Visiting the Masters: the Cleveland Museum of Art

One of my favorite weekend trips includes the absolute pleasure of experiencing many of the world’s most famous artists in one unique location. With more than 46,000 items in its permanent collection, the Cleveland Museum of Art boasts one of the most extensive art libraries available in the United States.

Rarely are the influences of so many cultures available for study in one place. The museum assemblage ranges from ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art to an expansive Asian collection of nearly 4,000 pieces, and an impressive anthology of both African and American art. Visitors can wander halls filled with European masterpieces and medieval armor or quietly browse notable modern works.

Paintings on permanent display reveal the genius of Caravaggio, El Greco, Rubens, Goya, Turner, Matisse, Cole, Monet, van Gogh, and Picasso – just to name a few.

The museum’s large, damaged cast of Rodin’s The Thinker, though it is one of about a dozen works on hand by the famed sculptor, has a story all its own. The Journal of the American Institute for Conservation chronicles how the piece was bombed by protesters. In the early morning hours of March 24, 1970, a radical group known as the Weathermen placed dynamite between the legs of The Thinker. The blast caused substantial damage to the sculpture, throwing pieces of bronze into the museum doors and columns, the results of which can still be seen today.

While Rodin’s The Kiss and Gates of Hell are fascinating wonders unto themselves, I find myself drawn most often to Gallery 9. In this room adorned with various media created around 1800, a sculpture of Terpsichore, Muse of Choral Song and Dance casually graces the middle of the room. Hovering behind her are five murals painted by Charles Meynier celebrating the classic European muses with Apollo god of light taking the helm. Originally intended to decorate the Gallery of the Muses at the Hôtel Boyer-Fonfrède in Toulouse, the group came to be in Cleveland after long being held in a Swiss collection. Further enticing lovers of this genre, David’s Cupid and Psyche playfully lounge nearby.

Incredibly, there is never a charge to browse the permanent collection and nominal fees are charged for special exhibits.

The museum is currently undergoing an extensive renovation. Construction began in 2005. In 2008, nineteen permanent galleries were unveiled. When the project is completed in 2013, the museum will grow to 588,000 square feet – 89,000 of which will be dedicated gallery space.

(from A Woman's Voice, February 2010)