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“Monet and Venice” at the Brooklyn Museum

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On January 29, 2026

In Art, Museum, STEAM, Travel

“The real subject of every painting is light.”

                                      Claude Monet

Step out of grey skies and bitter cold into the luminous world of Claude Monet and Venice before it ends this Sunday, February 1st.  Venice, also known as “La Serenissima (‘The Most Serene’),” casts its spell on visitors as they gaze in quiet joy at the beautiful works. 

At the invitation of friends, Monet visited Venice with his wife Alice during the fall of 1908.  Claude did not want to leave his beloved gardens at their home in Giverny, but the 68-year-old artist, who painted prolifically until his passing at 86 in 1926, became captivated by the city. Monet spent a lifetime trying to capture light, essentially trying to depict the elusive, as the exhibition notes, which often left him unsettled.  By painting an exact moment of light, he was capturing time.  His series of paintings, such as those of Venice’s island of San Giorgio Maggiore (“Saint George the Greater”), with its beautiful church, show both an eternal view and a “symphonic” passing of time as Jackie Wullschläger, one of his biographers, notes. The museum underscores this with serene, classical music. One might think Monet’s quest was unattainable, but 115 years later, each of his works in this beautifully curated exhibition continues to transfix museum-goers by transporting them to those moments in Venice.  Visitors can hear the soothing lapping of the Grand Canal.  Part of the beauty is seeing the faces of captivated viewers of different generations, lit by the luminous light that emanates from Monet’s canvases.

The Palazzo Ducale (“The Doge’s Palace,” below) represents the Venice that stands outside of time:


Monet was a proponent of painting en plein air (“in the open air/outdoors”), introduced to him by Eugene Boudin, his instructor at the Academie Suisse, who was also a mentor of Monet’s classmate and friend Jean Renoir.  So taken with Venice, Monet began more paintings than he anticipated, working each morning with Alice beside him, but he had to complete them back in France. They planned to return to Venice together, but his wife Alice passed away, a second profound loss for Monet whose first wife Camille had also died. Grief kept him from returning to the paintings until 1911, when he completed them in Alice’s memory. What is incredible about Monet’s accomplishment is that cataracts had begun to cloud his eyesight, but he managed around this until finally acquiescing to surgery on one eye at the age of 82.

Though it is difficult to believe now, the Paris Salon often rejected Monet’s early art for exhibition, as did London’s Royal Academy, both deeming it too radical.  Monet struggled for years. Art critics ridiculed the works of the first exhibition by Monet and his peers in 1874. Louis Leroy noted that Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise (1872)” was just an impression, a work left unfinished like those of the other artists.  This painting, which launched Impressionism and abstract art, did not sell. Ultimately, it was the first sales of his art in the United States that led to Monet’s financial stability. By the time of his trip to Venice, Monet had achieved critical and commercial success.

Monet, 75, at work in the gardens of Giverny from Sacha Gurtie’s 1915 film “Those of Our Land,” which included Renoir, Degas, and Rodin.

A sublime treat in the exhibition, a Monet water lily painting:

Just when one might think life couldn’t get any better, there is the incredible surprise of Canaletto. Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal), also painted en plein air in the 1700’s, which distinguished his work from the studio-based art of the time:

“The Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day,” Canaletto, 1745, and some details (below), created using a camera obscura, a precursor to the modern-day camera.

The exhibition includes the Venice-inspired work of other renowned artists like Jean Renoir, Monet’s friend, classmate at the Academie Suisse, and co-founder of Impressionism, who suffuses his paintings with warmer light and greater detail. (An exhibition of Renoir’s drawings was recently at The Morgan Library.) To enhance Venice’s serenity, Monet included few people despite the crowds of tourists, while Renoir depicted more vibrant scenes. Renoir noted that sometimes as many as six other painters were working alongside him. Each artist may have had the same view, but made it his or her own.

John Singer Sargent, whose works are in the museum’s own impressive collection, had a recent exhibition at The Met. He shared everyday scenes of Venice in watercolor paintings such as “The Bridge of Sighs,” 1903-1904:

“Canal View, Venice,” Jane Emmet de Glehn, ca. early 1900s; the artist was a friend of John Singer Sargent:

Paul Signac, a younger artist whom Monet encouraged:

“The Lagoon of Saint Mark, Venice,” Paul Signac, 1905

“The Grand Canal at Night,” Lucien Levy-Dhurmer, 1895, Symbolist style

“Venice, Sunset behind Santa Maria,” Thomas Moran (American), 1898

In a rotunda-like room and alcove towards the end of the exhibition, a few children were sketching on the carpeted floor.  Parents proudly toted adorable newborns in baby carriers, which added to the overall charm. Monet drew visitors from the Metro area, and internationally, including his native France. 

The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore of the same era from the Brooklyn Museum’s noteworthy and extensive lantern-slide collection

As an aside, one of the perks of visiting NYC museums is enjoying the stylish clothing of international visitors, though the city that hosts Fashion Week each February touts its own inestimable style. Such style is notable in the American gallery next to Monet on the museum’s fifth and top floor.

“Woman with a Bouquet,” Laura Wheeler Waring, 1940

”On the Heights,” Charles Courtney Curran, 1909, oil on canvas

“Man’s Shirt Cut in European Style”, late 19th century, Red River Metis Artist or Eastern Dakota Artist (Manitoba Plains, Canada, or Northern Plains, Dakota) (North America)

“Brooklyn Bridge,” Richard Haas, 1985, charcoal and pastel; iconic bridge designed by John A. Roebling

Also in the American gallery is Christian Marclay’s “Doors,” a film created with movie clips of characters going in and out of doors, which was thought-provoking and fun. (Having only seconds to “name that film” was an unexpected delight. Spotted Ocean City-Philadelphia’s Grace Kelly several times.)

Partial view of the Rubin Museum Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room

From the get-go, visitors know that the museum is fun.  The wooden pals in the Rubin Pavilion by Brooklyn-based artist KAWS (Brian Donnelly), originally from Jersey City, serve as hosts in the sunny atrium.  Visitors are greeted with smiles by courteous and helpful staff members. The museum is meant for enjoyment and is not just a checklist of cultural must-sees. Floral wallpaper, park benches, and interactive exhibitions underscore this. The Beaux-Arts style building, now being refurbished, is a work of art, designed by the renowned architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, 1895-1897.  

A charming greeting warms the wait of those in the coat check line who have come in from a wintry cold like that depicted in ‘Early Skating,” Anna Mary Robertson Moses (Grandma Moses), 1951:

Must tempt the crash of WordPress with so many beautiful works (!):

“The Brooklyn Della Robbia” or “The Resurrection of Christ,” Giovanni della Robbia (Italian), 1520, glazed terra cotta, restored by the museum in 2015

George Inness, “Sunrise,” 1887, Montclair, NJ; his paintings are also on view at the Montclair Art Museum and The Clark Institute with a visit to the latter to see his works described in “Clicking at the Clark”.

Walnut desk, Gustav Stickley, 1904, whose works are also on view at The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ

Cultural Burdens Basket, Carol Emarthle-Douglas, 2016, hemp, waxed linen thread, reed, hickory

Mahogany chair, Charles-Honore Lannuier, 1700’s, with shimmering details, inspired by Ancient Greek klismos chair

Apkallu-figure (a Mesopotamian demi-god) between Two Sacred Trees, Neo-Assyrian Period, circa 883-859 B.C.E., from the palace of Ashur-nasir-pal II at Nimrud; the reliefs were “meant to awe” visitors.

“Ajuna’s Penance” from the “Muhabharata,” ca. 1825-40, India

Pair Statue of Nebsen and Nabet-ta, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Thutmose IV or Amunhotep III, circa 1400-1352 B.C.E. (The label notes that Nebsen was “a scribe in the royal treasury” and Nebet-ta was “a singer in the temple of the goddess Isis”.)

Ancient scroll, Arts of Korea

Not to be missed are the mesmerizing portraits of “Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens” through May 17th.  The Malian photographer Seydou Keita (1921/1923-2001), “the father of African photography,” worked primarily in his studio in the nation’s capital of Bamako.  He produced beautiful portraits that reflected the country’s history from the 1950s through the 1970s, a period which saw national independence, a coup, and a famine.  The sweet account of Seydou’s start is that his uncle gifted him a Kodak Brownie camera. Photography was a curiosity at the time in Mali.  People flocked to have their photos taken by Keita, who had a mentor in French photographer Pierre Garnier, but was largely self-taught and initially supported himself as a carpenter.  The compelling portraits reveal his subjects’ trust in him.  What is remarkable is that due to costs, he only took a single shot of each person. 

Eventually, a government job and the theft of his equipment in the 1970’s took the artist-photographer from his studio; however, as he remarked, he retired once color photography became the fashion.  In the 1990s, his work was discovered in Europe and the United States. (Seydou Keita’s portraits are also on exhibition at MOMA through July.)

Seydou Keita, 1963, when he served as official state photographer (1962-1977)

Mr. Keita’s National Order of Mali Medals and a Silver Order of Arts and Letters Chevalier Medal from the French government for his “significant contribution to the arts”.

There is still so much more to see at the Brooklyn Museum including, “Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200,” commemorating the history of art in the borough.  “Unrolling Eternity: The Brooklyn Books of the Dead” opens January 30th. Went back a couple times, but kept missing, “The Dinner Party” (the invitation must be in the mail) and the Feminist Exhibition (mea culpa from a Seven Sisters graduate), and Norman Rockwell’s “The Tattoo Artist,” which was in storage on this visit.  On that note, the Visible Storage and Study Center was an innovative way to enjoy some of the collection not currently on view.

Tiffany Studios Leaded Glass Red Poppy Bronze Table Lamp, early 1900’s. Historical trivia: While a student at Eagleswood Military Academy in Perth Amboy, NJ, Louis Comfort Tiffany studied art with George Inness.

An inviting Education Center with Oliver Jefferies’, “Life at Sea,” 2025, on view through April 26th. The museum offers activities for children and teens, Kids Club memberships, and university memberships.

“Flowers,” Andy Warhol, 1970, screenprint

Excerpt from “Ruckus Manhattan” by Red Groom, Mimi Gross, and “The Ruckus Construction Co.”

Practical, random tidbits: Timed tickets for “Monet and Venice” kept things moving, though not rushed. Ticketed parking is convenient, as was public transportation on a visit some years ago; the 2/3 subway lets visitors out on Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum, which is wheelchair accessible.  (In a neighborly fashion, there are directions from Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey, and Connecticut on the museum website.) Bike racks are available for cyclists.  The museum allows standard-size strollers, which flow smoothly in museum traffic.  Most galleries include live captioning.  Trained service animals are permitted; there was one beautiful and impeccably well-behaved tall, white poodle or a labradoodle on a leash, which looked like it stepped out of a painting.  If anyone wants to avoid the coat check, which takes a while, consider wearing a lightweight coat and a wristlet or the like; purses and bags will need to be checked for security.

Side view of “No More Drama,” Kennedy Yanko, 2022, Brooklyn-based artist via St. Louis, Missouri

The light and airy café features friendly staff and healthful options.  Though it is not overly expensive for a museum café, it could be costly for a family. The profit, however, supports the museum. (Members receive a 10% discount.) In warmer weather, food trucks are outside.

“Early Summer Rain at the Sanno Shrine” from the series “Twelve Scenes of Tokyo,” Kawase Hasui, 1919, woodblock print on paper

“Tea Roses,” Emily Maria Spaford Scott, aka “Lady of the Roses,” late 19th-early 20th century, watercolor

Winter scene by Kawase Hasui

Select First Saturdays, which start February 7th, welcome visitors free of charge.  Enjoy upcoming programs like the Lunar New Year celebration.

Year of the Horse 2026, Horse with Saddle, late 6th century, China, earthenware

Travel sites note that a visit to the Brooklyn Museum takes between 2-4 hours.  Reserve a day to enjoy all that it has to offer!

“Flowers in a Vase (Zinnias),” Maurice Brazil Prendergast, ca. 1910-1914, presented with a note on zinnias from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Brooklyn Museum’s refurbishment in Monet’s blue light

(Sources: brooklynmuseum.org, theartnewspaper.com (interview with Jackie Wullschläger, author of “Monet: The Restless Vision“), claudemonetgiverny.fr, dailyartmagazine.net, seydoukeitaphotographer.com, artnet.com, all-about-photo.com, traveladvisor.com, reverse image app, YouTube, Wiki)

“’Monet and Venice‘ at the Brooklyn Museum” All Rights Reserved ©2026 Kathleen Helen Levey

Georgia O’Keefe has the final word with “Black Pansy & Forget-Me-Nots,” 1926, oil on canvas

Renoir and the Psalms at The Morgan Library

By

On November 11, 2025

In Architecture, Art, Arts, Culture, Travel

I like a painting which makes me want to stroll in it. ” Pierre-Auguste Renoir

“View of a Park,” ca. 1885-90, watercolor, The Morgan Library

Step into the eternal spring of Renoir in a new exhibition of his drawings at The Morgan Library and Museum.  November brings its own kind of beauty, but the dappled Impressionist light of Renoir’s art is a joyfully irresistible invitation.

The Morgan Library exhibition is an incredible opportunity to enjoy Renoir’s rarely displayed drawings and see the process for several of his great works. The exhibition with the artist’s drawings and paintings in two large galleries features works from museums and private collections around the world.  Visitors receive an overview in the room adjoining the galleries that includes two filmed interviews with Renoir from 1915 and 1920.  The size of the exhibition is ideal for enjoying his art in pen and ink, pencil, chalk, pastels, watercolor, oil, and even plaster.

“Portrait of a Girl,” 1879, pastel, The Albertine Museum, Vienna

Renoir is an artist whom we all think we know, but the meticulously curated exhibition offered new insights, not just revisits to his beloved works.  Some of these prompted more research into Renoir’s life and art.

“Self-Portrait,” 1879, oil, Musee d’Orsay, Paris

Renoir as a decorative artist

Renoir, who was from a family of artisans, originally studied decorative arts and saw himself as a craftsman, not an artist. “To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful, and pretty, yes pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them.”  One of seven children, Pierre-Auguste spent his first few years in Limoges, known for its porcelain and high-end leather goods industries. Around the time of his birth in 1841 and during early childhood, there were riots among the poor workers. (Limoges was the city of the first consolidated French workers’ union in 1895.)  When Renoir was a small boy, his family moved to Paris, so his father, a tailor, might find work.  Renoir apprenticed at a porcelain factory and was highly skilled at painting decorative flowers. Clearly talented, he got a permit to sketch at the Louvre, which was near his home.  Having saved a bit, Renoir took night classes at the Ecoles Beaux-Arts (School of Fine Arts) and painting lessons with Swiss-born Charles Gleyere, who had studied with renowned Neoclassical portrait artist Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. Renoir surprised his serious teacher by sharing, “If painting were not a pleasure to me I should certainly not do it”.

“The Milliner,” ca. 1879, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond

Renoir joined Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, and Alfred Sisley, among others, as part of the Anonymous Society of Painters for an independent art exhibition in 1874.  The studio owner, Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, known as “Nadar,” a caricaturist, journalist, and photographer, was also an outlier known for taking the first aerial photograph from a hot-air balloon.  The artists exhibited outside the established Salon, which was the annual show of the Academie des Beaux-Arts (Academy of Fine Arts).  For the Salon, a jury selected the works that the public would see.  Following the exhibition, the group’s name came from Claude Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise” and a critic’s comment that it was indeed only an impression, an unfinished painting.

“Boating Couple,” 1880-81, smaller pastel work for “Luncheon of the Boating Party,” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

After a period of creating sketches as a young artist and student, Renoir adopted the “spontaneous painting” of his fellow Impressionists and began his work directly on canvas.  Like the other Impressionists, whose works were originally rejected by the artistic establishment, Renoir enjoyed plein air painting, or outdoor painting “in the open air,” which captured natural light. An innovation with the production of the paints allowed for this, and Renoir and his peers made full use of the opportunity. They often painted with, and influenced, each other.

“Harvest,” ca. 1885, watercolor, white opaque watercolor, graphite, and varnish (unusually), Musee d’Orsay, Paris

“Impressionism” captured the artists’ “snapshot” style and brushstrokes.  In addition to natural light, they favored the use of bright colors, another result of improved paints, and did not varnish their works, which was done for a formal look. Such techniques lent themselves to painting nature and the countryside.

“Landscape,” 1899, watercolor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Regarding subject matter, Renoir painted working-class subjects as well as wealthy patrons, which is how he met his wife, Aline Victorine Charigot, depicted in the portrait below. Aline was working as a dressmaker when Renoir approached her to model for him.  When they married, Aline was 20, and he was 38.  After 18 years as a painter and 25 years of working in the arts, Renoir had reached career stability, which suggests a strikingly long and difficult trajectory to success.  

Aline sitting for “Young Woman in a Blue Dress,” ca. 1885-86, watercolor with opaque watercolor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Renoir also earned income as an illustrator. Some illustrations were for stories, others reproduced his paintings, like “Dance in the Country” and “Dancing Couple”/“Dance at Bougival” in which Aline was the model for both.

Book illustration

Study for “Dance in the Country, 1883, graphite, Musee d’Orsay, Paris

“Dancers (Bougival)” or “Dance in the Country,” 1883, oil, Musee d’Orsay, Paris

Aline and Pierre-Auguste had three sons who all had careers in the arts: Pierre, an actor, Jean, a celebrated filmmaker; and Claude, a ceramic artist.  Renoir’s family was a great source of his happiness, and they were often subjects in his paintings.  Aline modeled for “Luncheon of the Boating Party,” most notably, and her cousin and the family’s nanny, Gabrielle Renard, was a frequent model for Renoir, too.  Before Aline, Renoir had a relationship with Lisa Trehot, another model, with whom he had a daughter, Jeanne, whom he supported.  Despite Renoir’s happiness with Aline, he had affairs during the marriage.  Four years before Renoir’s death, Aline passed away after a hospital visit to Jean, who was badly injured in WWI, as was his brother Pierre. 

Sketch for “Gabrielle and Jean,” 1895, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

“Gabrielle and Jean,” 1895, oil, Musee de l’Organerie, Paris

(Note: On November 26th, a similar “long-lost” Renoir painting, “L’enfant et ses jouets – Gabrielle et le files de l’artiste, Jean (The Child and His Toys – Gabrielle and the artist’s son, Jean sold for $2 million dollars.)

Chalk sketch of “Jean in the Arms of Gabrielle,” 1895-96, possibly reworking “Gabrielle and Jean” (exhibition note), Collection Foundation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny, Switzerland

“Child with an Apple” or “Gabrielle, Jean, and a Young Girl with an Apple,” ca. 1905, Collection of Leone Cettolin Dauberville

“Madeleine Adam,” 1887, pastel and graphite, Collection of Diane B. Wilsey

Division among the Impressionists

The founding members of Impressionism remained close for years.  They supported each other’s work, exhibited their art together, and looked out for each other, including each other’s families.  A falling out occurred over the Dreyfus affair.  As a quick history refresher, between 1894 and 1906, the guilt or innocence of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish army captain, divided then predominantly Catholic France.  Captain Dreyfus, tried twice and found guilty of espionage, was eventually exonerated.  Camille Pisarro, who was Jewish and a Dreyfusard, along with Monet, supported the captain, and Edgar Degas, an anti-Dreyfusard, who was anti-Semitic, did not, which is not to suggest that the national division was about religion and not politics.  In Renoir, My Father, Jean attributed his father’s artistic divergence from Pissarro to differing artistic and political views. In Growing Up with the Impressionists: The Diary of Julie Manet, based on the journals of the then-teenaged daughter of Pierre-Auguste’s dear friend Berthe Morisot, Julie wrote about Renoir and his family, with whom she first stayed at 16 after her mother died.  (The diary was first edited and published in 1987 by Rosalind De Boland Roberts and Jane Roberts; the latter became a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres, or ‘Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters,’ France’s top honor, in 2011. In 2017, Jane Roberts edited a second, revised edition with 472 footnotes.) Julie, who had often posed for Renoir and was clearly fond of him, noted that he sometimes shared the less generous anti-Dreyfusard opinions of the time.  Renoir, however, stayed close to his Jewish sister-in-law, Blanche-Marie Blanc, and later attended the funeral of Pissarro, whereas Degas did not.

“Portrait of Camille Pissarro,” ca. 1893-94, charcoal, Dallas Museum of Art, Wendy and Emery Reves Collection

Having escaped from poverty, Renoir may have resented that he initially relied on Jewish patrons for exhibitions and commissions. Renoir’s early Jewish patrons supported his talent and influenced his early artistic direction. His portraits of these patrons, and especially those of their children, were beautiful. Greater success offered Renoir new commissions and travel around Europe and North Africa, where he saw the art of Raphael, Velázquez, and Rubens; this influenced his style, making it more classical in later years. He remained friends with the Jewish art dealers, Alexandre Bernheim-Jeune and his sons Joseph and Gaston, who curated 16 of his exhibitions.  Barbara Ehrlich White, PhD., who wrote Renoir, An Intimate Biography (2017) and Renoir: His Life, Art, and Letters (1984), and also became a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2014, attests that Renoir was the Renoir whom the public knew: warm, sociable, and kind.  He loved being around people, which his art reflects. Dr. White based her opinion on her review of 3,000 of his letters, 452 of which were previously unpublished. 

A mournful Berthe Morisot, which Renoir sketched after the death of her husband Eugene Manet for a painting memorializing her after her own passing

Renoir’s paintings were one of the first to delight me as a child, not only for their beauty, but for their joy.  He depicts children with such sweetness, which helps young viewers connect with his work. This issue concerning Renoir was mentioned on one exhibit label, as far as I noted, out of more than one hundred.  It stayed with me, however, and I read more about it.  At this point, I leave Renoir’s legacy in this regard to art historians, but I thought that I should mention it.

The artist overcomes arthritis

“The pain passes, but the beauty remains.” Admirably, Renoir continued to paint despite having crippling and painful rheumatoid arthritis, which began when he was 50.  In his late 60s, Renoir and his family moved to Cagnes-sur-Mer on the French Riviera for the warmer climate.

“Girls Putting Flowers in Their Hats,” 1894, oil, private collection

“Young Woman Seated,” 1909, oil, The Art Institute of Chicago/Admin. by Musee d’Orsay. Renoir strove for a luminous quality in his later work.

During this time, Renoir was in pain, especially when he tried to sleep, and he became progressively disabled.  He did, however, paint more than 400 works, including the masterpiece, “The Great Bathers,” which is in the exhibition along with sketches, and influenced Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. His family and assistants placed his painter’s palette on the arm of his wheelchair and his canvas on a rolling easel. Incredibly, Renoir’s paintings became lighter and more joyful.

The film and newsreel interviews in the exhibition show the deformed joints in Renoir’s hands.  Brushes were not strapped to his hands as sometimes noted, but they had to be placed into them. These interview clips were fascinating to watch, and though film was an early art form, Renoir charmed by periodically turning to the camera with a smile.

An arthritic Renoir, painting, [public domain]

On the day of his passing at 78, having painted for several hours, Renoir told his studio assistant, “I think I’m beginning to learn something about it.”

Enjoy seeing “Renoir Drawings” at The Morgan Library, which also offers detailed information about these works on their website, through February 8th.

“Sing a New Song: The Psalms in Medieval Art and Life“

The illustrated Bibles, many from The Morgan Library’s own collection, are exquisitely beautiful.  As the exhibition notes, the Book of Psalms, the most popular book of the Bible, is known as Tehillum, or “Praises,” in Hebrew, and King David is credited as the primary author. The exhibition begins with King David’s composition of the Psalms, or “songs accompanied by stringed instruments” from the Greek “psalmos”. 

“King David as Psalmist” (instrument), 1408-10, by Lorenzo (Piero di Giovanni)

During the Middle Ages, psalters, or books with the 150 psalms, were initially the clergy’s prayerbooks. These promoted literacy and the study of Latin. Priests, monks, friars, and nuns had to recite all the psalms daily. The Book of Hours, customized psalters, were most popular among lay people, or non-clergy. The faithful looked to these prayers for hope, comfort, celebration, and forgiveness. Children had their own psalters, or primers, from which they learned to read.

“[St.] Jerome in His Study,” Book of Hours, in Latin, ca. 1440-50, Fastolf Master, England

Glossa ordinaria (Standard Gloss), the complete Bible with the writings of Saints Jerome and Augustine, intellectuals and scholars of the Church, before 1480, The Morgan Library, open to Psalm I: “Blessed is the man.”

“Tree of Jesse” and “Annunciation,” depicting “David as Ancestor of Christ,” Book of Hours in Latin and French, Robert Boyvin, ca. 1495-1593, France

The exhibition concludes with Sir Thomas More’s Book of Hours and Psalter. Visitors can see his handwritten notes in Latin, which are moving to see. As a brief historical note, Sir Thomas More, the respected and beloved clergyman, lawyer, statesman, and humanist, served as the Lord Chancellor to King Henry VIII.  Sir Thomas refused to recognize Henry as Head of the Church, a move intended to facilitate the king’s annulment from Catherine of Aragon, and to break with the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Clement VII. Imprisoned in the Tower of London for well over a year, Sir Thomas was executed and later canonized as a saint. Today, some people may know him from the word “utopia,” which came from his sociological and political satire of the same name; this writing was somewhat out of character, though his motives were always honorable. Below: “To think my most enemies my best friends….,” final verses of “A Godly Meditation,” Francois Regnualt, Book of Hours. 1530, Paris/Franz Birckman, Psalter, 1522, noted below.

For more detail on this period and the beautiful exhibition, enjoy visiting upstairs in the Engelhard Gallery through January 4th, or finding the book in the gift shop.

Other treasures on exhibit are:

From “Lisa Yuskavage: Drawings”

“William Shakespeare, Seated,” 1881, marble, William Wetmore Story, permanent collection

“Jane Norton Grew Morgan,” ca. 1905, oil, by John Singer Sargent, permanent collection. Enjoy another visit to his work via “Travel with John Singer Sargent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art”.

John Pierpont “Jack” Morgan, Jr., ca. 1930 by Fayer of London and Vienna, permanent collection

“Bust of Anne Tracy Morgan,” philanthropist and youngest daughter of J.P. Morgan, bronze, 1937, by Malvina Hoffman, permanent collection

Enjoy seeing the beautiful Gilded Age mansion, designed by premier architect Charles McKim of McKim, Mead & White, and appreciating the breathtaking library. Time did not allow for a revisit this time, but that will be the perfect excuse to return and fully appreciate the 2024 renovations, which everyone can appreciate. Free admission for everyone is available Friday evenings from 5-7 p.m.. College students with IDs may enjoy free admission the first Sunday of each month with a reservation. Fellowships and internships are available at times for college students, and for NYC university students, there is a college ambassador program. There are a a number of teen programs (writing challenge, summer reading, and drawing) and teacher resources.

The Morgan is wheelchair accessible and offers wheelchairs and walkers. Additionally, discounted tickets are available.  (Kindly call (212) 685-0008 or email visitorservices@themorgan.org with questions regarding any accommodations.) If visitors plan a longer day at the library, there is an inviting café.

(Sources: The Morgan Library, musee-orsay.com, metmuseum.org, britannica.com, goodreads.com, artinsociety.com, clarkart.edu, openculture.com, 19thc-artworldwide.org, medium.com, nytimes, nationalgallery.org.uk, 19thc-artworldwide.org, apollo-magazine.com, thephilipscollection.org, getty.edu, dailyartmagazine.com, art-renoir.com, adventuresintheprinttrade.blogspot.com, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, latimes.org, bbc.co.uk, harvardartmuseums.org, pasonlinelectures.com, galeriemagazine.com, theatlantic.com, theparisreview.org, shop.themorgan.org, amazon.com, legendarte.shop, Wiki)

“Renoir and the Psalms at The Morgan Library” All Rights Reserved ©2025 Kathleen Helen Levey

The Frick Collection: A Splendid Dream

By

On July 24, 2025

In Architecture, Art, Culture, Museum, Travel

“I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream.” Van Gogh

Visiting the newly reopened The Frick Collection is like stepping into an artist’s dream.  After an experience that is wonderous and splendid, one wakes upon leaving, startled by unfiltered daylight and the sounds of the city street.  Putting iPhones away upon entering the museum, a polite requirement for viewing the collection, visitors immerse themselves in the art. The uninterrupted viewing of the artwork, combined with its location in a former home, creates a feeling of intimacy.  Underscoring this intimacy is the exhibition, “Vermeer’s Love Letters” on view only until August 31st.  Comprised of “Woman Writing a Letter, with her Maid,” c.1670, on loan from the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, “Mistress and Maid,” ca. 1664-67, The Frick Collection, and “The Love Letter,” c. 1669-1670, on loan from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the exhibition showcases another art not lost at The Frick.  Vermeer fans will also enjoy “Officer and Laughing Girl,” ca. 1657, and “Girl Interrupted at Her Music,” ca. 1658, in the permanent collection.  

Garden Court designed by John Russell Pope (Visitors may take photos here.)

“Angel” by Jean (Jehan) Barbet (France, 16th century)

To truly appreciate such an incredible collection, visitors must return and make it a cornerstone of every visit to New York City.  (What visitors saw before the recent renovation was 25% of the collection; now they can see 47%, a boon for art lovers.) New visitors will be dazzled by the sumptuous décor by English interior designer Charles Allon of White, Allom & Co., primarily on the ground floor, and by Elsie de Wolfe, one of the first American interior designers, mostly on the second floor, which includes ceiling art in the hallway that connects the galleries.  Returning visitors will enjoy the improved lighting and relish ascending the formerly roped staircase to the second floor.  Though the works of Van Gogh have only graced the museum via exhibitions, the quote was irresistible.  Still, the artists’ works on view are beyond imagination (noted in order via “Featured Artists” from The Frick): Bellini, Carreira, van Dyck, Fragonard, Goya, El Greco, Ingres, Monet, Rembrandt, Titian, Turner, and Vermeer.  (If visitors are able to turn their gaze away from the paintings, the beautiful Sevres porcelain, antique clocks, and Chinese vases are a few of the other exquisite treasures.)  As a complement to the Old Master works, highlights of drawings from the collection are on view through August 11th, and Vladimir Kanevsky’s porcelain floral art, commissioned by the museum, is on view until Nov. 17th.

View along Fifth Avenue with a hint of the elevated garden


Partial views of the Russell Page Garden along East 70th Street

The building that houses the collection is magnificent.  The three-story Gilded Age Beaux Arts mansion with its limestone facades was originally the home of collector Henry Clay Frick and, strikingly, fills a city block.  At various times, premier architects have created, expanded, and renovated the building which include the original architect Thomas Hastings of Carrere and Hastings, 1912-1914, and John Russell Pope, who converted the home to a museum with the addition of the entrance, the Garden Court (formerly the carriage pavilion and where visitors may take photos), and The Frick Research Library, all in 1935, when Frederick Olmsted, Jr. updated the elevated the garden that elegantly sets the building back from the street and complements the serenity of his father and Calvert Vaux’s Central Park across Fifth Avenue.  In 1977, the museum added a pavilion and another garden with a rectangular pool along East 70th Street, designed by Russell Page OBE. Annabelle Selldorf of Selldorf Architects designed the most recent renovations, which included enhancing the galleries, creating an auditorium, and adding a cafe and gift shop. Beyer Blinder Belle assisted with the historic preservation. Both the mansion and Frick Research Library are New York City and National Historic Landmarks.

Blooming hydrangeas on the Upper East Side near The Frick

The friendly and professional staff members, who are proud to share such a treasure, warmly welcome visitors, which was a lovely part of the visit. A courteous guard explained to a surprised visitor that people sometimes try to touch the art, especially Mr. Kanevsky’s lifelike flowers. Though most of the visitors seemed awed, delighted, and considerate, kudos to the staff for their patience as this surely happens.

“Lemon Tree” by Vladimir Kanevsky in the Garden Court

Some logistics: Visitors must reserve timed tickets to view the galleries which have accessibility for most types of wheelchairs.  (Discounted tickets are available for visitors 10-18, those with disabilities, seniors, and students with valid IDs. Admission is free for care partners and active military with valid IDs. Note: Visitors must be over 10.)  Memberships may interest repeat visitors, and donations are always welcome.  The art does not have labels, but the museum offers a $5 guide (which has a new book smell) that may be purchased along with tickets, or visitors may enjoy an audio tour via Bloomberg Connects.  (My first tour was with a wonderful teacher and friend who suggested a visit; the website offers audio for some artwork, helpful for teaching and study, and tours are available for class trips.) Some discounts are available, particularly on Wednesdays from 1:30 to 5:30, when admission is “pay-as-you-wish” with programs that are open to the public.  A charming new café, “Westmoreland,” named after Henry Clay Frick’s Pullman car, and a shop complement the experience.  Students and faculty with valid IDs from the City University of New York, the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York University, and Pratt Institute may receive two complimentary tickets. To visit the Frick Art Research Library, first-time visitors must register. 

Much beloved, the Frick Collection initially sparked debate over its renovation, but with different perspectives coalescing, the result is a harmonious and inviting city oasis.

(Sources: frick.org, nypost.com, newsart.net.com, artnews.com, www.tclf.org, nps.gov)

“The Frick Collection: A Splendid Dream” All Rights Reserved ©2025 Kathleen Helen Levey

Highlights from “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

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On July 21, 2025

In Art, Culture, Fashion, Travel

Enjoy seeing “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” this year’s exhibition of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, through October 26th. The exhibition examines Black style over a 300-year period via dandyism, a fusion of African and European styles, and how style has contributed to the development of Black identity.  The exhibit defines a dandy as a person who “studies above everything else to dress elegantly and fashionably”. Zora Neale Hurston’s essay “Characteristics of Negro Expression” (1936) was the springboard for the twelve sections, or aspects, of dandyism that the exhibition presents. Following are a few highlights:

A Jeffrey Banks Ensemble [1980’s] and suit for Andre Leon Talley, “fashion icon,” “creative director and editor at large at ‘Vogue,’ and Paris bureau chief of ‘Women’s Wear Daily'” by Morty Sills (1986), the latter “bespoke tailor” mentioned in the film “Wall Street”:

Josephine Baker portrait by Teddy Piaz (1932) in a tailless tuxedo by Arturo Cifonelli; Ms. Baker, who fought in the French Resistance and wore a Free French uniform at the March on Washington with Dr. King, was the first Black woman inducted into the Pantheon with France’s other military heroes:

Louis Vuitton Ensemble by Pharrell Williams (2025), inspired by the Air Afrique uniforms revived in a collective by Lamine Diaoune; Air Afrique, with stylish uniforms by Dior, supported African art, films, and fashion, was an airline founded by eleven decolonized African countries in 1961 to promote “intra-African travel and culture development”:

“Tailcoat worn by Grace Jones” by Jean Paul Gaultier (2011-12) at the annual amfAR Inspiration Gala in Brazil in 2012.  Ms Jones collaborated with both Mr. Gaultier and headwear designer Philip Treacy:

“Portrait of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas,” (1801), by Louis Gauffler depicts the father of the novelist Alexader Dumas; Thomas-Alexandre, son of a marquis and a mother who was a slave in Saint-Domingue (Haiti), he was the first Black to rise to the rank of General-in-Chief of the French Army; his imprisonment in a dungeon during part of the French Revolutionary War inspired “The Count of Monte Cristo”:

House of Balmain Ensemble by Olivier Rousteing (2023), black velvet coat with gold metallic braid embroidered with pearls and crystals inspired by a 19th-century French cavalry jacket paired with black track pants; Mr. Rousteing refers to those who wear and admire his clothes as “Balmain’s Army”:

Hat worn by Walt Frazier (ca. 2010) and ‘Jet’ magazine cover (1974); Mr. Frazier’s nickname “Clyde” came from the fedoras he wore that were reminiscent of Warren Beatty’s from ‘Bonnie & Clyde’; Mr. Frazier developed the Clyde line of sneakers with PUMA, still popular today.

Silk shirts by Joe Casely-Hayford OBE [1980’s], part of a series from the renowned tailor for whom the British Fashion Council Foundation have established a scholarship with Casely-Hayford. (britishfashioncouncil.co.uk):

“Maya Angelou Passport Ensemble” (2023-24) from LABRUM London by Foday Dumbaya, which represents Mr. Dumbaya’s immigration journey from Sierra Leone to London; inspired by Ms. Angelou’s ‘Passports to Understanding’ essay in “Wouldn’t Take Nothing from My Journey Now” (1993):

Andre Leon Talley Louis Vuitton trunks (1990) – The possession of luggage represents freedom and prosperity:

Guest curator and Barnard College professor Moncia L. Miller, author of “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,” wrote the labels for the exhibition. Funding is by Luis Vuitton with “Instagram, the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, Africa Fashion International, founded by Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, The Perry Foundation, and Conde Nast”.

Some of the tailors and designers from or relevant to the exhibition, like Charlie Casely-Hayford, the son of Joe Casely-Hayford, shared their interpretations of dandyism for attendees of this year’s Met Gala.

Music in the Instagram post @kathleenhelenlevey: “Take the ‘A’ Train” by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. (Additional sources: Met Museum, apnews.com, vogue.com, nytimes, wiki, Andre Leon Talley @andreltalley, americainclass.org/RutgersU/Cheryl Wall, 1997, essence.com, casely-hayford.com, rolfpotts.com, esquire.com, barnard.edu, isac.uchicago.edu/museum-exhibit, @chrisroyerscollections IG, monacolife.net, airmail.news, amazon.com, us.puma.com)

“Highlights from ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art” All Rights Reserved ©2025 Kathleen Helen Levey

Travel with John Singer Sargent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

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On July 21, 2025

In Art, Culture, Museum, Travel

“In the Luxembourg Gardens”

Enjoy seeing the splendid “Sargent and Paris,” 1874-1884, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York through August 3rd. The early paintings of the American expatriate, who spoke several languages and was an accomplished pianist, reveal not only his brilliance but the genuine friendships he had with his patrons and fellow artists with whom he exchanged works as gifts and who praised his work publicly as he did theirs. The world traveler had a natural curiosity about people, their lives, and cultures. He mastered Realism, though he showed skillful use of Impression. Well-known for his portraiture, he painted murals in later years.

Following are a few highlights of the exhibition:

“Madame Ramon Subercaseaux,” wife of his friend Ramon Subercaseaux, Chilean diplomat and artist

A self-portrait at age 30

The initially scandalous and later renowned “Portrait of Madame X”: John Singer Sargent excelled at depicting society women with great elegance. Subjects usually sought him out; in this instance, he pursued the renowned beauty American-born socialite Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau, who had married a prominent French banker. Initially, the right shoulder strap of the gown was down in the portrait, but this, combined with so much exposed skin, i.e., no evening gloves, created a scandal. The artist repainted a raised strap, but his subject rejected it. Mr. Sargent left for London and took the portrait with him. John Singer Sargent was confident that this was his best work, and his loyal friends supported him.

The artist in the studio

Photo of Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau with the gown’s strap down

A Gust of Wind (Judith Gautier)”

“Oyster Gatherers of Cancale”; one of a series of this scene that Sargent created with models whom he posed.

“La Carmencita (Carmen Dauset Moreno),” a Spanish style dancer and the first woman featured in film (1894).

“Fumée D’Ambre Gris (Smoke of Ambergris)”; the artist had a model pose in Tangiers for this painting of ambiguous meaning, possibly religious, which he completed in his Paris studio.

“Fete Familiale (The Birthday Party)” depicts John Singer Sargent’s friends and fellow artists Albert Besnard and his wife Charlotte Dubray, and their son, Robert.

“An Out-of-Doors Study” (Paul Helleu Sketching with His Wife)

“Dr. Pozzi at Home,” Samuel Jean Pozzi, an Italian medical doctor who was also “an aesthete and a collector” (partial view)

“Madame Georges Charpentier and Her Children” by Renoir, one of the paintings by a Sargent peer in the exhibition

“La Vicomtesse de Pouilloue de Saint-Perier (Marie Jeanne de Kergolay)”

Looking forward to returning to see the works of John’s sister Emily Sargent on view through March 8th. Music on Instagram @kathleenhelenlevey, published on July 19, 2025, is by the artist’s friend Faure.

Dans les Olivier’s a Capri (Among the Olive Trees, Capri)

The Met Museum and the Musee d’Orsay organized the exhibition. The generous sponsors are The Marguerite and Frank A. Cosgrove Jr. Fund with Bank of America, The Sam and Janet Salz Trust, GRoW @ Annenberg, Jim Breyer, the Aaron I. Fleischman and Lin Lougheed Fund, and Trevor and Alexis Traina.

(Sources: Met Museum, arthistory.net, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Clark Art, new.artsmia.org, Wiki).

“Travel with John Singer Sargent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art” All Rights Reserved ©2025 Kathleen Helen Levey

“Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood”: Monet paints at his home near Giverney; his wife Alice keeps him company.

”The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit” in a style influenced by Velasquez.

A Return to Christmas in Stockbridge

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On January 1, 2025

In Art, Christmas, Culture, Culture, Holidays, New Year's Day, Travel

“You can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.” Maya Angelou

With the speed of a run down a Berkshire ski slope, Christmas has arrived…and gone, less than a month after Thanksgiving this year.  The Three Kings still travel towards the star as the Jewish faithful light their menorahs, so here’s a “merry mini” to keep the holiday cheer going.

Each December, the Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce recreates the much-beloved Norman Rockwell painting “Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas,” which was wonderful to experience before the pandemic (“Christmas in Stockbridge”). Despite the rain on that trip, everyone was in great spirits. Returning this Christmas was reassuring that the event is not only back but is even better and more fun for children including a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, a petting zoo, and face painting.  Both on the first trip and this, visitors were friendly and considerate, offering to take photos of each other by the classic cars. (Classic car fans will enjoy chatting with proud owners of vintage cars, some from New Jersey.) Not only do the details from Norman Rockwell’s beloved painting come to life, but so does the vibe, which he might enjoy even more.  For anyone looking for the holiday spirit, this is the perfect event to experience.

Close-up with Christmas tree in the second-floor window (Norman’s former studio) over the General Store (slightly lightened here for visibility)

The artist warms the darkened Red Lion Inn, formerly closed in the winter, with children and a Christmas tree-topped red Mercury

The Mercury comes to life along with the Red Lion Inn

Victorian carolers on the porch of the Red Lion Inn

The charm is in the details

Norman’s former studio above the General Store (with a 🎄); he later had a studio behind his home on South Street, which is now part of the nearby Norman Rockwell Museum.

Winter chapeau

Cute surprise 🐾

Beautiful detail

Santa’s reindeer at the petting zoo

Store windows display entries for the gingerbread house contest (Williams & Sons Country Store)

Historic Red Lion Inn

Visitors first arrived at the historic Red Lion Inn by stagecoach in 1773. Since then, additions to the original building starting in the 1800s and the accumulation of antique furniture and china have given the inn its unique character and charm.

A truly jolly and charming Santa at The Red Lion Inn (visiting for a different event)

Red Lion Inn

Party starter

Santa’s rooftop view and a few reindeer hoofprints 🦌

Santa’s daytime ride

A door to nowhere (2016), part of the historic inn’s ramshackle charm, long suspected of being Santa’s portal to the North Pole (effectively confirmed in “Red One”). Luggage dropped off here is never lost, just regifted.

Winterberry welcome

Norman Rockwell Museum

Why are Norman Rockwell and his work so beloved?  His warmth and humor got his fellow Americans through the Great Depression and several wars, and they cheer us to this day. His illustrations depicted touchstone moments of life, which we all have in common. Mr. Rockwell worked mostly on deadlines to create covers for The Saturday Evening Post, whose editors gave him creative freedom. Over 47 years, he completed 323 covers for the bimonthly periodical, and his overall body of work includes an impressive 4,000-plus paintings. Admirably, as a consummate professional, he carried on with this cheer through some difficult personal times. Modestly, Norman Rockwell considered himself a commercial illustrator, not an artist. Each of his paintings tells a story, and Norman was excellent at casting.  Favoring naturalism, he employed neighbors and friends as models instead of professionals. In interviews, they fondly recounted his style of direction, which set them at ease and enabled them to become the characters. Inherent in this collaboration was an element of trust.

“Pepsi Cola Santa,”1965, a second attempt as Santa initially appeared too tipsy

Original costume for “Pepsi Cola Santa”

In producing paintings often within two months, photography expedited the process and spared subjects from posing for lengthy periods in positions often too awkward to maintain. Some art critics chastised him for this, but with his training and talent, as noted, he did have the expertise to paint traditionally. As he said, he had an eye like a camera.

Norman Rockwell giving direction to one of his models (museum exhibition of 2009 via npr.org)

Originally a New Yorker, Norman Rockwell arrived in Stockbridge via Vermont.  Regarding the town where he lived for the last 25 years of his life, Norman remarked that he loved living in a place where he knew everyone.  He captured that happiness in “Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas”. The painting, which is on view at the Norman Rockwell Museum, has the spontaneous look of a snapshot.  That “spontaneity” took the artist 11 years to capture between 1956 and December 1967. The work conveys someone taking in the view from across the street, perfectly depicted with a panorama.  The golden light of welcoming shops owned by neighbors illuminates the winter blue sky and makes the painting feel suffused with love. (Even a darkened Red Lion Inn, formerly closed in the winter and now lively with Victorian carolers and visitors for the event, does not detract.) Though the holiday preparations look ordinary – people Christmas shopping, neighbors chatting, children throwing snowballs, the ordinary, everyday things are what we all appreciate after an absence, and Christmastime charms most of all.  Painted during the time of the Vietnam War, the painting also reassures with its “changelessness, tranquility, and safety”. (massmoments.org)

“Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit (God Bless Us Everyone),” 1934, cover The Saturday Evening Post

(“Christmas Homecoming,” 1948, cover for The Saturday Evening Post, December 25th. As noted in a Post blog, the mother Norman’s wife Mary, the returning son, their son, Jerry. To Mary’s left is their son Tommy in the plaid shirt, and their youngest son Peter is far left with glasses. Norman is pictured as the happy father who is smoking his pipe. The others are friends and neighbors and frequent models which adds to the warmth of the painting.)

The painter known for celebrating small-town Americana kept his work fresh and original in a professional life of fifty-six years. As he once remarked, “Commonplaces never become tiresome. It is we who become tired when we cease to be curious and appreciative. We find that it is not a new scene which is needed, but a new viewpoint.” With his classical art training, Mr. Rockwell could paint using a traditional process. At 15, he was already making Christmas cards professionally. The aspiring artist left high school after his sophomore year; he studied at the Chase Art School (Parsons School of Design) and later at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League of New York.  (The museum shares that Gerard ter Borch, Peter de Hooch, and Johannes Vermeer, who also used light to great effect, were three of Norman’s favorite artists.) As noted in “Frankly Norman,” a more -in-depth profile, by 19, Norman Rockwell was an associate art director at Boy’s Life, the magazine for the Boys Scouts. 

Charming model of Stockbridge, generously donated by Carol Soeldner

“The Discovery,” 1956

A tired waiter after the celebration in a charcoal study for “Happy New Year,” Saturday Evening Post cover, December 29, 1945

His muscular Rosie the Riveter, a Saturday Evening Post cover, May 29, 1943, which reflects women’s movement into the workforce during World War II, takes inspiration from the Prophet Isaiah of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, and shows his appreciation for European art. Additionally, the Post cover significantly popularized the role of Rosie. Mr. Rockwell later apologized to his model, the pretty and petite 19-year-old Mary Doyle Keefe, a part-time telephone operator from Vermont, for the transformation, which he explained was to convey a strong, inspirational larger-than-life figure.  Ms. Keefe, delighted to be part of history, often participated in museum events and later appeared at the sale of the painting at Sotheby’s in 2002, when it sold for $4.9 million.

Mary Doyle Keefe, circa 1943, via ctpublic.org

Via Wiki

Via Wiki

Though the occasional critic derided Mr. Rockwell for idealizing American life, particularly as the appeal of abstract art grew, he was nonplussed, “Without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed.” (Christies.com)  If we scroll through our iPhone photos or look back at snapshots, there are captures of some perfect moments that may have passed our notice.  Rather than idealizing life, Mr. Rockwell keenly observed the good. “Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas” exemplifies how Norman Rockwell was inspired by life around him.

Fans like Steven Speilberg, originally from Haddonfield, NJ, and George Lucas, who surely wishes he were from New Jersey, admire Mr. Rockwell’s narrative paintings as “cinematic”.  Both have purchased numerous works of the artist over the years, and share these in an exhibition “Telling Stories” at the Smithsonian Museum.

Some may not know that Norma Rockwell taught in a correspondence school for commercial art, which predated email and Zoom. Founded in Westport, Connecticut, by illustrator Albert Dorne in 1945, the Famous Artists School (FAS) offered home study with lessons designed by the respective “famous artists” to help returning GIs find work in the field of commercial art.  At its peak, the school had 50 instructors working onsite.  Requests for Norman’s class outpaced others due to his fame and success.  Lucky students enrolled in Mr. Rockwell’s class, though other experienced illustrators often critiqued submitted work as was standard in those schools.  (FAS attracted some famous students of the day including actors Tony Curtis and Charlton Heston, as well as singers Dinah Shore and Pat Boone.) Artist Jim Stafford was on a correspondence course with acquaintances of Norman Rockwell’s, and later, as a young soldier, Jim wrote to Norman and asked if he might visit him at his Stockbridge studio.  After receiving an invitation, Jim and a friend went the studio, where Norman cast Jim as the window washer for a 1960 Post cover.  In a paternal gesture, Mr. Rockwell tried to set Jim up with the model for the stenographer, but the real-life Jim was not as bold as his character.  He did, however, appreciate that Norman critiqued the art that he brought. 

Via saturdayeveningpost.com with an interesting article title to accompany the illustration

A fun fact is that Norman owned several dogs, which kept him company at his studio. A Collie dog named “Raleigh Rockwell,” who appeared on numerous Saturday Evening Post covers, was special.  An account from “Dogs Society” shares that Raleigh so adored Norman that when his owner-pal was away in Europe once on business, Raleigh refused to eat and started to fade.  His health deteriorating, Raleigh’s whiskers drooped and turned white. When Norman returned, he hand-fed Raleigh until he was well and promised never to leave him again if his whiskers returned to their natural color. Raleigh’s whiskers changed within a few weeks, and Norman kept his promise.

“Making Friends,”1929, with Raleigh via saturdayeveningpost.com

Enjoy Norman Rockwell’s heartwarming holiday themed paintings in “Home for the Holidays” through February 25th at the Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, just a short drive from Main Street. Other exhibitions include “Anita Kunz: Original Sisters Portraits of Tenacity and Courage,” “Illustrators of Light: Rockwell, Wyeth, and Parrish from the Edison Mazda Collection,” “Norman Rockwell: Illustrating Humor,” and more.

Fans may also be interested in Mr. Rockwell’s autobiography My Adventures as an Illustrator: The Definitive Edition.

Naumkeag “Winterlights”

The striking Stockbridge Naumkeag, named after the Naumkeag tribe, an Eastern Algonquin-speaking people, is a Gilded Age cottage. The mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the entire estate is a National Historic Landmark District. The former is the work of the renowned architect Stanford White of McKim, White, & Mead, who built the country retreat for prominent lawyer Joseph Hodges Choate, who helped found the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and his wife Caroline Dutcher Sterling Choate, a proponent of women’s education who co-founded the Brearley School and Barnard College.  In non-architectural terms, Naumkeag looks like a fairy tale cottage that morphed into a mansion while keeping its charm. With thoughts of spring, when Naumkeag reopens in May, the grounds include beautiful gardens, notably the Rose Garden, the Afternoon Garden, and the Chinese Garden, designed by Fletcher Steele, and summer brings Tanglewood to nearby Lenox.

Magical welcome at “Winterlights”

Stunning library with live music

Beautiful menorah

Wishing trees 🕊️✨

Norman Rockwell celebrated at the Doctor Sax House (hotel) in nearby Lenox

Doctor Sax House, Lenox, 1874, and dulu Cafe & Lounge

Holiday cheer at Michael’s Restaurant, Stockbridge

The Lost Lamb (from an October visit)

Santa welcomes customers at Tiffany’s Cafe & Market

Since all roads lead to New Jersey, a revisit to a Rockwell gem at the Nassau Inn, not far from the Arts Council of Princeton, also noted in ”Frankly Norman,” is a must:

Partial view of the Rockwell mural “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” not quite the Three Kings, but still weaving it in, from the Yankee Doodle Tap Room, Nassau Inn, dating back to 1769; rebuilt in 1938. Mentioned in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise, a fun reminder from Wiki

Beautiful Christmas tree at Palmer Square

Three hundred and fifty-four sleeps till Christmas

Never too early to mention that “Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas” festivities are December 6th-7th in 2025 with more details about weekend events via the Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce. No matter what the weather brings, visitors will receive a warm welcome and be in good company.

(Source: stockbridgechamber.org, ormanrockwellmuseum.org, redlioninn.com, dailyartmagazine.com, npr.org, smarthistory,org, crystalbridges.org, americanart.si.edu, brooklynmuseum.org, berkshireeagle.com, boston.com, chronline.com, rauantiques.com, connecticutthistory.org, ctpublic.org, theguardian.com, gurneyjourney.blogspot.com, printmag.com, southlandcollierescue FB (Dogs Society), nationalpurebreddogday.com, bostonmagazine.com, doctorsaxhouse.com, avingplaces.org, wiki)

“A Return to Christmas in Stockbridge” All Rights Reserved ©2025 Kathleen Helen Levey

Seward Johnson’s Invitation to Grounds for Sculpture

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On April 26, 2024

In Art, Arts, Culture, Museum, STEAM, Travel, US History

Come with me, and you’ll be
In a world of pure imagination
Take a look, and you’ll see
Into your imagination

“Pure Imagination” from “Willy Wonka” by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley

Beautiful peacocks wow visitors at Grounds for Sculpture
View from “Put Yourself in the Picture” by Roberto Lugo

Grounds for Sculpture is founder and sculptor Seward Johnson’s invitation to embrace art. Visitors, especially children, often hug or play with sculptures like they are old friends, sitting beside them at picnic tables or in outdoor cafes.  Many have had the experience of bumping into a Seward Johnson statue around the country (and the world) and uttering, “Excuse me,” only to stop and laugh at the realization that it is not an actual person. The artist’s playful gotcha game continues with a celestial wink.

“Summer Thinking” by Seward Johnson
The welcoming committee
Beautiful orchard of Japanese cherry, apple blossom, and crab apple trees

The fun, a reflection of hard work, generosity, and planning, began in 1992 as an outgrowth of the Johnson Atelier, which Mr. Johnson founded in 1974, initially in Princeton, as a community for sculptors. The Atelier was ground-breaking by offering sculptors the opportunity to keep control of their work and have access to production methods formerly kept close to the vest within the sculpture world. By all accounts, the Atelier sculptors’ collaborations were, and are, rewarding and fun.  The institute has the reputation of being the finest foundry for bronze casting in the country and among the best in the world.  (Early collaborators and friends of Seward Johnson from the Atelier, sculptors Herk Van Tongeren, Isaac Witkin, and Brooke Barrie, contributed to the direction of the sculpture park that grew from the Atelier. Mr. Van Tongeren became the first Grounds for Sculpture president and executive director, and Ms. Barrie was the inaugural academic director, curator, and a successive director.) Seward Johnson’s generosity is a gift that keeps giving as sculptors have gone on from the Atelier to form schools and flourish as artists. Visitors may sometimes see the artists at work in the Atelier when exploring the grounds.  Today, the Atelier also curates the exhibitions of Seward Johnson’s works, which help to increase tourism wherever the sculptures go.

“The Awakening” by Seward Johnson
Another view of “The Awakening”
Japanese cherry blossoms
The orchard in full bloom
“Put Yourself in the Picture” by Roberto Lugo
“Captured” by Seward Johnson with a woman reading his daughter’s book of poetry (June 2023)
“Captured” (June 2023)
“Constellation” by James Barton
“Crossing Paths” by Seward Johnson

What has changed most over the past several years at Grounds for Sculpture is that the core group of visitors has expanded from traditional art lovers to a crowd more reflective of those who would have visited when Grounds for Sculpture was the New Jersey State Fairgrounds.  Through grants from a foundation, Mr. Seward purchased the neglected 42 acres of the former fairgrounds and gradually transformed them with the same generous thought he had behind the placing of his inviting “Everyman” sculptures in public parks – they are a way to draw people back into the park.  Among the art lovers at Grounds for Sculpture are international travelers, which indicates the appeal of the art. On a weekend visit this month, children with their families on holiday from overseas sported cartoon T-shirts like the Incredible Hulk. Perhaps Seward Johnson might have taken it as a compliment that budding connoisseurs consider his art, too, a marvel.

The Seward Johnson Center for the Arts (June 2023)

The children are in it for fun, which abounds at Grounds for Sculpture. On an April weekend visit, a giant stone snake was a hit with children who ran along it, as were the Cloud Swings, which had parents and grandparents playing with their children.  Ideally, the art and events will inspire children’s lifelong creativity, and there are online activities for young artists to try before they visit.

Founder Seward Johnson

“It’s easy sometimes to forget the simple things that give us pleasure.  If we open our eyes, life is marvelous.”  Seward Johnson

Seward Johnson with Cecelia Joyce Horton and her parents on Cecelia and Seward’s wedding day

Seward Johnson II, born in New Brunswick, NJ, April 16, 1930, lived a New Jersey story as much as a worldwide one, having resided in Highland Park, Hopewell, and Princeton at different times.  His parents were J. Seward Johnson, Jr. and Ruth Dill.  His grandfather, Robert Wood Johnson, Sr., was a co-founder of the well-known pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, and his maternal grandfather was Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Melville Dill OBE, a Bermudian who served as an attorney-general and a member of Parliament.  Not long after the Lindbergh kidnapping, Seward’s father foiled a kidnapping attempt in the Johnson family home, the Merriewold Estate Castle in Highland Park, which led to the family’s far-flung stays in London, Paris, Bermuda, and the New Mexico Ghost Ranch of Georgia O’Keefe.  A fun tidbit is that Mr. Johnson’s cousins on his mother’s side are Michael and Joel Douglas, sons of Diana Dill and Kirk Douglas.  Kirk once asked Seward to sculpt a bust of him, which Seward graciously did. Though portraiture was not usually “his thing,” it was a compliment that his famous uncle asked.  The sculpture featured the striking dual faces of Kirk, whom the 16-year-old Seward first knew, and the Kirk of what was then 2002.

Following the philanthropic example of Robert Wood Johnson, J. Seward Johnson, Jr. set up six charities for each of his children to contribute to society, Seward’s being the Atlantic Foundation.  It was through grants from the Atlantic Foundation that Seward purchased the land for the Atelier and Grounds for Sculpture and funded the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation, which his father had founded in 1971 for “preserving the environment through a deep, scientific understanding of the ocean”. The foundation supports marine research, classes, and marine mammal rescue as part of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University.

For someone who often appeared light-hearted publicly, Seward Johnson had navigated life challenges, some even more complex and undoubtedly more painful, by being played out publicly.  Despite his intelligence, he struggled as a student due to his dyslexia but later found his way by enlisting in the U.S. Navy.  During his service, he fought in the Korean War for four years on the USS Gloucester, and at one point, he and his fellow servicemen nearly lost their lives when the battleship took a direct hit.  A failed first marriage caused despair, and lengthy litigation over the family estate made headlines for years. Corporate life did not suit his talents, and he was let go from the family business at 38.

Cecelia Joyce and Seward from the exhibition

A joyful counterbalance was Seward Johnson’s second marriage with writer, poet, director, and producer Cecelia Joyce Horton, with whom he shared the ultimate “meet cute” story. Seward, Cecelia, and another passenger got bumped from a flight from New York City to Nantucket. Seward wisely suggested that the other man, a traveler from California, might enjoy a night seeing the city, which cleared the way for dinner with Cecelia. For an uplifting experience, enjoy the exhibition “That’s Worth Celebrating: The Life and Work of the Johnson Family” in the Cecelia Joyce and Seward Johnson Gallery, which shares Mr. Johnson’s happiness with his family life. 

Noting Seward’s mechanical ability, Cecelia encouraged her husband to move from painting, which they did together, to sculpture. After being rejected by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Seward’s first sculpture, the steel “Stainless Girl,” won the U.S. Steel’s 1968 Design in Steel Award out of 7,000 entries, and, as he joked in interviews, he never won anything again.

Detail from “Stainless Girl”

Impressively, he carried on with his work despite the initial derision of some art critics who may have missed that he had a different aim.  He would comment, “The art of my work is in the interaction, not the aesthetic.” 

Cecelia Joyce and Seward from the exhibition

Seward’s determination, however, demonstrated that he was not a dilettante, and the increasing profits from the sale of his works went back into the Atelier. (In what must have felt like a rewarding, full-circle experience, Georgia O’Keefe later used the Atelier.) Notably, Mr. Johnson received the Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Center in 2019, which he had supported for years at the invitation of founder Elden Tefft, a sculptor and a professor at the University of Kansas, and membership in the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

“…not public art, but art for the public…” Seward Johnson

Seward Johnson’s most well-known series of sculptures may be “Celebrating the Familiar” as well as “Beyond the Frame,” which recreated the works of the Impressionists, and “Icons Revisited,” with the monumental sculptures like “Forever Marilyn” from a still photo from Billy Wilder’s “The Seven Year Itch” (the rights of which Mr. Johnson obtained from the photographer) and “Embracing Peace” from one of the better known Victory Over Japan or “V-J” Day photos of a sailor kissing a nurse in anticipation of the end of the war in Times Square.  Seward Johnson created “Embracing Peace” from the photo by US Navy photojournalist Victor Jorgensen, which was in the public domain. Photographer Alfred Eisenstadt, who took the more well-known photo, had observed the tipsy sailor passing through Times Square, kissing women of all ages and appearances out of sheer joy that the war was ending. Current perspectives give the photo different meaning for some, but in the context of 1945 and Mr. Eisenstadt’s description, the jubilation at the end of World War II was felt throughout the country.

Life-size “Embracing Peace” in downtown Spring Lake, NJ (2022)
“If It Were Time” by Seward Johnson, an homage to “Terrace at Sainte-Adresse” by Monet (2021)
Daylily (earlier visit)
“Family Secret” by Seward Johnson, inspired by Renoir’s “Two Sisters in the Terrace” (2021)

Regardless of scale, the faces of his works are remarkably expressive.  Though “Beyond the Frame” initially drew some criticism for borrowing from other artists, Mr. Johnson believed that if viewers could walk inside the paintings in 3-D, this would be an ultimate sharing of the artist’s vision and a way to engage people who might not otherwise be interested in art.  Seward added his contributions beyond the artist’s original canvas.  As he said in interviews, he wanted to create “not public art, but art for the public” and added, “Interaction is part of the art form. But the interaction also extends beyond what is simply there to what is created in the viewer’s imagination.”  Over the years, his works gained acceptance and became popular.  Perhaps by not only doing what he loved but creating it with love is what resonates with people today. 

People have compared his works with those of Norman Rockwell, whom Mr. Johnson admired, but he noted that Mr. Rockwell presented a story while Seward wanted the viewer to imagine what his figure’s story might be.  Influences that Seward Johnson pointed out in “The Sculpture of J. Seward Johnson, Jr. Celebrating the Familiar” (1987) were the French painter and sculptor artist Honore Daumier, who conveyed his critiques of society with humor and sociologist/journalist William H. Whyte.  William Whyte’s book “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces” (1980) contained observations underscored with photos of how people acted in urban environments.  Seward Johnson, too, was a keen observer of human behavior and nature.  In interviews, he shared that he liked to walk through Central Park for inspiration.  His reassuring park figures offered an “enticement to socialize” and to enjoy nature.  Similarly, Frederick Law Olmstead designed invitingly to bring people into parks for their benefit. The perspectives of both visionaries have become more invaluable post-pandemic.

Though intellectual, Mr. Johnson possessed an irrepressible sense of humor, which is evident throughout the Grounds for Sculpture.  “I like to have discovery in my work, generally done with humor…I like people to smile at what I made them think…” Visitors will find themselves smiling and laughing out loud at some exhibits. When interviewed for the 2014 Grounds for Sculpture retrospective of his work, Mr. Johnson, who created art well into his 80s, divulged that he sometimes napped on the bed in the exhibit of Van Gogh’s bedroom in Arles and then went back to work with tap shoes tucked away in case some excess energy took hold.  “I’m living in my dream, you see.”

Seward Johnson’s 3-D version of Van Gogh’s “Bedroom at Arles” that visitors can enter

The process

Imagination meets hard work in creating a bronze sculpture, which can take up to two years to complete. The trompe-l’oeil (“optical illusion”) or the realism of Seward Johnson’s work came with great effort.  A novice’s summary of the process is that from initial clay models (maquettes), Mr. Johnson created facial expressions and gestures, then chose a live model to come to the studio for apprentices to make a life-size clay and plasticine figure.  Seward finalized the face and pose and selected clothing for the sculpture’s story. Apprentices converted the figure to plaster and set the clothes in resin. Before the resin set, Mr. Johnson pumped air under the fabric and into the pockets to achieve the look of folds and motion in the clothes. The sculpture then dried for two days before being separated into sections.

“On Poppied Hill” by Seward Johnson, inspired by “Woman with Parasol in a Field of Poppies” by Monet

As described in “The J. Seward Johnson, Jr. Celebrating the Familiar,” the “true foundry process” then began. Apprentices converted the plaster pieces to wax by creating a rubber mold for each. They then perfected the details of the wax (“chasing”), which they dipped into a solution to create a protective ceramic shell. The next step was to “burn out” the wax to leave only the detailed ceramic shell with a “precise image of the original,” which is “the lost-wax method of casting”.

Highly skilled apprentices then poured molten bronze at 2,000 degrees F (1093.33 C) into the molds.  The team then adjoined the pieces and added bronze details from the sculptor’s vision, like glasses, jewelry, and hand-held objects such as pens or gardening trowels.  The last step, which involved reheating parts of the metal using acetylene torches, was the patination or the coloring of the figure with special colors unique to Mr. Johnson’s work thanks to his collaboration with his fellow artists at the Atelier.  Computer technology later created the giant, iconic sculptures from the life-size bronze ones. Faces of Seward Johnson’s bronze works became more expressive over time with evolving techniques, which remains essentially the same today, though the Atelier offers more current information about their services.

The casting process of the Atelier also makes creating sculptures more cost-effective for artists, which is another draw in addition to the skilled artistry.

“Double Check”

A work of art can take on a life of its own, which Seward Johnson experienced with “Double Check,” another “double-taking” statue this one completed for Merrill Lynch and placed in Liberty Park (now Zuccotti Park) near the former Twin Towers.  The Everyman sculpture depicts a man checking the contents of his briefcase before a meeting.  After 9/11, the work, surrounded by debris, took on a different meaning, which Mr. Johnson speaks about in an exhibition video, a moving segment from “The Saturday Morning Show” with Russ Mitchell and produced by Nadine Witkin, daughter of sculptor Isaac Witkin. Some rescue workers initially mistook the lifelike sculpture for a survivor. 

Firefighters, police officers, rescue workers, and mourners left notes, flowers, and other tributes around the memorial site.  Respectfully, Mr. Johnson changed the time on Double Check’s watch to 8:46 a.m., the time the first tower was hit. Two tributes are at Grounds for Sculpture, one in the entryway (pictured above) and another in the Cecelia Joyce and Seward Johnson Gallery, a “shrine” in bronze.

A song in his heart

Sing-a-long host at Rat’s Restaurant accompanied by Phil Orr from the Seward Johnson Center for the Arts

A renowned raconteur, Seward Johnson also entertained people with his Sing-a-longs (with a bit of tap dancing) at Rat’s Restaurant.  Accompanied by Adam Weitz and Phil Orr, he would sing Broadway tunes and American songbook favorites.  Regrettably, I could not go to what I thought might be the last one, but his joy lives on in delightful YouTube and Atelier Facebook posts.  After Seward Johnson’s unfortunate passing at nearly 90 years old in 2020, his friend Joyce Carol Oates compared him with Walt Whitman for his “populist yet strategically calculated art” with a “remarkable declaration of expansiveness….”.   After an unveiling of an installation of his on Times Square, Seward serenaded his wife and in a mic drop moment quipped, “Now I can say that I’ve sung on Broadway.”  Both he and his wife Cecelia’s generosity went beyond Grounds and the Atelier.  Cecelia Joyce Johnson is now president of the Cecelia Joyce and Seward Johnson Foundation, which awards annual grants to educational and arts organizations. Among these is the Forman School in Connecticut, which supports students with learning differences, and where Mr. Johnson attended and Albert Einstein was an advisor. 

(The grand sculptures are marvelous and awe-inspiring, but one of my favorites is the clay model of Albert Einstein, whom Mr. Johnson knew as a mentor from his high school days.)

Jazz greats by Seward Johnson at the Seward Johnson Center for the Arts
“God Bless America,” complete with corn, by Seward Johnson, inspired by “American Gothic” (earlier visit)
“A Turn of the Century” by Seward Johnson, an homage to “Dance at Bougival” by Renoir, with a partial view of “Los Mariachis” en route to Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Township
One figure from Seward Johnson’s “Los Mariachis”

The landscape

As Seward Johnson shared in a 2002 EBTV (East Brunswick TV) interview with Amy Fisher, “I want to have the land sculpted so that each piece is a separate experience as much as possible.  I want it to be a sequential experience going through the park.  I think that’s terribly important and then to add theater to the experience so that when you go around, it’s ‘Wow!’  All of a sudden it hits you….” His intent was “to enhance each piece”.  Mr. Johnson, both Director of Design and Founder, planned much of the original grounds himself from the “rubble” of the former fairgrounds, which included planting trees while working alongside architect and sculptor Brian Carey.  (In a Grounds for Sculpture 2015 video, Facilities Director W. Bruce Daniels notes that starting up required planting more than 2,000 trees, the remarkable variety of which visitors can appreciate on a tree tour, and tens of thousands of shrubs, roses, and ornamental grasses – including bamboo – to fill the grounds that had only a few maple trees remaining.)  Mr. Johnson explained that sometimes pieces had to travel around the grounds before finding a home.  Repeat visitors will enjoy a different experience on each visit with the circulation of works and new sculptures.  Part of the fun is that visitors think that they have seen everything, but with a return visit, they realize that they have not.

A different view of the entrance with Seward Johnson’s “A Turn of the Century” and Wayne Trapp’s “Geometry of the Cosmos” (June 2022)
Garden tulip
Japanese snowball shrub and redbud tree
Camellia
Bamboo
Yulan magnolia
Fall splendor (2015)

As Seward Johnson remarked, he did not often create portraits, but in his EBTV interview with Ms. Fisher, he shared that when legendary screen star Audrey Hepburn asked, he could not refuse.  Ms. Hepburn generously sponsored the Audrey Hepburn Children’s House, which offers services for maltreated children and is part of the Pediatrics Department at Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center.

Across the street from the house is a rose garden with the sculpture “It’s Going to Be a Beautiful Building,” with Ms. Hepburn and an architect who are discussing the plans for the center across the street.  Ms. Hepburn gives a sweet wave with her pointer finger to a shy little girl, which Seward observed when meeting with the benevolent actress.

On a June visit to Grounds for Sculpture last year, I went for the roses but fell for the water lilies with a tip of the sunhat to the dedicated horticulturalists and volunteers. (The flowers, the art!  The art, the flowers! The floral beauty later transitions into art with autumn leaves and then with snowy vistas.) The sculptures are beautifully incorporated into the landscape, emphasizing how nature and imagination complement each other, an interplay that Mr. Johnson appreciated on a boyhood trip to Canada and later on a wilderness trek there with friends from the U.S. Navy, both thoughtfully shared in an excellent biographical video from the Johnson Atelier and another from Lynn DeClemente Losavio, the Collection Manager of The Seward Johnson Atelier via the Pennington Library.

Lotuses (June 2023)
Water lilies with “Sailing the Seine II” by Seward Johnson in the background
From Renoir’s “Luncheon at the Boating Party,” a partial view of Seward Johnson’s “Were You Invited?” (The answer at GFS is, “Yes!”)
Partial view of sculpture by Andrzej Pitynski (2021)

Works of other sculptors

Grounds for Sculpture has featured the works of numerous sculptors: New Jersey’s George Segal, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Dana Stewart, Clifford Ward, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Red Grooms. The collection is comprehensive, and these are only a few names.

“The Bathers” by Isaac Witkin (June 2023)

Exhibitions

This exhibition, “Likeness” by the artists of The Arc Mercer in the Education Center next to “Double Check,” closes Sunday, April 28th.

On May 5th, “Slow Motion” opens with the work of Ana Teresa Fernández, Colette Fu, Billy Dufala, Omar Tate, and Sandy Williams IV.  

Previously, “Local Voices,” hosted with an almost familial dedication, was on view to convey an idea of the breadth of the exhibitions.

On the note of local, Seward Johnson’s sculptures are throughout Hamilton Township, which also features Veterans Park, Sayen Park Botanical Garden, and Mercer County Park. Nearby in Trenton is the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Cadwalader Park.

Seward Johnson work near Hamilton Township Town Hall (2020)

Photos from the annual Azalea Festival at Sayen Gardens with the wonderful Denny Paul Quartet (added May 2024):

For more “local” viewing of Seward Johnson’s work, also enjoy an exhibition at Ocean County College through June.

Visiting

Friendly staff members welcome visitors to the Grounds for Sculpture which is open daily from 10-5 (closed Tuesdays), though kindly check the Visitor Information as these change with the seasons.  Reserve tickets online and allow several hours to explore.  A museum shop with lovely selections is open Wednesday-Sunday. 

A sculpted welcome along the way (June 2023)

Informal dining is available in the Van Gogh Café, which also offers pre-ordered take-out totes for Picnics in the Park in season to enjoy on the grounds, and another café in the Domestic Arts Building, when available, as is fine dining at the well-reviewed Rat’s Restaurant.  Rat’s, named after Ratty from “The Wind in the Willows,” Mr. Johnson’s favorite character from a favorite book by Kenneth Grahame, recalls Monet’s Garden at Giverny.  The restaurant has a separate entrance, and its hours are Wednesday through Sunday.  Rat’s and the beautiful sculpture park grounds are available for meetings and events.

Greeter at Rat’s (2021)

Grounds for Sculpture offers accessible tours of all kinds, as well as wheelchair and electronic convenience vehicle rentals.  Tours for schools, colleges, adults, and corporations are available, though the popular school tours are sold out through June 17th.  Reserving well in advance is best.  There are concerts and other events throughout the year. The Atelier is available for tours, private events, and team building. Additionally, Grounds for Sculpture became LEED Gold Certified in 2019, and it has two electric car charging stations. Memberships and volunteering (and gardening) that support Grounds for Sculpture and the Atelier are welcome.  The Arc Mercer and Audrey Hepburn Children’s House via Executive Director Amy Glazer (amy.glazer@hmhn.org) also welcomes support.

(June 2023)

The invitation

In this travel post, the GPS turned toward Seward Johnson’s life as he and the Grounds for Sculpture connect intrinsically.  A true philanthropist, Seward Johnson has made his own “Everyman” good-hearted impulses larger than life with the realization of an incredible vision.  Still present in the delight of visitors, Seward Johnson invites us all to his ongoing celebration.

Seward Johnson sculpture in homage to Monet’s “Women in the Garden” (partial view)

A “road trip” postscript

Seward Johnson’s sculptures at Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury, NY, which were selfie sensations (2022)

Seward Johnson’s Sculptures in Spring Lake, NJ (2022)

(Sources: groundsforsculpture.org and exhibitions, sewardjohnsonatelier.org, The Sculpture of J. Seward Johnson, Jr. Celebrating the Familiar by J. Seward Johnson, Jr. with Paula Stoeke, americanprofile.com, johnsonatelier.com, sculpturemagazine.com, youtube.com (Atelier, Pennington Public Library, EBTV, Nantucket History, Coppervideo), courierpostonline.com, communitynews.org, groundsforsculpturewordpress.com, mycentraljersey.com, washingtonpost.com, causeiq.com, ibdb.com, stateoftheartsnj.com, willowwoodarboretum.org, sculpturemagazine.art, artmuseum.princeton.edu, mainstreetmurfreesboro.org, walkaboutnewyork.com, observer.com, atlasobscura.com, downtownny.com, artcitybronze.com, uvalaw, hmdg.org, britannica.com, Wiki)

“Seward Johnson’s Invitation to Grounds for Sculpture” @ 2024 Kathleen Helen Levey.  All rights reserved.

A Holiday Thank You

By

On December 26, 2022

In Art, Baking, Christmas, Culture, History, Holidays, Museum, Travel

 “The secret ingredient is always love when you’re baking for Christmas.” – Unknown

Enjoy the ongoing celebration of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Three Kings Day/Little Christmas with cocoa in a cookie. Warm thanks for following and a “cheers” to happiness in 2023!

Magnolia from Winterthur Museum and poinsettias from Longwood Gardens

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • Beat together the cocoa powder, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder. Beat the dry ingredients into the cocoa-oil mix. Cover and chill for 4 hours or overnight. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 13 minutes.  Yields about 50 cookies.

Fun twists:

  • Double Chocolate: Add a cup of mini chocolate chips.
  • Black Forest: Add a cup of chopped dried cherries or cranberries
  • Mint Chocolate: Swap 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla for mint extract, and add some crushed candy canes to the powdered sugar
  • Orange Chocolate: Swap 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla for orange extract
  • Powdered sugar: Add some cinnamon for a festive fun.

(Sources: simplyrecipes.com, outoftheboxbaking.com)

Beautiful trees and flowers from Longwood Gardens thru 1/8
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens
Beautiful menorah at Morven Museum, Princeton
“A Festival of Trees” at Morven Museum thru 1/8
SAVE – A friend to homeless animals, Morven Museum
Princeton University Press tree, Morven
Princeton Rescue Squad mantel, Morven
Beautiful tree at Palmer Square, Princeton
Santa visits children at Palmer Square thanks to the Princeton Fire Department
Shining stars of the Princeton Fire Department 🌟
The Princeton Fire Department spreading holiday cheer 🎄✨
Tree dedicated to servicemen and women at the annual “Yuletide at Winterthur,” Winterthur Museum, Delaware, thru 1/8
Winterthur Museum
Winterthur Museum
Winterthur Museum
Always beautiful flowers at Winterthur
The signature, exquisite floral tree, Winterthur
Enjoy a Garden Tour with Tyler at Winterthur
For what’s in bloom, enjoy checking Winterthur’s yearly bloom guide 🌸

“A Holiday Thank You” All Rights Reserved © 2022 Kathleen Helen Levey

Christmas in Stockbridge

By

On December 7, 2020

In Art, Arts, Culture, Family, Museum, Travel

“I don’t think Christmas is necessarily about things.  It’s about being good to one another.” Carrie Fisher

A slightly curving panoramic shot to capture this 8 foot long painting at the Norman Rockwell Museum

At Christmastime, Norman Rockwell’s “Home for Christmas (Stockbridge Main Street Christmas),” which perfectly captures Christmas joy, comes to life the first Sunday of December with a living recreation of the painting which is now on view locally at the Norman Rockwell Museum – Home of American Illustration Art.  “Gilmore Girl” fans will recognize the tradition of tableau vivant from “The Festival of Living Art” with Stockbridge’s delightful, real-life atmosphere outdoing even the charm of Stars Hollow.  In a festive tweaking, the historic Red Lion Inn from the painting, now open in winter, twinkles with lights and features harmonizing carolers on the porch.  Passers-by join in song with the same delight of the Berkshires proud who cheer at the words “from Stockbridge to Boston” from “Sweet Baby James” performed by their neighbor James Taylor in his summer visits to Tanglewood. Holiday concerts fill the churches and halls while both residents and visitors stroll along Main Street, closed to traffic for a few hours, each person truly part of the holiday canvas in this highlight among a weekend of events.

“Home for Christmas” and The Red Lion Inn
A real-life detail from “Home for Christmas”
A Bay State classic

Everyone from our proud veteran bus driver to the carriage drivers who smiled for the camera three times while visitors like us got photos in motion right was wonderful.  The vintage car owners meet up year after year, welcoming honored new ones into the fold with a neighborly rapport.  Filled with goodwill, part Stockbridge, part Rockwell, strangers offer to take photos for each other and talk about their affection for the town and their favorite Rockwell paintings as if they, too, were coming home.  So warm and wonderful is the atmosphere that when looking up the photos, I had forgotten that it had rained that day just two years ago.

Beautiful detail from The Red Lion Inn
Popular carriage rides

Though the live event did not take place this year, the good news is that a virtual version and seasonal events are online through December 31st to plan ahead for next year.  Even better news, Stockbridge is open and welcoming friends in a safe way via the Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce.  The Norman Rockwell museum offers a train set replica of the painting along with the incredible art collection, both viewed on a timed schedule.  Enjoy reading about one summer visit and the profile of the self-defined “illustrator” via “Frankly Norman: A Sketch” with a surprise guest.  (Hint: The Hoboken, New Jersey guest’s “Christmas with the Rat Pack” had a unique holiday spin.) Fun tidbits are that Mr. Rockwell’s first Stockbridge studio was above the supermarket in “Home for Christmas” and his models, like Pop Fredericks who portrayed Santa in the artist’s “storytelling” and at events, were often his neighbors

“Couple Dancing Under Mistletoe,” 1928, from Norman Rockwell’s Charles Dickens series for “The Saturday Evening Post”
The Norman Rockwell Museum – Home of American Illustration Art
“Golden Rule,” 1961, at the Norman Rockwell Museum

Enjoy, too, the otherworldly beauty of “Winterlights” and Christmas trees at the McKim, Mead & White architectural gem Naumkeag, nearby Lenox’s virtual “A Christmas Carol” at the Gilded Age Ventfort Hall, and “NightWood” the outdoor “sound, light, and color” show at Edith Wharton’s home, all through late December – early January.  With our renewed appreciation of nature, the Berkshire Landkeepers have ideas for taking in the woodland beauty. A Stockbridge Virtual Arts & Crafts Show, Gingerbread House Contest, and Hometown Christmas Light-Up Contest keep the season festive. Though the shops along Main Street offer everything from tech to nostalgia, the bow on top is the Stockbridge holiday spirit.

Stockbridge Fire Department
Carolers at The Red Lion Inn
Santa at the wheel
Naumkeag Christmas tree
Naumkeag holiday wishing trees
Naumkeag Christmas tree
Stockbridge Bowl Lake
Tanglewood entrance, Lenox
A snowy Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Downtown Lenox
De Vries Fine Art, Lenox
Shots Cafe, Lenox
Snowy, scenic Lenox
Merry & bright, Schots Cafe
Sweet tree at Cramwell, a former resort, now a spa
Great Barrington
Holiday cheer in Great Barrington
A view to spring with Norman Rockwell’s “Spring Flowers,” 1969 (WikiArt)

(Sources: normanrockwellmuseum, newenglandhistoricalsociety.org, stockbridgeareachamber.org, saturdayeveningpost.com, thetrustees.org/place/naumkeag/, stockbridgeinn.com, antiqueshomemagazine.com, Wiki)

“Christmas in Stockbridge” All Rights Reserved © 2020 Kathleen Helen Levey

Daisy, Fala, and Wilderstein: Rhinebeck Gems

By

On May 27, 2019

In Architecture, Art, Travel, US History

The Wilderstein Mansion seen through May blooms
Branches of the flowering dogwood tree
Porch view of the Hudson River

Fair, kind, and true, have often lived alone, Which three till now, never kept seat in one.
Sonnet 105, Shakespeare

From the Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge, the Hudson Valley views are breathtaking and with the array of May green, celebrate spring.  Blossoming dogwood trees greet visitors at Wilderstein, the home of Margaret “Daisy” Suckley, a distant cousin of both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Wilderstein Mansion

The Suckley family home at Wilderstein is incredible, a beautiful model of Queen Anne Revival style, and cheerful with its bright colors.  Photography is not permitted inside the mansion, but all the more reason for a tour.  You will enjoy seeing elegant rooms ranging in style from English Revival to Louis XIV with stained glass windows by Joseph Burr Tiffany, Louis Comfort Tiffany’s cousin. Interestingly, the first portraits visitors see are of the maternal Montgomery matriarchs, including Alida Livingston, part of the extended Livingston family which includes the first governor of New Jersey, William Livingston, who resided at Liberty Hall.  The name of this National Historic Landmark is from a petroglyph, a stone found on the property with a rendering of a figure smoking a peace pipe. “Wild man’s stone” is a term that conveyed fascination with Native American culture in 1852.

The Suckleys (which rhymes with “Book-ley” as articles note) hailed from England, and Daisy continued the tradition of daily tea at 3 p.m. year-round. The family fortune was from shipping, a similar source for a number of prominent Hudson Valley neighbors. Summers growing up on the Hudson River featured parties, sailing, and tennis, a sport in which Daisy won numerous trophies that are on display.  Charming, too, among the elegant first floor rooms are a collection of glasses with the New York Giants’ logo. Once the staff at the gas station knew that Daisy was a Giants fan, they gave her glasses on each visit, sweet mementos of both her charm and the warm community.  The upstairs with the turret and Hudson River views is undergoing restoration.

The Suckley Hudson River idyll experienced a ten-year disruption.  Though Daisy was close with her father, Robert Browne Suckley, his noted profession was “gentleman,” which did not enhance the family fortune.  Upon a reversal of that fortune in the 1893-1897 economic depression, the family moved overseas to Switzerland where it was less expensive to live at the time.  The Suckley’s resided in a hotel, an isolating experience for children used to playmates.  Several of seven Suckley children were born there and felt invested in European life.  After their return to the United States, Daisy’s older brother, Henry, with whom she was close, volunteered to drive for the American Ambulance Corps on the French front, known through the writing of Ernest Hemingway and others.  Capable and respected, Henry had become commander of the section sponsored by the members of the New York Stock Exchange. A few days before the United States entered World War I, Henry, 31, died in a bombing raid while transporting a wounded soldier, a remembrance of both on this Memorial Day. 

As a young woman, Daisy studied successfully at Bryn Mawr College for two years.  Her father had championed the completion of a degree for his bright daughter, but Daisy’s mother Elizabeth thought that would make her less appealing as a prospective bride. Nevertheless, Daisy did serve as a nurse’s aide on Ellis Island during World War I and, after her father’s sudden death in 1921, found herself in the role of companion to an aunt and caretaker of her family.

When FDR was recovering from polio that same year at his nearby Springwood home, his mother Sara invited Daisy to tea to lift her son’s spirits.  FDR welcomed intelligent and charming company, and this began his closeness with her. Their relationship evolved to the point where he included Daisy in the original planning for Top Cottage, or “Hill-Top Cottage,” which she initially believed they would share after his retirement.  FDR’s trust in Daisy remained if not his romantic interest.  She not only became the confidante of the president of the United States for twelve years, 1933-1945, but she helped him plan the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, the first presidential library which FDR created to offer public access for documents of U.S. history. Daisy was one of the library’s initial archivists.

From the brief film interview with Daisy before the Wilderstein tour begins, some people might dismiss her as being a character.  Daisy had not had the house painted since 1910, and it was then the 1980’s.  She wore cat-eye glasses and used “patrician” speech.  Beloved by her neighbors, however, who thought she needed help in later years, they suggested that Daisy take in a boarder, which she did, and also rented out the carriage house.  As someone on the tour kindly noted, FDR had provided not only the nation but his cousin with Social Security following her retirement.  After Daisy’s death at nearly 100 in 1991, it turned out that she had a rainy day fund of $900,000 that she was afraid to spend having experienced the loss of most of the remaining family fortune in the Great Depression.  Two relatives received this money, and one, returning the love, put this aside as funds to begin the restoration of Wilderstein after her own passing.

What one also takes away from the video is Daisy’s empathy with FDR as she remarked on how incredibly tired he was before he died at his retreat in Warm Springs, Georgia.  He could get away from the public eye, but never the burdens of public life that had weighed on him for twelve years. As his health declined, FDR had asked Eleanor to stay with him as Springwood, but unfortunately too much had passed between them.

As a confidante, Daisy listened without judgment.  When Franklin died, Daisy arranged for Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd’s departure to spare Eleanor’s feelings and Franklin’s reputation.  After FDR’s death, his daughter Anna found Daisy’s letters to her father; he had saved them in his stamp collection box, which he always had with him.  Both the stamps and the letters were sources of comfort and a turn of mind away from office. Whether or not she read them, Anna kindly returned the letters to Daisy.  The discovery of these letters in 1991, along with some of FDR’s correspondence and Daisy’s diaries, was a revelation to most as no one knew of the closeness between them.  The letters that remain characterize their relationship as a friendship with sometimes romantic overtones, but friendship is what it was though Daisy never married.

Admirably, even after FDR’s death, Daisy never revealed his confidences which ranged from opinions on foreign leaders, Winston Churchill was “an English mayor LaGuardia,” this in one of his letters, to his thoughts about declaring war on Japan.  With the perspective of national security of 2019, it is extraordinary to think that at least some, if not all, of their letters traveled through the US Mail.  What is even more telling is not necessarily what FDR wrote to her, but the constancy and the intimacy – he shared his innermost thoughts sent from international summits like the Atlantic Charter Conference on the Battleship HMS Prince of Wales in Newfoundland and the White House, where Daisy was a frequent guest. They took drives together in the Hudson Valley when FDR returned to the respite of home and adoration. Daisy took two of the rare photographs of FDR in a wheelchair, both at Top Cottage, another testament to their closeness and his trust in her.

Thank you and credit to our wonderful guide, who noted that Daisy was “smart” and “witty,” with a dash of research added. A nice couple on the tour asked great questions, which always adds to the experience.  Thank you, too, to my friend from school, and reader, who shared Sonnet 105 with me, and we pass the gift along to Daisy.

Wilderstein is holding another of its wonderful art exhibitions on the grounds, and it was a pleasure to meet James Meyer, one of the artists who was installing his work “Undercurrent”. The show opens June 1st, 5-7. Be sure to pick up a brochure about the art and artists on your Wilderstein visit.

“Undercurrent” by James Meyer
Dedicated gardeners keep the grounds at Wilderstein in bloom
Another view of the beautifully restored exterior
View of the Hudson River and the lighthouse

Fala

Before Daisy’s death and the discovery of her closeness with FDR, she was known as the cousin who gave the president his beloved Scottish terrier, the darling of both his owner and the nation. At times, Fala was the president’s political avatar as in the famous “Fala speech” of 1944 in which FDR expressed Fala’s disdain for false rumors generated about him by political opponents.  Reportedly, the joke stemmed from a suggestion by Orson Welles. 

The celebrated Fala was born in 1940 on the Wilderstein estate where Daisy kept kennels, one of her many interests, and she picked out the charmer to lift her cousin’s spirits.  FDR named him after an ancestor, “Murray the Outlaw of Falalahill”.  Before Fala became a White House resident, Daisy trained him to perform tricks, even appearing to smile, which should have gotten him a place on a ballot.  As it was, Fala so popular that he had his own secretary to handle his fan mail.  If you, too, are a fan of the adorable dog, you can also read more about him in Margaret “Daisy” Suckley and Alice Daigliesh’s book “The True Story of Fala,” available on Amazon, the FDR Library blog, and “Hyde Park: The Year From the Top”.

Daisy with Fala (Source: Wiki)

Fala’s image is everywhere in the cheery gift shop along with a book by Ken Burns’ collaborator, Geoffrey C. Ward, who wrote many of the award-winning scripts for Mr. Burns’ historical works, including “The Civil War”: “Closest Companion: The Unknown Story of the Intimate Friendship Between Franklin Roosevelt and Margaret Suckley”.  His book is the source of information about the FDR-Daisy letters in various articles.  Look forward to reading this, and you can also find it on Amazon.

Calvert Vaux and Central Park

Wilderstein grounds planned by Calvert Vaux

If you enjoy Central Park and Prospect Park, both part of New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Wilderstein is another wonderful place to visit that Calvert Vaux designed. Daisy’s father engaged Calvert Vaux, known as one of the Central Park co-designers to plan the grounds in the “American Romantic style” for Wilderstein.  The Central Park Conservancy Institute for Urban Parks carries on the generous tradition of Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted.  The Conservancy park professionals support their fellow urban park colleagues across the country by sharing best practices for maintaining beautiful open spaces for everyone to enjoy.  Central Park’s Belvedere Castle, designed by Mr. Vaux, will reopen soon after its restoration. For news of the restoration, NY1’s Roger Clarke @RogerClark41 on Twitter will have updates.

The Gate House, now the Wilderstein office, designed by Calvert Vaux.

The rains which brought us the beautiful greenery this year made Calvert Vaux’s Wilderstein Trails better suited for exploration on another visit, though it was delightful to have made the hours on this trip (12 – 4 Thursday through Sunday in the summer).  Among the structures Mr. Vaux planned for the grounds, the Potting Shed by Lord and Burnham is newly restored. The beautiful plants on the grounds are also a credit to Calvert Vaux’s partner on this project Horticulturalist Samuel Parsons of Queens, New York. Though the original 100-plus acre estate is now three, visitors can walk down to Suckley Cove on the river for more beautiful views and the petroglyph from which the estate gets its name.  As they say, the third time’s the charm, an ideal excuse for another visit to Wilderstein.

Calvert Vaux’s original Potting Shed and Greenhouse
Guide to Wilderstein Trails by Calvert Vaux

Hamlet of Rhinecliff

Part of the Morton Memorial Library and Community Center
Rhinecliff Roll of Honor
Rhinecliff Post Office

Rhinebeck

A few photos of charming Rhinebeck with thanks to @RhinebeckGuide for following on Instagram.  You can enjoy wonderful photos and remembrances of their Memorial Parade there and on Facebook.

Rhinebeck Reformed Church
Dogwood blossoms
WWI Monument to all who served, known as the “Doughboy” by Allen Newman, 1910 (Poughkeepsie Journal blog, which credits E. M. Visquesney as the creator of the model “The Spirit of the American Doughboy”)
Bleeding heart flowers

The American Legion
The Church of the Messiah
The Ira Gutner Memorial Gardens

The Rhinebeck Post Office

The Rhinebeck Post Office and Civil War monument

Avid stamp collector President Franklin Delano Roosevelt opened the Rhinecliff Post Office on May 1, 1939, and Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark placed the cornerstone in this hometown WPA historic marvel of chandeliers, fieldstone, murals, and museum.  Present, too, were Treasury Secretary Henry Morgantheau and Postmaster General James Farley with whom FDR sometimes designed new stamps as well as Dutchess County post offices and public buildings.  Newspaper photos often pictured FDR serenely working on his stamp collection.  As a boy, stamp collecting had introduced Franklin to the world.  In the role of president during WWII, the calm and orderliness of his past-time appealed to a shaken public who viewed him as a paternal figure putting the world in order. 

FDR oversaw the design of the post office, on the National Register of Historic Places, requesting that it represent “Kipsbergen,” the home of his Beekman ancestors.  The name may be familiar from the town’s historic Beekman Arms, also in the are designated as the “Rhinebeck Village Historic District”. Formally designed by architect Rudolph Stanley Brown, the post office is built in Dutch Colonial Revival style, popular in the area and favored by FDR.  The building incorporated some of the stones from the original Beekman home that had burned down.  Rhinebeck artist Olin Dows, both a painter and chief of the Treasury Relief Art Project, funded by the Works Project Administration, created the murals for both the Rhinebeck and Hyde Park post offices.


Hudson River scene from the Olin Dows mural
Trowel used by Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark
Post office cornerstone

FDR Library and D-Day Exhibit at Hyde Park

Entrance to the FDR Library

This weekend, “D-DAY: FDR and Churchill’s ‘Mighty Endeavor'” opens with ongoing events throughout the summer.  The FDR Library will honor friend of the library Ralph Osterhaudt for his service and lifelong commitment to the legacy of his fellow servicemen in World War II. You can sign up for newsletters about the library’s exhibits and events.

Thank you again to the FDR Library for retweeting “Hyde Park: The Year from the Top”.  Pictured are some recent photos of the library and the beautiful grounds at Hyde Park where you can also visit Springwood, the resting place of the president and first lady, Top Cottage, and nearby Val-kill, the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, as well as enjoying the delightful town.

FDR by Walter Russell at Freedom Court
Back view of the library
Winston Churchill by Oscar Nemon at Freedom Court
Hyde Park Visitor Center and Cafe

Vanderbilt Mansion and Historic Gardens

The nearby Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, with upcoming summer events, features beautiful Historic Gardens, the nonprofit F.W. Vanderbilt Garden Association, Inc., that welcome volunteers.

Vanderbilt Mansion side view
Vanderbilt Mansion Hudson River view
River view from the mansion
Mansion entrance
Hudson River view from promontory towards the park exit
New view of the Pavilion, now the Visitor Center
The Pool Garden

Culinary Arts Institute of America

Looking forward to a formal visit to the Culinary Institute of America, but had to post these lovely sunset views.  Thank you for the kind permission to photograph.

One view of the beautiful CIA campus

(Sources: Wilderstein.org, FDR Library, fdrlibrary.tumblr.com, PBS “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History,” nytimes.com, tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com, postalmuseum.si.edu, livingnewdeal.org, hrvh.org, hvmag.com, hudsonrivervalley.com, flickr.com, Wiki)

“Daisy, Fala, and Wilderstein: Rhinecliff Gems” All Rights Reserved © 2019 Kathleen Helen Levey

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