Palm Springs Art -- Marilyn Monroe & Museum Exhibitions

Forever Marilyn (2011),
John Seward Johnson II

The controversial Forever Marilyn statue returned to Palm Springs, CA in June of 2021 and is expected to stay there for 3 years. Created by artist, Seward Johnson in 2011, the city rented the 26-ft. tall statue of Monroe for 26 months before moving her to Hamilton, New Jersey for the Seward Johnson Retrospective. While she now faces Palm Canyon Drive, her backside is what you see when leaving the art museum. I don't remember seeing that angle in 1955's Billie Wilder film The Seven Year Itch. At first blush, the size of the statue reminded me of Daryl Hannah's character from the 1993 remake of the 1958 horror film, Attack of the 50-ft. Woman.

In the house where we are staying there's a movie poster from another Wilder/Monroe film, 1959's Some Like it Hot. Palm Springs seems to be enamored with Marilyn Monroe.

Love & Peace (2019), Curry Mendes

This year, when I arrived at the Palm Springs Art Museum (PSAM), I expected to see Marilyn out front. Instead, I looked out the museum window down the sidewalk toward Palm Canyon Drive to see her white panties under the spotlights. In a prior visit to the museum in 2018, Marilyn was featured in the Andy Warhol exhibition. She also adorns the wall of Lulu California Bistro on a floral-haired 15'X15' mural.

The second reason I wanted to visit PSAM again was to see the exhibit of American abstract expressionist Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011). Previously, I saw the 12 Women of Abstract Expressionism exhibit which featured her early works along with those of Elaine de Kooning and Lee Krasner (among others). PSAM also once held another of Frankenthaler's works that was mostly in the color red. Unfortunately, I have to say that I much prefer her earlier works to those painted in her final years.

Mountains and Sea (1952), Frankenthaler

I love her softer early work in which she introduced her soak-stain technique, as displayed in her 1952 painting, Mountains and Sea.

80" Great Rhombicosidodecahedron
(2020), Anthony James

I always look forward to seeing what artwork is featured in the lobby of PSAM. This year visitors are drawn to a fantastic dodecahedron made of stainless steel, mirrors, and LEDs. It's like something out of the TV series, The Twilight Zone or the original Start Trek. I'd bet that all could be explained by Mr. Spock! It's like a hall of mirrors filled with geometric shapes that appear to deepen into what I can only describe as wormholes.

What I especially enjoy about this work is that each window enables patrons of different heights to peer into the fascinating work and witness their own personal kaleidoscopic view. So amazing!

Le Même Si (1959), Roberto Matta

The final two pieces are by Chilean Modernist painter Roberto Matta (1911-2002). He was part of the Surrealism movement in Paris and influenced the beginning of Abstract Impressionism, along with his contemporary Jackson Pollock (married to Lee Krasner).

10 Famous Artists with Aquarius/Pisces Birthdays

Balloon Dog (Red)
(1994-2000), Koons

This post is inspired by the astrological signs of Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) and Pisces (February 18 - March 20). I decided to write about famous artists born under these signs, starting with American Pop Artist, Jeff Koons, who was born January 21, 1955. The Aquarian is famous for his pop culture sculptures of everyday objects. His balloon animals (e.g. dogs) are especially iconic. I stumbled upon his red dog while browsing for clipart to use for a Valentine I was making. I've always been fascinated by such imaginative creations made from those hard-to-inflate long, slender balloons that look like they are about to pop. Koons' (red, blue, yellow, orange, or magenta) dogs are made from stainless steel that has been covered by transparent varnish.

Blown Away Balloon Dog
(2020), Josh Mayhem

My daughter and I have watched the Netflix TV series, Blown Away, where contestants compete to make objects out of glass. Given the scale of such a sculpture, it probably wouldn't have worked in glass. Although I haven't seen anyone create balloon animals out of glass, I did locate some online that were made of acrylic resin on resin. Personally, I prefer the stainless Koons' steel version as opposed to Mayhem's mass-produced acrylic objects.

The Kiss (1907-08), Gustav Klimt

Originally, I was looking for artwork relating to Valentine's Day or the topic of Love. I had previously posted my Top 15 Paintings that Use Primary Colors -- Red, Yellow, and Blue, including Gustav Klimt's (born under Cancer) The Kiss (Lovers). I received a jigsaw puzzle of it this year for my Capricorn birthday. I've also posted about Famous Capricorns Throughout History and 10 Artists with April Birthdays. Another one of my favorite posts is Things That Go Together in Art – Subjects, Portraits, Landscapes/Seascapes, Still Lifes, and Couples.

AQUARIAN Artists

I've already covered examples of Art of the Zodiac & Artists' Astrological Signs. Let's take a deeper look at the work of other famous Aquarian artists -- Édouard Manet, Jackson Pollock, Norman Rockwell, Max Beckmann, and Joan Mitchell.

Bouquet of Flowers
(1882), Manet

Édouard Manet (born January 23, 1832) is famous for his paintings of peonies. I often use Manet's peonies when I teach about the concept of positive and negative space. 

Convergence (1952), Pollock

Blue Poles (Number 11)
(1952), Pollock

Jackson Pollock (born January 28, 1912) is most famous for his Abstract Expressionist drip paintings. These are two of my favorites.

Triple Self-Portrait (1960),
Norman Rockwell

My favorite Norman Rockwell (born February 3, 1894) painting has to be his 1960 Triple Self-Portrait which I blogged about in August of 2020. He also famously put his own head in the peanut gallery of his baseball painting, The Dugout.

Self-Portrait with Green Scarf
(1917), Max Beckmann

Aquarian German Expressionist Max Beckmann (born February 12, 1884) painted this and several other self-portraits. I love his bold style with its use of black outlines!

No Birds (1987-88), Joan Mitchell

In 2017, I visited the Palm Springs Art Museum where they were exhibiting the Women of Abstract Expressionism, which included the works of 12 groundbreaking female expressionists. Here is one of the works of Aquarian Expressionist Joan Mitchell (born February 12, 1925). It is an homage to Vincent Van Gogh's Wheatfield with Crows (1890). This year, the work of her contemporary, Helen Frankenthaler, will be on display at PSAM.

PISCES Artists

Luncheon of the Boating Party (1880-81), Renoir

Now let's highlight the works of famous Pisces artists -- Pierre-Auguste Renoir (February 25, 1841), Michelangelo, Piet Mondrian, and Kehinde Wiley. Renoir's most famous painting has to be Luncheon of the Boating Party. It's a wonderful composition with the yellow hats, white fabric and offsetting striped awning to frame the group portrait.

David (1504), Michelangelo

Italian sculptor Michelangelo (born March 6, 1475) needs no introduction. On our trip to France and Italy in 2011, I saw his statue of David at the Accademia Gallery in Florence, Italy. If I had a bucket list, visiting Florence would definitely be on it.

Composition with Large Red Plane,
Yellow, Black, Grey and Blue
(1921), Piet Mondrian

I did an art lesson with kindergartners about LINE, inspired by the Dutch painter, Piet Mondrian (born March 7, 1872). His iconic geometric compositions may be recognized by his use of black lines and rectangles in primary colors. Mondrian is definitely one of those artists whose work is metaphorically an actor who has been typecast to repeatedly portray the same character .

Willem van Heythuysen (2005),
Kehinde Wiley

Let's end with Pisces American portrait artist, Kehinde Wiley (February 28, 1977). I saw his impressive work at the Seattle Art Museum's A New Republic exhibition in 2016. I love the intricate and often floral backgrounds he uses to highlight and celebrate urban black individuals in aristocratic poses. While the clothing is modern, his treatment and symbolism reach back to ancient Greece, imperial Rome, and the conquests of European Kings and Queens. Here he reimagines Frans Hals' portrait from 1625. You simply have to see these life-size portraits in person!