Interactive Art

 These photos are from the Nick Cave exhibition in 2015 HereHear at the Cranbrook Art Museum

The show has featured interactive happenings throughout the metro Detroit area and there are still a couple of events coming up. You can check the Cranbrook museum website for more information.

A Grand Collection

My family was fortunate to have another trip to Michigan's Mackinac Island again this year. We stayed at the Grand Hotel, whose legendary front porch and beautiful surroundings are a treat unto themselves. I wandered into the gallery area in the main Parlor which exhibits paintings from the world renowned Manoogian Collection. The Manoogians have exhibited over 400 paintings from their collection at the hotel for the past 25 years. Here is a sample of some of the pieces on display this summer.

Fairy Hordes Attacking a Bat, John Fitzgerald, British, 1832-1906

Fairy Hordes Attacking a Bat, John Fitzgerald, British, 1832-1906

The works on display include 19th and 20th century examples of many different types of painting genres and by a large collection of artists.

Rabbits, 1878 by Charlotte Mount Brock Schreiber, Canadian, 1834-1922

Rabbits, 1878 by Charlotte Mount Brock Schreiber, Canadian, 1834-1922

The George R. Rich Family Having Afternoon Coffee at the Villa Quisisana Overlooking Oresund, Skodsborg, Strandvej (Denmark), 1885 by Wenzel Ulrik Tornoe, Danish, 1844-1907

The George R. Rich Family Having Afternoon Coffee at the Villa Quisisana Overlooking Oresund, Skodsborg, Strandvej (Denmark), 1885 by Wenzel Ulrik Tornoe, Danish, 1844-1907

A Liberated Woman by John G. Brown, American, 1831-1913.

A Liberated Woman by John G. Brown, American, 1831-1913.

My assumption is that the cigarette and the way she looks down at the viewer indicate her liberated status.

Statue of Liberty Celebration by Frederick Rondel, American, 1826-1892.

Statue of Liberty Celebration by Frederick Rondel, American, 1826-1892.

This is just a small sample of the artwork on display, there are many fine examples of portraiture, tromp l'oeil, landscapes, still lifes, etc.  The art on display makes an already worthwhile trip all the more special.

Good News

The Wedding Dance by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1566, Detroit Institute of Arts.

The New York Times reports that the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts is no longer in danger of being sold as part of the Bankruptcy filed by the City of Detroit. This is very good news for not only the DIA, Detroit and Michigan, but for any art lover that enjoys access to masterpieces through public museums. Do yourself a favor and visit this collection if you can, there are some very fine pieces and you won't regret it.