Ocean Park #79, 1975, by Richard Diebenkorn (Philadelphia Museum of Art)
Henri Matisse affectionately called Etta and Claribel Cone “my two Baltimore ladies.” Friends of Gertrude Stein and her brother Leo, the well-traveled, art-loving sisters assembled a collection of the artist’s work that is among the largest in the world. Baltimore-based arts journalist Richard Selden leads a visit to the Baltimore Museum of Art to view the extensive Cone Collection, which also includes pieces by Picasso, Gris, Miro, Giacometti, Mondrian, and other pioneers of modern art.
Visit the museum’s recently expanded contemporary art wing and the major exhibition Matisse/Diebenkorn, which explores the profound influence of Matisse on painter Richard Diebenkorn. Diebenkorn, who died in 1993, is best known for his Ocean Park series, large abstract works painted in his Santa Monica studio in the 1960s through ′80s. Round out the morning at the BMA with lunch at Gertrude's, which overlooks the museum’s sculpture garden and features chef John Shields' menu that celebrates Chesapeake cuisine.
The Maryland Institute College of Art in the charming Bolton Hill neighborhood is the afternoon’s destination. At MICA, one of the nation's top schools of art and design, tour the campus and view faculty, student, and alumni work, providing an inside look at current and future trends in contemporary art.
Fringe stop at about 9:55 a.m.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit