Opulent color, richness of materials and the finest craftmanship take center stage for celebratory and inspiring holiday season visits to New York collections, many of which we haven’t been able to enjoy in some time. Wishing you a fantastic holiday with friends and family.
Majolica Mania: Transatlantic Pottery in England and the United States, 1850 -1915
Bard Graduate Center, New York
Through January 2
https://newcriterion.com/blogs/dispatch/marvelous-majolica
Bound for Versailles: The Jayne Wrightsman Bookbindings Collection
Through January 30
Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol
Through January 9
The Morgan Library & Museum, New York
The Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals
Now open
The Origami Holiday Tree
Through January 9
American Museum of Natural History, New York
Get ready to be entranced by jeweled-toned saturated color of the fantastical works of ceramic art at the Bard Graduate Center’s Majolica Mania, an encyclopedic exploration of this creatively unrestrained and highly sculptural lead-glazed earthenware from its originating manufacturers in England and eclectic design sources to its effects on the development of 19th century American ceramics. For the full article see The New Criterion https://newcriterion.com/blogs/dispatch/marvelous-majolica
Enjoy a fabulous visit to The Morgan Library for a viewing of the original manuscript of Charles Dickens’s: A Christmas Carol in J.P.Morgan’s original personal library, a luxurious gem in itself. Dickens wrote his iconic tale in a six-week flurry of activity beginning in October 1843 and ending in time for Christmas publication. While you are there discover Jayne Wrightman’s Bookbindings Collection. Shown in an intimately chic installation worthy of the collector’s aesthetic, highlights of the exhibition include masterpieces belonging to Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette which give us greater understanding of the importance of 18th century books as important works of art.
A monumental cabinet of curiosities awaits at the American Museum of Natural History with its newly refurbished Halls of Gems and Minerals. With over 5,000 beautiful specimens from massive amethyst quartz and green malachite to emeralds, sapphires and diamonds you will be overwhelmed by the profusion of natural beauty. Highlights include the historic Tiffany and Morgan Collection, donated b J.P. Morgan, this exemplary group of gems and minerals was originally created for Tiffany and Company’s displays at Paris’ Exposition Universelle of 1889 and 1900 where it shared the stage with the newly constructed Eiffel Tower. The Origami Holiday Tree continues to delight with new additions including ingenious paper geodes,
