NYC Museum Visit

Yesterday I went into NYC to see an exhibit at the Whitney Museum of Mexican Art: Viva Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art 1925 to 1945. It was originally scheduled to run sometime from January through May. I had been waiting for the weather to warm up a bit before I went, but then Covid-19 shut the city down. 

The show has been extended through January 2021. Last week, I figured I better go soon if I wanted a nice day to visit. I did get a nice day--mid 60's through 70 degrees. 

I loved the exhibit.  It was interesting to see how Diego Rivera's work changed from his first works in Mexico to works in the US, including those under the WPA. His first works celebrated revolution and condemned capitalism. His US works focused more on industries and workers. I learned about his commission for Rockefeller Center Man at the Crossroads. The fresco included an image of Lenin. Rivera refused Rockefeller's request to remove the Lenin image, and Rockefeller had the mural plastered over. Luckily, Rivera recreated the mural as Man, Controller of the Universe in Mexico. 

I learned about Jose Clemente Orozco--I had never heard of him--and his mural Prometheus among others. I was surprised to see Jackson Pollack's work in the exhibit: he had worked with Orozco.

After I left the museum, I had lunch at Pastis. It was around 1:20 and the sidewalk dining area was packed, so I decided to try it. I didn't realize it was such an "in" place: Lorne Michaels, Nicole Miller, Juliana Margulies, Jay McInerney, Salman Rushdie, Lynne Coll.

I also walked The High Line on my way back to Grand Central. One entrance is next to the Whitney, and only northward traffic is permitted right now. I loved walking through the gardens and getting a different view of the city. Unfortunately, food and drink vendors are closed. (Of course, if they had been open, I would have missed Pastis.)

Here are some photos I took from the High Line: 

It was a wonderful day--I miss days like this.

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Covid-19 Note: On Tuesday, I heard that Covid-19 cases in Connecticut (as well as New Jersey) had increased enough to trigger the New York State quarantine. Governor Cuomo said it would be impossible to enforce this quarantine because of all the people who have to cross state lines for their jobs. Non-essential travel was discouraged, but I decided to go anyway. I socially distanced myself on the train, took a taxi to the Museum, wore a mask all day except when I had lunch or sipped some water on the train. It was hard to stay socially distanced at the Museum, but we all wore masks. Today I learned Norwalk is a red zone with more than 15 daily cases per 100,000 population over a two-week period. 

I'll be staying close to home for awhile.