If you have not yet been to our Nelson-Atkins Museum lately, to see the new acquisition, The Gates of Paradise, and new exhibit "Through the Eyes of PIcasso", it cannot be stressed enough, get this on your calendar.
For myself, I personally always enjoyed Picasso's works, certainly, of course. But I hadn't studied his source for his work, one of the inspirations of his work early in his life and that is African art. I knew he was an accomplished, traditional painter and artist early on but that was it.
Wow.
This exhibit is a stunner.
It shows many, many of the pieces of African art he himself owned and carried with him his entire life and from which he got so much inspiration. It shows his development as an artist. It is a real education.
There's one more really fantastic thing about this exhibit, too, and that is the way our Nelson positioned the African art from the permanent collection, years ago, when the Bloch addition first opened leads nearly magically, fantastically right into this exhibit. It's almost as if they knew, years ago, that one day they'd get and have this new exhibit and of course, that's impossible.
It reminded me again of how perfect the placement is upstairs, in the old, original building, of the Native American art, next to the early American gallery. Brilliant on their part, once again.
One last thing to be said, too, about this PIcasso exhibit, folks. It's the only gallery in the nation that has it or will have it, presently. It is that special. We are that fortunate.
Then there are the doors.
Go, too, to see Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise. The original doors are in Italy at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore. The pair at the Nelson-Atkins are a sister set to those at the Baptistery.
I keep thinking the Nelson can't get any better.
After they opened the American wing of the permanent gallery, I thought "That's it. It can't get any better."
Then they opened the Bloch Gallery and I thought, "That's it."
Then they recently got all the Impressionist pieces from the Bloch family.
And I thought that was it.
Now they have these doors, in the permanent collection and we got this Picasso exhibit, sole exhibit in the nation.
I now no longer think there is a "top" we cannot reach.
All I can say is, Director and CEO Julián Zugazagoitia must live forever.
And remain here.
We. Are. So. Incredibly. Fortunate.
Go.
Go now. Enjoy.
And while you're at it, if you haven't done so already, become a member. It's the best $55 you will ever spend. Besides helping out a fantastic, local institution, you also get discounts on meals at the Rozelle Court and free parking on site and entrance into certain exhibits you would otherwise pay for and finally, part of the membership fee is deductible. If you aren't already a member, you're missing out and in more ways than one!
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