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I don't attribute it to a more high-end experience in terms of the exhibits themselves. I attribute to Manhattan being a massive tourist magnet and a lot of people who feel compelled to go to the museums even if they have virtually no interest in art or whatever is being exhibited at all, but feel they must go to them as it's famous. If you let me brutally beat and violate every other person like that who went into the museums, then I'm sure things would be just fine.
Agreed.
But dont bother arguing with it, will get you nowhere.
I don't attribute it to a more high-end experience in terms of the exhibits themselves. I attribute to Manhattan being a massive tourist magnet and a lot of people who feel compelled to go to the museums even if they have virtually no interest in art or whatever is being exhibited at all, but feel they must go to them as it's famous. If you let me brutally beat and violate every other person like that who went into the museums, then I'm sure things would be just fine.
You are right but I still like it when people visit museums whatever the ulterior motive is. It's a good thing.
Admittedly I am not an art connoisseur, my favorite museum is Guggenheim just for the layout (I know, I know FLR was from Chicago) and some unconventional exibitions (BMW - art of industrial design, etc ) but I have to mention Kraftwerk in Moma as I believe Kratwerk was an iconic cultural experience of XX century and YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THE CROWDS and not that many RANDOM people there.
Art exhibitions don't have to mean glazing over paintings by long departed artists, over and over again, but this is what comes to my mind when I think of Chicago museums.
Yeah, European museums are even worse than NYC's. People from all over the world, including busloads of Americans, everywhere and all the time. Paris in summer is unbearable.
Italy is worse, particularly Venice and Florence b/c they are so small but slammed with tourists. Next time I go to Italy I'm going to go in offpeak.
I was looking through pics and found another super long line waiting at the Vatican, I've only seen lines this long in the U.S. for a few of the NYC places on free days. This isn't even that big, I had tried to go prior to this and the line was about 3x long wrapped around. That's just to get in, the inside is also packed, basically like lines at Disney World, but for museums.
and here is the "corrals" they put people in.
it wraps around both sides, then the entrance is way in the back.
I've never seen lines this long in Chicago, but have in NYC in the summer.
Italy is worse, particularly Venice and Florence b/c they are so small but slammed with tourists. Next time I go to Italy I'm going to go in offpeak.
I was looking through pics and found another super long line waiting at the Vatican, I've only seen lines this long in the U.S. for a few of the NYC places on free days. This isn't even that big, I had tried to go prior to this and the line was about 3x long wrapped around. That's just to get in, the inside is also packed, basically like lines at Disney World, but for museums.
and here is the "corrals" they put people in.
it wraps around both sides, then the entrance is way in the back.
I've never seen lines this long in Chicago, but have in NYC in the summer.
And like oycrumbler said, many just to "tick if off" on the itinerary. Then again isn't that heartwarming that people stand in lines to see actual art and not some guy in Mickey Mouse costume?
NYC definitely has more cutting edge museums and exhibits especially in art, while Art Institute is a similar style to MET albeit significantly smaller, Chicago doesn't really have an answer to the other art museums like MoMA, their answer to that was the Modern "wing" of the AI.
The equivalent of MCA in Chicago (the only other significant art museum in Chicago) is similar to the New Museum in NYC down in SoHo. The MCA in Chicago is bigger, however, you have dozens of other museums in NYC infringing on the size of it to go around.
NYC is one of, if not the center of the global art world, and Chicago is not in that caliber as far as lots of famous working artists.
NYC definitely has more cutting edge museums and exhibit, while Art Institute is a similar style to MET albeit significantly smaller, Chicago doesn't really have an answer to the other art museums like MoMA, their answer to that was the Modern "wing" of the AI.
And I bet you know that outside of big institutions like MoMA New York has a myriad of bigger, smaller and really tiny art galleries that offer the great experience of interacting with art, many of those well outside of Manhattan.
I believe art is alive, of course its great to see paintings by Rubens or Modigliani, you have to see them once and feel humbled, but it's nothing like experiencing art happening right in front of your eyes.
It's a little bit like some people that claim to be cultured 'cause they have paintings by renown artists hanging on their walls. I don't think that's it though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by grapico
NYC is one of, if not the center of the global art world, and Chicago is not in that caliber as far as lots of famous working artists.
I am glad you said that, so I don't have to repeat myself and risk being branded a troll, New York fan boy, cheerleader or outright banned for honesty.
NYC definitely has more cutting edge museums and exhibits especially in art, while Art Institute is a similar style to MET albeit significantly smaller, Chicago doesn't really have an answer to the other art museums like MoMA, their answer to that was the Modern "wing" of the AI.
The equivalent of MCA in Chicago (the only other significant art museum in Chicago) is similar to the New Museum in NYC down in SoHo. The MCA in Chicago is bigger, however, you have dozens of other museums in NYC infringing on the size of it to go around.
NYC is one of, if not the center of the global art world, and Chicago is not in that caliber as far as lots of famous working artists.
Cutting edge sometimes means it's balls though. New Museum does display a lot of schlocky crap (any museum that would have my stuff in it is pretty much schlocky crap)--MCA is a LOT, LOT better about not doing that and in some sense is a lot more like MoMA given that its been around longer and has a great permanent collection of the mid-20th century and on. MoMA is great.
Brief mention to Brooklyn Museum as it's interesting--it throws a lot of curveballs, and most of them don't work, but it's interesting to watch. It also has the advantage of not attracting massive numbers of tourists.
Cutting edge sometimes means it's balls though. New Museum does display a lot of schlocky crap (any museum that would have my stuff in it is pretty much schlocky crap)--MCA is a LOT, LOT better about not doing that and in some sense is a lot more like MoMA given that its been around longer and has a great permanent collection of the mid-20th century and on. MoMA is great.
Brief mention to Brooklyn Museum as it's interesting--it throws a lot of curveballs, and most of them don't work, but it's interesting to watch. It also has the advantage of not attracting massive numbers of tourists.
They are now. MCA is changing up their format soon , if they haven't already to a more working artists type place than it currently is. MoMA is both modern and contemporary, MCA is only contemporary really. I mean they have Van Gogh Starry Night at MoMA for example, among other masterpieces.
Of course a lot of contemporary stuff is crap or "eye of the beholder", for better or worse, I think NYC has a lot more people that will support the "crap" along with the good. LA also has a huge amount of working artists and catching up to NYC, but not the huge museum collections of NYC. I'm not sure, but I hear Philly has a better art scene than Chicago. I'd personally put it in the same category as the San Francisco's / Bostons as far as working artists, possibly slightly above Boston.
They are now. MCA is changing up their format soon , if they haven't already to a more working artists type place than it currently is. MoMA is both modern and contemporary, MCA is only contemporary really. I mean they have Van Gogh Starry Night at MoMA for example, among other masterpieces.
Of course a lot of contemporary stuff is crap or "eye of the beholder", for better or worse, I think NYC has a lot more people that will support the "crap" along with the good. LA also has a huge amount of working artists and catching up to NYC, but not the huge museum collections of NYC. I'm not sure, but I hear Philly has a better art scene than Chicago. I'd personally put it in the same category as the San Francisco's / Bostons as far as working artists, possibly slightly above Boston.
Maybe MCA is a good halfway point between MoMA and New Museum. You can probably tell I like MCA quite a bit. I'm trying to think of what nice meeting point of arts outreach, support for current artists, and the exhibition of the permanent collection would be the closest equivalent in NYC.
I'm sure most of the crap is going to remain as crap. That's likely how it worked with other times, too, right? A few luminaries and the vast majority of the rest is forgotten or a funny footnote.
Maybe MCA is a good halfway point between MoMA and New Museum. You can probably tell I like MCA quite a bit. I'm trying to think of what nice meeting point of arts outreach, support for current artists, and the exhibition of the permanent collection would be the closest equivalent in NYC.
I'm sure most of the crap is going to remain as crap. That's likely how it worked with other times, too, right? A few luminaries and the vast majority of the rest is forgotten or a funny footnote.
Agreed, MCA is definitely cooler than the New Museum in NYC.
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