I had such a pleasure walking with two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Chloé Cooper Jones recently, and loved our conversation, which encompassed some incredible writing advice, a deep dive into the idea of devotion, and plenty of special drinks and perfect snacks. If you haven’t read this week’s Walk It Off yet, I highly recommend you take some time to do just that this weekend.
We also talked about Jones’ all-consuming interest in art, with her saying, “There are lots of things in this world to write about—and I'm extremely interested in a lot of things—but I always come back to art.” Jones introduced me to the work of Richard Serra, and her next book tackles The Rose by Jay DeFeo. I admire both her knowledge of—and her obsession with—art, which got me wondering: What art inspires all of you? Is there a piece of art, or a collection, or a museum, or even one particular artist that deeply moves you? Tell us about your artistic obsession in the comments below.
I’ve lived in Philly the past few years and at the Barnes Foundation (museum) here is the largest collection of French expressionists but they’re displayed (as mr. Barnes first intended) salon or living room style. Just stacked, full walls of Matisses and Picassos and Rousseaus etc. You can move through and sit in rooms (2 floors!) surrounded by them. It’s my favorite thing. That’s 1. Number 2 is my newfound appreciation for Black artists who do sculptures and installations; really appreciating as a Black person the magic of expressing oneself without being a figure (since being a figure for us, being seen or depicted, is so fraught). New Museum’s “Grief and Remembrance” and Theaster Gates exhibits, all in last couple of years, are two along that vein that I think about often.
Rodin's marble statues in Copenhagen. Obsessed with the way the white sparkled on his angels like they were glowing from within. The way he revealed these incredible human forms from stone, and the way they felt like recognizing someone very familiar or even a close friend. It was a transcendent experience and it has stayed with me since 2013.
For me here in Toronto, an artist that inspires me is Pam Lostracco. Her botanical themed murals can be seen on your walks all over Toronto. The piece that introduced me to her work was an optical illusion she created on a traffic signal box seen here. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMYdMgvgQSB/?igsh=OGg2ZjFpbnF5Mnhz
I hope you find her work as rich and joyful as I do.
Thank you for this column. It’s always a pleasure.
I studied art and art history and will pretty much stop in any museum in any city that I can find. BUT, just about 2 years ago I finally got to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and it's absolutely incredible. As a building, it's spectacular - modeled after a Venetian palazzo, and as a collection it's odd, compelling, personal, and heartfelt. The gardens in the center offer a lush moment of beauty while the rooms (which all have views of the garden courtyard) have been arranged and developed in such a unique way, creating dialogues between pieces and unusual contrasts between eras, aesthetics, times, objects, paintings, etc. Then, of course, there is the haunting mystery of the "empty frames" from when the museum was robbed in the late morning of St Patrick's Day, 1990. Since Gardner stipulated in her will that none of the works could be moved/removed, the empty frames hang on the walls — silent prayers for their return. It's a fabulous place.
William Morris. I stumbled into an exhibit about him and his family, who made significant contributions to his design work, in the basement of a museum. Ever since then I have been mildly obsessed. There's something about the color palettes and the hand-drawn quality. The Strawberry Thief is the "wallpaper" on my computer screen.
Hands down, the Louisiana Museum in Denmark. Modern art. Lit festival. Speaker series. Waterfront sculpture park. Amazing restaurant. Must visit if you haven't been. https://louisiana.dk/en/
I’ve lived in Philly the past few years and at the Barnes Foundation (museum) here is the largest collection of French expressionists but they’re displayed (as mr. Barnes first intended) salon or living room style. Just stacked, full walls of Matisses and Picassos and Rousseaus etc. You can move through and sit in rooms (2 floors!) surrounded by them. It’s my favorite thing. That’s 1. Number 2 is my newfound appreciation for Black artists who do sculptures and installations; really appreciating as a Black person the magic of expressing oneself without being a figure (since being a figure for us, being seen or depicted, is so fraught). New Museum’s “Grief and Remembrance” and Theaster Gates exhibits, all in last couple of years, are two along that vein that I think about often.
Rodin's marble statues in Copenhagen. Obsessed with the way the white sparkled on his angels like they were glowing from within. The way he revealed these incredible human forms from stone, and the way they felt like recognizing someone very familiar or even a close friend. It was a transcendent experience and it has stayed with me since 2013.
For me here in Toronto, an artist that inspires me is Pam Lostracco. Her botanical themed murals can be seen on your walks all over Toronto. The piece that introduced me to her work was an optical illusion she created on a traffic signal box seen here. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMYdMgvgQSB/?igsh=OGg2ZjFpbnF5Mnhz
I hope you find her work as rich and joyful as I do.
Thank you for this column. It’s always a pleasure.
I studied art and art history and will pretty much stop in any museum in any city that I can find. BUT, just about 2 years ago I finally got to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and it's absolutely incredible. As a building, it's spectacular - modeled after a Venetian palazzo, and as a collection it's odd, compelling, personal, and heartfelt. The gardens in the center offer a lush moment of beauty while the rooms (which all have views of the garden courtyard) have been arranged and developed in such a unique way, creating dialogues between pieces and unusual contrasts between eras, aesthetics, times, objects, paintings, etc. Then, of course, there is the haunting mystery of the "empty frames" from when the museum was robbed in the late morning of St Patrick's Day, 1990. Since Gardner stipulated in her will that none of the works could be moved/removed, the empty frames hang on the walls — silent prayers for their return. It's a fabulous place.
William Morris. I stumbled into an exhibit about him and his family, who made significant contributions to his design work, in the basement of a museum. Ever since then I have been mildly obsessed. There's something about the color palettes and the hand-drawn quality. The Strawberry Thief is the "wallpaper" on my computer screen.
Living breathing American painter Jake Longstreth 🖤
Hands down, the Louisiana Museum in Denmark. Modern art. Lit festival. Speaker series. Waterfront sculpture park. Amazing restaurant. Must visit if you haven't been. https://louisiana.dk/en/