Back to the Brooklyn Museum

On this frigid cold day, I returned to the Brooklyn Museum to see the Annie Leibovitz exhibit, titled "A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005." Tomorrow's the last day of the exhibit. Museum opens at 11 on Saturdays, I got there at 11:30, and it was already a zoo. Note to self: Going to museums on weekends always sucks. At least during special exhibits.

I don't think you could be a music lover in the last 20 years and not know Leibovitz's work. Although she had many subjects, she became known as a "rock" photographer, for the iconic shots she captured as chief photographer for Rolling Stone in the '70s. Later she worked for Vanity Fair and Vogue. Who could forget a naked, pregnant (and beautiful, I might add) Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair in 1991, which caused a bit of hoopla? And then they did it again, when Demi posed nude for the mag a year later, with a "suit" painted on... Annie snapped that one too.

What's apparent looking at more than 200 photos in this collection is the apparent relationship Annie has with her subjects. Oh, and the exhibit really is "A Photographer's Life," because there are plenty of pictures of the artist's children, parents, and her longtime partner Susan. She chronicled her father's illness and death, and Susan's subsequent illness and death.

All of this would have been much more moving to me, had I been able to breathe... the exhibit was packed wall-to-wall with people, and they all just stood in front of the photos like cows in a pasture, not looking and moving along, so other people could maybe fuckin' get a look! (I was in Brooklyn, the ol' Brooklynite in me emerged there for a second...) Sigh. I love and hate New York at the same time. Everything's a battle... But then we have these wonderful cultural things to take in. This exhibit began in New York; now it'll make the rounds.

There's a book to accompany the exhibit, which bears the same title.

This is one of my favorite photos of hers, but this isn't in the exhibit:



This one is, though:



I was looking for a photo I saw today on the web, but had no luck. It was the Cash's at home on their porch: Johnny, his grandson, Rosanne, and June Carter. Excellent shot. I got to see the photo of the White Stripes that I love too:



I wish I had been able to really look at the photos. Ah well. I did go back and look at the Ron Mueck stuff again, just because it's so incredible. When Alex and I went, it was already dark outside the museum, and the inside of the museum seemed dark too. I remembered thinking that the Mueck exhibit should have been lit better. But upon returning to it today, it was a MUCH better experience. I had forgotten that the museum has a lot of skylights... now I see that natural light really makes a difference. It was absolutely frigid today, but the sky was a bright blue and it was very sunny. The Mueck sculptures looked even more incredible and lifelike than before. I really urge anyone and everyone to see his work up close if you can.

Ron Mueck

Alex and I went to the Brooklyn Museum this afternoon to see the Ron Mueck exhibit. Mueck (who's Australian but lives and works in England) is what they call a "hyperrealist" sculptor. His subjects are humans, but the scale of these lifelike works, done in fiberglass and silicone, gives a different feel -- either they're gigantic or very small. His work is absolutely incredible. These sculptures look very much alive! Every sculpture is painstakingly detailed, down to the veins in the skin to the fingernails and fine lines on the forehead, and body hair (eyelashes, eyebrows, etc.). It's eerie to look into the eyes of a fiberglass "human" and see "life"! There are a couple of themes in his work. He seems to be a bit consumed with life and death... many of his subjects are very old or very young (as in newborn babies), and every subject looks troubled. The gargantuan woman "In Bed" looks as if she has the weight of the world on her shoulders... and it's all in those (fake) eyes. Unbelievable.





Mueck started out making puppets for the Muppet Show and Sesame Street, and went on to do work in movies.

His work must be seen to be appreciated.
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/ron_mueck/

Be sure to watch the video in the multimedia section of that page.

Alex and I were a bit disappointed that the exhibition was rather small, but we were grateful to see Mueck's work up close. We chose to go to the Brooklyn Museum today because on the first Saturday of every month the museum is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and admission is free. But it was very crowded, and after a short while, Alex and I were weary and irritated. So we cut out, went back into the city and had a sushi dinner. :o)

I have to go back to the museum to see the Annie Liebovitz exhibit (A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005). The line for it was extraordinarily long! I have until January 21st to go before it's gone...

Dreamgirls

My reasons for wanting to see Dreamgirls were part hype, part curiosity. A lot of fuss has been made over former American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson’s performance in the movie, and it’s justified, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Dreamgirls, the big-screen adaptation of the ‘80s Broadway show, is the story of a ‘60s Supremes-like girl group working for their big break. And a shady producer/manager - well-played by Jamie Foxx - gets it for them.

Dreamgirls is Beyoncé’s first “big” role, and I imagined she’d be perfect for it, playing gorgeous singer Deena Jones (loosely based on Diana Ross) thrust in the spotlight in her group (loosely based on The Supremes), pretty much because of her looks. Beyoncé has firsthand experience with this; she became the “lead singer” of her former group Destiny’s Child because the camera loved her then and loves her now, not because she was necessarily a better singer or performer than her group mates.

Director Bill Condon (who wrote the screenplay for the movie adaptation of Chicago) does a fine job of bringing Broadway to the silver screen here. The musical numbers, quick editing, glitz and costume changes keep things moving, but I must admit, musicals make me cringe. I can’t get past the unnatural act of characters bursting into song suddenly. The only exception in Dreamgirls is when Effie White (Hudson) sings “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” – a showstopper that not only shows Jennifer Hudson’s vocal range, but her acting talent as well. I cringed for a different reason here: the pure, raw emotion of the painful scene.

Beyoncé, on the other hand, is NOT an actress. Why she got a Golden Globe nomination for best actress is beyond me. Hudson blows her clear out of the water. And Hudson is up for a Globe for best supporting actress. It really should be the other way around.

Dreamgirls is an entertaining bit of fun. Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy are great to watch, and it’s worth seeing, if just for Jennifer Hudson’s amazing talent and Beyoncé’s stunning looks.