Are you guys starting to appreciate New York City more? I think I just might be seeing the city in a new light. For me the Anthony Caro Exhibit became an excuse for taking a city adventure. I have only gone to the Metropolitan Museum of Art once before but this time I got to see the city from an exciting view. As for the exhibit itself I’d say it was all Location! Location! Location!
The fact that this exhibit was in one of the most famous museums in New York City already gave it importance. It was not just in the museum. It was on the roof of the museum. Awesome right? Going onto the roof of any building in Manhattan has got to be a treat and which is why I thought Anthony Caro would be a super high class exhibit. Viewing the exhibit and the sculptures might have felt exciting but that soon wore off. Instead of the sculptures I figured out that the view of Manhattan was much more intriguing. From this view you could see the green of Central Park contrast against the industrial architecture of the city beyond. Although colorful, the sculptures seemed to be mere appetizers before the New York City entrée.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m no art critic and I know nothing of how sculptures are created, what they mean, and the hard work that must go into it. Anthony Caro himself must be a respected sculptor who has worked hard to get his work into a famous museum. Mr. Caro himself is living and has lived the life of an artist. His primary objective wouldn’t be to get his stuff in a museum so he could gain fame. I suspect that as an artist he just does what he loves and is able to build a successful career around that. If I was Anthony Caro I would be proud of the work I do whether or not anyone else is interested because I would do it for me. The fact that the museum curators wanted to make an exhibit out of some of his work is an extra that is fortunate. Mr. Caro could have been more concerned with pursuing other work to fulfill his passion.
Oh I almost forgot to discuss my thoughts on why the sculptures were on the roof anyway. They could have been inside the museum and regarded as respected work just as they were outside. When I first saw the sculptures it reminded me of outward-bound day that all of us Macaulay kids were part of. On Governor’s Island there were large iron sculptures in the middle of the field that made the scenery more appealing and gave it a classy touch. They were pieces of art that were durable and not delicate to the outside environment whereas indoor art is delicate to simple things such as flash photography(which I got yelled at for doing one time but maybe he yelled more because my tired little cousin sat on one of those ancient chairs.) I think that similar to the sculptures on Governor’s Island, Caro’s sculptures were also durable and highlighted the roof to make it more visually appealing. No one is going to start yelling “That is totally NOT ALLOWED!! >=|” if you take a bunch of pictures on the roof. The roof was actually a great place for a photo session so all the tourists can take pictures and show all their friends on Facebook how much fun they are having in New York. The scene greatly outstood the artwork itself. If this exhibit wasn’t being displayed in the Met’s roof would anyone of us even know who Anthony Caro was?
