103rd St – Cecil Beaton: The New York Years – Museum of the City of New York

Once upon a time, in the days before Photoshop, Cecil Beaton’s devastatingly stylish photographs infused the pages of Vogue and Vanity Fair with elegance, wit and scandal.  Certainly, he was an extraordinarily gifted photographer, but to call Cecil Beaton: The New York Years a photography show is to trap his effervescence in a darkroom and watch it ooze out the air vents. The exhibition, at the Museum of the City of New York through Feb 20th, presents Beaton’s sketches and diaries, costume designs and portraits. It is a celebration of the tumultuous career of a creative powerhouse.

Like Truman Capote, Beaton came from England and worked his way into the uppermost echelons of New York society. He lived in hotel rooms, which he redecorated to suit his lavish tastes. He made costumes and sets for Oscar Wilde's plays and George Balanchine's ballets. He snapped this self-portrait as he swung from the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge. He famously said, “Perhaps the world’s second-worst crime is boredom; the first is being a bore.”

A note about the museum:  Let’s be honest, it’s a trek to visit MCNY from pretty much everywhere in the city. Take a cab. Take the 2/3 to 110th and enjoy a brisk walk through the northern end of Central Park. Take the 6 to 103rd or the Madison Ave bus lines... However you choose to get there, once you are inside and ascending the grand staircase, you will be ever so glad you paid a visit. From the wallpaper to the celebrity sightings, the Beaton show is a joy. Do yourself a favor and buy the book. It's even better! 

If you have time afterward, stay for the much-praised The Greatest Grid. If not, pop over to Lexington for a delicious bowl of lentil soup and grilled lamb sandwich at local gem Moustache. Talk about the spice(s) of life!

Ingredients:

Venue: Museum of the City of New York

Artist: Cecil Beaton

Streets: Fifth Avenue, 103-104 Sts

Eats: Moustache

Map: