Utah Museum of Fine Arts

Yesterday Sean and I made a visit to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.  There are three paintings on loan from the Smithsonian American Art Museum that I really wanted to see before they leave on Oct. 4.  I invited Sean to come with me and I was a bit surprised when he enthusiastically agreed.  He is a fan of museums but he usually likes science and natural history ones so I wasn't sure if he would like paintings and sculpture.  He actually really enjoyed looking at the art work and we had a really great time.

Georgia O'Keefe's Manhattan.  This was quite spectacular to see in person because of its scale and vibrant colors.  When you walk into this particular gallery it is the first thing you see and it takes your breath away.

Here is Sean posing in front of it to show its actual size.  

Alma Thomas's Red Sunset, Old Pond Concerto.  Thomas is a lesser-known artist who is starting to be more recognized for her contribution to post-war abstraction.  The brush strokes are meant to mimic how the light hits the ripples in the water.  It was beautiful in its simplicity.

Thomas Moran's Mist in Kanab Canyon, Utah.  This painting was one that helped shape popular perceptions of the American West in the nineteenth century.

Another painting on special loan to the UMFA through a collection-sharing program called Art Bridges is Diego Rivera's La ofrenda.  I am a huge fan of Rivera (I used his paintings when I taught about Mexico in my World Geography classes) so it was thrilling to be able to see this in person.  It will also leave on Oct. 4.

There is a temporary display (through Nov. 8) called Beyond the Divide which features scrolls, screen dividers, sculpture, prints, and Samurai armor and weapons from Edo-period Japan.

These screens are quite spectacular because they are covered in gold leaf.  I found them fascinating.

We also enjoyed wandering through the permanent collections.  Sean was particularly taken with these two paintings by Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun in the European Collection.  I bought him a book about all of the paintings in the UMFA and he immediately looked Le Brun up.  He told me all kinds of facts about her on the drive home (she was the official portrait painter of Marie Antoinette).

He loved this ancient Egyptian coffin for someone named Padiusur in the Ancient Mediterranean Collection.

He also loved this bronze sculpture in the South Asian Collection.

There is plenty to see in the permanent collections at the UMFA but if you would like to see the paintings on loan you need to visit before Oct. 4.  The museum is located on the campus of the University of Utah and is now open Wednesday-Friday from 12:00-5:00pm.  It is highly recommended that you purchase tickets online in advance for a specific time block (that seems to be standard operating procedure for most places due to Covid-19).  You may still purchase tickets at the museum but entrance is not guaranteed because museum capacity is now limited to 100 people.  Tickets are $15.95 for adults and $12.95 for youths (6-18) and seniors.  Children under 6, U of U students, UFMA Members, and active military personnel are free.  Masks must be worn while inside the museum at all times and social distancing is recommended.  Go here for more information.