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Forget The Class Trip: Top Three Museum Exhibits To See Now

Museums have always been travelers' inroad for getting in touch with culture, but the whole museum-visit ordeal has gotten a little staid these days. If we're going to do battle with long lines, shell out money for tickets, and deal with claustrophobic crowds, the experience better be less "school field trip" and way more gratifying.

That said, the US is still rich with these educational wonderlands—some new, some old, and many whose collections manage to bring out the uber-culture geek in us, like the following shows.

The Top Three Museum Exhibits To Visit Now:

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Tags: Sweden Travel / Exhibitions / Art Galleries / Art Museums / Furniture Tourism / → All Tags

IKEA Furniture Not For Sale in Stockholm Art Gallery

While the name of the Swedish gallery Liljevalchs Konsthall may seem like a bit of a mouthful, its English subtitle "The Stockholmers' own public art venue" explains it pretty well. We can't pronounce it, but we want to go there, because starting this month they have a special IKEA exhibition happening.

We should admit, to be fair, that half our furniture has its origins at the local IKEA, so we're natural candidates for this kind of exhibition. The retrospective looks at the history of IKEA over its 50 years: starting back at the first flat-pack table it sold back in the 1950s and showing how furniture designs changed and developed over the decades.

There are also interesting anecdotes about IKEA life. For example, back in the 70s there was a big spate of denim-covered furniture, but it wasn't really about style – that was because the founder bought up a huge supply of denim at a bargain price from a Chinese factory that was going broke.

The IKEA exhibition runs until August 30 in Stockholm, and getting in will cost you 69 SEK (less than $9). In summer the Liljevalchs Konsthall is open every day except Monday (but on Mondays, of course, you can go shopping at the real IKEA instead).

Related Stories:
· Liljevalchs Konsthall [Official Site]
· Ikea Exhibition Showcases 50 Years of Functional Furnishing [Guardian]
· Stockholm Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: ktpupp]

Tags: Art Museums / New York City Travel / Museum of Modern Art / → All Tags

MoMA's New Lush, Splendid Installation Wants You To Relax

Anyone who's been to a walking-intensive city like New York eventually hits the dreaded late-afternoon slump: You're dying to put your feet up somewhere, but driven to fit in just... one... more... activity. And at this time of year, crashing on a bench in Central Park is not an attractive option! So immerse yourself in MoMA's latest, stunning video installation, Pipilotti Rist: Pour Your Body Out (7354 Meters) (through Feb. 2).

Swiss artist Rist creates bright, almost oversaturated videos often incorporating music -- some of her best known works were created while she was a member of a klezmer-punk band. MoMA's second floor open space (reaching up to the 5th story) has been converted into a "gallery" for "Pour Your Body Out," complete with soft carpeting and a giant donut-shaped couch where visitors are encouraged to kick off their shoes and get comfy. When we visited we saw several parents with little kids completely captivated by the views of fruit, flowers and open water in the video (although, full disclosure, there is some nudity in there too).

You'll feel so rested after 20 minutes watching the walls, you'll want to tackle the rest of the museum. MoMA admission is a bit pricey at $20, though it's free on Friday nights from 4 to 8PM (but expect long lines). If you want to stay in midtown, try the combo MoMA/ Top of the Rock ticket for $30.

Related Stories:
· American Masters: Where To Find Andrew Wyeth's Art and Inspiration [Jaunted]
· Mobile Museums: Chanel Art Tube Touches Down In NYC [Jaunted]
· Art Museums coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Art / Art Museums / → All Tags

American Masters: Where to Find Andrew Wyeth's Art and Inspiration

The art world lost a master with Friday's passing of American painter Andrew Wyeth, whose realistic portrayals of rural settings and thoughtful characters earned him the distinction of being the "Painter of the People" during the mid to late 20th century. Wyeth's most famous painting, Christina's World, hangs in New York's Museum of Modern Art, but those curious to see his inspiration as well as his art need only head into the countryside. Wyeth grew up in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and spent summers in Cushing, Maine, and both areas have museums with extensive collections of his work. The Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford contains the art of three generations of Wyeths - with work from Andrew's dad N.C. Wyeth and his son Jamie Wyeth - and will soon host a special celebration of Andrew's life and work. The Farnsworth Art Museum & Wyeth Center in Rockland, Maine, meanwhile, has one of the largest collections of Wyeths in the country, along with paintings from 17th and 18th century American artists. Two worthy destinations for an art-themed road trip this winter. Chadds Ford is less than an hour's drive from Philadelphia, while the closest big-ish city to Rockland is Portland, two hours away.

[Photo: Brandywine River Museum]

Related Stories:
· Andrew Wyeth: 1917-2009 [Washington Post]
· Andrew Wyeth [Official site]
· Brandywine River Museum [Official Site]
· Farnsworth Art Museum [Official Site]
· Art Coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Middle East / UAE / Art Museums / Guggenheim / Culture Travel / → All Tags

Abu Dhabi Sneaking Out Of Dubai’s (Big) Shadow

Playing little brother to international city of the moment Dubai would definitely suck, but tourism officials are keen to make the UAE’s second city Abu Dhabi famous for something other than bizarre morphing skyscrapers. Abu Dhabi is proudly striving to become the cultural capital of the Middle East instead.

And while we scoffed a bit at first, on closer investigation it seems like Abu Dhabi does know something about culture. There’s going to be a Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by 2012, and in keeping with the UAE's penchant for world records, it'll be the world's biggest Guggenheim museum.

They've also got a bunch of national cultural buildings in Abu Dhabi like the National Theater and the main national library. Perhaps we’ll soon be able to skip the skyscrapers of Dubai and spend our layover soaking up the museum culture of Abu Dhabi. Pity the shopping will probably never be as good.

Related Stories:
· Oil’s Well in Abu Dhabi [The Age]
· The Incredible Morphing Skyscraper [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ioan Barbulescu]

Tags: Celeb Travel / Tourist Travel / Natalie Portman / Art Museums / → All Tags

Tourist Behavior Travel: Natalie Portman Goes to the Museum

Once she starred in "Paris Je T'aime"; this week Natalie Portman proves that she does indeed love Paris with a visit to the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais. The "Other Boleyn Girl" star checked out the exhibit "Picasso and the Masters," which pairs works by Pablo Picasso with the classical works that inspired him in the home of the 1900 World's Fair.

This week's New York Times travel section declared that Europe is "more affordable for Americans than it has been for quite a while." Of course, that's relatively affordable, but well-trod tourist sites like the art museums might still be less crowded than they normally are.

Time to get that great digital-camera shot of the Mona Lisa! (Note: Don't.)

Related Stories:
· Europe Returning to Land of In-Reach [NYT]
· Picasso et les Maîtres [Official Site]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Faded Youth Blog]