Art museums of Pasadena, California

The city of Pasadena, east of Los Angeles is blessed with three world class art museums, and I journeyed here to visit all of them!

The USC Pacific Asian Art Museum in Pasadena

The USC Pacific is in what I think is known as the old town of Pasadena. The collection is housed in a revivalist Chinese style building which is a fantastic backdrop to the collection.

The highlight were the buddhas and bodhisattvas. A beautiful collection, from all over Asia. They also have some of the 19th century Mount Fuji series of pictures by the Japanese’s artist Hiroshige.

The gallery is not huge, I would say 90 minutes would allow you to see everything. There is a beautiful courtyard in the middle, and the cafe sells nice objects, lots of Asian gifts.

I visited on a Thursday and it was pay-as-you-like.

Fuji seen across Edo from the Ryoguku Bridge 19th Century, Hiroshige

Head of a bodhisattva from Tibet — A bodhisattva from Tibet

Amoghasiddhi buddha, Tibet, 13th century

Enthroned buddha, Thailand, mid 19th century

Embracing bodhisattvas — Enthroned buddha, Thailand, mid 19th century

The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena

This impressive gallery has 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th & 20th century western art, as well a superb South East Asian art collection, occupying the entire ground floor.

It costs 20 dollars to enter and it is well worth it. Impressive modern building with great natural light and exhibition spaces. There are 5 galleries, one for each century and the 5th is the SE Asian gallery.

The 19th and 20th century collections are my favourite. They have some wonderful Cezannes and Van Goghs. The SE Asian floor is amazing, I have rarely seen so many excellent buddhas and bodhisattvas, from countries including Japan, Thailand, Tibet and India. There were few people in this gallery so I felt I had the place to myself!

There is a lovely little outdoor cafe with tables overlooking the central garden. The garden is full of sculptures too, including lots by Henry Moore and some very old Asian statues in a separate garden area connected to the Asian gallery. Parking is easy and free.

All in all this a 5* world class gallery. In my guide to California it does not even get a mention! Outrageous!

Gardens of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena

Three paintings in the Norton Simon collection, from left to right Cezanne, Van Gogh, Cezanne

Portrait of a peasant by Vincent Van Gogh — Portrait of a peasant, Vincent Van Gogh, 1888

Brittany landscape by Emile Barnard, 1888

Farmhouse and chestnut trees by Cezanne — Farmhouse and chestnut trees, Cezanne, 1884

Vase of flowers by Cezanne — Vase of flowers, Cezanne, 1880

Tulips in a vase by Cezanne — Tulips in a vase, Cezanne, 1888

In a villa by the seaside by the artist Berthe Morisot — In a villa by the seaside, Berthe Morisot, 1874

Woman with a book by the artist Picasso — Woman with a book, Picasso, 1932

Vishnu statue — Vishnu, West Bengal, 1100AD

Parvati & Shiva statues — Parvati & Shiva, Tamil Nadu, India, 1000AD

Shiva statue — Shiva, Tamil Nadu, India, 1150AD

Three carved bodhisatvas, including Ganensha

The Huntington Gallery, Library and Gardens

What an amazing place to end my trip to Pasadena. A glorious combination of art and nature.

It costs about ¢29 to enter but it is worth. It is located actually in the small town of San Marino, so technically not Pasadena. There are two separate buildings for both American and European art.

The European gallery

The star of the European gallery is ‘The Blue Boy’ by Thomas Gainsborough.

I have never seen this painting before and it really does live up to the hype, a very striking portrait. The European gallery also has some lovely early religious paintings from the 1400s. It also has many paintings by Antony Van Dyke, Constable and Turner.

View of The Stour at Dedham, by Constable, 1822

The Grand Canal, JMW Turner, 1836 — View of The Stour at Dedham, by Constable, 1822

The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough, 1770

Detail from 'Saint Ausanns', 1470s — Detail from ‘Saint Ausanns’, 1470s

Vase of flower with lemony Duncan Grant — Vase of flower with lemon, Duncan Grant, 1913

The American gallery

I really enjoyed the American gallery too. There was a great John Singer Sargent, and paintings by Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase and many other artists I have not heard of.

The Inner Studio, Tenth Street, by William Merritt Chase, 1882

Woman seated in a garden, by Frederick Carl Frieseke (left), 'Apple Orchard' by Luther Emerson Van Gorder (top), 'Nettie reading', Theodore Robinson (bottom) — Woman seated in a garden, by Frederick Carl Frieseke (left), ‘Apple Orchard’ by Luther Emerson Van Gorder (top), ‘Nettie reading’, Theodore Robinson (bottom)

Mrs William Playfair by John Singer Sargent, 1887

Portrait of Arabella Huntingdon, by Oswald Birley

'Aster, Mullein, Bugloss, Bergamot', by Dawson Dawson-Watson, 1903 — ‘Aster, Mullein, Bugloss, Bergamot’, by Dawson Dawson-Watson, 1903

The gardens

There are various gardens to look round including a Chinese, Japanese sub-tropical, desert and Australian garden. The grounds are huge! My favourite was the Japanese garden, so well laid out with a large bonsai collection.

The library

If that wasn’t enough, there is also a large library with some stunning books! This Huntingdon family sure had some cash to spend!

The highlights of the collections are:

Shakespeare’s First Folio
The Gutenberg Bible
Principa by Isaac Newton
Birds of America by James Audobon

This last book I think is the most expensive book ever sold, fetching prices over ¢8m!

'Principa' by Isaac Newton — ‘Principa’ by Isaac Newton, 1687

Shakespeare's first folio — Shakespeare’s first folio, 1623

'Birds of America, by James Audubon, 1827 — ‘Birds of America, by James Audubon, 1827

art · Asian art · Belgium · Museums and galleries · Travelling

Art galleries in Lieges and Brussels, Belgium

August 12, 2023September 14, 2023 Ben Hills-JonesLeave a comment

I am only in Belgium for two days so am just seeing two galleries. I have visited Brussels a number of times and have visited most of the main galleries there. I have never been to Lieges and came here mainly to see La Boverie.

La Boverie, Liege

La Boverie is a fine arts gallery in La Boverie Park. In is the site of the 1905 World Expo, and has a lovely location on a small island on the Meuse river. It is not a huge gallery, but it does have some quality pieces. It was only 5 Euros to enter. As with lots of lesser known galleries, it was pretty quiet so I had some of the rooms almost to myself. Which I love!

People always head for the big hitter galleries, but I find the regional galleries often have some equally amazing artworks, it’s easier and cheaper to see them and much quieter too, win, win, win.

Belgian impressionism and neo impressionism

The gallery has range of artworks, but by far the most impressive is the impressionist and neo impressionist pieces. They have a couple of wonderful paintings by one of my favourite artists, the Belgian artist Théo van Rysselberghe. They also have some wonderful works by the Belgian artist Emile Claus, an artist I previously had not heard of. They also have some nice works by Rene Magritte, another Belgian artist. Here are my highlights from the gallery.

Théo van Rysselberghe

Les soeurs des peintre Schlobach, Theo Van Rysselberghe, 1884

Le dame en blanc, Theo Van Rysselberghe, 1904

Pin a la rosette, Theo Van Rysselberghe, 1919

Emile Claus

Signac, Magritte, Stevens, De Smet, Nicholson and McEwan

L'absente au jours de morts, Walter MacEwen, 1889

La Parisienne Japonaise, Alfred Stevens, 1872

La Chateau de Comblat, Paul Signac, 1887

La recherche de a'absolu, Rene Magritte, 1940

The Art & History Museum, Brussels

This museum is located in a huge building in the Jubelpark, Brussels. The collection is more history than art, I had expected paintings but alas no. I would say it is more an ethnographic collection of world objects that an art gallery.

The museum is split into geographical regions, think Africa, Indonesia, native America etc. And it is huge. massive. You could never see it all properly in a day. Good value at 10 Euros. The collection I enjoyed the most was unsurprisingly the asian art, specifically India, Japan, Vietnam and Cambodia. They have some super bodhisattvas. However I did rush through this museum somewhat, which is unlike me. particularly because it was very bereft of people. I think I have hit museum and gallery tipping point amazingly!

I was also thinking why I am drawn to certain art, such as bodhisattvas, but have little interest in ceramics and silverware. I think I just have no interest in utilitarian pieces, I cannot see the beauty in them. Whereas devotional objects such as bodhisattvas I instantly see the beauty in them.

One of the failings of this gallery is that there is not a single object label in English. Not one. Just Dutch and French. Which surprises me as this is clearly a collection of international importance and must attract lots of international visitors. I also thought the lighting was pretty poor at times, lots of objects are in glass cases and are hard to see properly and photograph. Therefore some of my photos do not have descriptions. Anyway here are my highlights of the museum (all asian artworks!).

12th century Chinese bodhisattva
12th century bodhisattva from Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Buddha head, Ayuthya, Thailand, 17th century

Shiva Nataraja, 13th century, south India

art · Asian art · Germany · Museums and galleries · Travelling

Art galleries in Cologne, Germany

August 10, 2023September 14, 2023 Ben Hills-Jones1 Comment

Cologne is a medieval city in the west of Germany. It has three art galleries all of which I am visiting on my trip to Germany.

Wallraf Richartz Gallery

This gallery is in the centre of Cologne, costs 8 Euros to enter and is well worth it. The collection has three distinct areas of the permanent collection:

19th and 20th century art
Baroque art
Medieval art

Paul Signac

Signac was a leading exponent of Neo-impressionism and worked in a style called pointillism, using dots of bright colour. This gallery has a wide collection of his work. I find his work so beautiful, bright and uplifting.

German Impressionism

It took 20 years for the impressionism whirlwind to arrive in Germany. I don’t know much about this movement but I am very impressed, particularly by the work of an artist called Gustave Caillebotte. It seems like his work was largely forgotten for many years, but this gallery has on display many of his works, restoring his place amongst some of the greats of impressionism.

Hill at Colombes, Gustave Caillebotte, 1884

The Yellow Fields at Gennevilliers, Gustave Caillebotte, 1884

Laundry drying on the banks of the Seine, Gustave Caillebotte, 1892

French Impressionism

The gallery also has some great examples from two of my favourite French impressionists, Alfred Sisley and Maurice de Vlaminck. Maurice de Vlaminck is such a wonderful artist, I love his work so much! There is also a fabulous Rodin statue and a great Cezanne.

Outskirts of Louvecinnes, Alfred Sisley, — Outskirts of Louvecinnes, Alfred Sisley

The Bridge at Chatou, Maurice de Vlaminck, 1909

Landscape in the west of Aix-en-Provence, Paul Cezanne, 1878 — The Iron Age, Auguste Rodin, 1876

Medieval art

The gallery has an entire floor dedicated to medieval art, most from the 13th to 14th century. It always blows my mind how these artworks have survived, and how the colours are still so vibrant. Here are some of my highlights.

Medieval painting from the Wallraf Rcihartz museum

The Schnutgen Museum

The Schnutgen Museum in Cologne houses a fabulous collection of medieval and Christian art. Its main collection is housed in a beautiful old basilica of a church, one of the most unique settings for a museum I have ever seen. The name comes from the man who started the collection, donating it all to the city of Cologne. The entry fee is 7 Euros but for an extra 3, you can also visit the adjoining ethnological museum, the Rautenstrauch Josef Museum. I visited both. It is slightly hidden away, you would not stumble upon it, it was very quiet which I liked, but maybe they need to advertise more. As it was fantastic!!

Death

Medieval life had an obsession with death. They feared it, had many theories about what it meant, and represented it often in their art. There are some fascinating pieces in the collection.

Double sided bead from a rosary, this side showing the face of death, 16th century, French

Memento mori in the form of a corpse, 1800, ivory

Head of John the Baptist on a platter, 1500, made from limestone and sandstone

Christian statues and carvings

The gallery has a wonderful array of medieval artworks, mostly in the form of carving. Some are quite strange, for example the carving of St Denis holding the top half of his own head! All are exquisitly carved, the detail of the drape of a cloak or the curl of hair is so amazing, considering how old these pieces are.

Detail from a shrine showing teens from the passion of Christ, 1530, made from oak

Detail from the adoration of the magi, 1480, made from oak — Detail from a shrine showing teens from the passion of Christ, 1530, made from oak

As well as carvings, there are many other paintings and objects. Two of my favourites were a 6th century oil lamp and a 12th century gilded altar panel.

Antependium from St Ursula, 12th century, oak, enamel and gilt

Oil lamp in the shape of a cock, 6th century, cast bronze

The Rautenstrauch Josef Museum

I spent less time here, but as was 10 Euros to see both I thought I would take a look. It’s an incredible modern gallery space and the objects, collected in the 19th century from all over the globe, are presented impeccably. The main objects I was interested in were the buddhist artefacts, as this is something I collect.

Buddha head, Thailand, 14th century, sandstone — Buddha, bronze, Thailand, 1500

Bronze standing bodhisatva, 15th century — Bronze standing bodhisattva, 15th century

The Museum of East Asian Art

I was so excited to visit this gallery! I love Japanese, Indian, Thai, Chinese etc buddhist arts, especially buddha heads and bodhisattvas. It was 10 Euros entry, and is set in a single storey white, minimalist building next to a lake. It should have been everything I like in a gallery. BUT it was not 😦

I was so disappointed. The art in it is all fine, but just almost nothing I like. They had a couple of bodhisattvas, and that was it. I had hoped for more. Very frustrating. As a gallery it is a nice space, just not for me. Here are the three objects I liked. I feel sad just writing that sentence.

The favourite disciple of the buddha, China, 1628 — Bodhisattva, China, 17th century

art · Asian art · Germany · Museums and galleries · Travelling

Art galleries in Essen and Dusseldorf, Germany

August 8, 2023September 14, 2023 Ben Hills-JonesLeave a comment

There are many art galleries in this western part of Germany. I decided to visit two of them, some are closed for refurbishment so my choice was somewhat limited.

The Folkwang Gallery in Essen

I travelled to Essen from Dusseldorf, which is about 30 minutes on the train, to visit the Folkwang Gallery. I think the name means gallery of the people.

It’s housed in a very modern gallery space, think white walls, high ceilings and bespoke lighting. A sign said it was sometimes seen as the most beautiful gallery in the world. Can’t say I agree but it is a nice space.

It is also free to enter which seems unusual but welcome in this part of Europe.

The collection has recently been rehung by theme. A common trend I see in galleries. I don’t think it always works. Placing a 15th century bodhisattva next to a 1940s abstract painting seems a little odd to me. But I guess they are trying to ask viewers to see art in a different way. I prefer art to be displayed chronically or by artistic movement.

Bodhisattvas

An ancient bodhisattva always sets my soul alight! I collect them myself and I always love to see ancient examples, these are from the 16th and 17th centuries. They are so beautiful and serene close up.

Vincent Van Gogh

The collection has a few lovely Van Goghs, always a highlight. Also the Van Goghs were lit amazingly well, the lighting made the paintings sparkle, the colours seemed so vibrant, so clever, loved it!

A corner of the Asylum and the garden with a heavy sawed off tree, Van Gogh, 1889

The wheat field behind Saint Paul's Hospital with a reaper, Van Gogh, 1889 — The wheat field behind Saint Paul’s Hospital with a reaper, Van Gogh, 1889

Early 20th century painting

The gallery has many impressive early 20th century paintings in their collection, here are some of my highlights.

Weisshorn as seen from Montana, Ferdinand Holder, 1915

Flowers in Chinese vases, Max Peiffer Watenphul, 1936

The Water Lilly Pond, Claude Monet, 1916

The Kunstsamlung Nordrhein Westfalen in Dusseldorf

This gallery contains 20th century art, from 1900 onwards, mainly European but has some American artists. There was no exhibition on but the permanent collection was available to see. Entry is €9. The main highlight is the collection of some impressive Picassos.

Picasso

Portrait of Fernanda, Pablo Picasso, 1909

Other collection highlights

Figure by the sea, Nicholas de Stael, 1952

Portrait of Max Jacob, Amedeo Modigliani, 1916

art · Asian art · Japan · Museums and galleries · Travelling

The Museum of Eastern Art in Turin, Italy

September 13, 2022March 4, 2023 Ben Hills-JonesLeave a comment

I visited the Museum of Eastern Art on a trip to Italy in September 2022. It is truly one of the best Asian art galleries I have ever visited and I would highly recommend going. Laid out over three floors, it covers the art of China, India, Japan, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, the Himalayas region, including Tibet and also has a section on Islamic art. For more information go to the Museum website.

Here are some of my highlights from the collection, as well as video compilation of my time in Turin and Genoa.