My Trip to The Modern

The Modern, Ft. Worth, TX

Architect: Tadao Ando, 2002

Even the building is a work of art.

I absolutely LOVE visiting modern art museums. They feature pieces that aren't traditionally beautiful, but I find them fascinating. A modern piece of work can mean two completely different things to two different people, and after the museum employee explains the artist's intent, both of them think "what?!?" I never know what I am going to see, and I am always pleasantly surprised.

Here are some of my favorites:

Martin Puryear

Ladder for Booker T. Washington, 1996

This was so cool to look at. Two words came to mind: Overcoming Challenge.

Hamish Fulton

Rock Fall Echo Dust, 1988

This is supposed to make you picture a rock falling off of a cliff, but when I looked at it, I just admired the typography.

Gerhard Richter

Seestücke—Welle (Sea Piece—Wave), 1969

This painting was so haunting...it was hard for me to take my eyes off of it. Is it night or day? After a storm or during? From the perspective of a boat or the shore?

Nicholas Nixon

The Brown Sisters, 1975–2007

This piece features the same melancholy picture of four sisters taken every year for 32 years. You could see how each woman changed form year to year, it was very interesting.

Mark Rothko

Light Cloud, Dark Cloud, 1957

I love Rothko's work...it is so calming, I could look at it for hours.

Cornelia Parker

Rorschach (Endless Column 1), 2005

This was one of my absolute favs. Each piece of silver (bowl, candlesticks, spoon, etc.) was crushed in an industrial press until it was completely flat. Then they were hung from the ceiling a few inches from the ground. If you bend down and looked at it, it resembles a Rorschach test. What you see after that is up to you...

Andy Warhol

Four Marilyns, 1962

I got to see a special exhibit featuring over 50 works of art by Andy Warhol. This one was my favorites because if you stood in front of it, you could see the Marilyns, but if you stood at a 45 degree angle to the painting, it simply looked like a plain black canvas.

Click here to visit a website where you can change the color of Marilyn's face, eyes, lips and background, it's fun!!