New York, day 3, Guggenheim

Outside of the museum.

Everybody knows this museum, one of the most visited places in New York. Every six months the museum has a different theme. This time the theme was “Contemporary Photography/ Video/Performance”. Much of contemporary photography and video seems haunted by the past, by the history of art, by apparitions that are reanimated in reproductive mediums, live performance, and the virtual world.



There was nothing that I liked in the contemporary section, furthermore many videos were so disgusting and revolting that I couldn’t stay in the show room for a second, and I can assure you that I was not the only one who felt this way.

For example: an eerie video called “A nails biter” is a video of a crazy  guy confined in bed, drooling  with saliva, all his bed sheets covered with old nails which he is constantly biting and staring at you with an insane look. It is not healthy, it’s just so sick. I don’t know how come the artist is allowed to present his video. I guess I have no qualifications to judge this kind of “art”, but I am a human being who is supposed to perceive it and I don’t like it at all.

I could continue with many other examples of cutting hands, sticking needles in skin and photographing all this insanity, but I refuse…



The first two floors were dedicated to “normal” art. I couldn’t take pictures of my favorite paintings; at least I can mention the names of the artists: Picasso, Edouard Vuillard and the one I admire the most, Claude Monet. I saw these paintings 4 years ago, but I am still fascinated and awed by the prodigious beauty of this art.

The interior of the round hall in Guggenheim.

“Wicked” at the “Gershwin” theater

After the museum visit we had tickets to “Wicked” in the “Gershwin” theater at 222 west 51^st street. The musical was much better than “Mamma-Mia” and the tickets were a bit more expensive. I never saw this performance before and the story was new for me. I liked it.

                                                                                                                                   “Elio’s”

At 8 o’clock we had a reservation at “Elio’s,” the 40.7768 -73.9527 restaurant located on 2nd Ave at #1621.

The restaurant is located outside the tourist area and you have to know how to get there. The food was delicious, the wine was fabulous, and the dessert was to die for. The good news was that the check was tolerable, especially compared to the check that we got the day before in fancy “San Pietro”. I highly recommend you visit “Elio’s” when you have the opportunity.