Hopper

On Monday I was in Boston, and I went to see the Edward Hopper exhibit at the Boston MFA. It was simply and elegantly put together - very much, I thought, in keeping with the character of the artist. Quite a number of the paintings were familiar old friends - borrowed from NY collections: the Met, the MOMA, and the Whitney. Even the one from the Montclair Art Museum (noticeably absent from its usual spot during Art in Bloom) was there. But there were plenty of works from private collections and smaller museums that were new to me. Hopper kept meticulous records, including dates and sale prices (less 1/3 commission), and his ledgers (sample page pictured) were on display and fun to see. I also enjoyed seeing contemporary photographs of some of the buildings he painted, taken from the same vantage points. Highly recommended, but if it's not possible to get to Boston before August 19, the museum's interactive website is well worth exploring.

I also checked out a small show of contemporary jewelry by studio artists from the Daphne Farago Collection. One of my favorite pieces was a bangle bracelet that looked exactly like a sharpened Number 2 pencil, except that it was made entirely of precious metals and stone (the yellow, for example, was 18K gold).