Tag Archives: Hirshhorn Museum

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Hirshhorn at Night puddlegal9

Such a wonderful abstract photo from puddlegal9 of the Hirshhorn courtyard. Take a moment to look at the shot; you’ll quickly see all the wonderful lines going every which way. In addition to the straight lines, there are a number of curved circles and other shapes which contribute to the pleasing sight. But the part that fascinates me the most is the appearance that the photograph is a flat surface, when, in fact, the Hirshhorn is round; this effect was achieved through smart composition. Truly, a great photo.

The District, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Yves Klein – With The Void, Full Powers

Yves Klein during the filming of “”The Heartbeat of France” at Charles Wilp’s Studio, Dusseldorf, February 20, 1961. Copyright 2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris.  Image courtesy Yves Klein Archives.  Photo by and copyright Charles Wilp.

“I am the painter of space. I am not an abstract painter but, on the contrary, a figurative artist, and a realist. Let us be honest, to paint space, I must be in position. I must be in space.” – Yves Klein

Yves Klein (French, b. Nice, 1928 – 1962) was much more than just an artist, he was an innovator, a visionary, and most importantly in my opinion, a dreamer. Although Klein’s notorious career only lasted a total of 8 years [he suffered a heart attack at age 34], that was all the time it would take for him to turn the art world upside down. As one of the 20th century’s most influential artists, Klein reintroduced what art and nature could be, pushing creativity beyond the traditional notions of what was accepted.

Yves Klein: With the Void, Full Powers is the first major retrospective of the artist’s work in the US in nearly thirty years. Presenting approximately 200 pieces, the Hirshhorn Museum explores a full range of Klein’s work, examining a career that radically altered the world of art.

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The Daily Feed
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Bring on the Bubble

Hirshhorn
Courtesy of Diller Scofidio & Renfro

On Monday, the New York Times blew the roof off of the Hirshhorn Museum’s plan to build a 145 foot tall bubble-shaped meeting hall, estimated to cost a cool $5 million (that’s roughly 5 million packs of Bubblicious).  Quickly thereafter, the Washington Post followed up with an article that basically said, “What a dumb idea.  Art museums should be about art, and only art.”

First, why can’t our own newspaper be the first to break a story about something incredibly cool happening in DC?  Come on, Blake.  Get your nose out of the air.  New York Times, +1.

Second, the Hirshhorn Bubble, if it is indeed erected, will be one of the best things to happen to the DC art scene.  The Tate Modern in London is known as one of the most revered art museums in the world, not only because of its amazing collection but because they allow the building to be an extension of the art.  Remember Doris Salcedo’s Shibboleth?  Washington Post, -1.

As you can tell, I welcome this idea with open arms and think it would add some spark to DC’s conservative reputation.  I always hear, “DC art will always come in second to New York art.”  That’s partially because New York doesn’t poo-poo creativity and reserve art for the elite.  Take off that business suit, DC, and put on a swan dress.  Live a little, and bring on the bubble.

Featured Photo, The Mall
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Featured Photo

Environmental Light Installation with Boy by Edward Hoover

When someone takes a photo of another person’s art, can the photo then be considered art itself?  My personal opinion is that in most cases it can, but this is a debate that will never be settled, much like the never ending film vs digital debate.  In the end, I don’t think it’s possible to come up with a definition for art which is probably why I love it so much.  It’s art when the artist says so, as long as they can explain why.

The above photo was taken at one of my favorite museums in DC, the beloved Hirshhorn.  According to the photographer’s notes, the boy above is mesmerized by Dough Wheeler’s Eindhoven, Environmental Light Installation (1969).  The amazing color sucks me in like an alien’s tractor beam – I just can’t stop staring at it.  The repetitious rectangles rely on each other to draw the viewer in because without one, the other would have no meaning.  Finally the punctuation, the exclamation point, in this case the silhouetted boy, is added to the end of the sentence and the photo becomes whole.  It almost looks like the boy is about to dive into a vast sea of blue.

Great shot, Mr. Hooper.  Be sure to keep adding all of your awesome photos to our Flickr group and don’t forget about our Holiday Photo Contest!