pagemoneky, our webmaster, and I took a field trip to THE DENVER ART MUSEUM this week. He wanted to take some videos, and I wanted to take some photos. We had both been there when the Hamilton building opened in 2007, and here is what I came up with this time.

This is a photo of the atrium. Whenever I’m here I feel a real sense of vertigo, and I’m reminded of an M.C. Escher drawing.

This piece looks so realistic that you almost want to be quiet because she might wake up at any moment.

It can only be displayed for a few months each year because light causes it to deteriorate very quickly.

It’s one of the iconic sculptures that DAM has in it’s permanent collection and it’s a perfect fit with the weird Hamilton wing.

 

This little guy is only about 2 inches tall although with those folks standing in the background he seems much larger.

He’s made of Styrofoam and really packs a punch. He’s on of my favorite pieces.

 

 

 

This piece is by an African artist. He seems to be astonished by what he sees, and when you see the entire statue he seems to be pleading for something.

I wish I could figure out what he wants.

(the cool part is he’s made of scraps from an auto repair shop - chunks of shock absorbers, mufflers and so forth - pagemonkey)

 

This is likewise by an African artist, and I just don’t know what to think of it.

But, for some reason I like it.

I’m strange that way.

It’s hard to capture - the colors are much more intense than they seem in this photo.

 

 

Who doesn’t like a healthy dose of PLEASURES in their life?

I guess this is what the curators thought as well.

 

 

 

This looks like a skylight but this building doesn’t really have a “roof.”

This skylight thing is really a window which looks out across the street to more art outside.

It’s artistic.

And sometimes a bit disturbing.

 

 

Traversing the stairs in this museum is always a bit of a challenge.

Because the Hamilton building itself is art inside and out, you’re tempted to gawk around and look at everything - and when you do, you find yourself bumping into the rail or the wall because these staircases change pitch and direction.

 

Some people simply can’t WAIT for new art.

This guy stood in front of a gallery being built, almost as if he expected it somehow to be finished and opened while he waited…

I swear, he looked like he was dying to get in.

Maybe he was the artist, hoping for the best.

Here is a detail from a very large painting which is one of my favorites in the collection.

It’s displayed in the western gallery, and the whole painting is about 8 foot by 6 foot.

It’s really quite spectacular. Amazing detail and color.

 

 

John Wayne, riding eternally as Rooster Cogburn in bronze.

The Chief in the background seems to be watching.

 

 

 

 

 

This piece is titled “It’s our pleasure to disgust you”.

I think that says it all.

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not sure if many have thought about licking their lover’s eye.

But, if you have a mind to do it be sure to take a photo of it.

Then you can say you’re an artist too!

 

 

“Fox Games” is one of the more charming installations in the museum right now. This whole thing fills one long hallway, and there are about 30 different foxes cavorting about all these red tables.

They’re very polite foxes though, as they’ve not knocked over anything on the tables.

 

This reminds me of a trick I once had.

The tattoos, the perspective - everything.

I wonder if the artist fucked him as well.

 

 

Here we have one more piece from outside the museum.

I felt it was important to add something from our Avian American artists as well.

Even if their work doesn’t “get” you, you must respect their dedication and prodigous output.

If you ever get a chance to come visit Denver, please spend a couple pleasurable hours wandering through The Denver Art Museum. I think the whole experience is truly memorable - inside and out - and you’ll find that the reputation Denver has as a “Cow Town” is somewhat misleading.

I think the term “Bovine Metropolis” is much better.

~ SamSez