July 20                                     Montreal, Canada

After making a special Sunday breakfast and dining onboard, I left David to go to the Musee des Beaux Arts, the largest fine arts museum in Canada.  As it was one of the stops on our Gray Line route and my ticket was valid for two days, I decided to board the bus again and repeat part of yesterday’s tour.  I had an excellent guide and enjoyed seeing again the sights of the city  The former entrance to the Musee displays a magnificent Dale Chihuly glass sculpture named The Sun, purchased recently by popular subscription.

The Musee, once located in an impressive Beaux Arts style building, now has its entrance in a contemporary glass and steel structure across the street.  Designed by Moshe Safdie, it is a light-filled and welcoming space.  The main lobby is an atrium in black and white with accents of red.  Stairs leading from the area are in black granite and appear at first to be a gradual slope rather than a decline or incline.  Very, very user-friendly!!

The collection is extensive and varied.  There are some great hits and a few not so much.  Everything is beautifully installed in galleries with complementing colors.  I was pleased to see many paintings by Flemish and Netherlandish artists (recently studied in preparation for my imminent departure on the Kimbell Museum docent trip to Belgium) and especially delighted to see a lovely small sculpture of St. Sebastian by Tillman Reimenschneider, a master of wood carving.  I admired an exquisite portrait of a young lady by Rembrandt and Jacob Van Ruisdael’s Bleaching Fields Near Haarlem, once displayed at the Kimbell.

There is a tunnel passing beneath the street which serves as an entrance to the galleries for contemporary paintings, sculpture, and design items.  It is well-designed for functionality and beauty.  Above the contemporary galleries, one enters the original building of the museum with its grand staircase leading to the second floor and space for special exhibitions.  These galleries remain in their traditional state except for lighting improvements.

The special exhibition for the summer was a collection of works by Carl Faberge.  Numerous display cases contained artifacts once owned by the last Czar of Russia and his family.  Most had been manufactured by this famous jeweler to European royalty.  The highlights of the exhibition were the four Easter eggs made as special gifts for the Tzarina.  The “gossip on the street” was that one such egg had recently been offered for sale for $36,000,000. 

I was especially enamored with the exquisite cloisonné and jeweled teapots, vases, and other items that were miracles of craftsmanship.  Billed as the largest display of Faberge’s incredible genius outside of Russia, the exhibit was well-attended.  I was surprised I was allowed to take photographs. 

Leaving the museum after more than three hours, I planned to take a taxi to the boat but changed my mind when I saw the little red bus coming my way.  I again boarded the bus for the second part of the route and enjoyed seeing again the sights of Montreal with another excellent guide. 

Leaving the bus at its final stop at Dorchester Square, I started walking toward the Vieux Port and the boat.  Enroute I stopped at the Cathedrale Marie Reine-du-Monde, a scaled-down version of St. Peter’s in Rome.  Mass was being conducted so I very quietly entered and observed.  The interior is a beautiful combination of creams and apricots with gold accents.  It contains numerous paintings and sculptures but remains tasteful and pristine.  The dome is 249 feet tall, coffered, and provides light from the lantern on top to illuminate the altar.   

Montreal encourages outdoor art.  In front of L Hotel, an upscale boutique hotel, is a monumental Botero sculpture and a Robert Indiana icon.  My favorite is the witty depiction of  The English Pug and The French Poodle near the Basilica.

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