My Art Bucket List

In the 2007 movie, The Bucket List, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman portray unlikely buddies who both prepare lists of things they want to do before they 'kick the bucket'. (The origin of the phrase has a much darker side which I won't go into here.) Suffice it to say that many people write down their life goals, career aspirations, milestones they wish to reach (e.g. financial stability, retirement), resolutions (e.g. spending more quality time with family), travel destinations, and even daring activities (e.g. skydiving, bungee jumping). Maybe we shouldn't wait until retirement to begin crossing them off!

Hammering Man (1991-2), Johnathan Borofsky

Well before my own retirement, I began to volunteer, acting for the most part as an art docent who taught art in elementary schools. I also devoted my time and energies to assorted charitable efforts, mostly associated with fundraising. I then joined the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), hosting gallery events, serving on their executive committee, and applying to become a museum docent. I didn't make the cut. This iconic in-motion sculpture almost didn't make it to SAM when a crane dropped him in 1991, sending him back to the foundry for repair for another year.

Urns ('buckets') inside The Hermitage Museum

As a family, we also began to do more serious travel abroad roughly ~5 years before our retirement. This is how I was afforded the opportunity to visit famous art museums around the world. It turns out that I've visited the top 4 museums -- The Louvre Museum in Paris, France (2011), The Museum of Modern Art in New York, NY (growing up), The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia (2019 Baltic cruise), and Tate Modern in London (2017). I've also been to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MOMA) in NYC (growing up), The Musee d'Orsay in Paris (2011), The National Gallery of London (2017), and also the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy (2011). That crosses off 8 of the top 14 museums.

Apollo (1963), Henri Matisse

Although the Louvre and Hermitage are certainly impressive to visit, you'd probably need a few days each to do them justice. Maybe some day I'll return (another bucket list item?)! Probably my favorite museums that I've visited are the Matisse and Chagall museums in Nice, France in May 2011 and the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Sweden in June 2019. It's exciting to finally see the impressive size of works of art that you've only seen in books, online, or in thumbnails.

A trip to Madrid, Spain would cross off 2 more museums -- The Prado and Reina Sofia, with maybe a side trip to see Salvador Dali's museum in Figueres. A trip to visit my brother in Florida may require a side trip to St. Petersburg to see the other stateside Dali museum. I have no intention to visit Towada, Japan or The Hague in the Netherlands. That just leaves our own National Gallery in Washington D.C. and the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois.

Smokey Joe Williams (1985), Mackie

I'd love to return to New York City and revisit the museums of my childhood. Although the Baseball HOF wasn't on my bucket list, I did travel to Cooperstown, NY with my brothers in July, 2019 for the induction of Seattle Mariner, Edgar Martinez. The Art of Baseball museum was amazing! Love this painting of Smokey Joe Williams by Deryl Daniel Mackie.

Tough Call (1948), Norman Rockwell

And of course the iconic Tough Call by Norman Rockwell.

Seeing the works of HOF artist, Justin Farano was definitely a highlight, and I snagged prints of the Class of 2019 and Ken Griffey Jr.

Sculpted Gate inside the Park, Oslo

Turning to sculpture, I was lucky enough to finally visit one of the top 16 sculpture parks -- the Vigeland Installation within Frogner Park -- on my third trip to Oslo, Norway. I missed it on my first two business trips. The only other venue (from the list) that I've visited is Olympic Sculpture Park in my native Seattle. There are 5 that I could visit here in the USA and 7 more that don't seem as likely. I'd have to return to another part of Italy or venture to the Netherlands to catch sight of the final two parks.

When you go to almost any art museum, expect to be surprised. When you travel to almost any city, expect to witness visual art around you and explore the local art museums. You'll discover things that weren't necessarily on somebody's bucket list but still create wonderful memories to last a lifetime!