AUGUST 2-AUGUST 18        NORTH KINGSTOWN, RHODE ISLAND

We have experienced considerable rain in the past two weeks so the exterior of the boat has remained very clean.  I have continued to work on making a catalog of David’s Southwestern Indian pottery collection.  David began collecting in the 1960’s and has continued to date.  It is a small but select assortment of Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, and Acoma pots, bowls and vases.  I hope to have my part of the project completed before we return home in October.

On August 16, we journeyed by car to New Haven, Connecticut to visit the Yale Art Gallery.  We left Pretzel on the boat.  The trip took only about one and one-half hours, mostly by I-95.  Traffic was moderate and we enjoyed being out of the boat. 

Yale has the oldest college art collection in the United States and has benefited significantly from generations of generous donors (mostly prominent alumni).  Housed in a Modernist building designed by Louis Kahn and opened in 1965, it has expanded the collection considerably through the years.  Unlike the Kimbell Museum which has retained Kahn’s original design, Yale has modified the interior of the galleries and extended access into an older structure.  The renowned tetrahedral ceiling is still intact and the museum benefits from the intimacy it provides.

I have enjoyed reading A History of the Yale Art Museum book purchased as I was leaving and was surprised to learn their exceptional collection of Modern Art was primarily a gift of Katherine Dreier, a friend of Marcel Duchamp, Gertrude Stein and many early Twentieth Century artists.  Her photograph depicts a dowdy, little lady in sensible shoes who could have been a Baptist Sunday School teacher in the 1940’s.  At one time, she owned a collection rivaled only by MOMA and the Gugenheim Museum.  Yale was the fortunate beneficiary of her largess.  It was delightful to view the galleries devoted to her collection and other donors of Modern Art.

After a delicious lunch (mushroom and chicken pappardelle, grilled octopus with avocado and pear arugula salads) at Harvest Restaurant across the street, we took a short tour of the campus before returning to Wickford.  Our plans to visit the Yale Center for British Art were changed due to its temporary closure.  Just as well, as we needed to return before dark. 

As a teaser for those of you who love art, I am including some photographs of my favorites.  In order, the artists are:  Yuan Dynasty Blue and White Porcelain,  Diego Velasquez, Franz Hals, Franz Hals, Sandro Botticelli, Fernand Leger, Hans Hoffman, Edward Hopper, and Amadeo Modigliani.