Words Cannot Express, Death in the Archives

Where: Archives of American Art

When: through December 31, 2011

The Archives of American Art is a room in the American Art Museum that showcases parts of the archives collection.  The archives has 16 million items, the largest collection of its kind in the world.  Again, I'm reminded how fortunate I am to live here in DC, with access to all of these resources.

This exhibit shows expressions of sympathy for artists who have died, written by other artists.  In a way, they are like any other letters people write to the survivors.  They mention how much they loved the deceased person, how big an influence they were on their lives and how much they will miss them.  Because the people they are mourning are artists, however, these condolence letters serve as the beginning of the making of the artist's legacy, and so are more than the usual notes of sympathy.

Verdict: A trip to the archives is always worth while, and the subject matter, while somber, is interesting.  A way to escape the nonstop merriment of the holiday season, if you are in need of such.

The Solemnity of Shadows: Juan Laurent's Vision of Spain

Where: National Gallery of Art, East Building

When: through December 30, 2011

Yet another exhibit at the Gallery's library - one of my favorite places to see a show.  So quiet and peaceful - I only wish my library were like that!  This show features 19th century Spanish photography, a topic of which I was heretofore ignorant.

Juan Laurent was a very famous photographer, and took many pictures of public works.  He also photographed many art museum collections, which is an interesting thought.  It would be a way to keep track of what you owned, in case of fire or theft.  Eventually, he became a businessman and sold photographic cartes de visites.  His black and white prints are now brown with age, and I'm glad I was able to see them before they can no longer be put on display.  Some of his prints show buildings with an Islamic art influence; I was reminded of the Islamic influence on Spanish culture (who says a college education is a waste!?!).

Verdict: I always recommend shows at the Gallery's library, if for no other reason than I like to think that whoever went to the trouble of putting it up would be made happy by seeing people look at their display.  It's also a wonderful way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Gallery, which is well worth the trip.

AIDS Quilt Panel

Where: National Museum of American History

When: through December 11, 2011

The quilt panel is in the display case by the Constitution Avenue entrance - the one I use regularly.  It's moving and sad to see this part of the AIDS quilt, which eventually became so large that it could not be moved and displayed.  Medical advances are wonderful things - now that era of death and despair is over.  I was, of course, reminded of the terrible and amazing painting of the artist's lover who had just died of AIDS in the Hide/Seek exhibit at the Museum of American Art.  This was a somber start to a somber trip to the NMAH; I saw a display on archiving the AIDS epidemic and on the visual images used in the civil rights movement - blog entries on those to follow.

Verdict:  If you have a moment, stop by and see this panel - it will remind you of a dreadful time that is now, thankfully, in the past.