Be sure not to miss Steins Collect at SFMoMA, closing September 6th.  What a thrill to explore the process and result of such passionate, dedicated and pioneering patrons.  I agree with Gertrude Stein’s advice to a younger Hemingway when he was lamenting the fact that Picasso had gotten too expensive for him – “you must buy art of your own age. “

Gertrude and Leo Stein’s atelier at 27 rue de Fleurus, Paris, ca. 1908-9; photography by Teresa Ehrman; Dr. Claribel and Miss Etta Done Papers, Archives and Manuscripts Collections, The Baltimore Museum of Art.   Via flicker user, KQED News

As an aside…seeing Woody Allen’s recent film, Midnight in Paris, adds a delightful layer of nostalgic reference that brings this exhibition to life.

Small treasures…

I love how SFMoMA has used Dr. Carl Djerassi’s gift of Paul Klee works in so many different ways over the years.  In the most recent showing, Bay Area artist Andrew Schoulz was invited to respond to Klee with creation of new works on paper.  Images in Dialogue: Paul Klee and Andrew Schoultz (through January 8, 2012) shows the staying power of Klee’s legacy and his continued influence on artists that followed him.

Andrew  Schoultz, Cloud City, 2011, acrylic and ink on paper                                                   source:  Marx & Zavattero

Paul Klee, Luftschlösschen (Little Castle in the Air), 1915; print; etching. Collection SFMOMA, Gift of the Djerassi Art Trust      source:  SFMoMa

Juxtaposed with Andrew Schoultz I saw new meaning in Klee’s work which has always been considered inventive and cutting edge for his time.  While Schoultz utilizes art historical references, his intensely imaginative and socio-politically charged work is unmistakably “of this age.”

JBK