Another gorgeous run.
There was a little confusion about the meeting time but even with some last minute moves to help people get into new rooms, we still made it to the Academia on time.
This was just around the corner from our hotel and we had tickets to see the Anish Kapoor exhibit. His "Sky Mirror" greeted us.
Kapoor's work can almost be Op-Art at times. What looks like a black, flat circle...
From the side is shown to be anything but flat. It was very cool to see his work in person.
The Academia was also filled with priceless works of art from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance.
I was really excited to see a few paintings by Hieronymus Bosch.
After the Academia we had a little time to grab a coffee and a snack. We stopped at a street café.
Sean and I decided to order food from what looked like a breakfast menu. We ordered something chocolate based mostly on a photo and when it came out we discovered we had ordered a hot chocolate to go with our cappuccinos. It wasn't food but it was very good.
Then it was a short walk to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
I love Peggy's taste and I loved everything here. Calder, Picasso, Earnst, Warhol, and everything cool you can imagine.
A word about this guy. This is "The Angel of the City" by Marino Marini. It features a classical horse and rider theme with a slightly different approach. The horse's head and tail stick out similarly to the way the rider's arms stick out. This is mirrored by the 5th appendage also sticking out. The sculpture is positioned facing the Grand Canal so that when you exit the mansion, you see it from behind. You can tell it's a grandiose sculpture but it's only as you walk around it that it reveals all of itself to you. This is a great place to sit and people watch. You see people come out fascinated by the sculpture and then watch their expressions shift dramatically as they walk around. I laughed here for a long time. I also took some very funny photos but you'll have to ask to see those.
But yeah, Peggy's palace was great.
And at this point I had only been inside for about 30 seconds. Now it was time to walk through the art.
I could have totally hung out with Peggy in her day.
I think she would have liked my work. Here's a Kandinsky.
I know this because she loved Calder and our work and personalities are similar enough. I could have tagged along.
A gorgeous Magritte painting.
Sean and I did most of this museum together. We were responding to many of the same things. And look at that hat. Such a nice hat.
Everyone went different directions after Peggy. I planned for days to go see the Joseph Beuys exhibit nearby. Katherine and Jericho went with me and we stopped for a slice of pizza before heading inside. I ate alone on a bench and watched an Italian lady eat her lunch out of a plastic container on a bench beside me. At one point she dropped her container spilling some of her lunch and dropping her utensils. She recovered gracefully but this warranted her a you are beautiful post-it. I approached with a smile and handed it to her. She erupted with a huge smile and thanked me over and over again as I left. These moments are important.
We had to pay a little to get into the Beuys exhibit and I didn't mind. The exhibit was mostly small drawings in ink and a few small sculptural pieces. I think I was hoping for some grand sculptures, but I knew that most of what I knew about his work involved happenings or performances so I should have known better. Still it was good to see the exhibit and I know I would have been far more impressed by it if I had not seen, literally, all the artwork in existence this week.
Joseph also had a very nice hat. Just not as nice as Sean's.
I was in need of a phone recharge and back at the hotel we lost Jericho and picked up Sean and David before heading out to our next destination.
This one took us to St. Mark's square again so we got to see it in the daylight as well.
After a couple of map snafus we found the Louise Nevelson solo exhibit. It was sooo worth the walk.
I was lucky to catch a solo show of hers in Charleston several years ago but this one had even more of her sculptures and an even greater selection. The white works were stunning.
I went for the kiss but she gave me a cheek. I'll take it. I love this photo of her. She was a genuine badass. A dominant female sculptor in a time when women were not respected as artists or sculptors. It's fun to watch videos of her bossing men around as she sets up her exhibits. A hero for sure.
After Louise, we walked back into the square to meet Anne and Katertot and to try to find some food. We thought it would be nice to grab dinner in the square so we sat and a waiter pushed two tables together and handed us menus. The prices on the menus were at least double what we were paying on the water near the hotel, so we did the American thing and got up and left. Not willing to be that much of a tourist today.
I had been looking for ridiculous sunglasses the whole trip and when my cheap ones broke today, I had the perfect excuse. I actually bought a different red pair but Katherine and I decided to trade and I think we were both happier with our new ones.
I suppose we should talk about fans. Sean and Katertot brought fans. They sang the praises of fans on these trips. I'm pretty sure Sean bought 14 new fans in 11 days. I decided to join their fan cult on the second day in Venice. Katherine and David followed soon after. Anne held out the longest but she finally caved today and we were able to get our fan cult photo. There's an even better video but I can't get it to load here. I'll show you later.
All the towers were leaning. All of them. And noticeably so. This super touristy photo was completely worthwhile because of how much it amused the couple sitting behind us while we took it. I. Have. No. Regrets.
There was a plan to ride a gondola tonight. I had decided that I would pony up the ridiculous amount of money to ride a gondola because, come on, you're in Venice. You have to ride a gondola. The group that gathered to go was large and when we got to the gondola guy he said the limit was 5 people. I made 6 so I opted out and decided I could go the next night if I didn't talk myself out of it. Instead I met Anne, Katertot and Sean out by the water for drinks during sunset. Sean and I decided the slice of pizza a few hours ago wasn't really dinner so we ordered. I tried gnocchi and enjoyed it. There was also limoncello. After a bit the gondola people joined us and we sat enjoying the night by the water until the restaurant closed.
We grabbed gelato at the window and sat on the steps by the water as the waves tried to get us all wet. I forget what was on top, but that's mango on the bottom. It was delicious. I like mango. It was a beautiful night and the friendship was exactly what I needed to forget that I was missing Father's Day with my kids and also missing my own dad. The day and night was filled with laughter and fun and I was grateful.
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