Arts and no farts

Works by Auguste Rodin, one of the most acclaimed French realist sculptors, usually reside in special exhibition rooms in the world's greatest museums—The Thinker in the Museé Rodin in Paris, France, and The Kiss in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New York. In Brooklyn, at the Brooklyn Museum, the Rodin collection is (currently) not housed in a special exhibition gallery, nor is it on loan to another art institution. Rather, seven Rodin sculptures reside in the glass-encased pavilion of the museum, available for anyone who enters to appreciate before s/he gets in line to buy a ticket. And with a suggested admission of four dollars for students and eight for adults, the decision to visit this museum is a no-brainer.

What's housed in the exhibition gallery that usually holds the Rodin sculptures? A nine-foot-tall, bearded, naked man.

Yes, you read that correctly. In the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery, Wild Man sits on a stool, alone. Behind one of the columns, an eighteen-inch-tall crouching boy wearing green shorts. And in the room that usually holds the Renaissance paintings, a twenty-foot tall woman in bed. These fiberglass and silicone ultra-realistic pieces would seem real, if it weren't for their unusual sizes. These works were created by Ron Mueck—an Australian sculptor who used to work in the film, animatronic industry.

The hair-grafting is so meticulous for these pieces that they look (and probably, feel) real. I read that Mueck even grafted his own hair on one of the pieces, Dead Dad, a three-foot-long, pale man lying naked on the floor.

I felt like Charlie Bucket (or Grandpa Joe) walking around Willie Wonka's factory, except, in my case, I wasn't interested in the candy innovations; rather, I was astounded and transfixed by several of these Oompa Lump-sized sculptures. Oh, and the gigantic ones, too. [See above for scale.]

In addition to the Ron Mueck exhibit, the Brooklyn Museum was also displaying over 200 prints from acclaimed and award-winning photographer Annie Leibovitz. The pictures, both personal and professional, were taken in the past fifteen years. Some of the big-name subjects included: President Clinton (and family), President Bush (and Cabinet), Nelson Mandela, Nicole Kidman, Cindy Crawford, (good friend) Susan Sontag, Brad Pitt, Arnold Schwarzenneger, Whoopi Goldberg, George Clooney, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Willie Nelson, (pregnant) Demi Moore (from the cover of Vanity Fair), Julianne Moore, Michael Moore, Colin Powell, Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf, the White Stripes, Donald Trump, Michael Jordan, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Cash, and at least seventy other people who you've heard of.

Unfortunately, I missed the "American Music" by Annie Leibovitz exhibit at the DIA. I wanted to make up for it with this exhibition. It was definitely worthwhile. From simple 4x6's to lavishly-framed four-by-six feet landscapes, the beautiful, but crowded exhibit spanned the full extent of her ouevre—portraits, stills, action, and landscapes.

Overall, a great afternoon at the museum. Next up, the Metropolitan Museum of Art.