Noguchi Museum (Queens): Vernon Blvd and 33rd Rd

The Noguchi Museum has one of the most unassuming entrances I've ever seen at a museum.  There is a little sign about the size of a sheet of lined paper on the side of what looks like a cinder block and brick building at the west side of Queens. Inside, the first floor starts out with concrete floored and whitewashed cinder block spaces that have stone sculptures that appear to almost grow from the concrete (see above).  There is an outdoor courtyard with benches and graveled areas that again are riddled with sculptures that jut out from the ground.  The sculptures are clearly tooled and smoothed but are also left with excavation markings.

In one corner of the first floor, there was a film about the life of Japanese American artist, Isamu Noguchi, that was very enlightening.  Shoved in the corner of the movie room were two Noguchi paper lanterns (see right for a beautiful example) -- yes, I hadn't realized he was the one who transformed traditional Japanese paper lanterns into modern sculptures until I saw them in this museum context. While today we take these lanterns as common light fixtures we can buy copies of at discount and import stores like IKEA, when Noguchi designed the first ones, it was revolutionary.

The pieces that spoke most to me were on the mezzanine level.  There were ink drawings of animals (of course they were my favorites--the simple and spare lines amazingly captured gesture and emotion, see left).  Traveling through southeast Asian countries, Noguchi kept a kind of sketch journal, and this museum has a wonderful collection from this period.  His training under master Chi Pai-Shih is apparent in the simplicity and economy of these drawings.


The 2nd floor had more refined and highly finished sculptures, many of which were "interlocking" sculptures.  Noguchi's work at Brancusi's studio is evident in these sculptures, especially in the use of wood and stone pedestals (you can see several Brancusi's at the MOMA and the Guggenheim). 

The entire museum is very zen.  There are no barriers between visitors and the artwork.  It is spacious and what first may appear austere soon can be appreciated for the way the environment shows the art to its best advantage.  When looking at overall "room-scapes" one cannot help but admire how one piece flows and highlights those around it.  See the "Sun at Noon" (1969), "Ding Dong Bat" (1968-69), and "The Mountain" (1964) (which to me looks like a battered but whole heart) at right.

I visited the museum on the first Friday of the month, which are "pay what you wish" days and it was quiet but not lonely (Noguchi Visitor Info).  The museum is easily reachable by subway (N/Q) and about a 10-15 minute leisurely walk.  This is a great way to spend a couple of hours (including travel time).

Guggenheim Museum: 5th Ave and 89th St

 

The NYC Guggenheim Museum's permanent collection is not really to my taste, but I was starting to feel a little embarrassed that after over 8 years of living in NYC I had never been there.  So this morning I made the trek to the beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright-designed museum at 10 am when it opened to check out what I had been missing (see the museum website for hours, admission, etc.: http://www.guggenheim.org/?gclid=CNSjgPrVlacCFdtx5QodsnCBdA).  I would strongly recommend that folks either visit this museum on weekdays or right as the museum opens--it gets crowded fast.

While the building architecture is really stunning to look at (it has been in innumerable movies) (see above right and below), the acoustics are horrible and the exhibition space is rather limited due to the central spiraling ramp.  The Guggenheim collection is so much larger than the display space that the exhibitions are frequently rotated and routinely the spiraling ramp is closed off for installations so visitors have to take the back stairs or the elevators.  I would have been very annoyed if that had been the case after I paid my $18 entrance fee.  Luckily everything was opened about a week ago and the museum's unique features were at their best.

Included in the regular entrance fee (and if $18 per person is too rich for your blood, check out the "pay what you want" evening visiting times), is a self-directed audio tour.  The installation is set up to go from bottom to top, but if you want to avoid the crowds (and relieve yourself from the "climb"), you may want to consider taking the elevator up to the top floor (7th) and viewing the art on the way down.  Not all the artwork have audio descriptions, but those that do have clear headphone illustrated signage and a corresponding number so I found going from top to bottom was more pleasant and easy enough to follow along on the audio tour.

I would also highly recommend going on the guided tour (offered 3 times a day starting by the information booth in the lobby).  Basically the docent has pre-selected 2-3 pieces to take the group to and leads a discussion about the works.  Not being a big fan of modern/cubist/non-objective art, I thought this might be a little tiresome, but I found it very informative and really interesting.  We discussed Paul Cezanne's "Man with Crossed Arms" (ca 1899)--noticing the beginnings of cubist perspectives, Frantisek Kupka's "Planes by Colors, Large Nude" (ca 1909-10)--noting the use of colors to illustrate feelings or auras, and Fernand Leger's "Nude Model in the Studio" (ca 1912-13) (see right, yeah, neither the docent nor any of us on the tour saw a nude in this either).  The docent also noted that today, February 19th, was the birthday of Constantin Brancusi, as we passed the sculpture of "Muse on Oak Base" (ca 1912).

The museum has a great collection of works by Kandinsky (on Level 3 by the cafe), and currently has a collection of videos sponsored by Deutsche Bank under the name "Found in Translation."  I liked the Kandinsky collection on display, but did not think much of the video art.  If you want to see the current exhibit online, you can check out http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/show-list/on-view-ny/?search=1.  From there, you may be able to decide if the then-current exhibition is one in which you would be interested.

Finally, I would like to note that the museum is not really designed for visitor comfort.  There is a severe shortage of benches and with few windows, there is little room for taking a respite from the crowds.  Museum fatigue can set in pretty quickly so I would recommend wearing comfortable shoes, taking advantage of the free coat check, bringing a snack or two to munch on in the cafe (don't be surprised if every stool in the cafe is taken), and maybe even taking a break in the windowless reading room that has furniture made by Richard Meier.  Overall, I think the collection is magnificent for what it is, but I don't think I'll be visiting again, unless it is in the evening at a discount.