Dear friend,
Before modern museums there were Kunst- and Wundercamers, more widely known as “cabinets of curiosity”. Full of incredible automata, ivory trophies, measuring instruments, minerals, paintings and corals, this is where knowledge met wonder. Though they have been supplanted by the air-conditioned, methodically organized modern museums, this summer, I invite you to wander back into the world of marvels that these kunst cabinets once held, and to savor the sense of strange and marvelous they once evoked.
Book: “Codex Seraphinianus” by Luigi Serafini
This summer I am recommending you a book where you would not be able to read a single word. "Codex Seraphinianus" stands as one of the strangest and most beautiful art books ever crafted. Imagine, if you will, Stanisław Lem, M.C. Escher, Hieronymus Bosch, and Salvador Dalí confined in a subterranean studio, supplied with endless art materials and sustained solely on LSD. Tasked with creating an encyclopedia, what they might produce would surely resemble the Codex Seraphinianus. While its contents defy comprehension, the reader is invited to revel in a marvelous world of imagination, prompting a reevaluation of the very essence of humanity.
Behold : “The Arnolfini Portrait” Jan van Eyck
Northern Renaissance, though less heralded than Italian Renaissance, is no less spectacular. The era produced mesmerizing works—consider the surreal visions of Hieronymus Bosch. Among its renowned painters was Jan van Eyck, whose masterpiece, "The Arnolfini Portrait," at first glance appears plain and orderly. Yet, upon closer inspection, it overwhelms with its peculiarities: a single candle alight in the chandelier, and graffiti on the wall declaring, "Jan van Eyck was here. 1434." This enigmatic painting raises more questions than it answers, inviting the viewer into a world both familiar and strange.
* Here you can see a macro-photograph of “The Arnolfini Portrait” in supreme quality.
Hidden gem: Cabinets of curiosities of Europe
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Bvq1ieoFWcQGtcyc8
Although many original cabinets of curiosities have faded into obscurity, some still endure, others have been meticulously reconstructed, and new ones have been born. Mario Listri, with a discerning eye, has designed a book for Taschen that highlights 19 chambers housing remarkable collections. Inspired by this, I have taken the liberty of creating a public Google Maps list, which I eagerly hope to populate with discoveries from my own travels.
Music: “Wayfaring Traveler” by Keyon Harrod
Whether this summer finds you embarking on physical journeys to distant lands or indulging in the imaginary ones of poolside fiction, I heartily recommend Keyon Harrod's dreamy "Wayfaring Traveler." It serves as the perfect soundtrack for exotic and mysterious escapades, free of imperialist undertones. Let its melodies accompany your voyages with an air of enchantment and intrigue.
Attend:
Summer is a great opportunity to cleanse our pallets before we resume cultural escapades in fall. Here are some exceptions for the summer and what’s coming up in September:
Date: July 13 | Performance: Brothers Koren | Location: PAC
Date: July 13 |Event: Manhattanhenge | Location: Somewhere in 50th
Date: July 17| Ballet: Like Water for Chocolate | Location: American Ballet Theather
Date: July 23 | Music: Mozart & Strauss | Location: Lincoln Center
Date: July 26 | Movie: First Man | Location: Intrepid Museum (movie on flight deck)
Date: July 27 | Exhibit: The World of Irreversible Change | Location: Pace Gallery
Date: July 31 | Movie: Les Enfants Terrible | Location: Film Forum
Date: Aug 3 | Exhibit: Hiroshige’s 100 Famous Views of Edo | Location: Brooklyn Museum
Date: Aug 23 | Movie: Moonfall | Location: Intrepid Museum (movie on flight deck)
Date: Aug 30 | Opera: Marriage of Figaro | Location: Little Island
Date: Sep 5-8 | Armory Week - exhibits all over the city
Date: Sep 5 | Exhibit: Art on Paper | Location: Pier 36
Date: Sep 10 | Performance R.O.S.E. | Location: Park Avenue Armory
Date: Sep 18 | Performance: Monteverdi: Il Ritorno d'Ulisse | Location: Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
Date: Sep 24 | Opera: Les Contes d’Hoffmann | Location: The Metropolitan Opera
Date: Sep 27 | Opera: Grounded | Location: The Metropolitan Opera
Date: Sep 28 | Performance Indra’s Net | Location: Park Avenue Armory
*Metropolitan Museum of Art has an outstanding exhibit highlighting both marvels from the Northern Renaissance and and what Kunstkamers have contained ranging from ivories to automata.
Hermiting during summer,
Anna
I am trying to send every season some things that I find epicurean, audacious, and sanguine. You should receive the next update from me in the fall.