Des Moines Museum

The Des Moines Art Center is an eclectic mix of masterpieces and modern art. It has a Monet and Andy Warhol's and a performance art video of someone underwater playing in slow motion in a pitch black room. I am embarrassed to say that I have only been three times in seven years.  Since we are moving to St Louis I want to hit some of my favorite, but neglected places. 

This last few months has been so overwhelming that I have not updated the blog. That and I really didn't want to move and writing about it meant somehow that I needed to be positive about it. 

Kate loved the modern art, while it bored Aleah to eye rolling and impatience. Kate drew careful drawings of her favorites.  

Kate really had a good eye for the subtlety in some of the more abstract art. This painting had a section below the concentric circles where the paint had been layered in the exact shape Kate sketched and then painted over? in the same base colors.  It isn't clear in the photo, but the textured area is like a distorted reflection of the rising concentric circles.  Why?  I don't know.  What does it mean?  I have no idea, but somehow it enhances the painting. 

I think more abstract and modern art is enhanced by display in museum conditions. Space and lighting help make them feel like art. 

Ocean Park #70

I thought this one though was really interesting. By this time Aleah was ready to move on to the art that "looks like something."   

There was a miniature of this sculpture in the museum and so we visited the full size sculpture in the park, where there was an Asian cultural festival. This was Aleah's element. Food, people, dancing.