Memphis Museums

We arrived in Memphis Sunday May 6th, toured Beale street Monday, and dedicated Tuesday to museums.

 

We had a full day planned; overly ambitious as it turned out. Our itinerary called for the Brooks Memphis Museum of Art, the Belz Museum of Asian & Judaic Art, the Gibson Guitar factory tour and, because it's not far from Beale Street, the National Ornamental Metal Museum. A long day of museum hopping under the best of  circumstances.

 

Our first stop would be the Brooks Memphis Museum of Art located in Overton Park, about four miles East of Beale street. I drove around the park several times, missing the museum twice. When we finally found it, I wasn't sure the museum was even open for business. Workman were setting up a pavilion for an upcoming event and in the museums brochure, they say it is closed to the public during special events. I thought this could be one of those days, so I stopped in a near by parking lot and called the information number. The receptionist told us the museum was indeed open and we could come on down.

 

We like discovering new and interesting things so we seldom research museums before paying them a visit. The less we know beforehand, the more surprised we'll be if the museum is in any way exceptional. With this approach, we're not often disappointed and the Brooks museum was both surprising and a rare treat.

 

The museum was founded in 1916 and is the oldest and largest fine arts museum in the state of Tennessee. It has an outstanding collection of fine art. The collection includes Italian Renaissance and Baroque paintings and sculpture; English portraits; European and American paintings, sculpture and decorative arts. There is a substantial collection of works on paper, including drawings, watercolors, prints and photographs. The Museum is also host to world-class traveling exhibitions and several long-term continuing loans. 

 

Many museums have a no photography rule. Or, if photography is allowed, you can't use a flash. We always carry our cameras anyway but inquire about local policy each time. The Brooks Museum does permit non flash photography but I didn't have my tripod so I only took a few pictures. We were so impressed with the collection, that I decided to supplement what few photos we did take with the museums own 280 page book of collection highlights. It contains a cross section of the collection with photos and lengthy descriptions of the subject and artist. The book wasn't that expensive and contains a wealth of information. I'll probably purchase similar books when we visit museums in the future.

 

The Brooks Museum has a very good collection of European, American, and Modern art. I don't think we've seen such quality paintings since we visited the Getty museum many years ago. I also like old furniture and there are some interesting American pieces scattered through out the galleries. The pieces are good examples of American design and craftsmanship but the state of preservation might engender only mild interest on the Antiques Roadshow.  I've always been impressed with intricate French inlaid furniture and look for pieces every time we go to a museum. Unfortunately, I think the Getty Museum cornered the market years ago and no one, even the Smithsonian, seems to have better examples.

 

The following images are examples of art work on display in the Brooks. These are some of the few I came away with. I plan to always have my tripod with me from now on.

 

 

Portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria, 1638:  by Anthony Van Dyck Flemish, 1599-1641

 

 

Modern Gallery

 

 

Modern Gallery

 

 

Tennessee S Curve 2001: by Red Grooms, American, b. 1937

 

 

Lady in Gray, 1889: Edward A Bell American, 1862-1953

 

The featured traveling exhibition was Power Dressing : Men's Fashion and Prestige in Africa, on loan from The Newark Museum, Newark, NJ.  It is a unique collection of men's attire in Africa. Items were collected for their aesthetic and symbolic significance. The works are outstanding examples of  African male fashion, where clothes are meant to be visual representations of prestige and power. The examples in this exhibition would certainly have a dramatic impact, leaving no doubt that the wearer is some one important. 

 

I couldn't take photos so I purchased a collection overview published by The Newark Museum. I visited the Newark Museums web site but couldn't find any mention of this collection.

 

I found the following two images  on the internet. Both of these pieces are in the Brooks exhibition.

 

 

Robe (riga), 1920s Zaria, Nigeria; Hausa Cotton, wool; 57 x

103 in.The Newark Museum, Museum Purchase 1929,

 

 

Dance ensemble, 1980's Niger; Wodaabe

Cotton, leather, metal, fur, cowries, goat

hair, beads, yarn, buttons; approx. h. 55 x

w. 17 in. (on mount) The Newark Museum,

Purchase 1984 The Member's Fund,

 

Taken all together, the collection represents exquisite examples of  intricate weaving, beadwork, embroidery, and stenciling in combination with feathers, shells and all manner of ornamentation, natural and man made . The pieces represent traditional and modern motifs ranging from ceremonial dress to everyday attire.

 

With the arrival of African immigrants to the United States, many of the designs and vibrant color combinations are merging with our own fashions.  It would be interesting if American men would ditch the ubiquitous bland business suit in favor of beautifully colored, beaded and feathered power attire, exemplified by this exhibition.

 

If you're in Memphis and it's still on loan to the Brooks, be sure to take it in.

 

From the Brooks Museum, our next stop was the Belz Museum of Asian & Judaic Art, located in downtown Memphis. No photography here, which is to bad; having a portfolio of pictures to refer to is definitely an aid to memory. The collection is overwhelming; there are hundreds of individual pieces. It's impossible, at least for me, to remember more than a smattering of the separate items. The overall impression I came away with is one of jade,  jade and more jade. My mental picture aside, the collection isn't exclusively jade. Art works include pieces in ivory, onyx, bronze, stone and combinations of precious and semi precious gems. The exhibit includes Russian lacquer boxes, European art glass, Italian mosaics, mineral specimens and much more. As I said, an overwhelming display.

 

The Belz Museum is a most unusual and distinctive collection.  It is home to world-class 19th Century and earlier Chinese art, and a 5,000 square-foot gallery devoted to Judaic art; it's unique and must be seen to be appreciated. Some of the carved ivory is stunning and I was amazed at the full sized carriage made entirely of jade. 

 

After the Belz Museum we wandered off to the Gibson factory one block off Beale street. But we arrived after most of the workers had gone home and decided that touring a factory when no one was working seemed pointless, so we decided to come back another time. By then,  it was late in the day and we postponed a visit to National Ornamental Metal Museum as well.