Above is an Alexander Calder Stabile, that sits outside the Hirshhorn Museum---at least it did. I'm not sure where it sits now....Below, how it looked in the Garden in Greenwich......
This is a huge monumental piece and personally, I think it looks good both places. Though I guess I will always be partial to how everything looked in Greenwich even though I never lived there and probably only saw everything there maybe ten times in all the years my father lived there. I think because it was so very personal to my father---the house and the collection---Everything meant more to me there, in Greenwich.....
Above is a picture I took on that daytime visit in October, 1974, before the actual 'opening' of the Hirshhorn. I was upstairs in the Museum, and this was a partial view of the then Sculpture Garden.....I love the cars parked along the side of the street---all examples of the 1970's. And if you look carefully at the bottom of the picture above, you can see the edges of the George Rickey Mobile that stood outside the Museum at that time.......(Click on all pictures to make them bigger...)
And above, another of my photographs that day; the opposite view from the Sculpture Garden looking up at the Museum and seeing the window where I took the previous picture---plus that wonderful George Rickey Mobile, moving in the wind.....
This was another picture I took---I believe this is a Henry Moore or maybe a Barbara Hepworth, I'm not sure. But whatever it is, it is Beautiful! This is at street level, before going down the steps into the then Sculpture Garden.......
The light changed and so this is not one of my better pictures above...."The Burghers Of Calais" by Rodin, as it looked that overcast day, there in the Museum Sculpture Garden....Below....how it looked in Greenwich......
Winter, with snow....Quite Beautiful, I think.....
What a gorgeous piece this is! I love the way the snow looks on it....These pictures, and the one below were taken by Gjon Mili, the great LIFE Photographer, while everything was still in Greenwich......
Such a great great picture of such a breath taking piece of Sculpture......And below, a picture of Daddy standing beside 'The Burghers' during the days of the moving of the sculpture from Greenwich to Washington, D.C.......
I think Gjon Mili took this photograph, as well---but I'm not really sure about that. And another photograph on a sunny day in Greenwich of "The Burghers Of Calais", below......
And, indulge me...one more close up of this magnificent Sculpture....a close-up of one of these incredible Rodin faces.....
One never tires of looking at this amazing sculpture....It is so truly beautiful and has such an emotional impact.....When you arrived in front of the house in Greenwich---having driven up a rather long wooded driveway...this fantastic sculpture stood right in the middle of a kind of turn-around....Someone dropped you off at the front door and then drove around the 'turn-around' to go park the car---if that makes any sense.
Above, Daddy Joe, standing next to a Henry Moore---I love that he has his hand on this wonderful 'Reclining Woman' in a kind of familiar loving way. This photograph was taken in Greenwich, just before all the sculpture was moved (1973-74)-----Daddy certainly was his own person, wasn't he? Funny little Bow Tie; rather Eccentric Plaid Pants----I love that he was really so comfortable in his own skin, Bless Him! I wish I had been as comfortable in mine! Below, these are two snapshots taken in the late fall of 1963........
This was taken as we were leaving "Round Hill", the name given Daddy's house, having had a lovely lunch on that very cold wintry day....Who are all these people? Well, this was most of our "Spoon River" cast. Charles Aidman on the left; His then wife Frances, somewhat hidden behind him, Daddy Joe, Me, Hal Lynch, Joyce Van Patten and Betty Garrett....It was our one day off the week, and really, the only time we could possibly take this kind of a 'day' trip......
Above, you can see Frances a lot better, right next to Daddy.....I think my father had hired a Limo to bring us all up from the city to Greenwich and to take us back at the end of the afternoon, as well.....I have very few pictures of me at Greenwich---these are two of them. We were standing in front of the front door.....I found this picture below, of the front door, in more recent times......
My father sold "Round Hill" around 1976 and moved to Washington, D.C. permanently. And he lived in D.C., till his death, in 1981. Somewhere I have some pictures of the Washington house taken on his 80th Birthday Weekend.....That was the first of only two times I saw that house on Bancroft. The second time was after his death, when I went back to D.C. for his Memorial Service. One last shot of "The Burghers Of Calais" by Rodin, as it stood in front of the house in Greenwich......
You can see there are a number of other sculptures sitting closer to the house and you can see that 'turn-around' that I was describing earlier.....This property certainly lent itself so very beautifully to sculpture. And it was everywhere, as you have seen.......More To Come...........
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No I don't think Greenwich could be bettered as a setting - perfect - but I suppose now the sculptures are more readily accessible to the public. I would love to have seen them there.
The Rodin Museum in Paris was one of my favourites and we saw some of Barbara Hepworths work in her garden in Cornwall. But your father's collection was the creme do la creme.
I love that your father sent a car for you. I'll bet he was so proud of you.- Monday, December 13, 2010 at 3:30:00 AM PST
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The Rodin is fabulous. I think he was the closest to come to the Italian Renaissance masters in terms of genius and skill.
Cheers.- Monday, December 13, 2010 at 6:18:00 AM PST
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I had the great pleasure of eating my sack lunch next to a Moore sculpture in Seattle every work day for years--that certainly looks like a Moore. The snow...just perfect. Outside art is so precious.
- Monday, December 13, 2010 at 7:31:00 AM PST
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Ohhhhhhhhhhh I love Rodin's work!! What a blessing to be able to own such beauty!!!!!!!! It breathed!!!! And I love the photos of you!!!!!!!
- Monday, December 13, 2010 at 8:46:00 AM PST
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had this to say:
Beautiful photos and the sculptures are just fantastic! That's really awesome Naomi!
- Monday, December 13, 2010 at 12:44:00 PM PST
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I certainly love The Burghers! We have a nice collection of Rodin sculptures in our NCMA, but none as large as that.
- Monday, December 13, 2010 at 1:59:00 PM PST
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Ah- The joy of life. Rodin AND plaid pants. Your father certainly had quite a range of taste ):- .
When I was working downtown at Robinson's in the late 1970's we used to call the plaid pants "Palm Springs Specials."
I am glad the Rodin has outlasted the plaid pants.- Monday, December 13, 2010 at 11:09:00 PM PST
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Calder's "Eagle" stood just across from my office building, at my bank, when I used to work in downtown Fort Worth. I must have walked by it a hundred times without stopping to admire it. Then one day it was gone and that's when people really missed it.
That Rodin sculpture is really breathtaking. You are so lucky to have gotten up close and personal with it. Wow.- Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 2:11:00 AM PST
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What is most stunning to me is the beauty of these sculptures in a home setting. One expects to see them in a museum setting and the appreciation and analysis of them can become very clinical. But when they are in a yard, at a home, their beauty really shines, as does your father's fine taste. Thanks for all the photos.
- Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 9:25:00 AM PST
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the sculptures are so wonderful
I love them in the snow
I went back thru the earlier posts I missed
How I love seeing photos of you
You always look so enganged in the moment and so dramatic and beautiful
I love the painting of the the 2 Naomis
Hope sends hugs- Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 12:22:00 PM PST
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I could feel the warmth & love between you and your Daddy :D This is a beautiful post.
- Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 4:33:00 PM PST
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I am more of a realisum person and so The Burghers Of Calais it one of my favorites of all the sculptures! But I have to tell you.. the house behind them all is so gorgeous it's hard to concentrate on the statues!
- Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 3:20:00 AM PST
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Hi Naomi,
What a fantastic sculpture by Alexander Calder!
The view of Hirshhorn Museum (1974) is wonderful! It's just great that you have many pictures of your Father and the Museum. Love that special series! Thanks for sharing them with us.
Many hugs!- Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 11:58:00 AM PST
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I have just read back through all these posts and your father truly had a wonderful collection. So many beautiful pieces, but I think the Rodin is my favourite.
I must say I much prefered the sculptures in the gardens at Greenwich. Such a beautiful setting and the juxtaposiiton between the organic greenery and these sculpted works of art is magnificent. Thank you so much for sharing this and your unique and personal connection with these pieces.
As ever, I am sorry I have not been by sooner. I really am not doing so well at the moment. I sent you an email which I hope you got? I have something to send you which I hope you will like but do not have your address to send it! I hope both you and Sweetie are both as well as can be.
Bobkat- Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 5:30:00 AM PST
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You are great at giving virtual tours, Naomi. Giving some personal thoughts in with the information. I loved what you said about you father being his own person. I do love that in a person and my dad was the same. The sculpture is impressive and seeing it's history makes me a little sad at how life changes and how fast it all goes.
- Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 6:11:00 AM PST
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The sculptures at Greenwich were wonderful; the other side is that their being at the Hirschhorn lets so many people enjoy them. I love the gestures in the Rodin. Thank you so much for sharing these, Naomi.
- Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 7:03:00 AM PST
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That home is so beautiful!! Such magnificent sculptures! I think it's amazing that they can do this kind of work and make all these lovely sculptures and with such detail! Such talent!!
Yes, your Dad had his own style, and I like his bowtie!!
I really enjoy these posts Naomi. Very informative and interesting, as always!! Hugs to you and dear Sweetie too. I hope he is doing okay!- Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 10:04:00 AM PST
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Hi Naomi. I got your message thank you. Something very weird is happening on blogger as I can only comment as 'anonymous' right now too. Gremlins in the blogger wheels! LoL!
I will reply to your email soon (which I also got). Big hugs to you and Sweetie and thank you for sending me your address :)- Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 4:28:00 PM PST
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Oh to travel with you and see all of the things that you see! I'll have to travel *through* you! Thank you (truly) for that opportunity! Lovely, as always!
- Friday, December 17, 2010 at 11:22:00 AM PST
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Another truly enchanting tour with you. It is so good that you took those early pictures so we can now see both settings for the sculpture. The Burghers of Calais in the snow must have been a jaw dropping experience for anyone visiting your father at that time. Your life has been so full of interesting moments – thanks for sharing them with us.
- Saturday, December 18, 2010 at 7:14:00 AM PST
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Your Dad certainly did have his own style and seemed very comfortable in himself. I wish you were too, you have no reason not to be.
I love all the sculptures and the snowy photos just add to their beauty.
The house is very beautiful and was so well looked after too!- Saturday, December 18, 2010 at 4:24:00 PM PST
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Oh my Naomi! I'm finally back and getting caught up on things. You have such marvelous things to write about here, and fabulous stories!
- Saturday, December 18, 2010 at 8:24:00 PM PST
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Real life is keeping me away from blogging, when I read fascinating posts like yours, I know why I enjoy it so much!!
Loved the pictures with the parked cars and the magnificent sculpture outside. Great memories of yours!!
Happy holidays!! I might not get around to it next week...All the best throughout 2011 and always!- Sunday, December 19, 2010 at 12:09:00 AM PST
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I love Rodin sculptures and the ones in your photographs are no exception. So talented.
Your father sounds like he was a terrific bloke. I bet you miss him.- Sunday, December 19, 2010 at 11:48:00 PM PST
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I enjoyed these posts and all the photos. I'm amazed by the photos you took that document so much that you've experienced over the years. What a rich and marvelous history you have with a great immersion in the arts. Your father gave you a great gift by surrounding you with exposure to the arts in many forms and passing down a love for the arts. His collection was extraordinary! Those sculptures are so wonderful. I love just looking at the faces especially.
- Monday, December 20, 2010 at 11:15:00 AM PST
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Naomi, thank you so much for sharing the photos... and the comments!! barbra
- Monday, December 20, 2010 at 3:18:00 PM PST
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I love viewing your photos and hearing more about the times you had with your father. I liked your comment about his being comfy in his own skin (and you wishing you had been more comfortable in your own). I can relate to that, only it was my mother who was always the glamorous one...my dad was more reserved and a bit on the shy side (still is).
My favorite photo is the museum garden shots with the snow-covered sculptures. I'd love to see something like that up close. Maybe one day.
Thank you, once again, for your holiday kindness. Wishing you and Sweetie many warm and cozy moments this season...and always.
Hugs and besos... ♥ Moi- Monday, December 20, 2010 at 6:02:00 PM PST
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Looking at Rodin's work, you would not be surprised if it moved. Just wonderful.
I love that door. Now that is curb appeal.- Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 6:55:00 AM PST
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Just a quick pop-in to say "Hi" and wish you a wonderful week. I hope all is well with you and that you're not getting washed away by the rains.
Cheers.- Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 1:21:00 PM PST
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Fascinating posts and photos re the museum and sculpture garden. Thanks for sharing these memories here.
I know this is unrelated to your topic here, but I wonder what you think of Spiderman staging as a Broadway show and all the associated events. Saw TV excerpts of a preview weeks ago (C. Rose, I think) and it seemed to be a version of Circus Soleil- Wednesday, December 22, 2010 at 1:56:00 AM PST
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had this to say:
What a beautiful home "Round Hill" was--especially with all of that beautiful sculpture surrounding it.
Great art is a wondrous thing to behold. I remember the first time I saw Rembrandt's work, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, here in NY. I was literally stopped in my tracks; I could not believe a human being could create something that beautiful. It was art on a level I had never experienced before. I was astounded at the quality of Rembrandt's work.
All people should experience great art, and that is why museums are so important.
I always find it odd that we own objects only for as long as we live. All of those works that meant so much to your dad--that were so personal to him--are now somewhere else being enjoyed by other people. What is it that will last?
He certainly was a fortunate man.- Thursday, December 30, 2010 at 12:11:00 PM PST
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I had the wonderful pleasure of visiting the museum two years ago - thank you for the generosity of your family for sharing the amazing collection.
And it looks just lovely at the house also.
Happy New Year!- Monday, January 3, 2011 at 2:08:00 PM PST
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