Most visitors to some of the world’s greatest and largest museums experience only a whirlwind tour of an hour or two. But if time permits, an on-your-own tour can be a marvelous journey, especially if you plan for what you’d most like to see. This series surveys some of the highlights of each of these incredible museums. Jonson will be zooming in with commentary and Q&A.
Lectures:
1. The Louvre, Paris, France: The Louvre, former palace of French kings, is probably the most famous and most visited museum in the world. Only 35,000 of its 8+ million works are on display from the Ancient Near East and Egypt through the Renaissance, Baroque, and Neo-classical eras. Whether you are planning a visit or remembering a past one, this armchair tour will highlight some of the museum's most important works, including the "three girls of the Louvre": Winged Victory, Venus di Milo, and Mona Lisa.
2. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia: The Hermitage Museum is renowned for its collections of Western art and includes important paintings and sculptures from the Renaissance and the Dutch Golden Age through the 20th century. The museum is equally famed for the architecture and the fabulous decorations in its 1100 rooms, built by Empress Catherine the Great. This class will explore highlights of the art and architecture of this wonderful museum.
3. The Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy: Arguably Italy’s foremost museum, the Uffizi Gallery’s 45+ halls of priceless Italian and European paintings include masterpieces by Leonardo, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Titian, Bronzino and Caravaggio. The Renaissance building, originally commissioned for offices of the Medici government, is a work of art in itself, with beautifully decorated hallways and galleries.
4. The Art Institute of Chicago, USA: The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the oldest museums in the U.S. and also the second largest in terms of space. Its encyclopedic permanent collection spans 5000 years of history and boasts nearly 300,000 works of art from Chinese bronzes to contemporary works, from textiles to installation art. This lecture will look at just a few of the museum’s highlights, including its European collection and its spectacular Impressionist and Post-Impressionist galleries. The museum is also home to some works that have become icons of American art: American Gothic and Nighthawks … and the extraordinarily beautiful America stained glass windows by Marc Chagall.
Jonson will be zooming in with commentary and Q&A. Video Catch-up is available 2-3 business days after the presentation. You will have approximately two weeks to view the video.
