Category Archives: Museums

‘Theatrum orbis terrarum’

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I have been fascinated by globes and atlases all of my life. When I was in 1st grade, I convinced my Mother to buy me a small spinning globe for my bedside table. When I was at university, I came … Continue reading →

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About suffering they were never wrong

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

W. H. Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts,” written in 1938, is one of the better-known examples of ekphrasis, or poems inspired by artworks, up there with Keats’s “Ode on a Grecian Urn” and Rilke’s “Archaic Torso of Apollo.”Auden’s subject is … Continue reading →

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The Bookcase of Tolerance

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam many times over the years and I’ve always been moved both by her family’s story and the Museum’s goal of promoting tolerance. The organization recently release an AR-based project called The Bookcase … Continue reading →

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Mapping Fiction

Posted on January 21, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Loren Latker, “Shamus Town” The Raymond Chandler Mystery Map of Los Angeles, the Wonder City of America, 2014. Map, 39 3/4 x 26 1/2 in. © Loren Latker, 2021. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. I have always been … Continue reading →

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Sundry Sunday Seven

Posted on January 9, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

January 1, 2022 was Public Domain Day here in the USA. Among the works entering the public domain was Heminway’s great novel The Sun Also Rises. The Center for the Study of the Public Domain lists thousands of books and recordings … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Asia, Books, Bookstore Tourism, Europe, Hotels, Museums, Tourism, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Love, Desire, Death

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

In the fascinating video below, Peter Schade, the Head of the Framing department at Britain’s National Gallery, shows the process of creating six huge matching frames for the Titian: Love Desire Death exhibition. Matthias Wivel, Curator of 16th-century Italian paintings, … Continue reading →

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Paradox of Liberty

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The National Museum of African American History and Culture first opened its doors in 2016. Now, the Smithsonian institution on the National Mall in Washington, DC, is bringing its exhibits to life online, making them accessible to audiences worldwide. Launched … Continue reading →

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Music by Miles

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I recently ran across this wonderful video below featuring images by the late Saul Leiter accompanied by the sublime music of Miles Davis. It reminded me of an exhibition of Leiter’s photographs and painting that I happened to see the … Continue reading →

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Van Gogh’s London

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

As I have previously mentioned, I have long been an enormous fan of London as a travel destination. In fact, during the previous century I even wrote a travel guidebook for budget travel to the British capital. But I was … Continue reading →

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Just in time for Halloween

Posted on October 30, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I have no intention of ever setting foot inside the Salem, Massachusetts Salem Witch Board Museum but this spooky little museum in the historic town seems like the perfect spot for Halloween. The attraction located in the town that’s famous … Continue reading →

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