AVTAR MOTA
Spent a day at the MOMA on 24th June,2022. This was my fourth visit to the MOMA since 2017.The Museum of Modern Art is located on 53rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenue. Its location is close to the Madisson Avenue and Broadway Street . Sheraton New York and New York Hilton hotels are also located nearby. The food carts of ever busy and popular ‘Halal Guys ‘ are also located nearby.The MOMA easily approachable by NewYork Subway( metro) or taxi. One can walk some blocks from the the Times Square Subway station .
Every type of Modern art that was produced in Europe and America after 1940 is exhibited or showcased here .The idea for the Museum of Modern Art was developed in 1928 primarily by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller (wife of John D. Rockefeller .) and two of her friends, Lillie P. Bliss and Mrs. Cornelius J. Sullivan.They belonged to wealthy and philanthropic families. I am told that the present MOMA complex also belonged to the philanthropic Rockfeller family
More than two million people visit the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) every year — and it’s not hard to understand why. This powerhouse art institution was the city’s first museum focused exclusively on modern art. Inside its hallowed halls, it houses masterpieces by some of the greatest artists to ever live, including Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent Van Gogh, to name just a few. Its sculpture garden designed by legendary architect Philip Johnson is an attraction in and of itself.The entry fee for adults at the MOMA is 25 Dollars . There is some entree fee concession for seniors, disabled individuals and students .Apart from this ,New York residents are allowed free entry once in a month. This free entry is sponsored by UNIQLO,the Japanese apparel giant Incidentally UNIQLO was established in 1984 in Hiroshama city and currently it is located in 2000 cities the in 15 countries of the world .
Arranged as a special exhibition, Henri Matisse’s work was on lavish display at the MOMA on the date of my visit .This special Matisse exhibition held on 3rd floor is being called THE RED STUDIO. Opened on May 1,2022 , the exhibition will give visitors a once-in-a-lifetime way to experience the legendary Henri Matisse’s work.The Red Studio at the MOMA will close on September 10. From the MOMA, THE RED STUDIO wil move to the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen whereat it wil be on display from October 13, 2022, to February 26, 2023. Apart from paintings , prints and cut outs ,a rich selection of archival materials, including photographs and letters of Matisse are also being exhibited at the MOMA. These items reveal new information about the painting’s subject and history.
Henri Matisse was born in northern France, on December 31, 1869. He is widely regarded as the greatest colourist of the 20th century and a rival to Pablo Picasso in the importance of his innovations. He emerged as a Post-Impressionist, and first achieved prominence as the leader of the French Art movement known as Fauvism .The Fauvism artists also referred to as the “Fauves” or “Beasts” developed a style with extremely bright colours and would inspire many of the most renowned modernist artists during the next decades.
Initially Matisse painted still- lifes and landscapes in a traditional style and gained good proficiency. He was influenced by the works of earlier masters such as Jean-Baptiste-SiméonChardin, Nicolas Poussin, and Antoine Watteau, as well as by modern artists such as Edouard Manet, and by Japanese art. The Japanese influence is starkly visible in many of his creations .
His work exudes bright, pure colour and expressive form and composition. This was the epitome of the Fauvist style, the art movement led by Matisse which was defined by bright colours striving for strong emotional reactions.Matisse used pure colours and the white of exposed canvas to create a light-filled atmosphere in his Fauve paintings.During his Fauvist period, Matisse produced a significant number of remarkable canvases, such as the portrait of Madame Matisse, called The Green Line (1905; Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen); Bonheur de vivre (1905–6; Barnes Collection, Merion, Pa.); Marguerite Reading (ca. 1906; Museum of Modern Art, New York); two versions of the Young Sailor (1906), the second of which is in the Metropolitan Museum (1999.363.41); Blue Nude: Memory of Biskra (1907; Baltimore Museum of Art); and two versions of Le Luxe (1907), among others.
Matisse’s well known paintings have been sold for millions of dollars. Some examples include The Plum Blossoms (1948) which was bought for approximately $25 million for the Museum of Modern Art in 2005, and a sculpture named “Reclining Nude, I” which was sold for $9.2 million in 2002.His most expansive painting so far is a painting called “Odalisque couchée aux magnolias” which was sold in 2018 for an astounding $80.8 million .Before the auction this painting was owned by David Rockfeller’s family . It was hung in the living room of the family’s 70 acre ‘Hudson Pines’ house on the outskirts of Manhattan,New York. This 70 acre property was sold by the family after the death of David Rockfeller( 1915-2017) in 2017.
AutarMota is a noted writer and columnist.
