Art and Museums
Roz Chast: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
"With a particular New York Jewish sensibility, Chast's humor of complaint offers us all a chance to laugh at the often stressful and absurd world around us. She is an important social satirist who, like so many other Jewish humorists, has helped to shape our culture, and with her moving and honest memoir, she shows us how deeply she can touch our hearts as well." A substantial number of illustrations Chast created for 101 Two-letter Words, a book of two-letter words allowed in the game of Scrabble also appear in the exhibition: an eye-patch-wearing pirate parrot for the word AR and a jar of Grandma Yetta’s Gefilte Fish for OY. more »
At the New Orleans Museum of Art: Behind the Mask in 18th-century Venice, A Life of Seduction and Former White House florist Laura Dowling
In a culture structured in a rigid social hierarchy, the mask offered not just relief from strict codes of behavior, but a deeper liberation born of its equalizing effect on social differences. Creating an appearance of equality, the mask eased the interaction of social classes, permitted women to go out unescorted, and allowed beggars to conceal their shame. And, of course, as profusely and notoriously demonstrated by Casanova’s exploits, the mask’s secrecy enabled a certain sexual freedom. more »
Monet: The Early Years, "Profoundly Daring and Surprising"
"The paintings from Monet’s early career are profoundly daring and surprising," comments Esther Bell, Curator in Charge of European Paintings at the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco. "You see his mastery of light and texture everywhere — in his depictions of large and small moments, with friends and loved ones, in the solitude of forests and fields and in the quiet scenes of everyday life. Every stroke commands our attention." more »
The Metropolitan and Cloisters: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures and The Royal George (the Fourth) Cello, Fit for a King
Small in scale, yet teeming with life, miniature boxwood carvings have been a source of wonder since their creation in the Netherlands in the 16th century. The execution of these prayer beads and diminutive altarpieces seems almost as miraculous as the stories they tell and, in this first exhibition of its kind, the wizardry of the carvers who created these precious panoramas is revealed. Fit for a king, this magnificent cello was made for George IV when he was Prince Regent and is emblazoned with the royal coat of arms of Great Britain and the Prince of Wales' feathers. Its ribs bear the motto "Liberty and Loyalty." more »