TOP FIVE CONTEMPORARY ART DAY TRIPS FROM NYC

Spring is upon us and we’re all getting that itch to travel. And, with the airline industry still working out the post-pandemic travel rebound kinks, many people are looking to find the best trips one can take by train or by car. I am no different. With that, let me share a few tips for great day trips from NYC that contemporary art and design lovers can take with the help of Metro North and Long Island Rail Road. Maybe you can include them in your spring travel plans!

HEADING NORTH? DIA: BEACON AWAITS

Dia: Beacon is the place that art lovers gush about. And yet, many tourists and New York visitors have never heard about it. That is a shame. It is an excellent gallery and you can get there easily by hopping on a Metro North train at Grand Central station. 1.5 hours and many scenic pictures of the Hudson River from the train windows later, you’ve arrived at Beacon. From here, it’s a short walk to the former factory that has been transformed into one of the best contemporary galleries in the vicinity of New York.

So, what is Dia: Beacon and what kind of art can you find here? Dia: Beacon is part of the Dia Art Foundation that was founded in New York City in 1974 by Philippa de Menil, Heiner Friedrich, and Helen Winkler to help artists achieve visionary projects that might not otherwise be realized because of scale or scope. That’s also where the name comes from: a Greek word meaning “through”.

Dia: Beacon opened in the town of Beacon on the Hudson River in 2003. The former Nabisco box printing factory houses a collection of outstanding art from the 1960s to the present, along with special exhibitions. Contemporary art lovers (myself included) keep coming back for the permanent installations of Richard Serra’s giant steel forms, Michael Heizer’s negative sculptures, North, East, South, West and Negative Megalith, Dan Flavin’s light installations, or John Chamberlain's crushed metal car parts transformed into various sculptural pillars. The museum also has a great bookshop and a nice cafe on site. If that’s not enough, the city of Beacon has plenty additional cool artsy shops, restaurants and yes, more galleries just a few minutes away. Definitely worth adding to your NYC itinerary.

STORM KING ART CENTER

As the weather improves, you should make a date with the Storm King Art Center, a 500-acre outdoor museum in New York’s Hudson Valley. Hop on a Metro North train to Beacon and from there either take the seasonal shuttle or a taxi. The brilliant sculpture park that awaits you is worth the extra leg of the trip. Rarely do you find so much talent in one place. It’s a veritable who’s who of modern and contemporary sculpture: Louise Bourgeois, Lynda Benglis, Alexander Calder, Sol LeWitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Maya Lin, Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi, Richard Serra, Kenneth Snelson, and countless others. And, if walking around on your own is not your thing, rent a bike and circle the art on two wheels.

THE DONALD M. KENDALL SCULPTURE GARDENS (PEPSICO)

This is another outdoor sculpture park that is just a short trip away from the city. The idea was hatched by Donald M. Kendall, former chairman of the board and CEO of Pepsico in 1965. It launched a collection of works by major twentieth-century artists. Do you like Alexander Calder? Auguste Rodin? No? How about Jean Dubuffet or Claes Oldenburg? And what about Joan Miro, Henry Moore, or (my personal favorite) Alberto Giacometti? You’ve come to the right place. The sculptures are sprinkled around a carefully landscaped park with ponds and fountains that surrounds the Pepsico headquarters. So yes, you’re technically at a corporate campus, but it’s a pretty cool one and there is tons to see.

The gardens are open to the public in the spring and summer and you can drive here or take the train to White Plains or Rye, and then take a taxi to the headquarters. The No. 12 bus from the White Plains railroad station also stops at the headquarters.

PHILIP JOHNSON GLASS HOUSE

This is another iconic location that you should not miss when visiting NYC. The Philip Johnson Glass House is in New Canaan, Connecticut and you can get there easily on Metro North. From the train station, walk to the visitor center at 199 Elm Street, New Canaan CT, 06840 and (assuming you have booked your ticket ahead of time - this is a must here) - a visitor shuttle will take you to and from the site. It feels a little bit like a school trip!

The Glass House was built in 1948–49. It was designed by architect Philip Johnson as his own residence and is considered to be one of the most important and influential modern architecture projects.

Hidden away from the street, the house is on a larger property. There is a small pond (which helps with a little trompe l’oeil effect for at least one of the structures on the property, The Pavilion on the Pond.) Besides the famous glass house, there are several other buildings that are worth visiting: the Brick House which was used as a guest house, Painting Gallery with a great selection of 20th-century American art including works by Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg, Julian Schnabel, Andy Warhol, and Cindy Sherman. Then there is the Sculpture Gallery, the Study, the Ghost House, the Kirstein Tower (named for Johnson's friend dance choreographer Lincoln Kirstein), and "Da Monsta" which houses more art, including works by one of my favorites, John Chamberlain.

OK, NOW LET’S HEAD EAST… TO LONGHOUSE RESERVE

In the summer, many visitors want to head out to the NYC’s riviera, aka the Hamptons. Those looking to go beyond the beautiful people watching and beach lounging (if you can still call it that with a disco ball setup right on the sand (I am looking at you Gurney’s!)) should put The Longhouse Reserve on their list.

So, where and what is Longhouse? Founded by Jack Lenor Larsen, the reserve includes a great art collection, gardens, sculpture and programs, all focus on reflecting world culture and fostering of a creative life. You can find it in East Hampton. And, there is plenty to see: a spectacular sculpture park with more than 60 contemporary sculptures, including pieces by Buckminster Fuller, Yoko Ono, Sol LeWitt and Willem de Kooning, glass installations by Chihuly, as well as works of many other artists.

Getting to LongHouse Reserve is not difficult either, even without a car: take the train or the Hampton Jitney to East Hampton and grab a taxi or Uber from there. A wonderful summer day trip.

So, have I tempted you enough? Or will you stick to the tried-and-true NYC landmarks only?

ART AMONG THE PALM TREES

When I initially started planning my trip to Palm Springs, I met with some questions. Why are you going there? You will be missing Coachella! Modernism week is in February, not now! Will you be the youngest one there? All valid questions, reflecting the questioner’s personal preferences. And, to be fair the timing did put me in this storied resort town a bit off-season. But it fit my calendar, and that’s what matters.

LET’S START AT THE MUSEUM

The purpose of this trip was to relax and unwind. For me, that means finding good contemporary art galleries and museums and taking a peek. The first stop was a mere couple of minutes’ walk from my hotel: the brutalist structure housing the Palm Springs Art Museum. That’s where the first surprise awaited me.

Approaching the plaza in front of the museum I noticed a familiar set of sculptures - the giant crawling babies that I had last seen climbing the TV tower in Prague. A Czech girl comes to Palm Springs to see - Czech art? What are the odds! A closer read confirmed what I already knew - David Cerny’s babies are part of the local public art installation. And they are keeping company to another (infamous?) larger-than-life sculpture: “Forever Marilyn” by Seward Johnson. Caught in her iconic pose with her dress mid flight, Marilyn faces towards the downtown Palm Springs with her “derriere deshabillee” facing the museum. I have heard that perhaps this was a tiny deliberate act of rebellion by the artist? Today, Marilyn has plenty of company every day with tourists posing while peeking up her dress “for the ‘gram.” I chose to take my photo from a bit farther away.

The museum was a pleasant surprise. Currently housing a show by Gonzalo Ebrija, the entrance is unmissable with the upside down car planted among the palm trees. Inside, there is a little bit of everything, including a lot of contemporary art, much to my delight. There are works by John Chamberlain, Robert Irwin, Anish Kapoor, Anselm Kiefer, Donald Judd and right now, also Leon Polk Smith. And, some really good glass sculptures, including my favorite one by John Kiley. A great first stop for this art explorer.

ART IN… PALM DESERT

After the museum, where does one go next? In Palm Springs, you pop over to the Palm Desert neighborhood. That’s where the galleries are. Here, the art is different. As if to provide a bold counterweight to the muted desert color palette, a lot of Palm Desert galleries show art that is bursting with color and attitude. It pops, it leaves little to imagination and it gets in your face. So, if your taste runs towards pop art or bold abstraction, this is your destination. You can start at the large and eclectic CODA Gallery with its unmissable art wall and windmill garden outside. Or, if you want something even bolder, Elena Bulatova gallery is your go-to. My personal favorite was the slightly more minimalist J. Willot Gallery with its many pieces by John Kiley, my new favorite glassblower!

THE MECCA OF MODERNISM

Art is always on my mind. But what truly brought me to Palm Springs are the amazing modernist homes that you can find here.

And - as luck would have it - Modernism Week actually DOES happen outside of its February main slot! I accidentally timed my trip to coincide with its May installment and was able to get a couple tours scheduled. Great vacation karma, once again (friends reading this will understand). Yes, one can book the “celebrity” version, but I would strongly encourage you to find a true architecture tour. Even better if you find one that’s led by modernism guru Trevor, a trusted guide who knows every tiny detail and piece of information about every house. You will get to see the Alexander houses in the Las Palmas neighborhood, Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palms Estate, Albert Frey house, the home recently bought by “Leo” (Di Caprio) and many, many others. For me, the tour checked off another “bucket list” item: it brought me to the jewel that I had always admired - the Kaufmann House by Richard Neutra. It was love at first sight.

The second Modernism Week tour took me to the Indian Canyons neighborhood known for its spectacular William Krisel model homes (and for the instagram-savvy folks, the bright colored doors). Home after home dazzles you with its (mostly bright white) exterior, complemented by one of the many (did you know that there are over 70 designs?) breeze block patterns that are so iconic for the modernist architecture. Some have lawns, but most have adopted “zero scaping” to more thoughtfully integrate into the region’s desert climate. You can pass by the house that Mickey (Mouse) built, and if you bring binoculars or simply pay attention, you can also spot the giant masterful Bob Hope Residence on a hill above the city. From afar it looks a bit like a turtle :). All of it is a true feast for the eyes and if you are in the area, do not miss it.