Tag: j.p. morgan library

Events
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02/11/13 8:50am

Your Week Untapped: Best Events for February 11-17

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New York
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philistines basquiat events untapped new york

Philistines by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1982)

Our curated events picks for this week: Basquiat at Gagosian, No Longer Empty’s Tiki Tiki Club performance, David Zwirner’s new gallery opening.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11: Jean-Michel Basquiat at Gagosian. Featuring over fifty works from public and private collections, the exhibition spans Basquiat’s brief but meteoric career, which ended with his death at the age of twenty-seven. Thirty years after Larry Gagosian first presented his work in Los Angeles, twenty years after the first posthumous survey at the Whitney Museum of American Art (1992–93), and eight years after the Brooklyn Museum of Art retrospective (2005), viewers will have a fresh opportunity to consider Basquiat’s central role in his artistic generation as a lightning rod and a bridge between cultures. Gagosian Gallery, 555 West 24th Street. FREE.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12: New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman will lead a conversation about how New York City can tackle large-scale public projects in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, both effectively and fairly. With architectural historian Hilary Ballon, University Professor at NYU and curator of the Museum’s blockbuster exhibitions on Robert Moses and the Grid; Adam Freed, Director of the Global Securing Water Program at the Nature Conservancy; Adriaan Geuze, founding Principal of West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture (Rotterdam and New York); and Philip Orton, Research Scientist at Stevens Institute of Technology and an expert on storm surges and physical oceanography. 6:30pm at MCNY, 1220 Fifth Avenue. Reservations required. $6 Museum members; $8 seniors and students; $12 general public. Buy tickets here.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13: The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (MFIT) presents Shoe Obsession, an exhibition that examines our culture’s ever-growing fascination with extravagant and fashionable shoes. Shoes by established designers such as Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin continue to be bestsellers, while the number of rising stars within the footwear industry is multiplying. Over the past decade, heels have reached new heights —as have prices. High-heeled shoes—the fashion shoes of the 21st century—have become so tall that even a 4-inch heel is considered “low.” Shoe Obsession will feature approximately 150 examples of contemporary footwear, highlighting the extreme, lavish, and imaginative styles that have made shoes central to fashion. 12-8pm at MFIT, 7th Ave at 27th Street. FREE.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14: Kostume Kult‘s Original Sin Valentine Party. The apocalyptic year is over and rebirth is at hand. Some call it sin, most call it love and we call it an all-night, naughty garden of Eden — starting with a happy-hour community gathering and growing into hot-house dance party with heavenly visions and sinful delights. (And extra special DJs after midnight.) Mixing the Chinese Year of the Snake with forbidden fruits, phallic flowers and suggestible natives, expect a night of divine naughtiness and dirty pleasures in a crazily creative venue with a pumping sound system and convenient downtown access. 8pm-4am at Kostume Kult, 34 Vandam Street (between 6th Ave & Varick). $5 before 10pm; $10 after 10pm.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15: The day after Valentine’s day, join No Longer Empty and artists Shaun Leonardo, Andrew Leonardo and Ivan Monforte in re-defining the Tiki Tiki club, a popular Queens nightclub phenomenon. Originating from Mexican and Central American nightlife culture, these clubs invite men to pay a female $2 to be their dance partner for a song. Unlike strip clubs, women do not take off their clothes – just provide companionship during a cumbia, salsa, merengue or bachata song. The Tiki Tiki Club revises this ‘romantic transaction’ by giving women the chance to pay men for a dance – reversing the exchange. The exhibition space will be transformed into into a nightclub for the evening, with music and drinks contributing to the night club atmosphere. 7-10pm at The Clocktower, 29-27 41st Avenue, Long Island City, Queens. FREE.

Also on Friday:  Coinciding with the gallery’s 20-year anniversary, David Zwirner is pleased to inaugurate a new five-storied exhibition and project space with a presentation of works by Dan Flavin and Donald Judd. Designed by Selldorf Architects, the building incorporates ca. 30,000 square feet over five stories. It will be the first commercial art gallery to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Its outdoor garden spaces will be created by Piet Oudolf, who designed the gardens and plantings on the nearby High Line. Also contributing to the project are Renfro Design Group (for architectural lighting) and Atelier Ten, engineering design consultants and engineers. David Zwirner Gallery, 537 West 20th Street. FREE.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16: Marcel Proust‘s In Search of Lost Time is one of the most influential and ambitious literary works of all time. The Morgan celebrates the 1913 publication of the first of its seven volumes, Swann’s Way, with a fascinating selection of the author’s notebooks, preliminary drafts, galley-proofs, and other documents from the collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The works on display will provide unique insight into Proust’s creative process and the birth of his masterpiece. Also on view will be period postcards with depictions of Illiers, which served as the inspiration for Proust’s fictional town Combray, and Paris. Several letters between Proust and his mother, Jeanne, from the Morgan’s collection, will be included. Ongoing until April 28, 10am-6pm at The Morgan Library, 225 Madison Avenue (at 36th Street). $15 adults; $10 students/seniors/children.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17: Check out Chinatown’s annual Lunar New Year celebration for stunning visuals, tantalizing treats and impressive performances. This street party features all sorts of vendors, food and festivities for all ages. Walk the main streets of Lower Manhattan—from Little Italy through Chinatown—to catch a glimpse. 1pm starting at Mott & Hester Streets, continuing down Mott toward East Broadway, then onto Eldridge and finally finishing at Forsythe & Broome. Cultural Festival & Booth: Sara Roosevelt Park (Canal & Forsyth St.). FREE. Check out our column Sunday in Chinatown for restaurant recommendations.

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Arts & Culture
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12/11/12 11:04am

The Morgan Library & Museum: A Financier’s Public Contribution to the Arts

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New York
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East 36th Street View of the J.P. Morgan Library

If you ever find yourself in need of an escape from a drizzly New York afternoon, then my recommendation is to spend some time at The Morgan Library & Museum on Madison Avenue and East 36th Street as I did this past Sunday.  Rain or shine, the Library boasts a  significant  collection of ancient scriptures and artifacts,  Renaissance  masterpieces, plus original artworks and compositions from some of the greatest artists, musicians and authors of all time. Not to mention the museum cafe’s offerings rival many of Manhattan’s top eateries.

Original Library East 36th Street Between Madison and Park Avenues

A pillar in New York City’s history and an integral player in our country’s financial system, J.P. Morgan‘s immortality stems not only from the legacies of his Steel and Corporate Financial companies, but also from his numerous architectural,  literary  and art contributions to the public. Morgan lived from 1837 to 1913 and  he acquired  the majority of the collection housed in The Morgan Library over a span of a decade from 1890-1900. His collection includes  original artworks by artists such as Rembrandt, Rubens, writers such as Dickens, Twain and music from the likes of Mozart as well Beethoven. It was due to this large and rapid accumulation of artistic objects that he commissioned the architect Charles McKim to create a formal and  Renaissance-inspired building to showcase his overflowing collection. The structure is constructed from marble and at the time cost $1.2 million to build.

Vault in the West Room

The West Room of the original library is very opulent with lots of mahogany details, rich red silk linings on the walls, and a massive fireplace anchors the room. This room was Morgan’s private study and it was the room where he famously stepped in during the great financial panic of 1907 to bailout the major banks who were on the verge of bankruptcy as the Treasury was insolvent at the time. The history behind this historical event and the collaboration that Morgan was able to instigate between the leading financiers at the time and the treasury strongly echos our nation’s current fiscal health and the recent financial  bank  bailouts.  Within the West Room is a solid steel vault that was used to protect Morgan’s manuscript collection up until 2003.

Entrance to the Rotunda

Rotunda Ceiling

Upon exiting the West Room, your eyes are drawn toward the vaulted, mosaic-tiled ceiling by the marble columns. The ceiling that was crafted by artist H. Siddons Mowbray, includes artistic representation of the three historical eras of focus in Morgan’s collection — the Renaissance, the ancient world and the Middle Ages. Also on display in this alcove is a sampling of Americana manuscripts, such as letters from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. This collection was  embellished by the Museum’s more recent  acquisition of the literary Paris Review pieces as well as the Carter Burden Collection of American Literature.

Collection of Jewelry from the Mesopotamian Era

Gilded Sacred Text Binding

Next is The North Room, which is also known as The Librarian’s Office. In true Untapped Cities spirit, this room has been noted to have paranormal activity. Curators at the museum are said to have experienced an encounter with the first librarian Belle de Costa Greene. She was hired by Morgan to manage the collection of books and manuscripts in 1905 and she later became the director of the library.  It is said that her ghost will appear if asked for a specific book aloud,  she will then retrieve it and lay it on the desk to your exact desired page. Aside from the haunted manuscripts, the room also hosts an extensive collection of Mesopotamian artifacts, tablets, as well as Roman, Greek and Egyptian sculptures. The room is a testament to Morgan’s appreciation of  exemplary  human craftmanship and creating objects replete with gold, ornate detailing and opulence.

West-end of The East Room Known as the Original Library

East End of The East Room

Fireplace in The East Room

Third Story of The East Room Library

The most magnificent room in the entire original library is the East Room. What is illuminated in this room is the sheer  expansiveness  of Morgan’s collection, with numerous rare books and original manuscripts dating back to the Renaissance era. He even was the proprietor of Johannes Gutenberg’s bible printed in the 15th century. The room in essence is majestic. The ceiling’s geometric structure showcases very  intricate murals that fold in  portraits  of some of the greatest literary,  mythological  and influential humans that he admired. Morgan’s stature is personified in this room as the ceiling includes all of the signs of the zodiac — Morgan was a known member of the Zodiac Club, which at the time was a very elite twelve member dining club similar to his other club, the Corsair Dining Club.

Atrium in the main entrance of the Morgan

Lower Level Gallery

Jumping ahead to the 20th century, in 1924 Morgan’s son J.P. Morgan, Jr. dedicated the library as a public memorial to his father. It was under his direction that an annex was  appended  to the original library to extend it as a museum.

Then in 2006, the architect Renzo Piano erected a massive expansion of the museum with the restructuring of the gallery spaces, a state of the art auditorium and concert hall, and a modern entrance on Madison Avenue. This  re-positioning  of the entrance opened up the museum and allowed it to capitalize on the heaviest amount of public foot traffic to draw patrons in. Lastly a dining room, cafe and shop were added as part of the 21st century remodel.

For visitor information you can visit the official website here. The Morgan Library and Museum is also a purveyor of an array of public programs such as theatrical performances, lectures, readings, family programs, and films. You can view the calendar of events here. Currently on display are the exhibits “Beatrix Potter: The Picture Letters“, “Dürer to de Kooning: 100 Master Drawings from Munich” and “Fantasy and Invention: Rosso Fiorentino and Sixteenth-Century Florentine Drawing“.

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