Moe. Neigh.

If you visit New York between now and June 26th and are trolling around for a mind-blowing art exhibit, head over to the Gagosian Gallery on 21st St. between 10th and 11th Avenue. Some of the big-name galleries and art dealers in New York occasionally put on shows that rival those in the major institutions. For example, the nice people at the Gagosian are presenting Claude Monet: Late Work.


The exhibit contains 27 extraordinary works dating from 1904 to 1922. There's not a clunker in the whole show. These aren't the typical Monet "pretty" pictures you're use to seeing. These are paintings of his garden at Giverny that were executed through his failing eyesight.


I nearly passed out. I walked through the exhibit thrice and will probably go back for another peek before it closes.


The show was assembled via loans from museums all over the planet; Paris, Switzerland, Japan, Chicago. When you think of the breadth of what went into this exhibit (not to mention the cost), it's pretty impressive stuff. And what's really shocking is that nothing is for sale! (This is, after all, a gallery. Not a museum.) There's no admission charge, either! It's there for your enjoyment. Amazing. I love New York. And the Gagosians, too.


10 of these paintings (my favorites, as it turned out) are on loan from PRIVATE COLLECTIONS. These are pieces that are rarely, if ever, seen in public. It also means that somewhere in the world, someone walks into their dining room and one of these Monet's is hanging there. A new benchmark for my own ordinariness.


Monet's vision deteriorated to the point where he had to number his tubes of paint so he would know which color he was using. This was one of my favorites. It's borderline abstract expressionism.