15 Museums

New York City has them in legion. I've written about many of the great museums on this blog (e.g., the MoMA, National Design Museum, Cloisters--here and here, and Brooklyn Museum) and visited scores of others.

As an art junkie, I adore the MoMA and The Met (how original). Thanks to an annual membership courtesy of my mom, I've been to The Met over a dozen times in the past year. And the MoMA is free on Friday night, making it a frequent destination. Here is a favorite work from each museum:


Jacques-Louis David. (French, 1748-1825). Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and His Wife. c. 1788 @ The Met. This painting does an incredible job at portraying love in marriage. Lavoisier was a prominent French lawyer-turned-scientist and public servant. His wife was deeply involved in his research, working side-by-side with him. In a move uncharacteristic for the time, Lavoisier had David make his wife the focal point of this portrait in order to emphasize her importance to his professional life and his personal happiness. Not that Lavoisier was a completely humble man; back then, men prized good legs and Lavoisier made sure David painted his.


Claude Monet. (French, 1840-1926). Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond. c. 1920. @ the MoMA.

Speaking of museums, this afternoon E and I plan to celebrate the subway at the New York Transit Museum. Maybe we'll get this shirt for the papa to commemorate his many trips to Columbia.