The Plethora of Current Exhibits

In one sense,
the art lover
and the art museum administrator
are natural enemies.

Because the one determines
what the other gets to see,
and other than traveling out of town,
the art lover has no other options.

(unlike the music or book lovers
who can order anything in the world)

Museum professionals need to be
concerned with "art" (the idea) and career,
to which personal taste
is mostly irrelevant
and may be a liability.

If they were offered a better job
at any other institution,
they'd be gone in a New York minute.

While taste
is what loving art
is all about,
and it's exercise
is distinctly local,
being limited
to what can actually
be seen on display.


****************




And after that little coup was pulled in 1878,
the administrators of the Art Institute
only report to a small, self selected board
of Chicago's wealthiest citizens.

Art lovers have neither choice nor voice,
so it's no wonder they have come to accept
a passive role in museum affairs
and mostly ignore the A.I.C.'s
new interactive blog
which serves as a self-promotional tool
for various staffers and departments.

Nor is there an outside platform
where a critical stance can be taken,
especially now when none of the
major newspapers have an art critic.

So I have volunteered
to be the fly in the ointment.

But that's not to say
that I don't really appreciate
the plethora of small exhibits
now running:


*George Fan's Chinese bronzes
*Richard Gray's collection of drawings
*Roger Weston's collection of Japanese scrolls
*photos and fragments of Louis Sullivan's designs
*monumental stone and terracottas from ancient Mexico
*June Wayne's tapestries (plus selections from the fiber arts collection)
*the brief re-installion of arms and armor - but especially some tapestries

(and those are just the ones I like.
The Modern Wing has many more
that don't happen to interest me)



It's like a spectacular buffet table
at the world's most expensive restaurant.

And credit should probably go
to James Cuno, the current director.

His predecessor, James Wood,
was focused
on fewer but bigger shows
(the blockbusters of
Monet-Degas-Van Gogh etc.)

Cuno seems to have more
of a common touch,
which is not a bad thing
in an artworld where
elite currently means minimalist,
bizarre, or atrocious.

So, I don't remember
ever enjoying the museum
as much as I do now.

(but I do wish
it would quickly
find some space
to display its
Chinese paintings!)