Max Beckmann in St. Louis, Missouri
SLAM & WashU
I was in St. Louis last week. I gave a lecture at the Sam Fox School of Art and Design at Washington University, participated in a critique of thesis work by grad students there, and did a painting demo. I was invited by my illustration compatriot, John Hendrix, who chairs the MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture program. I met so many nice people and saw some good work. It was lovely.
On Thursday I had the better part of a day free and John suggested I visit the St. Louis Art Museum. He remembered that I like the German Expressionist Max Beckmann, and told me they have a big collection of his work there, so I went.
SLAM is a stately old art museum in St. Louis’ own Forest Park. (We have a Forest Park in Portland too; Wildwood is set there.) I had been to this Forest Park before - on a Decemberists tour, when Hank was little. I didn’t remember much about it except that the museum was free, as was the zoo, and that - famously - someone stole my stroller outside of the herpetarium.