Big wheel

Thursday

Today was a gorgeous autumn day, starting with a touch of frost, but followed by clear blue skies and sunshine all day. This morning we headed downtown to the Taft Museum of Art, to see an exhibition, “Paris to New York: Photographs by Eugène Atget and Berenice Abbott”. In Paris in the 1920s, a young American photographer Berenice Abbott (1898–1991) encountered the elderly French photographer Eugène Atget (1857–1927), and their contact proved to have profound and lasting effects on the careers and legacies of both artists. This special relationship is outlined and traced through a selection of images created by the two photographers. Atget focussed on the old Paris, some of which would shortly disappear due to development, whilst Abbott’s New York, captured some remnants of history, but also the interesting juxtaposition of the old against the new soaring skyscrapers of the 1930s. Just as Atget influenced Berenice, she in turn had a great impact on the older man’s place in history, as she acquired a significant portion of Atget’s estate and promoted his work in both France and the United States. It was a fascinating exhibition. Having seen the exhibition, we enjoyed lunch at the museum cafe, then drove down to the Riverfront to have a walk in the glorious sunshine. The Ferris wheel in my picture is a temporary installation, up through the beginning of December, to celebrate 10 years of the Banks Riverfront development. Unfortunately there wasn’t time to ride it today, as we had to make sure we got back in good time for Bell choir followed by Choir at church.