Monday

On one of our final days in the city, we had the luxury of rolling into MoMA on the coattails of our friend Johnny, who has a membership. We have missed MoMA on all of our last few trips (due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or simply not having enough hours in the day) so it was with a sigh of pleasure and relief that we found ourselves able to introduce Q to the NYC institution on this trip.
Q loves museums of all varities, and most days if you ask her "what would you like to do today?", her first word will be "museum" (or "mee-mee" which is as much of it as she can so far pronounce, with her speech delay). Her next thought will inevitably be "pool" ;)
But let me tell you it's a delight to have a child whom one does not need to force, cajole or bribe into spending an hour at a museum.
She genuinely enjoys it, and on this occasion she was reveling in the pleasures of having both daddy and Johnny doting on her at all times (well, and mommy too, except that mommy becomes a sort of appendage to the camera on these occasions).
We were not able to make it into the Tim Burton show, unfortunately, since it was new and the lines were formidable. Too much to ask of a two-year-old who is not accustomed to NY-sized crowds. Also, it's probably best for her sleep patterns that we didn't make it in, since the gaping, toothful maw of the sculpture that Burton created for the entry doorway was already sending the Q into paroxysms of denial.
M, Q, and Johnny surveying the museum map, and choosing our next gallery.
Splendid red hair in the photo gallery.
A pleasing blend of colors and shapes.
This guy was my man. I don't know who he is, but oh, he had grace and style.
I kept spotting him in different areas of the museum, and could not resist recording his exquisite sartorial sense. It's the rare human who owns their style so completely and naturally, and with such perfect self-possession. I felt like giving him an ovation.
Random corners.
Oh, I do love chairs. I realize that not everyone thinks of a chair as a work of art, but to my eyes it is among the highest forms. This one is one of my all-time favorites in the historical field of chair design.
Q and Johnny hit it off right away. It's always a pleasure when your child bonds naturally with one of your friends. In this case, it was a very organic bonding. Yes, Johnny came equipped with gifts on each of our meetings (which doubtless contributed to Q's feeling of goodwill toward him), but it was more than that. They just clicked. It was a real pleasure to watch them enjoying the museum together, hand in hand or arm in arm. Johnny is one of those rare and special non-parents who is a natural with children. Q still talks about him today, weeks after our return from NYC.

11 comments:

Evelyne said...

merci pour ce beau reportage sur New York. De belles rencontres mais QQ est sûrement trop jeune pour se faire des souvenirs....restera les photos !

Simply Mel {Reverie} said...

Nothing beats a day at the museum - especially when accompanied by wee eyes of wonderment!

Love the chair! Yes, they are beautiful pieces of art!

anna said...

I was there a year ago and really didn't want to leave, I see some great new stuff on your photos. I love the fact Q enjoys it so much!

Theresa said...

Lucky you. I miss art museums. Come on over with Q. She might like my post today, a "big girl" singing...

Yanyan said...

It is so heart warming to 'walk' through this museum visit with Q in this post. Q already got a very good taste of fine living, museum and pool, New York city and charming friends! hey, way to go!

Theresa said...

Hi there. Cool that Q likes guitar at such a young age. Check out this comment exchange at this woman photographer's post today. We are chatting it up about kids and music...fyi http://photographybymerilee.blogspot.com/

Juniper said...

Oh you have made me long to visit Moma again, my brother and sister both live in NYC and we are hoping to stop through next time we visit the states. Enjoyed your man with style shots, he certainly caries the style with natural grace.

Juniper said...

Oh you have made me long to visit Moma again, my brother and sister both live in NYC and we are hoping to stop through next time we visit the states. Enjoyed your man with style shots, he certainly caries the style with natural grace.

Anne said...

You're lucky that you can still visit museums with Q. Muguet loves it as well but now she shows too much interest: she wants to touch :(
It drives me crazy so I can't enjoy the visit!
I still haven't seen the Tim Burton exhibition. I need to hurry...

Merisi said...

Thank you for sharing your impressions of much missed MoMA with us!

I sometimes joke that our children lived at the Smithonian museums and the Phillips collection when they were little. We spent so much time there together! So many of their own art works and interests were inspired by those visits (what a gift that except for the Phillips, there was not entrance fee!).

I agree with your statements about chairs!
When we moved from DC, one of the last purchases was the Eames lounge chair and ottoman. Infact, I own a friend's chair - because the movers were already packing up at our home - and ordered a new one for her! It was such comfort knowing this beloved piece would wait for me at our new home. And I am also grateful I did not pay the more than 6,000 Euros it costs here.

Catalina said...

Beautiful pics!!!