Art Crush: Barnes + Knoll

On Friday, I went to Philadelphia to visit the Barnes Collection, which was absolutely breathtaking! It's a dazzling collection of Impressionist art, clearly assembled according to the unique vision of its founder. I particularly adored the many Modiglianis, and was surprised by how much I actually like Matisse, whose work I had written off before but couldn't ignore in the presence of more than a dozen exquisite works.

My most favorite work there would have to be a a portrait painted by Van Gogh, called The Postman, Joseph-Etienne Roulin (1889). It's a wonderful picture of an austere-looking bearded man in a navy postal uniform with a most-unexpected chartreuse background, dotted with pink peonies and curliques.

It's hard to describe in words how unbelievably stunning the Barnes Collection is; it really must be seen to be believed. After that, I stopped by the Philadelphia Museum of Art to say hello to an old friend, and had time for a peek at a couple of gems in the permanent collection as well as the small but essential show dedicated to the modernist design of Florence Knoll Bassett, whose work still looks remarkably fresh half a century after its advent.

Lots more happened, and I had the best day, but that's all you get here, darlings.