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Images of Detroit
John Haberin New York City
The Detroit Institute of Arts: A Visual Tour
Let me share with you selected additional images from Detroit and the Detroit Institute of Arts, to accompany a full report on my visit. Enjoy!
Four empty spaces
You cannot see it here, but the landmark Wayne County Building has a for-lease sign out front. The abandoned factory off Grand River Avenue was across the street from my hotel. Of course, Detroit's Museum of Contemporary Art is not always empty, and its street art spells "Detroit."
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Three Detroit interiors
That marvelous bookstore is a meticulously organized four-story building west of downtown.
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Three smart characters
van Gogh has another surprising echo in sunflowers by Emil Nolde.
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Four frank faces
I like to think that the lumpiness of the Spanish portrait is audacity, but it is probably a flaw in workshop execution.
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Three stately women
Bronzino probably had workshop assistance with the child and background.
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Three uppity women
Although the Titian is very late in his career, when he had attained a remarkable freedom in his shadows, much the blurriness here is my fault. Both he and Artemisia have painted Judith with the head of Holofernes.
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Three tapestries
Pindell and Gilliam are examples of the extraordinary emphasis on African American art, including four distinct rooms for it in the contemporary wing. Believe it or not, Sheeler titled his composition "Home Sweet Home."
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Four pillars of light
McGee, too, appears with African American contemporary art. Besides La Farge's large stained glass, the American wing devotes considerable space to period rooms and decorative arts. Church has the central partition in an otherwise unwieldy room for the Hudson River School. Another wonderful point of contrast there is the gruff solidity of a rocky landscape by John Frederick Kensett.
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And of course . . .
I should be remiss in not letting you see the two other key works that I have highlighted in my report, both images courtesy of the museum. Oh, and, my titles aside, Detroit's collection includes a maker of actual Renaissance tapestries in Pieter Coecke van Aelst.
Caravaggio (c. 1598)
Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1566)
I visited the Detroit Institute of Arts in late August 2014, and unless otherwise stated the photos are mine. A full review will tell you all about the museum and my visit.