Compared to the other abstract expressionist pioneers, Motherwell was the brainy one. He is best known for the black and white “Elergy” paintings and, 20 years later, the more geometric “Open” series. Critical opinion has favoured the Elergy series as the greater achievement, but reviewing a current show in New York, one critic argues that the Open paintings represent Motherwell in top form.
Henry Clay Frick was not, by all accounts, a particularly nice person. However in bequeathing his art collection and Beaux – Arts mansion to the public, he created one of the world’s most gracious art galleries. Now, the trustees face the dilemma of expansion, in part to cope with their own success.
Those galleries with the most fabulous collections tend to hog the headlines. Brooklyn Museum is a substantial municipal institution but not one of the fabled elite. Notwithstanding that, it is an interesting voice: “…the attendance here is something like 40% people of colour… My goal has always been to mirror the demographic composition of the communities that surround us… I mean, this is our democratic base, our tax base, our commitment base.”