Whitney Museum – Real/Surreal, Cubes and Anarchy, Calder’s Circus

There are many reasons to skip out of work for lunch at the Whitney. Top on my list is Danny Meyer’s new restaurant, Untitled, on the lower level. They’re serving up “updated coffee shop classics,” which means matzo ball soup and pastrami reubens but also crispy kale salads and aged gouda grilled cheeses. Oh, and need I mention breakfast all day?! 

This is an exciting time to visit the Whitney. In preparation for its move downtown curators are dusting off the deep holdings and presenting exhibitions drawn entirely from the permanent collection. As Ken Johnson said in the NYTimes, “Seeing ‘Real/Surreal’ … is like visiting your grandmother’s attic and finding it loaded with forgotten treasures.” It’s such fun! 

That said, if you only have time for one show, I’d pick David Smith: Cubes and Anarchy. Smith is considered on of the best American sculptors, and this exhibition of sculptures, drawing and paintings, plus rarely seen sketchbook and photographs, gives you a rich understanding of his masterful work. These geometric abstractions will have you seeing things in a whole new way.

On your way out, do not miss Calder’s Circus. Before he got started on his exquisite mobiles, Alexander Calder invited guests to sit on bleachers, eat popcorn and observe as he enacted the circus using wire, wood, metal, cloth, yarn, paper, cardboard, leather, string, rubber tubing, corks, buttons, rhinestones, pipe cleaners, and bottle caps. The video footage is incredible!

With so many great options and so little time, what will you choose to see?

 

Ingredients:

Venue: Whitney Museum of American Art

Artists: David Smith, Alexander Calder, Federico Castellon

Streets: Madison Ave, 74th-75th Sts

Eats: Untitled

Map:

66th & Broadway - Lincoln Center

It is sunny, high 50s and officially the first day of winter in NYC. Let’s not worry about what’s wrong with this picture and instead take an art stroll al fresco. When’s the last time you explored Lincoln Center? Ever since they finished their massive Diller, Scofidio + Renfro remodel, the place is actually looking modern for a change. Don't you think?  

The entire experience that is Lincoln Center, from the polished subway passage to the sleek awnings to the culinary offerings, has been upgraded. Head straight up the LED “Welcome” steps, which display the greeting in 325 languages, and make your way back and to the right. There beyond Henry Moore's Reclining Figure, atop Lincoln Ristorante, is the tranquil Illumination Lawn. This sun-drenched grassy knoll is an invitingly vibrant green, but you don't have time to dawdle. There is too much else to see!

Once you start looking for it, you will notice artwork lurking around every corner. Richard Lippold’s Orpheus and Apollo gleams through the windows of Avery Fisher Hall. Alexander Calder’s Le Guichet (The Box Office) ushers you into the Library for the Performing Arts... The highlight for me is seeing those two massive Chagalls in the Opera House lobby. What are your favorite hidden gems?

Sidle up to the bar at Jonathan Benno's Lincoln Ristorante for an indulgent lunch of gnudi di ricotta e rapini, or opt for the significantly more economical goat cheese sandwich at Tom Colicchio's 'witchcraft. Either way, you will feast on culinary artistry. Guaranteed.

Bonus: if you happen to be in the 'hood after 6pm, make sure you stop by Met Gallery for artist Peter Doig's Siegfried and Poster Project. Doig was not really an opera fan himself before this project, but somehow he managed to encapsulate the power of Wagner in each piece. His magnificent paintings are not to be missed. 

Ingredients:

Venues: Lincoln Center: Gallery Met , Opera House, Avery Fisher Hall

Artists: Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Richard Lippold, Diller Scofidio Renfro, Peter Doig

Streets: 64^th-66^th St & Broadway/Columbus Ave

Eats: Lincoln, ‘witchcraft

Map: