Mona Lisa? Been there, done that.
The Blue Boy? Seen it. Michelangelo's
Pietà? Ancient history! But don't think
you've done it all. Everyone should see these more obscure - yet
just as great - works of art in their lifetime. So put on your
glasses and get gazing.
- Becca Hensley
1.Autumn Rhythm (Number
30)
Jackson Pollock, 1950
The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York
Part of a series of immense, eloquent canvases Pollock created that
year, this painting manifests the artist's ability to walk the
razor's edge between controlled and accidental creation in his
work. He was known to pour, drip, and splat paint, and his
intuitive, radical technique matched his personality.
www.metmuseum.org
2.
A Grotesque Old
Woman
Quinten Massys, about 1525-1530
The
National Gallery, London
Based on a drawing by
Leonardo da Vinci, this portrait is both
whimsical and horrifying. Apelike, she leers from the wall of the
National Gallery in perfect satire. Her low-cut bodice and
seductive pose should serve as cautions to those who dare to dress
in a manner inappropriate for their winter years.
www.nationalgallery.org.uk
3.The Burial of the
Count of Orgaz
El Greco, 1586
Church of Santo Tomé,
Toledo, Spain
In characteristic teal hues and with Byzantine influences, this
work hangs in the vestibule of a small church in charming Toledo.
Depicting the count's soul ascending to heaven, it also features
portraits of El Greco and his son, from whose pocket pokes a piece
of paper that states "El Greco made me." Plaza del Conde, 1 y 4,
011-34-925-256098
Torso in Metal from 'the Rock Drill'
Sir Jacob Epstein, 1913-1914
Tate Modern, London
Questioning the aggression of the modern world, this alienesque
sculpture appears both bellicose and melancholy. His tribal-mask
face and armorlike torso suggest a Frankenstein that blends the
past with modern times. Displayed under the bright lights of the
Tate Modern, Epstein's creature gives us pause.
www.tate.org.uk
Hand Puppets
Paul Klee, 1916-1925
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern
Displayed amid the 4,000 works by Klee in this Renzo Piano-designed
edifice are some of the
50 hand puppets Klee made for his son, Felix, from found materials
such as fur, nuts, bones, and electrical outlets. Primitive,
moving, and imaginative, these dolls celebrate childhood.
www.paulkleezentrum.ch
And 10
More…
-The Garden of Delights, Hieronymus Bosch, 1504 >The Prado,
Madrid. museoprado.mcu.es
-
Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap, Titian, 1516 > The Frick Collection and Frick Art Reference Library, New York.
www.frick.org-Children’s Games, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1559–1560 > Kunsthistorisches Museum,
Vienna.
www.khm.at-
Summer, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1563 > Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
www.khm.at-Officer and Laughing Girl, Johannes Vermeer, 1655–1660 > The Frick Collection and Frick Art Reference Library, New York.
www.frick.org-
Wheatstacks,
Snow Effect, Morning, Claude Monet, 1891 > The Getty,
Los Angeles.
www.getty.edu-Bedroom at Arles,
Vincent van Gogh, 1888–1889 > Musée d’Orsay,
Paris.
www.musee-orsay.fr-
The Family, Egon Schiele, 1918 > The Belvedere Gallery, Vienna.
www.belvedere.at-
Le Petit Pâtissier, Chaïm Soutine, 1922 > Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris.
www.musee-orangerie.fr
-
Mick Jagger,
Andy Warhol, 1975 >
Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston.
www.mfa.org