200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn
Brooklyn, NY 28037
(718) 638-5000
The Brooklyn Museum, housed in a 560,000-square-foot, Beaux-Arts building, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the country. Its world-renowned permanent collections range from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art, and represent a wide range of cultures. Only a 30-minute subway ride from midtown Manhattan, with its own newly renovated subway station, the Museum is part of a complex of nineteenth-century parks and gardens that also includes Prospect... show more
James Tissot: “The Life of Christ”
October 23, 2009 - January 17, 2010
The exhibition James Tissot: “The Life of Christ” includes 124 watercolors selected from a set of 350 that depict detailed scenes from the New Testament, from before the birth of Jesus through the Resurrection, in a chronological narrative. It marks the first time in more than twenty years that any of the Tissot watercolors, a pivotal acquisition that entered the collection in 1900, have been on view at the Brooklyn Museum.
Portrait of a Man
Although the collection of European paintings has often been presented in a chronological arrangement by school or style, this installation exploits the architecture of the soaring Beaux-Arts Court by devoting each wall to an exploration of the meaningful connections that the works display when arranged according to theme. The section called “Painting Land and Sea” surveys the formal methods that painters have used to render their physical surroundings across the centuries. “Art and Devotion” considers the ways in which the artists of the early Renaissance expressed the central tenets of the Catholic faith. “Narratives Large and Small” shows how artists distill the elements of a story into a single telling moment. Finally, “Tracing the Figure” charts the enduring artistic interest in the human figure, from portraits that place an individual in a clearly defined place and time to timeless abstractions of the human form.
Artist: Claude Monet Portrait of a Man (1614 - 1615)
Artist: Frans Hals
James Tissot: “The Life of Christ”
October 23, 2009 - January 17, 2010
The exhibition James Tissot: “The Life of Christ” includes 124 watercolors selected from a set of 350 that depict detailed scenes from the New Testament, from before the birth of Jesus through the Resurrection, in a chronological narrative. It marks the first time in more than twenty years that any of the Tissot watercolors, a pivotal acquisition that entered the collection in 1900, have been on view at the Brooklyn Museum.
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It is a beautiful building located on the edge of Grand Army Plaza. Grand Army Plaza is itself a sight to see: in the center is an arch that is very reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Also, the Brooklyn Museum is next door to the lovely Brooklyn Botanic Garden. In addition, the lively Park Slope is a short walking distance away. This area is full of Brooklyn brownstones, restaurants, shops, and young couples walking dogs and babies (you may even have some celebrity sightings).
The Museum itself has a great mix of modern to ancient art. It has housed some very controversial collections, too, such as the "Sensation" exhibit. The museum is not as overwhelming as the Metropolitan Museum (although the Met is probably my favorite museum in NYC) and can be seen in one day. The Museum is well organized, manageable, interesting, enjoyable, fun, and modern (after it's recent large renovation). The Egyptian and Assyrian exhibits are particularly well done.
A trip can easily be planned that incorporates the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Park Slope in one day. If you want to take a trip off the beaten path, this may be an option for you. I do not think you'll be disappointed.
Not to miss the Judy Chicago "The Dinner Party" which is an amazing work of art. The best deal for seniors is on Friday. Admission to the Museum also gets you into the Brooklyn Botanic Park right next door. The two will take all day and you may grab a quick lunch in the Museum Cafe. We had a tasty bowl of soup on a chilly Fall day.
Along with changing exhibitions, highlights include Egyptian art, one of the best collections of its kind in the world; African and pre-Columbian art; and Native American art. Seek out the museum's works by Georgia O'Keeffe, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, George Bellows, Thomas Eakins, and Milton Avery—all stunners. Also check out the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, which hosts traveling exhibits in addition to serving as the permanent home to Judy Chicago's installation The Dinner Party (1974-79). On the first Saturday of each month the museum throws an extremely popular free evening of art, music, dancing, film screenings, and readings, starting at 6 PM.
* Cost: $8 suggested donation. Weekend combo ticket with Brooklyn Botanic Garden $11
* Open: Wed.-Fri. 10-5, weekends 11-6; 1st Sat. every month 11-11; call for program schedule
* Subway: 2, 3 to Eastern Pkwy./Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum of Art is famous for having one of the great Egyptian collections in the country and that would make it a huge attraction in any other city. Sadly, the Met has easily the best Egyptian collection in the Western Hemisphere, so there's no reason to come to Brooklyn for mummies.
The European Art collection, though strong in comparison to the best museums in much of the country, is downright sad when compared to the best collections in Manhattan.
My favorite part of the Brooklyn Museum is the extensive collection of historical rooms, most of them bought from houses facing destruction and reassembled stick-by-stick here. They offer more variety than the historical rooms in the Met's American Wing, though they're nowhere near so well maintained and they certainly lack the extraordinary computerized explanations that the Met has began installing.
Indeed, most of the Brooklyn Museum seems poorly maintained and woefully out of date. The place has a mustiness to it -- along with a bland, static feel to the exhibitions -- that screams "Museum circa 1968."
This is curious because the museum charges a steep admission and seems to draw good crowds -- it's been mobbed both times I've visited -- though none of that money seems to go either toward modernization or the acquisition of major new works.
This museum does get some very good travelling exhibits though, so all visitors to New York should definitely check out the Web site to see exactly what will be there during there visit.
