tatemodern

Went to the Tate Modern last Friday and it was a great visit. I started out by visiting the Maison Tropicale. The building is much more interesting from the outside as it is essentially an empty building on the inside. Just some exhibit related information, but not a house or home per se. Interesting architecture though and worth a stroll around the outside.

Then, even though my goal was the Duchamp, Man Ray, Picabia exhibit, I made time to finally see Mark Rothko's Material Gestures, also known as the Seagrams paintings. They are all in one room that has nothing else, in the middle of the building. Words fail to explain just how much these incredible paintings convey. While it might have been nice to see them while dining at the Four Seasons, their availability to the public for free makes them one of the most amazing gifts of art to the world in the 20th century. Go, sit, stay awhile.

Then, in sort of loud contrast to Material Gestures, was the Duchamp, Man Ray, Picabia exhibit. First off, it's a big exhibit. There's room after room after room of things to see as well as three films. There's an interesting section called "the intermission" that looks that the artists' friendship, which added a depth to their works and Dadaism in general that I hadn't understood before.

My understanding was greatly enhanced thanks to the time I had taken in 2006 to visit the Dada exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

The Tate exhibit goes through 26 May and I will definitely go back.