Travel Top 5: New York Art

It's true what they say--there really is a vibe to New York unlike any other. From the fashion to the architecture, there is art to be seen around every corner if the busy New Yorker would just take a moment to stop and enjoy it.

{Meatpacking District street art & Statue of David styled in Missoni}

 {Out and about in Chelsea & Union Square}

Street art and sculptures adorn the city, providing a pop of color against a gray sidewalk or inspiring the viewer to feel something they may not have before coming across the surprise piece of art.

{If we all do one random act of kindness daily, we just might set the world in the right direction}

My love for art started at a young age with my extremely creative aunt sharing her appreciation of all things beautiful and pushing me to see the world with an artist's eye. While my own artistic skills never developed as fully as I would have liked, I still love wandering through galleries in all of the cities I visit to find new sources of inspiration and revel in the work of acclaimed artists I've been learning about since I was a little girl. 

And what better place to go to take it all in (besides maybe the Louvre or the Vatican Museums!) than the massive and marvelous Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

{Channeling Gossip Girl on the Met steps}

Heading in on the South side of the museum, I made my way through the Greek and Roman art and got lost in Ancient Egypt for a while. With only so much time, I made my way up to the must-see 19th- and early 20th- century European paintings that my little map told me housed the artists I used to learn about and admire back in elementary school.

 

Seeing original works from the likes of Monet, van Gogh, Mucha, Rodin and Seurat gave me goosebumps and sent chills down my spine--in the best possible way. 

{Claude Monet; Top: Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies, 1899; Bottom: The Houses of Parliament (Effect of Fog), 1903-1904}

 {Georges Seurat; Gray Weather, Grande Jatte, 1886-1988}

                

 {Vincent van Gogh; Top Left: Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat, 1887; Top Right: Roses, 1890; Bottom: Wheat Field with Cypresses, 1890}

{Alphonse Mucha; Maude Adams as Joan of Arc, 1909}

After perusing most of the 19-20th century European paintings, I wandered into more modern times to see the contemporary works and pop art I've already expressed my love for. And there was some Lichtenstein there for me!

{Roy Lichtenstein; Stepping Out, 1978} 

{Andy Warhol; Ethel Scull 36 Times, 1963}

 {Trippy sculptures}

To finish off my trip to the Met, I had to go take in the view from the roof and see the 'Cloud City' by Tomas Saraceno.

Not so unfortunately (besides making us late for FNO!), I got lost on the way back to Jordan's and wound up in Queens. At least there's art everywhere to keep you entertained even when you end up going the wrong way!