A: Is for the Museums that house great art

In route down 5th Ave I realized there were so many exhibits down Museum mile that I wanted to catch. We are so blessed to live in a city that boasts of a cultural haven and yet we rarely participate. Passing The Metropolitan Museum of Art on 82nd I noticed that an exhibit of Nan Kempner was getting ready to close, since I had decided to dedicate my column to Women over 40 who have influenced us Tuesdays during March I am dedicating the A: To Museums that calm, incite and allow history to stay intact by the artists who influence their culture.
I was introduced to the Met by the children's book "THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER". On my first visit to New York I couldn't wait to see if the book had described this remarkable structure accurately. Many a dream was spent getting lost in this world. I was not disappointed. Since coming to the Met my favorite section has always been the Egyptian wing and my visit is never complete without it. Displaying over 36,000 objects spanning from 5th millennium AD to 400 BC. It is daunting, awing and miraculous. The tomb of Pernab 2381 BC during the rein of King David awaits. The collection of jewelry of Hatshepsut a female pharaoh and the piece d' Residence the Temple of Dendur 15 BC are must sees. I brought my friend Deven who had never experienced this and she was enrapt, but lets not forget the reason I was here...Nan Kempler
born July 24, 1930 and dieing last year at 74 she was a socialite, famous for dominating society events, shopping, charity work and fashion. Owning 362 sweaters, 354 jackets; and a collection of some of the greatest designers in the world including Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, and Gaultier to name a few. She acquired some 3,000 garments. This obsession began when she bought her first couture gown - a white satin sheath dress with a white satin mink-trimmed coat - in 1958, from the first collection of Laurent, who was designing for Dior. When exploring the costume institutes exhibit I was struck by the fact that she had to be Bulimic or Anorexic so when I got home I did some research and I discovered she inspired the novelist Tom Wolfe to coin the term "social X-ray" when describing, the skeletal ladies-who-lunch on the Upper East Side in Bonfire of the Vanities. Sadly to say I was not wrong. We are shaped by our parental voices and her father told her: "You'll never make it on your face, so you'd better be interesting." At 12 she was sent to a diet specialist after she was deemed to have put on too much weight and ordered to eat "sandwiches" where the bread was replaced by iceberg lettuce. Consoling herself by poring over recipe books containing forbidden rich food she shared her knowledge in books. Fashion was her God and she had to undergo several operations after she broke her hip, having tripped in her bedroom while wearing a pair of 8-inch John Galliano heels. Married in 1952 her relationship thrived on the understanding that she travel to all the fashion shows and bought extravagantly, while turning a blind eye to his infidelities. Claiming not to mind, in an interview by Vanity Fair, "as long as they're attractive". She caused a furore in print stating she loathed fat people. Where I went to discover a Women who shaped the pages of fashion I discovered a Women tormented and obsessed with never being good enough. Her final statement "I tell people all the time I want to be buried naked," "I know there will be a store where I'm going." This collection only holds relevance because of its mark on a industry that forces people to live up to an unrealistic measurement. I must admit I was lusting after a Gaultier coat but definitely I would rather be me than her and that is always a good thing to discover. Having experienced Nan and it being the last day of this exhibit I entered to the American wing to discover Louis Comfort Tiffany and what a joy! Born February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933 he was an American artist and designer who is best known for his work in stained glass. Most often associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements he designed windows, lamps, mosaics, ceramics, jewelry, enamels and metalwork. I was surprised to learn he was also a painter. Using all his skills he designed his own 84 room house, Laurelton Hall, in Oyster Bay, Long Island. A major exhibit of Laurelton Hall opened at the Met in November 2006 and it runs until May 20th. If you have never discovered or had the chance to see this great artists work I suggest you run to the Met and indulge yourself in the exquisite artistry of this individual. Pictures, books and replica's do not do this work justice. He was truly a one of a kind light that comes around rarely. We have the chance make it a F.A.C.T. to witness for ourselves this mastery.