purna Bhakti Pertiwi Museum houses more than 10,000 gifts from the 33 years of President Soeharto's rule. This museum is located outside Jakarta, so don’t go if you don’t have a particular interest in seeing what a man can amass in more than 30 years of power.

Outside: Hosted on the land that belonged to Soeharto family, the museum is the largest in Indonesia. The museum resembles a tumpeng (rice cone), which is the centerpiece of Javanese ceremonial banquets and which symbolizes gratitude, welfare and eternity. Nine small tumpengs surround the large one. The museum is adjacent to Taman Mini Indonesia, an amusement park with full-scale reproductions of traditional Indonesian houses. Outside the museum, one can see a big villa now closed (Soeharto was planning to live here, but the government did not allow him), a garden with all sorts of fruit trees, a pond for fishing, the Indonesia warship that served during the 1963 mission of liberating Irian Jaya, three old Soeharto’s cars and one Harley Davidson.

Inside: The inside main hall is huge, on three level and can host 100,000 people. When I visited, I was the only visitor! Amongst hundred of paintings, artifacts, and art objects from all over the world, one highlight is a Chinese princess's jade bed. It is pure cult of personality! (Last visited 12/2005)

National History Museum – Jakarta, Indonesia

In the base of the National Monument or Monas (a 132m-high column towering over Merdeka Square and dubbed “Soekarno’s final erection”), the National History Museum is a diorama exhibit hosted in a windowless hall in decrepit conditions. In early 2009 the mayor of Central Jakarta asked to take over the management of the monument to improve its conditions.

Outside: This extravagant monument is Jakarta’s primary landmark, a symbol of Indonesia’s independence and strength, erected in 1961. The monument was not opened until 1975, when it was inaugurated by Soeharto. The column is topped with a sculpted flame, gilded with 35kg of gold leaf. The highlight of the visit is to take the lift to the top for dramatic and smoggy views of Jakarta.

Inside: The museum consists of 48 diorama windows illustrating Indonesian history, an attempt to reinvent the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural history of the thousands Indonesian islands as a nationalistic struggle for unity that had been ongoing since the Bronze age. The numerous uprisings against external invaders are overstated, Soekarno is barely mentioned, and the 1965 coup is whitewashed. But this museum is part of the cultural history of the country, hence worth visiting. (Last visited 12/2005)

Museum Nasional Indonesia – Jakarta, Indonesia

The Museum Nasional is an excellent opportunity to familiarize yourself with the vast and diverse culture of the many Indonesian islands. Although it is the best museum in Indonesia and one of the finest in Southeast Asia, its enormous collection of cultural and art objects is exhibited in the 1800-style, with many objects cramped in big window closets, most with no dates or information. The majority of the sculptures have no signs. For these reasons, I strongly recommend to join a guided tour to get a better understanding of the history and art of Indonesia (guided tour in English only Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 9:30 am and last Sunday of every month at 10:30 am).

Outside: In 1778, a group of Dutch intellectuals established a scientific institution to promote research in the field of arts and sciences. One of the founders donated a building and a collection of objects and books, which was the start of the museum and library. In 1862 the Dutch East Indian government decided to build a new museum. The Museum was officially opened in 1868 and became known as Gedung Gajah (Elephant House), due to the bronze elephant statue in the front yard donated by the Thai King. The building was also called Gedung Arca (House of Statues), due to its vast collection of statues on display. In 1962, the museum was handed over to the Indonesian government. Since 1979 it has been called Museum Nasional.
Inside: The museum displays historical artifacts of Indonesian culture that date as far back as the Stone Age. The museum has an excellent collection of Chinese ceramics dating back to the Han, Tang and Ming Dynasties, as well as bronze and gold collections from the Indonesian classical period. The collection of statues, mainly Hindu gods and goddesses, is also impressive. The most fascinating room is the Treasure Room (and also the only one with air-conditioning!), a collection of imperial gold and silver objects, adorned with precious stones. Don’t miss the statue of the goddess of transcendental wisdom Prajnaparamita, adorned with of jewels from head to toes. The textile section is also unique, with its old batik and Indonesian garments. A batik is a hand-made drawing on white cotton or silk with hot wax, which resists dye. After dyeing, the wax is removed, showing the pattern of the undyed areas. This process is repeated with as many as five colors until the desired pattern is achieved. (Last visited 12/2005)

Segantini Museum - St. Moritz, Switzerland

Most likely you did not come to St. Moritz for the art. However, it would be a big mistake missing the Segantini Museum St. Moritz. In between a ski day at the Corviglia and a pizza at Chesa Veglia, you should find the time to relax in this intimate museum hosting the work of Giovanni Segantini, the finest painter of the Swiss mountains. Born in 1858 in North Italy, the artist moved to Switzerland in 1886, first settling in Savognin, and eight years later moving to Maloja, at the top of the Engadin valley. His early works, produced in Milan and Brianza, still owed something to the traditional style of painting in Lombardy, more realistic, if not a bit gloomy. On moving to the Swiss Alps, the artist developed a style exuding radiance and color. He exerted an important influence on the development of Italian Divisionism. The Divisionism technique - fine parallel brush strokes of pure color - was his definitive contribution to the avant-garde art at the time - and the secret of the brilliant luminosity in his paintings. Unfortunately, the master died young, at the age of 41 from peritonitis: he was on the mountains above Pontresina, working to finish “Nature,” the central picture of his Alpine Triptych, which can be admired here.

Outside: The museum opened in 1908, only nine years after the death of Segantini. The building by architect Nicolaus Hartmann is almost hidden on the side of the road that connects Suvretta with St. Moritz. The stone building, that resembles a church due to its large cupola, was constructed along the lines of the pavilion Segantini had planned for his Engadin Panorama for the 1900 Paris World Exhibition. The Segantini Museum was renovated and extended in 1998-9 by architect Hans-Jörg Ruch.

Inside: The central attraction of the museum is the Alpine Triptych “Life, Nature, Death.” It is shown on the top floor under the dome. But before going upstairs, enjoy your time with the other paintings of Segantini. It is a way to get acquaintance with the artist’s style. Admire the clam and warm sunset in “Ave Maria a Trasbordo,” the bright blue sky of the Swiss Alps in “Noon in the Alps,” or the amazing Divisionist light of “Return from the Woods.” There are 12 paintings from the collection of the textile industrialist of St. Gallen Otto Fischbacher. The emphasis is on the Savognin period (1886-1894), from which there are six paintings on show.
Then, walk the stairs to the upper level into the domed room lit by a row of round windows. Here, take a seat on the bench to absorb the atmosphere and meditate in front of the Alpine Triptych. The three large paintings portray the life cycle – the beginning (“Life”), life (“Nature”), and end (“Death”) – in harmony with nature, throughout three seasons. With these three large canvases (“Nature” is bigger) Segantini reached the highest point of his Divisionist style. I always get lost in them; I feel in unison with nature, as Segantini did. You cannot miss the best painter of the beautiful landscapes that surround you in the Engadin. (Last visited 02/2000)

Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien (MUMOK) – Vienna, Austria

I have to be frank. I did not enjoy MUMOK. The building is quite cool, a different heavy block of stone in an era of transparency and steel glass. But the collection’s main focus is collages, visual and acoustic materials from the 1960s movements of Fluxus and Viennese Actionism. Not my favorites! In particular, I don’t like the Viennese Actionism, considered the most important Austrian contribution to international avantgarde in the 60s. The artists turned to working directly with real bodies, objects and substances. The outcome is a collection of bloody and disgusting body parts, revolting photos, disturbing videos, which in my opinion escape any esthetic meaning. This exhibit really turned me off.
Outside: Built by the Viennese architect studio Ortner & Ortner in 2001, from the outside the building appears like a dark monolithic block of grey basalt lava. Its roof curves down on the edges. It is very different from everything else in the square. It is cool! A wide outdoor stairway leads to the entrance terrace.

Inside: The large entrance hall is at mid-level. The various levels are connected by footbridges. The upper level receives natural light through a large opening in the curved ceiling. The other slit windows and the panorama window in the uppermost floor give visitors a view to the outside. I have to say that the building is the best part of the museum.
The Classical Modernism includes some good works but it is quite limited, not being the focus of the museum. You can find Expressionism, Cubism and Futurism (Henri Laurens, Giacomo Balla), Bauhaus, Dada and Surrealism (Duchamp, Ernst, Magritte). There are also works by Picasso, Giacometti, Mondrian, Klee, Bacon, Pollock, Fontana, and Piero Manzoni. There is a bit of Pop Art (Andy Warhol’s “Orange Car Crash,” and my favorite Robert Indiana’s “Love Rising - Black and White Love. For Martin Luther King”). And there is Lichtenstein, and Oldenburg.
But the core of the permanent collection is the Fluxus movement and the Viennese Actionism. I already said something above about the latter. Fluxus is an art genre, which came into being in 1962 and was particularly influenced by artists such as Joseph Beuys, Nam June Paik, George Maciunas, George Brecht and Dick Higgins. Their work is often collage-like composition of event sequencing, also called 'concerts' because acoustic, choreographic and musical forms of expression flow together in it. Nam June Paik’s “Klavier Integral,” a piano with several objects pasted to it, is a classical piece of Fluxus art. It is still worth dropping by to check temporary exhibits, but I would not say this is the one of the main attractions in Vienna.
(Last visited 05/2008)

Jewish Museum – Berlin, Germany

The Jewish Museum Berlin is one of the most spectacular museum buildings in Germany. Located in Western Krenzberg, architect Daniel Libeskind's new building is a deconstructivist masterpiece. If you are in Berlin, you have to see and experience this building. The museum has a lovely restaurant with international Jewish specialties. It is also the place for a quick snack or a coffee break with homemade cake and cookies after a museum visit. During the summer the beautiful vast garden is an oasis of peace.

Outside: Daniel Libeskind’s building makes the visit a physical experience. Zig-zag best describes the form of the museum. The first line is a winding one with several kinks while the second line cuts through the whole building. At the intersections of these lines are empty spaces – “Voids” – which rise vertically from the ground floor of the building up to the roof. It is like an exploded tri-dimensional Star of David, coated in zinc, with sharp angles and narrow slits as windows. It is impossible to guess the building’s interior from the outside. It opened in fall 2001.

Inside: As you come in, you have to go downstairs, in a metaphoric immersion in the Jewish history. In the underground three white corridors intersect. The first and longest of these axes is the “Axis of Continuity.” The architect describes the “Axis of Continuity” as the continuation of Berlin's history, the connecting path from which the other axes branch off. The “Axis of Emigration” leads outside to the Garden of Exile (49 concrete stelae rise on a square plot, which is on a 12° gradient giving a sense of instability). The “Axis of the Holocaust” is a dead end. It becomes narrower and darker and leads through a heavy, black steel door into the Holocaust Tower, a bare concrete empty tower 24 meters high, neither heated nor insulated. It is lit by a single narrow slit high above the ground. The distress and emptiness of the Tower commemorates the victims of the Holocaust. It is a physical experience with intense emotional impact.From the basement a long staircase, which ends against a bare white wall, leads to the permanent exhibition, an excursus of Jewish-German history since the Diaspora, through Middle Age, until our days. The exhibit is very creative, interactive, and informative. For those interested in Jewish history, it is a unique museum. For everybody else, you will learn a lot and have a profound physical experience, thanks to the architectural masterpiece. (Last visited 11/2008)

Museum of Art - Santa Barbara, United States

If you are in Santa Barbara, you are probably not there for the art. But, once you have enjoyed the beach, the sun, the good food, and the relaxing downtown, you should spend a couple of hours in the lovely Santa Barbara Museum of Art, one of the finest West Coast art museums in the United States. Located in a stylish building in downtown Santa Barbara, the museum has artifacts from classical art, Asian art (Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Tibetan), 19th and 20th century art from France, Britain and United States, as well as contemporary art.

Inside: The internal décor has a warm Southern Californian touch, with a wood floor (small tiles in the classical section) and Tuscan orange and brown colors on the walls. The feel is intimate and classy. The permanent collection includes fine classical works (Egyptian, Greek, and Roman), pre-Columbian sculptures, Latin art (the entrance presents “Portrait of Mexico Today,” the only intact mural in the U.S. by David Alfaro Seiqueiros), African sculptures, and American and European paintings. The Asian art collection is one of the finest on the West Coast, with art from China, Japan, Tibet, India, and Southeast Asia.
Among the American landscapes, I particularly liked Albert Bierstadt’s “Mirror Lake” (1864). The Europeans are also well represented with some Impressionists (my favorite here is Monet’s “Villas in Bordighera”), Matisse, Braque, Picasso, Degas, Derain, Dalí, Miró, and Chagall, among others. Particularly notable is the sculpture collection, which represents major artists beginning with 19th century masters Carpeaux, Carrier-Belleuse, Gèrôme, and continuing with major works by Rodin, Maillol, and Lipchitz. (Last visited 12/2008)

Moderna Musset – Stockholm, Sweden

I have to say this museum never really impressed me. Compared with other European modern arts museums (not to mention the US), the Moderna Musset is not in the top league. However, if you are interested in modern Swedish art, this is the place to visit. And, the building has a cool and spacey look and hosts a lovely restaurant and café with one of the best views of Stockholm.

Outside: The Moderna Museet building was designed by the Spanish architect Rafael Moneo and was inaugurated in 1998. Due to problems with the indoor climate, the building was closed in January 2002. The renovation was conducted by Marge Architects, a young Swedish architectural practice. The building reopened in 2004. While you are still outside, you can admire some interesting modern sculptures. In the Museum garden, you should not miss Picasso’s “Déjeuner sur l’Herbe” (1962), the sculptural version of Picasso’s painting inspired by the original Manet painting “Déjeuner sur l’Herbe” (1865).

Inside: The art collection spans from 1900 to the present day, including works by Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse and Robert Rauschenberg, as well as new acquisitions by contemporary artists. The contemporary section changes frequently. If you are interested in Swedish and Nordic art, the Museum holds some 3,700 sculptures, paintings, and installations by artists such as Vera Nilsson and Siri Derkert. This collection provides a picture of developments in Swedish art from 1900 to today. There is also a photographic collection comprisings works from the 1840s onwards, as well as contemporary films and videos, in the Video Corridor. (Last visited 06/2007)

Neue Galerie – New York, United States

Neue Galerie hosts the cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder’s collection of early 20th century German and Austrian art and design. It is hosted in the magnificent former mansion of Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbuilt and includes a superb Viennese café where you can have real Austrian/German lunches and brunches.

Outside: The museum is hosted in the former Vanderbuilt mansion, one step away from Central Park on Fifth Avenue and 86th Street, in the area known as Museum Mile. The building was completed in 1914 by Carrère & Hastings, also architects of the New York Public Library. It is a New York Landmark and is one of the most distinguished buildings on Fifth Avenue. Architect Annabelle Selldorf restored the house to its original state, while adapting it to museum standards.

Inside: The collection is on two floors. The second-floor galleries are dedicated to art from Vienna circa 1900, including arts of Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Richard Gerstl, and Alfred Kubin, and decorative arts and furniture created at the Wiener Werkstätte and by celebrated architects Adolf Loos, Joseph Urban, and Otto Wagner.
The third-floor galleries feature German art representing various movements of the early 20th century: the Blaue Reiter and its circle (Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Gabriele Münter); the Brücke; the Bauhaus; the Neue Sachlichkeit.
The highlight of the collection is Klimt’s portrait “Adele Bloch-Bauer I”. Commissioned by a wealthy Jewish industrialist, it was seized by the Nazis in 1938 and only restituted to the industrialist’s niece in 2006 after a battle with the Austrian government. Within months of its return, Lauder snapped the picture up for the then-record sum of $135m. Now the shimmering gold portrait is framed by two George Minne sculptures, as it once was in the Bloch-Bauer household. The wall on which it hangs, protected by a glass case, is covered with plaster made to the same formula used in Vienna at the time. In the same room, you can also admire one of my favorite Klimt “The Dancer.”

Art is not the only attraction at the Neue Galerie. The Café Sabarsky is the reproduction of a Viennese café from the décor to the menu. With its period objects, including lighting fixtures by Josef Hoffmann, chairs by Adolf Loos (see the originals upstairs), German-language newspapers hanging from the wood-paneled walls, and banquettes that are upholstered with a 1912 Otto Wagner fabric, this is a piece of Vienna in New York. A grand piano graces one corner of the Café. For a real lunch à la Viennese, you should have the Palatschinken (smoked trout crêpes) and a Weisswurst, the Bavarian sausage with potato salad. And of course your dessert should be a slice of Sacher Torte, an Apfelstrudel, or the Milchrahmstrudel, the white cheese and raisin strudel.
Given the erotic subject matter on display, children are not allowed to visit the Neue Gallerie. After all, this is still America! (Last visited 05/2007)

Musée d'Orsay - Paris, France

The Musée d'Orsay holds one of the most impressive collections of Impressionists in the world. This is a demanding museum. It is beautiful, but it is hard to find your way through it. Many stairs and long corridors will test your physical resistance and orientation. Take your time, wear comfortable shoes, and bring your camera: you can take photos (no flash!). Five hours would be a fair time, including a pause at the awesome restaurant on the first floor (or if you are visiting in the summer, at the terrace bar on the last floor with a unique view on Paris, Montmartre, and the Sacre Coeur.

Outside: The museum is hosted in a former belle époque train station, renovated and transformed by ACT architecture group, made up of Bardon, Colboc, and Philippon. The President of the Republic, François Mitterrand, inaugurated the new museum in December 1986.Originally the station, and hotel within it, were inaugurated for the World's Fair on July 14th, 1900. The architect Laloux chose to mask the modern metallic structures with the façade of the hotel, which, built in the academic style using finely cut stone, successfully blended in with its noble neighbors. Inside, all the modern techniques were used: ramps and lifts for luggage, elevators for passengers, sixteen underground railtracks, reception services on the ground floor, and electric traction. But, by 1939, the station was to serve only the suburbs, as its platforms had become too short for the modern, longer trains that appeared with the progressive electrification of the railroads.
Since then, the building has served various purposes. It was even used as a set for several films, including Kafka's The Trial, adapted by Orson Welles. The hotel closed its doors in 1973, but not before General de Gaulle held a press conference announcing his return to power in its Salle des Fêtes (now the posh restaurant of the museum). In 1979 the decision was made to transform the old train station into a museum.
Inside: The interior design of the museum was conceived by a team of scenographers and architects directed by the Italian architect and interior designer Gae Aulenti. With Italo Rota, Piero Castiglioni (lighting consultant) and Richard Peduzzi (architectural consultant), Gae Aulenti created a grandiose choreographic effect, that can be immediately perceived as you come in. It is understandable if you want to go straight to the Impressionists. They are somewhere on the second floor and you will get there after many escalators. The Van Gogh room almost made me cry. Everything is there! Among the others, the famous self-portrait with the dashing greenish-turquoise background (1889), “l'Eglise d'Auvers” (1890), “Chaumes a Cordeville” (1890), “Siesta” (1890), and the unforgettable “Van Gogh’s bedroom” (1889). Beside Van Gogh, my favorite paintings are Pissarro’s “Femme dans un clos” (1887), Gauguin’s “Vairumati” (1897) and “Paysage de Bretagne Le Moulin David” (1894), Signac’s “Les Andelys, la berge” (1886), Cezanne’s “Nature morte au panier” (1889), Monet’s “Le Jardin de Monet a Giverny” (1900), “Femmes a l'ombrelle” (1886), and “Regates a Argenteuil” (1872), Renoir’s “Bal du Moulin de la Galette” (1876) and “Torse effet de soleil” (1875), and Caillebotte’s “Raboteurs de parquets” (1875) with its sublime sense of perspective. I also loved a winter landscape by the Swiss Cuno Amiet (“Paysage de niege,” 1904) for its sense of calm and solitude. Of course, you should not skip the first floor with its collections of symbolists and traditionalists. As I said, you will need a good five-hour visit to get a good sense of the phenomenally extensive collection. It is a must for everyone who has a passion for modern art. (Last visited 10/2008)

Musée de l’Orangerie - Paris, France

Closed for renovation work since January 2000, completely reviewed and restructured, the Musée de l’Orangerie was reopened to the public in May 2006. Located in the Place de la Concorde, it is a little jewel in the Parisian museum landscape. If you love Impressionism and Monet (and you can’t love the former without the latter), you have to experience this museum, chosen and arranged by Claude Monet himself to showcase his eight “signature" masterpieces, the Nymphéas.

Inside: Two new rooms, oval shaped, host eight large Monet waterlillies. The rooms are aseptic, white walls, white veils covering the ceiling, it feels like a spaceship. But what is really extra-terrestrial is on the walls. Slightly curving following the oval shape of the rooms, in the first space four beautiful water reflections of lilies, trees, and leaves are the most impressive statement of the impressionist Master. Monet played with the color, each painting stressing a different reflection dominated at time by blue, green, or yellow. In the second room, you can admire the reflection of tree trunks on the water. This is amazing stuff. Just sit on one of the benches in the middle of the room and relax. The museum is a “haven of peaceful meditation,” which reminds one of the futuristic room at the end of time and space in 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you are short of time, a half an hour is enough. But one should not miss the remaining collection downstairs. On concrete walls, one can admire a fabulous concentration of masterpieces from the collection of art merchant Paul Guillaume, a highly original insight into modern art featuring Cézanne, Renoir, Picasso, Van Gogh, Rousseau, Matisse, Derain, Modigliani, Soutine, Utrillo and Laurencin. My favorites are: “Fraises” by Renoir (1905), “Portrait de M.elle Chanel” by Laurencin (1923), and “Odalisque a la culotte grise” by Matisse (1927). This museum is a gem. Don’t miss it. (Last visit 10/2008)

Musee Marmottan - Paris, France

Musee Marmottan is one of my favorites, not in Paris, but in the world. In the former hunting lodge of the Duke of Valmy (today located close to the Bois de Boulogne, in an elegant residential neighborhood), you can enjoy more than 60 paintings by Claude Monet, the world's largest collection of the famous impressionist. Monet wanted to paint something different, not what you see with your eyes, but what you feel. And he succeeded. He is the Master among the Masters.

In the Marmottan there is never too many people, especially when you compare with the huge crowd visiting Paris museums. Even if you are in Paris for a short weekend, you can still visit the Marmottan. It won't take you more than an hour or so. Of course, one can spend hours just sitting in front of the Waterlilies. No photos are allowed and every sign is strictly in French.

Inside: My suggestion is to go straight downstairs, where you can admire most of the collection in the same room. I got lost in front of the two London, The Parliament works (especially the sunset one) and I always get chills facing the famous Impression, Soleil Levant (the painting that gave the name to the movement Impressionism). Strawstuck is such an exercise in light and shadow through colors, while two of the numerous facades of the Cathedral de Rouen are real masterpieces. There is a lovely early Monet painting of a house reflected in a traditional way on water, when the Master was still drawing the line of the horizon. And then the series of Japanese bridges and Waterlilies from his garden in Giverny. Go close and you will see just layers of colors. The step back and squeeze your eyes, you will see the bridge surrounded by weeping willows. Magnifique!

On the upper level there some more Waterlilies. Here you can also admire the excellent work of Berthe Morisot. Undervalued for over a century, possibly because she was a woman, she should be considered among the top Impressionist painters. Her work focuses on domestic life, is fluid, 'legere', and colorful. Then, you should spend few more minutes strolling around the main rooms of the house which containts the original furniture. When you leave the museum, try to imagine this house in the wood with stags and deers running around, and the Duke’s party on horses ready for the hunting day. Not that hard, is it? (Last visited 10/2008)

Milwaukee Art Museum - Milwaukee, United States

The Milwaukee Art Museum has become a symbol of modern Milwaukee thanks to the eye-catching Quadracci Pavilion, designed by Santiago Calatrava in 2001. It is pure Calatrava! Modern, bright, white steel and glass, impossible to miss.

Outside: With its movable wings expanded to their full, the building looks either like a large white bird landing on Lake Michigan or the tail of a white whale emerging from the water. It is superb. The Museum’s signature wings, the Burke Brise Soleil, form a movable sunscreen with a 217-foot wingspan. The Brise Soleil is made up of 72 steel fins. It takes 3.5 minutes for the wings to open or close. Sensors on the fins continually monitor wind speed and direction; whenever winds exceed 23 mph for more than 3 seconds, the wings close automatically. And given that you are on Lake Michigan, you need some luck to see the wings open.

Inside: The gateway to the museum is the grand Windhover Hall, awash in white with marble flooring, filled with light through a front window and a glass ceiling located directly below the wings. On a sunny day, you need sunglasses! It is Calatrava’s postmodern interpretation of a Gothic Cathedral, complete with flying buttresses, pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and a central nave topped by a 90-foot-high glass roof. The hall’s front is shaped like the prow of a ship, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking over Lake Michigan. Adjoining the central hall are two tow-arched promenades, with expansive views of the lake, that remind me of a spaceship. Don't miss the Cafe' Calatrava, right below the main hall. It offers superb views on the lake with floor-to-ceiling windows in a modern design environment.There’s art, too. Once you have finished admiring the building, you can spend a good couple of hours in the Museum’s permanent collection which includes Old Masters, 19th and 20th century art, American decorative arts, German Expressionism, folk and Haitian art, and American art after 1960. Modern highlights include Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pablo Picasso, Jóan Miro, Mark Rothko, Robert Gober, Roy Litchtenstein, Lucio Fontana, and Andy Warhol. The museum holds the beautiful Monet's Waterloo Bridge, Sunlight Effect, and Caillebotte's Boating on the Yerres, with its excellent water reflections. (Last visited 05/2006)

Museum of Barbarism - Nicosia, Northern Cyprus

The Museum of Barbarism is not a museum. It is a run down house in a quiet suburb to the west of the Old City, on the Turkish-Cypriot side of Nicosia. Here, on 24 December 1963 a mother and her children were shot dead in their bath by EOKA (Cypriot Liberation Movement) gunmen (Greek Cypriots). The bloodstained bathtub is retained as one of the exhibits in this rather macabre and quite disgusting place. You can see bullet holes on the wall, and photos of Turkish Cypriots murdered in the villages of Agios Vasilios and Agios Sozomenos. Although these events really happened, this is one of the last bastions of the Turkish-Cypriot administration propaganda struggle against the Greek-Cypriots. Go only if you are interested in the recent Cypriot history and wish to better understand the use of symbols, propaganda, and history on the divided island. (Last visit 07/2002)

National Struggle Museum - Nicosia, Cyprus

This museum is for those interested in the recent history of the island. It displays documents, photos and other memorabilia from the bloody 1955-59 national liberation struggle against the British.

Cyprus Archaeological Museum - Nicosia, Cyprus

If there is one museum you want to visit in Nicosia, this is the one. Located at 1 Leoforos Mouseiou Street, this museum houses archaeological artifacts from all over the island. Some objects date back to the 8th millennium B.C.

Outside: just go inside, the building erected in 1883 is in need of renovation.

Inside: The collection is remarkable. Highlights include a display of terracotta figures from the 7-6 century B.C., coming from a castle in Northern Cyprus. Look out for the three limestone lions and two sphinxes found in Tamassos necropolis, which show a definite Egyptian influence and were discovered only in 1997. You can also see the famous statue Aphrodite of Soli, which is featured on tourist posters and on the 5 pound banknote. An enormous bronze statue of the Emperor Septimus Severus can hardly be overlooked. The rest is an abundant and impressive, but quite boring, exhibits of bowls, craters, and statuettes from Cyprus' archaeological past. A unique feature of the museum lies in the basement, where several graves rest in a dark cellar complete with skeletal remains and grave adornments that have been reconstructed. (Last visit 07/2002)

Museum Nejjarine Museum of Wood Arts and Crafts - Fez, Morocco

The Musée Nejjarine des Arts et Métiers du Bois is a 14th-century "caravanserrai," without a doubt the Fez medina's most modern restored monument. The three-story building is beautiful, with wood decoration and a patio. You can have tea on the rooftop and admire a great panoramic view over the medina. Originally, the building was a hotel where travelers could rest their camels and horses, get food, and sleep in one of the small rooms on the upper floors. There is also a former jail cell on the ground floor. The building displays Morocco's various native woods, 18th- and 19th-century woodworking tools, and a series of antique wooden doors and pieces of furniture. Nothing special, but the building is really fine and worth a visit. Also, after spending a day in the intricated pathways of the medina, you will appreciate the museum's palatial, cedar-ceiling public bathrooms, certainly the finest of their kind in Fez. (Last visit 03/2000)

Guggenheim Bilbao - Bilbao, Spain

There is only one reason to go to see the Guggenheim Bilbao, and it is a very good one: the building. Architect Frank Gehry has achieved a daring, sculptural design that many see as the foretaste of architecture in the third millennium. This building is enough of a reason to visit Bilbao, rather off track from main Spanish touristic areas. But, the town also offers other outstanding architectures and great food.

Outside: Spend your time walking around the building, first from a certain distance, and then right under it to capture the details of every curve and shape. Completed in 1997, the building is an extraordinary combination of interconnecting shapes. Orthogonal blocks in limestone contrast with the curved forms covered in titanium. Glass walls provide the building with the light it needs. The half-millimetre thick "fish-scale" titanium panels that cover the building reflect light and water in different ways and colors over the course of each day's 24 hours. It seems impossible that the building actually stands, being so sinuous and contorted. It is amazing! The museum was featured at the beginning of the James Bond movie "The World is Not Enough" with Pierce Brosnan.

Inside: Again, it is the building you really want to admire once inside. Curved white walls and steel and glass windows form a post-modern cathedral with huge spaces for art installations. The permanent collection is fine, if you haven't seen any of the other Guggenheim museums. There are works by de Kooning, Rosenquist, Rothko, Serra, Warhol and many other contemporary and avant-guarde artists, in particular Basque and Spanish artists. When I went, there was an interesting exhibition of Giorgio Armani's sartorial creations. (last visit 05/2000)