The Billionaire's Museum (Part Two)

Several weeks have passed since I returned from Mexico, and I told you that I had several more posts to publish about that trip.  Well, I better get on that, because before you know it, in just 15 days, I will be returning to Mexico!

We left off at the Soumaya Museum, built by Carlos Slim, the richest man in Mexico, to house his art collection.

You may remember that I was rather critical of the collection and the way it is presented. It has been said that Slim's collection puts quantity over quality, and that the museum contains a lot of second rate art by first rate artists.  With his vast fortune he could have acquired a collection of masterpieces.  Instead he looked for bargains.  Why buy one superb Van Gogh, when you can get a couple lesser works by the same artist for less money? 

Continuing down the circular ramp, the next gallery is devoted to European art "from Impressionism to the Avant Garde".  These landscapes by Monet and Renoir are nice, but not representative of their best work...

"Landscape at Port Villez" by Claude Monet

"A Street in Essayes" by Pierre August Renoir

These two early paintings by Van Gogh are nothing like the vibrantly colorful works that we know and love.

"After the Storm" by Vincent Van Gogh

"Cabin with a Peasant Coming Back Home" by Vincent Van Gogh

There are perhaps a couple dozen works by Kahlil Gibran (whom I always thought of as a writer, not a painter).  Most of them are all similar portraits of women.  Does he really merit that many repetitious paintings?

The next gallery is devoted to the "Old Masters".  This painting of the crucifixion by El Greco is very similar to one in the Cleveland Museum of Art, but I think the one in Cleveland is better.

This "Mother and Child" is by Botticelli.  I don't pretend to be an expert on Renaissance art, but this does not strike me as being one of his best works.  The Madonna's face seems a little "off".

There are quite a few painting that are labeled "attributed to...", "from the workshop of..." by a follower of..." or by that prolific painter "anonymous".  At first glance this looks like a Da Vinci, but it is by "the workshop or a follower of Da Vinci".

Continuing down the ramp, the next gallery contains a collection of sculptures in ivory.  Although the work is exquisite, it is rather sad to think of the elephants that died, especially since the majority of the sculptures were done in the 20th century.

The final gallery is a "catch all" with antique record players, telephones, pocket watches and clothing.

I'm sorry if I sound like an art snob.  The good thing is that admission to the museum is free, so that it is accessible to everyone... even if it is far from a world-class collection.