Kemper Museum offers art viewing in intimate setting
Offering a unique view of the American culture is the focus behind a special exhibit at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City. Artist Adam Cvijanovic’s “American Montage” runs through Sept. 20th.
Cvijanovic uses a method of fracturing, cutting, layering and sequencing imagery to tell his view of the American landscape. He combines 19th century landscape painting with 20th century cinematic visuals. His work fits in well with the regular collection of contemporary art at the museum.
“Belshazzar’s Feast” is the largest piece of art in the collection.
“Hollywood and Sunset” is one of three new pieces offered for the exhibit.
“Flint Hills” is the second new piece for the exhibit.
“The Fall” is the third new piece for this showing. It uses portraits and nature shots in an arch-style presentation.
“Abandoned Drive-in” is a three-panel piece that highlights the demise of the outdoor theater. Looking at it brought back of a lot of memories. I told my daughters recently that the first time I saw “Jaws” was at the West Point (Nebraska) drive-in. I saw most of the “Planet of the Apes” at drive-ins. Then, there are the teen-age years, where we hung out at the drive-in.
One of my favorite pieces was “Childhood of Buster Keaton.” I liked the use of the colors and shapes.
We moved on to the permanent collection, where we found a unique piece called “Used and Worn.” It consisted of different soap bars at various stages of their use, all organized.
An untitled piece (referred to as “three-tiered chandelier”) struck our fancy.
One piece I loved was “Sharon with Peonies.” The 2015 work appealed to my eye. I liked the backdrop. The outfit the model wore was different.
Another I loved was “Neil Young, Neil Young.” The photo of a Neil Young album in front of the girl just popped in my view. It’s a simple photo, but turned into a better piece of art.
The Café Sebastienne is worth a visit. Even if you don’t dine there (which, by the way the food looked, we’re all for having brunch there on a future trip), check out the artwork. It’s beautiful. A large colorful piece hangs on the main dining room wall.
A montage of artwork is located inside the smaller dining area.
As we departed, we noticed a couple of Dale Chihuly blown-glass art pieces at the entrance.
The museum has some beautiful outdoor sculptures.
“The Spider” is a 1966 creation. It stands near the front of the museum. It’s become a popular photo attraction for people.
Another we liked was the “Crying Giant.” With his head in his hands, who hasn’t been in this position at one time or another?
The Kemper Museum is small in comparison to most museums we’ve visited. I think we spent less than an hour there, but it was well worth it. And it’s free!
For more information on the Kemper Museum, please visit www.kemperart.org.
