The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

My friend and I went up to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art this weekend.

I have to say that it was incredibly cool.  For a minute there, I forgot we were in Charlotte.

First off, the building is just beautiful.  It is very modern and I'm not being cute when I say that.  What I mean is that it the building is part of the experience and the architecture enhances the art.

The largest gallery is on the top floor and holds most of the paintings, lithographs and textiles of the collection and most of the more "iconically" modern pieces.  You can find works by Picasso, Calder, Miro, Leger, Kandinsky and Jasper Johns on this floor.  My favorite was a piece by Sam Francis and it's just about the first thing you see when you walk onto the fourth floor.  Here it is:

The third floor had a little living room set up with some iconic furniture pieces, including two original Le Corbusier chairs.  It also had several small bronzes by Alberto Giacometti and I especially enjoyed them.  Partly because I'm a fan of Giacometti and partly because they were so small.

The second floor had some large sculptures and the most recent paintings, most by Jean Tinguely.  I have to say that I didn't get most of it, but it made me think. 

My friend and I were talking about whether we "liked" most of what we saw.  We decided that modern art is a little bit harder to quantify.  We both agreed that it was easy to look at a Monet and think how pretty it is, how inspiring.  If you look at a piece of modern art, it might not be immediately likeable but then you see one that speaks to you or catches your interest in some way and you have to think about it a little more.  I don't know that I'd want to live with it, but it was a very nice way to spend the afternoon.