April 19, 2018

A sequence of museum rooms.

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Photos from the Blanton Art Museum on the University of Texas Austin campus. The picture at the right in the first photo is Andy Warhol's portrait of Farrah Fawcett. In the second and third photo, the "Blue Woman in Black Chair" is by George Segal. The brownish squares on the right of the bottom photo is "Synecdoche" by Byron Kim. The painting all the way in the back in the first photo is "Painter and Loid Struggle for Soul Control" by Trenton Doyle Hancock.

IN THE COMMENTS: FWBuff said, "Isn't that the Farrah Fawcett portrait that Ryan O'Neal fought UT for?" Ah, yes! Thanks for reminding me. Blogged on October 22, 2013:

Ryan O’Neal, fighting for an Andy Warhol painting that Farrah Fawcett left to the University of Texas, submits to a deposition and has to admit that Farrah caught him in bed with another woman in the bedroom the couple shared, which explains her motivation to give the painting to Texas. But, he says, she did not take the painting when she left — because wouldn't you grab a painting worth millions if you were running out in a rage — as you might rip your treasured Farrah Fawcett poster of the wall — if it was yours? Answer: No. Moving an expensive painting is a big deal.

And in fact, a year later, the painting was moved to Fawcett's place. How does O'Neal explain that? He says it was sent away "for safe keeping because his new girlfriend did not like having the image of Farrah on the wall 'staring down at her' all the time."... Imagine cheating on her under that. Imagine having sex with the man who got off having sex with you under that picture of her.
I also blogged this from Andy's diary:
Farrah Fawcett called and said she was on her way down to Union Square, and she arrived in half an hour with Ryan O’Neal. They looked at her portrait and I didn’t think Farrah liked it, but then she studied them for about half an hour and finally said she loved it. I had Bob come down because I thought he could talk them into doing a cover, and she said she would. And she looked pretty, her hair was all washed, and she looked very very nice. She’s sweet. So then they left and I stayed alone with Rupert. Dropped him off (cab $ 4). Then glued myself together because I was invited to Prince Abudi’s dinner for Marion Javits.

41 comments:

tcrosse said...

Whistler's Mother joins the Blue Man Group, appearing nightly at the Venetian.

FWBuff said...

Isn't that the Farrah Fawcett portrait that Ryan O'Neal fought UT for?

traditionalguy said...

Farrah was a Texas girl. So Austin is probably where she belongs.

Ken B said...

It's 1520. You attend an art show and see the latest from this young guy Michelangelo. Does it strike you as being as dull and pointless as this stuff seems to me?

Birkel said...

Andy McCabe has been referred for criminal prosecution by the OIG.

Royal ass Inga hardest hit.

tcrosse said...

Does it strike you as being as dull and pointless as this stuff seems to me?

That Home Depot color chart wouldn't be at all dull and pointless if you were planning to paint your rec room.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

None of those items strike me as being anything close to what I would call actual art. Granted....art IS in the eye of the beholder. So what I find uninteresting or inartistic might be something fabulous to someone else.

A colorized and altered photograph taken by someone else. I always though it was ridiculous to call Andy Warhol an artist. Soup cans? Really? Computers can do this. Photoshop. Big deal.

A blue dummy of some old looking person. Is it made out of paper mache? Sculpted out of stone? Play Do? Other than being curiously blue it doesn't seem particularly artistic, although of the three it does show some actual SKILL.

A wall of giant paint sample squares from Ace Hardware. Ooooh ahhhh....D'oh

Dust Bunny Queen said...

@ tcrosse

Making paint squares...big ones like those in the art gallery, is a great idea. The little samples aren't big enough to get a real idea. Plus the colors of the paint on the wall will change during the day and evening as lighting changes.

What you thought was a pretty nice shade of beige on the paint chip in the store, may turn out to be underbelly pink in "your" house.

Birkel said...

According to CNN:

"The referral to the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office occurred some time ago, after the inspector general concluded McCabe had lied to investigators or his own boss, then-FBI Director James B. Comey, on four occasions, three of them under oath."

Royal ass Inga?

tcrosse said...

McCabe had lied to investigators or his own boss, then-FBI Director James B. Comey, on four occasions, three of them under oath

Which is to say he was stingy with the candor.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Very Ozu.

Since we're being all arty 'n' shit.

Darrell said...

Is it wrong to have impure thoughts about that woman walking past the gallery in the first photo?

Michael said...

Tom Wolfe's "The Painted Word" should be required reading before being allowed into these exhibits.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"Is it wrong to have impure thoughts about that woman walking past the gallery in the first photo?"

First thing that caught my eye. Apparently, there's Old Masters and then there's Existing in the Past, Present, and Future Masters.

wildswan said...

"Home Invasion by Donald Trump" is the general title my planned exhibit of some cans and dust and whatnot. I expect to make a lot of money.

William said...

Some artist will spend his entire life trying to capture the beauty that a woman demonstrates with a careless hair flip.

Ann Althouse said...

“Is it wrong to have impure thoughts about that woman walking past the gallery in the first photo?”

She is the meaning of this 3 photo series. I meant for you to think about her.

tcrosse said...

She is the meaning of this 3 photo series. I meant for you to think about her.

Pearls before swine.

Darrell said...

I meant for you to think about her.

And think about her I did.

Birkel said...

I thought this was a cafe post.
Apologies if comments about other than art were wrong.

Ralph L said...

She's right tall, which explains why she's in flats.

That Home Depot color chart wouldn't be at all dull and pointless if you were planning to paint your rec room.

A connoisseur would know that's Benjamin Moore.

mockturtle said...

Ann, did you tour the Capitol while in Austin? The LBJ Museum?

Freeman Hunt said...

I saw the new, "woke" version of Crystal Bridges today. (I don't think it's that new. I haven't been in a while.) It used to be coherent. Now, in case you were making the mistake of especially enjoying the older art, there is prominent text to remind you that it's all very dishonest and oppressive. Not individually but all of it. And it used to be roughly chronological, but now there are random, modern pieces mixed in and entire walls with multiple paintings where the signage simply says that it's a bunch of American mythology, even though many of the pieces are simple portraits. But worry not, the newer art is still organized in the traditional style of giving each piece it's space and place.

Freeman Hunt said...

One of the modern art pieces is fifty pounds of individually wrapped candy on the floor. Patrons are invited to eat a piece of candy, and the work is constantly replenished. So you do get a tasty piece of candy, and that's nice. There's a good painting across from it too, so you can look at something nice while you eat the candy. It's all very nice in the Era of Nice.

Ralph L said...

Freeman, tell them you can't leave with their precious artwork and return it used, or at least well chewed.

My beef with galleries is the tiny labels that force you to get in other people's way to read.

rehajm said...

I still believe you put swimsuit Farrah on the $100 bill and the dollar is the world’s reserve currency forever.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Are the children in pic #1 visitors or part of an exhibit?

AZ Bob said...

Great pictures. I agree that some, if not most, modern art leaves me wanting. But I always enjoy the promenade through the museum. I enjoy watching the people looking at modern art and many of the museums have provocative architecture. Ann, you've captured that event well.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Whenever I go to an art museum, I check the Old Master portraits for those removable eyes that people take out so they can spy on you from a secret passage behind the wall.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Meh, the girl is OK. Very thin.

Henry said...

Getting the Althouse excerpts from Warhol's diaries, I've got to give the guy credit: he was a gamer. All tomorrow's parties.

todd galle said...

Seems like a waste of wall space to me. Sometimes less is more, but in my opinion, the art presented does't carry the space. I mean, really, the glazed tiles or painted 12 x 12 canvases in beige hues arranged horizontally could have been produced by any Home Depot or Lowe's employee with a level and tape measure. Ralph's issue with labels has been a back and forth argument in the museum world since forever. I've had descriptive labels that were quite larger than the actual object. These things happen because museums don't have the scratch to print decent exhibit or gallery guides for sale at a reasonable price. Most descriptive or historical background type long labels could be offered there for those interested to carry through the exhibit and take home. Now we have to put it on the wall, and then it often isn't enough. I had a 2 year battle with a visitor over the correct definition of "Tunbridge Ware" that eventually fizzled out. Given his fervor, I think he passed away rather than accept my definition.

Henry said...

White walls, buff trim*. Good museum colors.

*I was guessing some kind of native pine or maybe plain old natural oak, but zooming in, it looks painted or patina'ed.

Ralph L said...

Looks like stone to me, Henry. I see joints.

Ralph L said...

Well-made Tunbridge ware are made in Tunbridge Wells.

Henry said...

@Ralph L -- My eyes are going.

Darrell said...

Meh, the girl is OK. Very thin.

More for me, then.
I wasn't planning on sharing anyway.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Farrah Fawcett is an alumna of Ray High School in Corpus Christi, which was a nice place when she lived here and is now a raging shithole. I hope she never came back here to see it. (Our other famous sons and daughters are Eva Longoria, Lou Diamond Phillips, the Labonte brothers, Todd Oldham, and of course SELENA.)

lge said...

Farrah Fawcett portrait?? Farrah Fawcett drawing.
Plus a lot of other ugly kitsch.

rhhardin said...

DVDs not bought even with cross-gender focus-grouping:

Two sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with Earth.

PSM said...

I hope you didn't use your flash for those photos.