If you’re like me, art is food–it’s one of life’s essentials. I’ve a lifelong habit of haunting art museums. My excitement is always high at the prospect of a visit, and no matter how often I visit a particular museum my enthusiasm never flags, nor is my sense of adventure and discovery ever satiated.
I am in one of those lucky periods during which I have ready access to a world-class museum. My weekly visits to the Cleveland Museum of Art over the past year have led me to become intimately familiar with this wonderful museum. The museum’s collection is extensive and chockablock with great works.
Unfortunately, the museum is in a never-ending renovation cycle during which vast areas of the museum are inaccessible and visitors must wind through a confusing maze of tunnels surrounded by unwelcome construction-site noise.
The museum’s current $350 million renovation began in 2005! And they aren’t done! The good news is that important parts of the renovations ARE finished and finally opened to the public. The new atrium, pictured here, is impressive. Visitor access is now straightforward, and one can began see the outlines of the finished project. It appears that when finished the project will be a major upgrade to an already word-class facility. But I’ll wait until they’re finished before rendering judgement.
One continuing annoyance is that the museum’s excellent Asian collections remain inaccessible. It’s a shame that the museum’s wonderful Asian collections, some consider them the best in the entire country, remain inaccessible for yet another year.