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| No photos were allowed in the exhibition. |
For New Year’s Eve, I traveled down to Raleigh again with my favorite traveling companion, Steve, to enjoy the city and the Rembrandt exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art. We had picked Raleigh for the holiday, since we enjoyed the trip last year and
Rembrandt in America was a big plus. Thankfully, we were able to get into the city a day earlier to explore at a leisurely pace.
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| Kneeling Angel |
Rembrandt in America is the largest collection of Rembrandt paintings ever presented in an American exhibition, the focus of which is the exploration of the collecting history of Rembrandt paintings in America. In addition to the Master’s works, the show also delves into the ideas of authorship and attribution. Several of the pieces in the exhibition were originally thought to be Rembrandts, yet through advanced scholarship, they have been identified as either pieces started by Rembrandt and completed by others in his workshop or the work of his protégés. Though, not works of Rembrandt directly, they still capture the style and traits of the Masters and have made an impact on the history of art collecting in the States.
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| Roxy Paine, Askew |
More than five years in the making, the show is in its last weekend before moving on to the Cleveland Museum of Art, February 19 through May 28. The Raleigh stop at the NCMA is the only East Coast venue for this show. The works have been assembled to include some of the finest paintings residing in American collections. NCMA Curator of Northern European Art Dennis P. Weller serves as a co-curator of this see exhibition, which has been. The show will continue on to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for the last stop, June 24 through September 16.
After the Rembrandt show, we visited the permanent exhibits at the
NCMA, including Egyptian artifacts, Contemporary art, pieces by well known names: Pissarro, Monet, Titian, Raphael, Rubens and Govaert Flinck – a contemporary of Rembrandt, as well as a collection of Rodin sculptures. (More photos from the permanent exhibits below.)
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Jan Burger & Donovan Zimmerman of Paperhand Puppet
Intervention, Rhea
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| Fireworks at City Plaza after the Acorn Drop |
Later in the evening, we headed to
Raleigh’s First Night Celebration. The highlight for us is the Children’s Celebration with features crafts, performances and interactive activities. From the Ferris Wheel to the street food, from the giant Lite Brite Board to the circus acts on the street, the culmination of the celebration is the People's Procession. As a metaphor for the end of the year, the Children's Celebration ends and the evening entertainment begins, this passage of time from afternoon to evening, like from old year to new year, is heralded in through a fun, colorful parade for children of all ages. The NC State University Pipes & Drums leads the parade with music and rhythm from the Capitol and down Salisbury Street into the street fair as folks cheer on the appearance of
Rhea, a giant puppet named after the Greek mother of the gods and designed to represent the landscape of North Carolina. The finale of the parade is the giant Acorn drop at City Plaza (for the children who can’t stay awake to usher in the New Year, and the city repeats this at midnight for those who can stay up.)
The combination of amazing cultural activities and vibrant revelry kicks off any New Year with the spirit of hope for the potential and possibilities that lie ahead. Energized by the night, we head off to the get dinner and to the bars to ring in 2012.
Additional photos of the NCMA permanent collection
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| Aaron Douglas, Harriet Tubman |
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| A bust of Aphrodite |
Later in the evening, we headed to Raleigh’s First Night Celebration. The highlight for us is the Children’s Celebration with features crafts, performances and interactive activities. From the Ferris Wheel to the street food, from the giant Lite Brite Board to the circus acts on the street, the culmination of the celebration is the People's Procession. As a metaphor for the end of the year, the Children's Celebration ends and the evening entertainment begins, this passage of time from afternoon to evening, like from old year to new year, is heralded in through a fun, colorful parade for children of all ages. The NC State University Pipes & Drums leads the parade with music and rhythm from the Capitol and down Salisbury Street into the street fair as folks cheer on the appearance of Rhea, a giant puppet named after the Greek mother of the gods and designed to represent the landscape of North Carolina. The finale of the parade is the giant Acorn drop at City Plaza (for the children who can’t stay awake to usher in the New Year, and the city repeats this at midnight for those who can stay up.) 
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