Sex and Gender in the Middle Ages November 23, 2025
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: Art exhibit, gender, Metropolitan Museum, Middle ages, NYC, photography, The Cloisters
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The Metropolitan Museum’s Cloisters is one of my favorite spots to visit in NYC. The current show at the Cloisters is called Sex and Gender in the Middle Ages and it is wonderful. With more than 50 pieces from Western Europe created during the 13th through 15th centuries including paintings, statuettes, illuminated manuscripts, textiles, household items and jewelry. The show demonstrates that modern times have no monopoly on sexual humor, gender fluidity or boundary-crossing artwork. Focusing on an era when religion was art’s most frequent subject, the exhibition investigates often overlooked themes of gender and sexuality that scholars say lie beneath these objects’ surfaces. I learned a lot visiting the show (but as usual – I forgot most of it already). The exhibit reveals that many saints (more than 30) changed their gender presentation during their lifetimes, usually female to male.
Scholars emphasize that while the Church had strict doctrines, especially regarding non-procreative sex, the reality was more varied. Art and literature often reflect a more nuanced or even subversive view of sexuality and gender. Key themes include the subordination of women, the broad concept of incest. The interesection of medical science and gender roles and the use of queer theory to uncover hidden aspects o medieval life, like gender variance and non-normative sexual practices.
The Breuer building is now Sothebys November 16, 2025
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Art exhibit, Auction, Breuer, Frick Museum, Len Lauder, Maurizio Cattelan, Metropolitan Museum, NYC, photography, Pritzker, Sothebys, Whitney Museum
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Sotheby’s bought the Breuer building which was opened in 1966 and housed the Whitney Museum until 2015 when the Whitney opened its new digs downtown. For 10 years the Breuer was a temporary home to the Met and then to the Frick while they were renovating their museum. I always liked that building and visited all of the time so I was curious as to what Sotheby’s would be doing to that museum space.I visited last week and had a mixed reaction. Clearly a museum is not encumbered with sales as its goal. They curate their shows with the intention of showcasing an artist and the work. Sotheby’s goal is to sell. So the first thing I noticed was how they chopped up some of the old open spaces in order to hang more work. I found these spaces cluttered and claustrophobic.I was happy when I found a larger area where one could breathe and finally see those oddly shaped windows facing East 75th street. Four of the six floors housed many private collections including the Len Lauder and the Pritzer family collection. The auction is Tuesday the 18th so there is not much time to see the work. It will be interesting to see how long each collection remains in the Breuer post sales. If you are wondering what Sotheby’s did to its former building on York Avenue – Cornell Weill bought the building and will expand its already large footprint in that neighborhood. Oh, by the way…Maurizio Cattelan’s America (2016) which is a fully functional toilet fashioned from just over 100 kilograms of solid 18-karat gold is in a separate room with a guard. I wonder who will buy that work. I did not bid on it.
Teacher’s Pet August 3, 2025
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: American Indian Museum, art, Art exhibit, George Morrison, Metropolitan Museum, Native American, NYC, photography, Rhode Island School of Design, RISD, USPS
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When I was in my Senior year at RISD I was fortunate to have Professor George Morrison as my Painting advisor, teacher, mentor and most of all friend. RISD was/is a small art school and students had many opportunities to grow professionally and personally when we got to know our teachers. I had never met an American Indian before (not unusual if one is born in Brooklyn) so much was new to me about his culture and background. He invited me many times to his house to dine, chat and develop a friendship with not only George, but his wife Hazel and young son Briand. I do wish my memories were more clear some 60 years later but sadly they are mostly faded. What remains is the memory of being so very grateful that I got to know him and we stayed in touch after college but like many things in life time tends to separate people. Whenever I am in DC we go to the American Indian museum to look for his work but was always told they were ‘traveling.’ So imagine my glee to learn that the Metropolitan Museum recently opened an exhibit of his work featuring 35 of his pieces that were created when he lived in NYC as a young man. This wonderful show will be on exhibit thru May of 2026 and can be found in the American Wing. I know I will return to see it again. The U.S. Postal Service honored George Morrison (1919-2000), one of the nation’s greatest modernist artists and founding figure of Native American modernism, with a set of five stamps showcasing his work in April of 2022. And yes, I have a few sheets of the stamps. The title photo features a photo of him and the sheet of stamps.
Sargent & Paris June 22, 2025
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Art exhibit, John Singer Sargent, Madame X, Metropolitan Museum, Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, NYC, photography
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This was our second visit to this beautiful exhibit of the paintings of John Singer Sargent 1856-1925) at the Met. Our first visit was a run through but this time we lingered and soaked in the mastery of this esteemed painter. We were especially taken in by his earlier work which was more experimental and free. Sargent’s bio is well known. He was born American to ex-pat parents and basically spent most of his life in Europe. His family wealth allowed him the time to travel, study and paint (doesn’t that sound dreamy)? We chuckled at the scandal that his famous painting of Madame X created in Paris. It seems very quaint 100 years later. The Madame X painting has been a highlight of the Met’s collection since Sargent sold it to the museum in 1916, telling the director “I suppose it’s the best thing I’ve done.” This exhibit runs through August 3rd. While at the Met please allow yourself time to visit the beautiful new Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, featuring the Museum’s collections of the Arts of Africa, the Ancient Americas, and Oceania.
Sleeping Beauties August 11, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Art exhibit, Costume Institute, Fashion, Fashion as art, Metropolitan Museum, nature, NYC, photography, Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion
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If you have been to the Metropolitan Museum in the past few months you have seen the insane long lines to get into the Costume Institute’s spring 2024 exhibition, Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. When I have visited the Met these past few months I refused to stand in those lines. However, when I visited a few weeks ago, I was one of the first people into the museum when it opened. I got their QR code for admittance to this exhibit and scrambled upstairs quickly. Luckily I was the fifth person in line and now I understand why these lines were so very long. They only allow a few people to enter at a time. This goofy protocol does, however, give the visitor a great experience. I was basically alone with one other man my whole visit. Continuous curved white walls give the show the feel of a lab, or a maze. The exhibition features 220 garments and accessories spanning four centuries, all connected through themes of nature, which also serves as a metaphor for the transience of fashion. Visitors are invited to smell the aromatic histories of hats bearing floral motifs; to touch the walls of galleries that will be embossed with the embroidery of select garments. The show is built on a base of 15 pieces from the institute’s collection that have become so fragile over time they can no longer be displayed on mannequins (the “sleeping beauties”), along with more than 200 hardier gowns and accessories reflecting organic themes such as roses, butterflies and beetles (nature also being fragile). Its curators seek to “reawaken” these items with a dash of technology and sensory overload: touch, smell and sound. The exhibition is on through September 2nd. Plan your visit accordingly and you will enjoy the creativity and quality of the curators. Factoid: The fashion industry funds the work of The Costume Institute, including its exhibitions, acquisitions, and capital improvements. Each May, the annual Gala Benefit, its primary fund-raising event, celebrates the opening of the spring exhibition. 
Harlem Renaissance May 26, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Art exhibit, Harlem Renaissance, Metropolitan Museum, NYC, photography
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I have been to the Harlem Renaissance and Modern Traditions exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum twice since it opened and highly recommend it to you. It is a joyful exhibition and is on thru July 28th. ‘This exhibition explores the comprehensive and far-reaching ways in which Black artists portrayed everyday modern life. Through some 160 works of painting, sculpture, photography, film, and ephemera, explore the new Black cities that took shape in the 1920s–40s in New York City’s Harlem and nationwide in the early decades of the Great Migration, when millions of African Americans began to move away from the segregated rural South’. 
The Tree (no, not that one) December 4, 2022
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, art, Christmas Tree, creche, Madison Square Park, Metropolitan Museum, NYC, photography
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The Rockefeller Christmas tree steals all of the hype and publicity but my favorite holiday tree is at the Metropolitan Museum. The ornaments and figurines were donated in 1964 by private collector Loretta Hines Howard. The crèche is much older than that. It was made in the 18th century by Italian sculptor Giuseppe Sanmartino from Naples.The magnificently lit 20 foot blue spruce looms over the 18th century Neapolitan Nativity scene surrounded by an abundant array of lifelike figures with robed angels hovering above. You can see this beauty thru January 8 2023. New York City’s first public Christmas tree was actually located in Madison Square Park in 1912. The tree arrived in Madison Square Park on December 21,1912, measuring 60 feet tall. The tree was draped with 2,300 colored electric bulbs donated by the Edison Company. Emilie D. Lee Herreshoff. She proposed a way that would allow everyone, even those who couldn’t afford their own tree, to celebrate the holiday season and participate in the tree lighting. 
Up on the Roof April 16, 2017
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: Adrian Villar Rojas, Metropolitan Museum, NYC, photography, The Theater of Disappearance
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Timing is everything. We happened to go to the Metropolitan Museum on opening day of their new site specific roof installation. The Theater of Disappearance by Argentine artist, Adrian Villar Rojas was a curious joy to behold. Rojas, only 37, is the youngest artist to have this honor bestowed upon him. It is a 21st century installation created with digital imagery, 3d printing and mashups. Did I understand it all? Absolutely not – but I sure did enjoy it. If you are curious, here is a terrific, explanatory review of the installation. If you go to see it (thru October 29th), perhaps ordering a cocktail at the roof bar is a good idea. 
The Cloisters October 28, 2012
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: architecture, art, Bette Midler, Fort Tryon Park, Metropolitan Museum, New Leaf Cafe, NYRP, photography, The Cloisters, travel
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A branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters is located in beautiful Fort Tryon Park, overlooking the Hudson River. The museum and gardens are devoted to the art of medieval Europe. I love this place. It is a quick trip on the A train and a lovely walk through the park. On your way to the Cloisters, do not forget to stop and have a fabulous lunch at the New Leaf Cafe. The cafe is a part of Bette Midler’s NYRP which is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming open space in underserved communities to create a greener, more sustainable New York City. In partnership with the City of New York, NYRP is also leading MillionTreesNYC – an initiative to plant and care for one million new trees throughout New York City’s five boroughs by 2017. All proceeds from the New Leaf Cafe support New York Restoration Project’s mission of turning forgotten spaces into growing places.
Tomás Saraceno ‘s Cloud City October 3, 2012
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: argentinian artist, art, cloud city, culture, Metropolitan Museum, photography, roof garden, Tomas Saraceno
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A visit to the Metropolitan Museum’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden through November 4th will allow you to see Argentinian artist Tomás Saraceno ‘s Cloud City. This installation is fun, spatially disorienting and well worth your time.
While at the Zoo 