Simayspace

San Francisco August 2010

August 2010 - Two weeks in San Francisco.  The photoalbum link is found at the bottom of the right hand column.


 

October 2008

All my postings of late have been as photoalbums.  This image was just taken in Montreal.  See the album at the very bottom of the right hand column.

Nasher Garden

On Sunday we went to the Dallas Art Museum (DAM) and the adjoining Nasher Sculpture Garden.  Of the four museums visited this trip, the Nasher was my least favorite.  It is opulent in its appointments and the fact that it offers such a large, beautiful garden in the middle of downtown Dallas.  The DAM on the other hand is a tremendous institution.  Designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes (one of his most recognized projects – he died in 2004 and this year he was awarded the AIA’s Gold Achievement Award) the museum is large, beautifully constructed; a tremendous showcase for a tremendous collection.  I cannot compare the LACMA’s collection size with that of the DAM – but the DAM has it all over LACMA in the quality of the viewer’s experience.  My curious observation of the Dallas/Fort Worth art scene is that - there isn’t any.  There are virtually no galleries or any other local venues that normally would be supported by such a prestigious museum presence.   There seem to be under a dozen very rich art patrons who have built these museums and endowed their collections.  The museums are a present from the very rich to show that this region is cultured, in-the-know, and very, very rich.  Two or three days in this metroplex is a very rewarding art museum experience.

Fort Worth Modern

Tadao Ando is a mature and highly regarded Japanese architect – most of whose projects have been built in Japan.  His almost new Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is across the street from the Kimbell.  Ando’s building has its own creative integrity but also manages in several small, but key, ways to reference and respect the Kahn Kimbell.  It is a big, new museum that is a grand temple to contemporary art.  It seems to float upon a surrounding lake in which its reflection causes it to be simultaneously be in the sky and joined to the earth.  The collection is excellent – that unbeatable combination of money and taste.  Walking through it and having Mark explain and highlight the features of its architecture and programming was – again – a treat beyond words.  Mark is not only an insightful architect but a passionate observer of the visual arts.  He could not have been a more organized, generous, or insightful host.  What a day.  I am happiest when in a great museum.  Today I had the double pleasure of two museums generously shared with me by a person who is similarly happiest within a great cultural institution.

Kimbell Museum

Mark Gunderson is an architect in Fort Worth and a friend of Sharon’s brother and family.  He is a major student of and champion for the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. The Kimbell Family Trust relies on him for architectural review and suggestions when projects related to the Kimbell Museum come up for review.  Louis Kahn, architect of the Kimbell, is unarguably one of America’s foremost architects (certainly as significant as Frank Lloyd Wright).  His Salk Institute in La Jolla is one of the world’s most revered buildings.  The Kimbell Museum was built after the Salk and is one of the world’s great, jewels of a museum.  Mark knows Kahn’s approach and the smallest details of the building’s construction in all, from its hardware to spirit.  He was a consultant to the movie “My Architect” which was a story about Kahn told by Kahn’s son.Mark is also a long time student of Tadao Ando, the Japanese architect who designed the new Fort Worth Modern Art Museum.  He knows that building and the siting which goes into the whole area that includes the Kimbell, the Modern, and the Amon Carter Museum(an early Philip Johnson design).  The large quad that these three institutions occupy is a knock-out combination of world class architecture. Having only four hours of time, Mark was only able to take us through the Kimbell and the Modern.  What a day!!!!!  To have an intimate portrayal of the buildings coupled with his understanding, love and insight into the art within them – well, it was as important an experience as I can remember. The Kimbell is a small museum with a collection of under 500 works.  They have bought and sold within the collection in order to focus the holdings to the finest objects obtainable.  So it is really a wonderfully focused collection.  Not each is perfect – but there is substantial excellence particularly in archaic objects from the native Americas(Maya, Peru, Central America) and in European paintings from the 16^th and 17^th centuries (notably Dutch and Italian).  For me the main experience was to be in Kahn’s exacting and precise building.  It is built like a fine Swiss watch but has the passion of a great French Champagne.  Mark’s explanation of the building and its cardinal mathematical features was too tremendous and detailed for me to re-tell.

The Walk Home...

Kona Village Resort

Early February – it must be Kona.  Somethings never change nor would we want them to.

Tropical Life

Martini Al

My Father

Albert died on Saturday February 3, 2007.  He was 91 years old.  He died at home.  He was a good guy, a dedicated father and husband, and modestly lived his own life with his family as his top concern.  Our small family is very close and nobody missed the opportunity to savor our last years with him at the core of our function.