Category Archives: museums

El Greco and the Tension of Tangents

Posted on March 7, 2016 by jyourist

Domenikos Theotokopoulos (1541-1614), known as El Greco, was a man out of time. He learned to paint Byzantine icons in his home on Crete, studied with Titian and others in Italy, and made a successful art career for himself in … Continue reading →

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Jane Addams 1860-1935: A Foe of War and Need

Posted on September 6, 2013 by jyourist

When I permanently moved to Chicago in the early seventies, I volunteered at Jane Addams Center Hull House on Broadway, a northside branch of the original Hull House. (In the early 60s, 12 of the original 13 buildings of Hull … Continue reading →

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Visiting Heaven and Hell

Posted on June 16, 2012 by jyourist

Yesterday was a gallery day for JB and I. The highlight was definitely the Heaven + Hell show, a collaborative exhibit by both Luma (Loyola University Museum of Art) and the Intuit Gallery for Intuitive and Outsider Art. Heaven images … Continue reading →

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“Artifacts” at the Chicago Children’s Museum

Posted on January 2, 2012 by jyourist

In an earlier post from last spring, I blogged about the opening of Michael’s Museum at the Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier. In Michael’s Museum is an amazing opportunity to experience and participate in the artistic vision of its … Continue reading →

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For Olivia

Posted on October 29, 2011 by jyourist

It’s Saturday. Saturdays rock for lots of reasons. No school. No commitments. Time for self. Time for family and friends. Growing up, I spent every Saturday at the Toledo Museum of Art, from the 4th or 5th grade through the … Continue reading →

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Inspired by Kiki

Posted on August 16, 2011 by jyourist

Kiki Smith is an artist whose work has always inspired me. Primarily known as a sculptor, she also works in many media including photography which was the focus of I Myself Have Seen It: Photography and Kiki Smith, an exhibition … Continue reading →

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Tenement Museum

Posted on July 20, 2011 by jyourist

History is a long period of time but when looked at as a series of lifetimes it doesn’t seem that far away. At the Tenement Museum in New York City, the visceral and palpable meaning of this nearly overwhelmed us. … Continue reading →

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Nothing small about that…

Posted on May 15, 2011 by jyourist

Michael’s Museum is now a part of the rich cultural treasures of this city. Its openings on Friday (morning and evening) clearly reflected this. Like the best openings, the public was filled with expectation, curiosity, great eagerness. This energy was … Continue reading →

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Michael’s Museum

Posted on May 12, 2011 by jyourist

Tomorrow my dear friend Michael (see In the Table/ On the Wall) will be having an opening of his lifetime collection of miniatures, now on permanent display, at the Chicago Children’s Museum. All his life he has been accumulating small … Continue reading →

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Searching for El Greco

Posted on April 23, 2011 by jyourist

Where are the El Grecos? They moved them. They used to be with the Spanish artists. No longer. We walked through the hallways looking in the galleries. They hadn’t put them away, had they? Into storage or something foolish like … Continue reading →

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