Free First Saturday

I decided to drive down to the Denver Art Museum (the DAM) this past Saturday for free First Saturday. Fortunately, since I am a member of the DAM, I was able to get inside immediately, as opposed to the rest of the general public, who had to stand out in the cold in long lines before being able to get inside, as seen in the photograph on the left.  And I must say, it is pretty inspiring to see so many people, many of them immigrants and first generation Americans, taking their children to the art museum when the opportunity allows, hoping to expand their horizons as best they can. Donald Trump would be amazed.

The main reason I wanted to visit the museum was twofold.  First, visiting on Free First Saturday means that there is a huge crowd, taking advantage of being able to enjoy this art for free, and the energy exuded by this crowd is just a fun experience.  Also, I wanted to take the guided tour of the Rembrandt: Artist and Printmaker exhibit taking place at 2:00 P.M.  Why it is that now that I am retired, I still have trouble getting places on time?  Regardless, I was able to make the tour on time and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not only was I able to enjoy the art, I learned many things about Rembrandt, including the fact that he loved making self-portraits (selfies in today's lingo), and that he was such a spent-thrift that he had to file bankruptcy and wound up having to give up all his printmaking plates to creditors.  The docent that gave the tour was extremely knowledgeable (seen expounding on a point in the photo on the right), and I strongly recommend that anyone who is able to take a tour of the exhibit while it is still here (through January 6th) certainly do so.

As I was leaving the museum, I couldn't help but notice that there was a long line of people waiting to get into the Dior: From Paris to the World exhibit.  Personally, I don't think this even approaches the level of art, but I can't deny that the exhibit is wildly popular.  On the other hand, even though it really isn't art, the sheer number of people willing to pay big bucks to see it means that the museum will be able to continue exhibiting truly great art like Rembrandt: Artist and Printmaker.  And so I shouldn't complain, although I must say I find complaining enjoyable now.  The end result will be the ability to see an exhibit like Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature, which will be here in Denver this coming October.  A small price to pay.