Category Archives: Museums

Sometimes in Winter

Posted on January 7, 2020 by

Gabriele Münter (Berlin, 1877 – 1962) was a German expressionist painter who was at the forefront of the Munich avant-garde in the early 20th century. She studied and lived with the painter Wassily Kandinsky and was a founding member of the … Continue reading →

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Decolonizing the Metropolitan

Posted on December 20, 2019 by

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is one of my favorite go to places in the city. In fact, I’ve been visiting the Met since before I could walk. The museum’s grand entrance hall never fails to awe. … Continue reading →

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The 17th Century Kindle

Posted on December 16, 2019 by

In 1617. William Hakewill commissioned a traveling library to give as a gift to a friend. The Jacobean miniature mobile library consisted of fifty gold-tooled vellum-bound miniature books contained in a wooden case that resembled a large folio. Inside there were … Continue reading →

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Charles Dickens and the Marketing of Christmas

Posted on December 13, 2019 by

Charles Dickens and his iconic story A Christmas Carol have become synonymous with Christmas celebrations, however a special holiday exhibition at  the Charles Dickens Museum in London demonstrates that his connection to the holiday season is not all candy canes … Continue reading →

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Still Life (with books)

Posted on November 27, 2019 by

Still Life with Books, a Globe and Musical Instruments, Jan Vermeulen, 1660, Mauritshuis Museum  

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MOMA gets a facelift

Posted on October 21, 2019 by

Devoted fans have been anxiously waiting for New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to reopen. The museum closed in summer for a four-month $450 million renovation project, and will finally unveil its makeover to the museum-going public today. … Continue reading →

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American Voyageur

Posted on October 11, 2019 by

Few American writers have achieved the cultural impact of Herman Melville, author of the eternal classic Moby-Dick, yet he died unrecognized by his contemporaries for his genius. To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Melville’s birth, Philadelphia’s Rosenbach Museum and Library has … Continue reading →

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Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt

Posted on September 27, 2019 by

The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library opened in a donated storefront in the author’s hometown of Indianapolis in 2011. Over the years, the institution’s success as a tourist attraction and literary pilgrimage site made it obvious that the museum couldn’t … Continue reading →

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Art Floats

Posted on August 20, 2019 by

Europe’s first floating art museum has finally launched on the River Seine in the heart of Paris. The much anticipated attraction is  conveniently situated near the Pont des Invalides. Focusing on contemporary urban art, Fluctuart offers three levels with a permanent collection, … Continue reading →

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Peepshow

Posted on August 10, 2019 by

Icelanders have learned to cope with the scourge of overtourism with humor and aplomb. In the far northwestern town of Ísafjörður resident and museum curator Björg Elínar Sveinbjörnsdóttir recently capitalized on the nosiness of tourists who constantly peeked into the … Continue reading →

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