The Steins Return Home

(images courtesy of SFMOMA.org)

This Saturday, May 21, The Stein's Collect opens at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Gertrude, Leo, Michael, and Michael's wife Sarah, were pioneers of modern art. After moving to Paris in the first decade of the 20th century, the Steins began to amass a collection that is hard to rival today. Originally from the Bay area, they became expats and dove head first into the bohemian society in the city, counting Picasso and Matisse as close friends. The Left-Bank apartment which Gertrude shared with her brother Leo became the exhibition space for modern art, before it was "modern art," and at a time when it was not being showcased widely in museums. Gertrude and Picasso developed a long-lasting friendship, and one of the pieces in the collection on view is a portrait of her. The Steins were not afraid to house controversial material, and held salons on Saturday evenings at their homes for friends and neighbors to come view their art and have heated discussions.

As patrons of relatively unknown artists at the time, the Steins spent their modest means on art, and only art. Which explains why the collection going on view tomorrow contains roughly 200 pieces. They were responsible for bringing Matisse's work to the U.S., which simultaneously shocked viewers, and yet became hugely influential on many young artists. As the SFMOMA's website explains, "the exhibition...is not a Picasso or Matisse retrospective...but tells the story of the Steins and their lives as highly unusual but frequently brilliant collectors and patrons." A story rife with drama, which sounds best fit for a novel. (Can anyone recommend one on the subject??) A rivalry developed surrounding Picasso and Matisse, along with a dispute between Gertrude and Leo that would ultimately lead to their estrangement. At the time of the Stein's rise to the top of the Parisian avant-garde, art was moving in a new direction, and as collectors, the Steins made bold moves. But fortunately for us as viewers a century later, they made all the right moves.

"It is no exaggeration that the Steins did more to support avant-garde painting than any other collectors or institutions anywhere in the first decade of the 20th century."

—Emily Braun, art historian

(Source: http://www.sfmoma.org/pages/exhibitions/details/stein_meet#ixzz1Mv6sD6ck

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art)

In Vino Veritas

(image courtesy of www.filminamerica.com)

(the following image courtesy of www.bayareaonthecheap.com)

What is it about our culture over the last decade that has us gripped so tightly onto wine connoisseurship? Is it a passing trend, (I hope not), or is wine simply in the midst of experiencing its long-overdue moment in the sun? After all, as I'm sure the French can attest, Pinot Noir is as much a part of their vocabulary as any other dietary staple. And in Tuscany, a meal isn't a meal without a carafe, (or two), of Chianti. It feels as if over the last decade our country has finally been exposed to the love of wine. With the release of Sideways in 2004, Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church brought to our attention the delights of a trip through our own wine country. And for those who had not previously been exposed to wine culture in America, the viewer realized that wine is daily life for portions of Northern California. With all of the new publications, iPhone applications and coffee table books dedicated to wine, we can all call ourselves "experts" of some sort.

This month's issue of Food and Wine aptly points out that wine has begun to saturate many aspects of our culture, from art and film, to design and beauty products, in Purple Reign: The Art of Wine. Upon reading it, Spill, a film about the artist Dennis Adams on an unusual trip through Bordeaux, promptly went straight to the top of my Netflix queue.

Is it any wonder then that wine should be the feature of a new exhibition at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art? I am lucky to have two friends who are tying the knot in Napa Valley come this October, and will be making the trek out west. (More on that to follow.) Unfortunately, this exhibit does not open until November 20 so I might have to find another excuse to get out there... But I find it very exciting that the purple tones of wine are being explored through new venues. If you have the chance, Peter Wegner's wine-hued mural, In [ ] Veritas, certainly sounds worth the trip. I for one, am delighted that so much attention is being given to this subject, and especially to our own stateside vineyards who certainly deserve it.