In true dramatic fashion, he went from being the trendy artist everyone desperately copied to being something like the universal symbol for what to avoid. What else is new? The fame, popularity and recognition enjoyed by French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau in the 19th century no doubt landed him in the history books. When else have America and Europe been on … [Read more...]
At Flagler, Fine Arts’ Tchaikovsky outshines its Mozart
The well-established Fine Arts Quartet came to the Flagler Museum for the penultimate concert of the museum’s 2015 music series on Feb. 17. Originally founded in Chicago in 1946, the two violinists, Ralph Evans and Efim Boico, have been its mainstay for the past 31 years. Juan-Miguel Hernandez is the violist and Robert Cohen, the cellist. Known as one of the “gold-plated” … [Read more...]
Flagler silver exhibit takes us back to Age of Acquisition
Nobody uses a 137-year-old silver set of 1,250 pieces from Tiffany & Co. to eat lunch anymore or gets a glossy water pitcher as retirement gift. A pen and porcelain plates will do. Sometimes it takes such a decline in popularity to make an art exhibition happen. If it wasn’t for silver’s falling demand, the current show at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum may not have … [Read more...]
In the news: PB Opera plans world premiere in 2015; changes at Boca Museum, Norton Gardens
For the first time in its 53-year history, Palm Beach Opera next season will present a world premiere of an American opera. Enemies, A Love Story, with music by Ben Moore and a libretto by Nahma Sandrow, and based on the novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer, was seen in abridged workshop form in the company’s One Opera in One Hour series last season. Set in New York in 1948, it … [Read more...]
Boca Museum’s ‘Pop Culture’ gives us images of what we really are
Like a giant slap in the face, the new Pop Art exhibition at the Boca Museum of Art wakes us up from a long hibernation filled with compulsive consumerism habits, celebrity infatuation and overindulgence. The effect, however, is momentary. It may not be enough to change our ways, but faced with a giant hot dog made of mosaics, a thought does come to mind: How did we get to … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Jan. 10-13
Art: Few forms of art are as cheeky and yet communicative as Pop Art, and this weekend, the Boca Museum of Art opens a three-month exhibition of works by artists who not only have come to define the movement but are well-known by non-specialists as well: Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, among others. They made careers out of adopting the styles and sometimes the … [Read more...]
Flagler: The right amount of wealth and heart
The best part of writing about a man responsible for historic hotels, impossible railroads and that this state is now livable, is knowing he is remembered for the right reasons. In other words, I can skip the horseradish. There is nothing phony or in need of polish when it comes to Henry Flagler. His legacy speaks for itself and is now the focus of an exhibit at the … [Read more...]
Walter Gay at the Flagler: Empty rooms, inhabited
In a time calling for simplicity and scaling back, portraits of the complete opposite score well. Only hours into their first day at the Flagler Museum, freshly hanged paintings of European and American extravagant interiors already were having an impact. The first visitors found them gorgeous, informative; even inspirational. Impressions of Interiors: Gilded Age Paintings … [Read more...]
Art Basel brings annual cultural shakeup to Miami Beach
During the first week of December, Miami Beach is the “must-see” premier destination for thousands of art collectors, museum curators, art lovers and artists. On Wednesday, the press and VIPs converged on Art Basel Miami in the Miami Beach Convention Center to see 257 galleries from 31 countries. Art Basel, which runs through Sunday, presents contemporary and historical … [Read more...]
April 2012 Arts Calendar
Editor’s note: This is the calendar from the print version of Palm Beach ArtsPaper, out today. Through an inadvertent error in the production process, the calendar in the print paper is an incomplete version of the March calendar. The correct April calendar is posted here.) Events are listed through May 4 and were current as of March 30. Please check with the presenting agency … [Read more...]