Even though I allowed myself to wander on this trip to the Cincinnati Art Museum, I always seem to take the same general path. After entering through the massive wooden front doors behind the columns, you enter the lobby. Hanging from the ceiling is the Rio Delle Torreselle Chandelier by Dale Chihuly. It is made of 282 individual blown glass pieces. That color of blue glass is one of my favorites!
Ancient Middle Eastern, Asian and Islamic Art
There is a gift shop to the left but I always turn right into the galleries that contain the Ancient Middle Eastern, Asian and Islamic art. Although these are not my favorite, I always feel compelled to walk through them, you never know what might catch your eye. I’m glad I did. In the Ancient Middle Eastern gallery, they had installed these really pretty, colorful panels giving the effect of transom windows which allows the space to feel more open. They also created a display of the Altar Platform at Khirbet et-Tannur in a way that showed remaining pieces in the context of what the rest of the shrine facade would have looked like.
In the Japanese art, I came across Interconnection 15-11 by Fujino Sachiko. The piece looks like it is made of the softest grey felt. In actuality, it is a piece of glazed stoneware. Pulling from her experience in fashion and textiles, the artist crimped, folded and tucked then added subtle colors and texture using slips, glazes and airbrush.
The Cincinnati Wing
From there, my wandering takes me into the Cincinnati Wing which was the first permanent display dedicated to a city's art history in the country. This wing starts about half way back the right side of the museum and continues taking up almost all of the gallery space along the back of the museum on the first floor. The first gallery you come to is a lounge with examples of architectural tiling created by the Rookwood Pottery Company. During the early 1900s, Rookwood’s tiling became very popular. You can still find it in some of the older homes in Cincinnati. Rookwood Pottery has a very distinct look and is easily recognizable from other pottery. There is also an extensive collection of Rookwood art pottery in the Cincinnati Wing.
Among the galleries in the Cincinnati Wing, one contains paintings depicting Cincinnati landmarks. I really enjoyed these paintings as I recognized the places in them.
One of the galleries houses paintings and sculptures of Native Americans. These were always some of my oldest daughter’s favorites. It always amazed me how they were able to paint fire so realistically. Most people tend to think of fire as red or orange but there is bright whites and yellows.
In another of the galleries is a small-scale model of the Tyler Davidson Fountain. This fountain currently resides on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati. The fountain was commissioned by Henry Probasco in memory of Tyler Davidson, his partner in the wholesale hardware business. It presents scenes of ordinary citizens enjoying the benefits of water and is topped with the Genius of the Waters who dispenses the precious resource.
Cincinnati Hotels
Though technically part of the Cincinnati Wing, the long gallery between the lobby and the Great Hall currently houses the Steinberg’s Mural for the Terrace Plaza Hotel. This hotel opened in downtown Cincinnati in 1948 and was built in the “new International Style” which was very much a departure from Cincinnati’s typical conservative style during that time.
In the gallery outside the café, you will find two more works for the Terrace Plaza Hotel. Twenty Leaves and an Apple by Alexander Calder is a large mobile that hung in the lobby of the hotel. Juan Miró’s Mural for the Terrace Plaza Hotel decorated the Gourmet Room, an elegant restaurant. I always enjoyed the mural and we often referred to it as the Snoopy painting.
In the Joseph Urban special exhibit, there are designs from 1928 for the stage of the Roof Garden Ballroom in the Hotel Gibson in Cincinnati.
Henry Mosler
The special exhibit space, across from the café, currently houses works from Henry Mosler. Mosler was a German-Jewish immigrant to the United States in the 1800s with his family. The display is set up in a timeline with the first piece being a beautiful pencil drawing Henry did when he was 12. The exhibit also included study drawings next to the painting.
African and Ancient Mediterranean Art
The African and Ancient Mediterranean art galleries round out the other side of the first floor of the Cincinnati Art Museum. In the far corner is a special exhibition space that usually has really interesting displays that a lot of times include video and music. This time was no exception! Vyrus Kabiru is an artist from Kenya who creates mixed media art from photography and trash he collects from the streets where he lives or travels. The current exhibit displays fantastical eyeglasses he calls C-Stunners.
I do a lot of pattern drawing in my artwork so enjoy studying the different patterns in the African and Ancient Mediterranean art.
The Rosenthal Education Center
The Cincinnati Art Museum has scavenger hunts for adults and children which I love. What a great way to discover things about pieces of artwork that you may not have even noticed before. For example, this piece looks like a still life of flowers but on closer inspection, there are all kinds of insects in this painting.
In 2015, the Rosenthal Education Center opened. I love this! This space was designed specifically with children in mind. There is dedicated interactive space that changes twice a year where children can learn about a specific artist and his/her style. They are then encouraged to create artwork in that style with everyday media that they are typically familiar with. The first time I experienced the space the artwork was Van Gogh’s Into the Undergrowth.
Another time, it featured wearable art.
Now it’s time to explore the second floor of the museum. You can take the grand staircase in the Great Hall or there are elevators just off the Great Hall.
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