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| Duke University Gardens |
We are definitely south of the Mason Dixon Line today. While yesterday we were bundled up against sleet and cold, today we shed our jackets to enjoy the 70 degree sunny weather of Durham, North Carolina. We started our day at Duke University and the Nasher Museum where a fabulous show of 50 works collected by the Cone sisters of Baltimore was on view. The Cone sisters began collecting art in 1905 directly out of the Parisian studios of Matisse, Picasso and more. They were great friends with Gertrude and Leo Stein who introduced them around the Parisian art scene. The collection is just beautiful with pieces I've seen only in reproduction like Matisse's Large Reclining Nude. You may link here to see a few of the pieces. There is one other gallery of several enclaves that holds a few acquisitions, some Greek & Roman antiquities, and a show of works chosen from the collection, Exposing the Gaze: Gender and Sexuality in Art. Here, I saw a Mickalene Thomas, the artist currently showing at the ICA in Boston. I was pleased to see a Petah Coyne (having met her several times at my old Fairhaven neighborhood B&B) The last time I saw her work it was all white wax. This piece was black.
Later, we visited the Duke Chapel, which is a strong example of collegial Gothic architecture. The organ was impressive, but we were puzzled by the representation of Girolamo Savanarola in the door jam statues. He was responsible for the Bonfire of the Vanities, a most sad campaign of burning art and other vanities.
A final campus venue was the Duke Gardens. Extensive and already showing spring life, the gardens are 55 acres that include rose and iris gardens, a koi pond and 5 miles of pathways.
We drove downtown for lunch where we found The American Tobacco & City Center. Here, the old tobacco factories have been converted into a mixed use place of restaurants, businesses and schools. We had a nice lunch at Cuban Revolution. Nearby was the Bull Durham baseball stadium.
Tonight we found Nana's, a very above average restaurant. Wayne had a scrumptious short rib dish and I had risotto with a duck confit salad. The waiter was professional. The art on the walls superb, Jane Filer.
See some of our day at flickr.
