monet

Monet, the Mediterranean, the cradle of Western civilization, and Mallorca

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Years ago, it must have been in a thrift shop in Chapel Hill I bought a “Monet and the Mediterranean” Exhibition poster; a windswept pine tree overlooking the sea. I loved it because it reminded me of the Mediterranean. I could smell the pine trees and the sea, I could hear the deafening song of the cicadas, feel the heat on my body, and taste the thousand flavors that unite this Mare nostrum.

Why is this region the cradle of Western civilization? Why is this diet considered the best in the world – olive oil, a little wine, veggies, and fish? Why is the Mediterranean lifestyle so admired and aspired to? In short, why is this region so special?

I am not a specialist, not an expert, in fact I have no clue, although I do have some theories: Ancient Babylonian culture lacked the convenience of an ocean, so slowly a migration occurred -think of Abraham- to the West, to the Med, et voilà! The rest is history, you are welcome.

Going back to the Mediterranean every year is a blessing and a pleasure for me. I feel at home in Mallorca or Greece, in Valencia or anyplace united by these waters. This year mom invited us again to spend a few days in her favorite spot, Camp de Mar, a small “cala” inlet where we have been going for decades! It did not disappoint amazing food, great swims in the ocean with my nephew and nieces, runs in the pine trees, overall, another memorable holiday.

Norton Museum of Art

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The other day I finally had a chance to visit the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach. I was thinking I was going to visit a small museum with a couple of obligatory Impressionists, a couple of Cubist pieces, maybe a few pieces from between the wars, plus some modern random stuff. Well, as usual, I was wrong!

To begin with, the museum is quite large – much larger than say, the Baker Museum in Naples. It consists of a three-floor modern building (designed by Foster) attached to the Art Deco original, plus a sweet garden with a nice modern sculpture collection.

After the necessary Covid protocols: temperature and hand sanitizing, I paid the steep $18 fee (plus $5 for parking). My museum viewing strategy, started years ago (possibly induced by the Guggenheim in NYC) is to take the elevator to the top floor and then work my way down. What was my surprise when I landed on the third floor and I saw a couple of massive 17th and 18th C. portraits! (The first painting you come to is an early 20th C. Orientalist, but probably because it was the only one of the genre there and they did not know where to put it). The third floor has a surprising collection of 16th to 18th C. paintings including Rubens and Tiepolo, and some sculptures, including a gorgeous Spanish wood carved Virgin Mary.

The second floor is mostly Chinese art where I am quite lost. There are Shang, Ming, Jin, and Qing Dynasty pieces which are all gorgeous.

The ground floor is where the majority of the collection is. And what a great collection it is! (for a smaller, private museum in Florida). Sure, you have your unavoidable Cézanne, Miró, Picasso (sculpture and painting!) and Monet, but also rarer Gaugin, Brancusi, Gris and so forth. The American art collection is solid:  A couple of Georgia O´Keeffes, Norman Rockwell, an early Jackson Pollock, Calder, less known but highly influential Milton Avery, even a Man Ray chess set! The old and new buildings are seamlessly connected, so you do not really know what part of the building you are in, unless, like me, you stumble into the old patio, which is a beauty.

A big part of the ground floor is dedicated to Contemporary art and the usually massive installations they require (maybe to compensate for technique? – no, to be fair, I must confess my old fashioned taste and lack of knowledge on the Contemporary art front.)

The garden and sculpture collection are also delightful. Who knew that Keith Haring did sculpture? well at least one, it is here!

There is the de rigueur over-priced cafeteria, but it is spacious and modern, and the food is good. You can sit indoor (as soon as Covid allows) or outside.

So all-in-all a highly recommended visit if you happen to be an art lover in South East Florida.