I am going to start doing this every few months. Museums are one of my favorite places to go and I think they are sometimes over looked. I think they are perfect for a date or even with the kids. I have the best memories of going to the MET for the first time when I was 11, the Smithsonian to see the Ruby Slippers or with my Mom to Musee de L'Orangerie in Paris. So, I have decided to inspire my readers and do the homework for you. I am going to feature a few different museums each time I do this. Today, I will do a few I have been to, but in the future I will do ones I haven't been to. Any recommendations are always welcome. Enjoy!

Museum of International Center of Photography NYC

I was first introduce to this museum by my best friends sister who was majoring in photography. She was so passionate about it that you couldn't help but be intrigued by the art of photography. Something I loved but didn't put much thought into before that. Needless to say, my friend is now director to one of the most important photography dealers in the world. I still love seeing great photographs, but now I have to travel to London if I want her to play tour guide.

Whats Current

This major retrospective showcases the career of photographer and filmmaker Elliott Erwitt, the recipient of this year's ICP Infinity Award for Lifetime Achievement. Distinguished as both a documentary and commercial photographer, Erwitt has made some of the most memorable photographs of the twentieth century, including portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, and Che Guevara, as well as astonishing scenes of everyday life, filled with poetry, wit, and special sense of humor.

Musée de l'Orangerie- Paris, France

Tyler Taylor photo

I had gone to Paris I think 4 times before I went into this museum. I know...stupid me. However it worked out well because my Mom was with me and it was a wonderful experience to share with her.

The feeling I got when I enter this circular room surrounded by the eight Water Lilies by Claude Monet was overwhelming gratitude for being able to experience something so beautiful. The museum only allows a certain number of people in there at a time, so it's not a quick crowded experience. It's actually perfect. I can't really describe that day, but I can say I think about it often.

Tyler Taylor Photo
Mom

Tyler Taylor photo

The Phillips Collection- Wash. D.C.

Since I am from Washington D.C I was lucky to have wonderful museums all around me. This is my sisters favorite museum. It really is a gem that I think a lot of out of towners skip as being "too small." That would be missing the point all together. Some of the best museums in the world are small boutique types that have handpicked very carefully the best pieces to represent them. The Phillips is no exception.

Whats Coming in OCT 2011

Degas’s Dancers at the Barre: Point and Counterpoint

Edgar Degas (1834–1917) was immersed in and fascinated by the world of ballet. His creative process in approaching a painting became akin to choreography. This exhibition attempts to uncover the history behind his late masterpiece in The Phillips Collection, Dancers at the Barre. A rich selection of preparatory studies and works in various media reveal the complex process that underlies this bold and timeless painting

The Albright-Knox Art Gallery-Buffalo,NY
This museum was started in 1862 and is one of the oldest public arts institutes in America. Originally called the Albright Gallery started with private funds by John Albright, Seymour Knox Jr. came into the picture some 30 years later with more support and the art knowledge to begin what is still considered the museums most treasured and strong art works. The museums name was changed to recognize who many considered the backbone of the museum. Today, The Albright-Knox is continued to be viewed my art collectors and curators to have one of the strongest art collection in America. Sadly, their location has kept them off the tourist trail, but I promise it's so worth going.

Russell Lee

Whats Coming in Oct

FULL COLOR DEPRESSION—FIRST KODACHROMES FROM AMERICA’S HEARTLAND

This exhibition will feature a selection of rarely seen color photographs from the Library of Congress’ Farm Security Administration (FSA) photography collection. The black-and-white photographs taken by the FSA’s team—composed of Walker Evans (American, 1903–1975), Dorothea Lange (American, 1895–1965), Ben Shahn (American, 1898–1969), Russell Lee (American, 1903–1986), and others, under the leadership of Roy Stryker—include some of the most recognizable images of American cities, towns, and countryside during the Great Depression. The team began documenting America in 1935 and ultimately took at least 175,000 black-and-white images, as well as some color images using a film called Kodachrome.

Jack Dela

Milwaukee Art Museum

Santiago Calatrava
The pavilion was engineered by the Milwaukee-based engineering firm, Graef, while the construction manager was also Milwaukee-based, C.G. Schmidt. The structure contains a movable, wing-like brise soleil which opens up for a wingspan of 217 feet during the day, folding over the tall, arched structure at night or during inclement weather. The brise soleil has since become a symbol for the city of Milwaukee.

I visited this museum when I was with Sotheby's and it still is one of the oddest buildings I have ever seen. Besides that fact that it flaps it's wings, it reminded me of Dulles airport in Washington D.C. However, the their art collection is really wonderful.