V&T Daily
The latest travel news
|
|
the talk of texas
By Louise Goldsbury.
Published in the January-March 2012 issue.
Texas may not be the first place that springs to mind when you’re a fan of Michelangelo’s first painting or Picasso’s first sculpture. But in recent years, the cowboy state has roped in some extraordinary artwork, now proudly exhibited in world-class venues that rival any gallery in New York or Europe.
In 2009, the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, a city most famous for its rodeo and honky-tonk, acquired Michelangelo’s The Torment of Saint Anthony, painted when he was 12 years old. The small but well-preserved gem was the first by the artist to enter an American collection and is one of only four known easel paintings believed to come from his hand (and two of those were unfinished).
Depicting winged demons trying to pull the saint out of the sky, it was hidden away, and there was doubt about its authenticity for more than a century. When I visited the Kimbell last year, nobody else seemed to notice this rare treasure hanging alone on a wall – perhaps because the rest of the gallery was so distractingly impressive.
The Kimbell’s permanent collection comprises fewer than 350 artworks but each is distinguished by its astonishing level of artistic quality and importance. Among others, there are masterpieces by Monet, Matisse, Mondrian, Rembrandt and Cézanne.
Directly opposite, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth picks up where the Kimbell ends: at the mid-20th century. The second-largest modern art museum in the U.S., after New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), it houses around 2,600 works including pieces by Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso. The bold building, reflected in a pond, and the museum’s much-lauded restaurant, Café Modern, are added highlights of an afternoon spent perusing the collection.
Picasso’s first concrete sculpture is located about 40 minutes’ drive away in Dallas, at the Nasher. Standing around three metres tall, Head of a Woman, for all its star power, is probably the least attractive sight in the open-air garden.
The Nasher Sculpture Center opened in 2003 and is home to works by the who’s who of the sculpture world: Picasso (seven pieces), Giacometti (13), Matisse (11), Miró (four), Moore (eight) and Rodin. The works have been exhibited around the world and, despite requests from many international museums to house the collection, Ray and Patsy Nasher choose to keep it in Dallas.
It was the first institution in the world dedicated exclusively to modern and contemporary sculpture and the current management keep things fresh. Aside from rotating exhibitions in the outdoor and indoor spaces, regular events are held over the warmer months. There’s also “’til Midnight at the Nasher,” staged under the stars every third Thursday of the month in season, with alfresco dining by Wolfgang Puck, movies, music and twilight strolls, and “Target First Saturdays,” aimed at children and families.
Dallas is home to the largest contiguous urban arts district in the United States, spread across 19 city blocks – the range and depth of institutions makes the city an unparalleled destination for aficionados. Over three decades, more than two dozen visual and performing arts venues have opened in the pedestrian-friendly zone, and four of the buildings housing the area’s art are designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects.
The one that started it all, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA), founded in 1903, comprises more than 24,000 objects dating from the third millennium B.C. to the present day. When it opened in its current venue in 1984, the DMA commissioned several artists to create site-specific works. This aside, arguably DMA’s most intriguing feature is the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection: dozens of works of art donated by the philanthropist couple and housed in an extravagant 1,400-square-metre reproduction of their one-time home in France.
The DMA has significant holdings of ancient American art, covering more than three millennia, as well as Texan art. It also holds a highly regarded African collection, from the 16th to 20th centuries, although the earliest object is a Nok terracotta bust dating from somewhere between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. The museum’s Mediterranean art includes Egyptian, Cycladic, Greek, Roman, Etruscan and Apulian objects. A limestone relief of a Procession of Offering Bearers from the Tomb of Ny-Ankh-Nesut is dated at between 2,575 and 2,134 B.C.
Fast-forward to today, and the DMA is also a hotbed of contemporary art, from abstract expressionism, pop and minimalism to installations, assemblage and video art. Modern photographers, including Cindy Sherman, Nic Nicosia, Thomas Struth and Lynn Davis, are also represented.
On the third Friday of each month, the DMA is open until midnight for various performances, concerts, readings, film screenings, tours and family programs. General admission is usually less than US$10 and children under 12 years of age get in free.
The Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, offering free admission, has an interesting collection of pieces from China, Japan and India, dating from 3,500 B.C. Of particular note are the jade items, most dating from the 19th century prior to the Industrial Age, when the traditional Chinese industry was at its peak. Don’t miss the museum’s sky bridge, linking the two gallery buildings, which overlooks the Nasher and the Seated Daoist Deity fountain.
Less artsy but highly recommended is The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. Spanning two levels of the Texas School Book Depository Building, it examines the life, death and legacy of President John F. Kennedy with photographs, artefacts and displays. It’s estimated that more than 10 million people have visited this famous museum since it opened on Presidents’ Day (February 20) 1989.
The most recent addition to Dallas’ arts district is the AT&T Performing Arts Center, which completes the project’s 30-year vision. It incorporates four venues: the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, which hosts the Dallas Opera and the Texas Ballet Theater; the 12-storey Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, home of the Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico; the City Performance Hall for smaller organisations; and the redesigned Annette Strauss Square for outdoor productions. Unified by a public park, the distinct venues present a wide range of dance, music, lectures and Broadway shows.
A new way to get around this somewhat overwhelming area is the Public ArtWalk, a 30-stop, five-kilometre walking tour. Maps are available online and at various locations, including the DMA and the Nasher, which are excellent starting points. The website even tells you how many calories you’ve burned and the number of steps you’ve taken on the self-guided tour, and offers fitness tips.
To extend your arts exploration in Texas and experience some top-notch live music at night, hire a car and drive the 333 kilometres to Austin. The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, with a big, bronze “Lone Star” on the lawn, specialises in interactive exhibits, a special effects show and an IMAX screening of Texas: The Big Picture – a 2003 documentary focusing on the “myth, majesty and magnitude of the Lone Star State.”
While you’re in town, stop by the impressive Lyndon Baines Johnson Library & Museum, which contains 45 million pages of historical documents and 650,000 photographs from the career of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, better known as LBJ.
The city’s Art on 5th Gallery is also worth visiting for its quirky permanent exhibition, “The Art of Dr Seuss,” as well as Walt Disney animations and dozens of other fun pieces – everything from mixed-media figures to hand-crank paintings.
If these selections don’t seem Texan enough, mosey on back to Fort Worth and check out The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. The only one of its kind in the world, the Museum and its Hall of Fame honour famous female riders, sharpshooters, ranchers, artists and authors – from their pistols to their pink-and-gold boots. More than 5,000 artefacts and 6,000 photographs illustrate and preserve the stories of women in the American West. Inspired visitors can have a go on the bronc ride, a life-size model of a bucking bull. They promise not to throw you off, instead sending you home with a 10-second video of yourself, captured in old-style rodeo footage. Yee-haw! •
Photography by Louise Goldsbury and courtesy of the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau and respective galleries.
TRAVEL FACTS
getting there
United, Delta and V Australia fly to the U.S. but only Qantas offers non-stop flights from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth, becoming daily from July 2012.
• Delta Air Lines. delta.com
• Qantas. 131-313; qantas.com.au
• United Airlines. 131-777; unitedairlines.com.au
• V Australia. 138-287; vaustralia.com.au
when to go
Texas has attractions for every season, from seaside resorts to winter refuges. Spring (March through May) and autumn (September through November), with their mild temperatures, offer the best conditions for strolling between galleries.
where to stay
The Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa in Dallas is steps away from the city’s arts district and was recently restored to its original Art Deco grandeur through a US$36 (AU$33.5) million renovation. 1-214/871-7111; stoneleighhotel.com
arts venues
• Art on 5th Gallery. arton5th.com
• AT&T Performing Arts Center. attpac.org
• Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.
thestoryoftexas.com
• The Trammel & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art. crowcollection.com
• Dallas Museum of Art. dallasmuseumofart.org
• Kimbell Art Museum of Fort Worth. kimbellart.org
• Lyndon Baines Johnson Library & Museum. lbj.org
• Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. themodern.org
• Nasher Sculpture Center. nashersculpturecenter.org
• National Cowgirl Museum. cowgirl.net
• The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. jfk.org
• Public ArtWalk Dallas. publicartwalkdallas.org
further information
For additional tips on making the most of your time in Texas, see thedallasartsdistrict.org, visitdallas.com or traveltex.com
|
|
|
V&T Takeoff
Updates from our editors and writers
 |
The team from the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau were in town last week to update Australia on some of the BIG things happening in the Texan state. |
 |
V&T mag dropped into Bali last month and helped the W Retreat & Spa celebrate their 2nd anniversary and what a splash it was. With local and international fashion designers on display, the W Lounge was transformed into a catwalk party zone. 2500 people flowed through the resort late into the night, moving to NYC DJ Sandy Rivera. This was the biggest ticket in Bali for some time and the resorts pulling power is a testament to just how hot this property and international hotel brand actually is.www.vacationsandtravelmag.com/Mca/874/765/3/0/0/#takeoff1 How did we cope the next day? Poolside. Don’t wait until their 3rd anniversary as the vibe, sound and style of this resort makes for a very cool holiday. In the heart of Seminyak and right on the beach, Bali beckons. |
 |
Thanks to our friends at Air France we got out of the office for the day and enjoyed a great round of golf at the annual Financial Markets Charity Golf Day and Gala Dinner. Held annually in February, this event as well as the Financial and Media Markets Charity Sailing Regatta in October raises AU$1.2 million for a wide range of charities.The ASX Group and Thomson Reuters Australia (formerly Reuters) joined forces in 1999 to form a Charity Foundation with the objective of helping Australian-based children, disability and medical research charities by organising fundraising events in conjunction with the Financial Markets. Pictured here: Thomas Reeves Air France, Middle, Patrick Benhamou, Atout France; Anthony Gallagher Vacations & Travel magazine. |
 |
Vacations & Travel magazine rubbed shoulders with local and international buyers and sellers of travel from around the globe at 2013 AIME (Asia Pacific's Incentive Meeting Expo). This is the biggest event on the Australian travel industry calendar, where key decision makers congregate to network over a three-day event of hosted parties, trade and leisure travel meetings and press conferences. |
 |
The who's who of Sydney's entertainment industry turned up for the recent opening of the city's newest hotel to receive a makeover, The Parkroyal. Located in Darling Harbour, the property has just emerged from a milt million-dollar makeover to reveal striking rooms and seriously sexy public spaces. Speaking of sexy, some of the celebs on hand to celebrate the re-launch included Casey Burgess, Danielle Blakey and Amy Milne, not to mention Timomatic who entertained the crowds into the witching hours… |
 |
 |
|
