Last month my partner & I got to go to Europe and we wound up seeing a lot of art along the way (I know, for me that is a surprise, LOL).  We got to see the medieval artist village of Eze, the Mudéjar throughout Barcelona, the Moorish influences in Ibiza and Tunis, the frescos in Carthage, the mosaics in Pompei, the beaux arts in Corsica, and the Renaissance and Baroque art throughout Rome. All in all it was a satisfying dose of Art History and a glimpse into the homogenization of cultures throughout the millennia.

We were both struck by the love-hate relationship with comtemporary art & design from the controversy of the Ara Pacis in Rome, the tepid response to the Bernar Venet sculptures  in Nice, contrasted with the Tête au carré, the embrace of Art Deco, Gaudi & Picasso in Barcelona, and Oscar Niemeyer’s Music Auditorium in Ravello.

We were so excited to see Renzo Piano’s Parco della Musica and Zaha Hadid’s new MAXXI museum in Rome. It was really surprising to see 3 museums in Rome dedicated to contemporary art – the buildings are great and over time, they will really grow into their programming.  There were some really great things to see – my top 5:

1. Michelangelo Pistoletto – “Da Uno a Molti 1956-1974.”
2. Adriano Tranquilli  – “All is Violent. All is Bright.”
3. “Italy goes on Holiday” – curated by Francesca Fabiani
4. Vittorio Messina – “Eighties are Back!”
5. Tomas Saraceno – “Cloudy Dunes. When Friedman meets Bucky on Air-Port-City”
6. The bathroom in the MACRO