At MoMA

A full house as always at MoMa: $20 isn’t keeping the crowds away. The drawing and print galleries were closed for installation, and the Elizabeth Murray show opening on the 19th, on the 6th floor, is also being installed.

Monet’s water lilies have been moved from the big hall and replaced by Cy Twombly’s Four Seasons, a good move. I mentioned a while back that Monet needed a more intimate space, and they listened. Never underestimate blogger influence.

In the contemporary galleries, some new acquisitions of note, a William Kentridge video of animated drawings, Felix in Exile, is a beautiful flow of consciousness. Janet Cardift's The Forty-Part Motet is a meditative vocal soundscape, performed by the Salisbury Cathedral Choir, replayed on 40 speakers circling the gallery space. You may sit on benches in the center of the room or walk around, and each is a different experience of the sound piece. Another is James Turrell’s Frontal Passage. Careful not to bump into other visitors as I did: it takes time to adjust to the lighting.

The Safe: Design Takes on Risk exhibit on the 6th floor is a collection of unique designs of recent years, envisioned and in many cases produced to keep us safe. On display are emergency shelters, an impact-reducing safe car, and fire-resistant, bullet-resistant, and inflatable garments. I feel safer already.