Don’t wait until the last weekend of the exhibit (June 16th) to visit Peru; Kingdoms of the Sun and the Moon at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The last week of any exhibit is always wildly chaotic, and I, for one, don’t appreciate being in hour-long lines that force me to ‘go with the flow’ of the pseudo-culture experts who loudly wax poetic & blabber on about their deep and abiding ‘connection’ to whatever it is they’re looking at. I don’t care about their 3rd cousin’s psychic voyage to discover her inner goddess on the sprawling Chunta mountain range. I need peace, space and serenity when I look at art.
I like to take it in at my own pace, going in and out of the rooms and sections in an oddly crooked and back-tracking path, moving faster through parts that I don’t particularly like and spending unnatural amounts of time standing slack-jawed in the face of astonishing beauty. You can’t do that if you’re crammed in a room with people who hog viewing space and start conversations with one-another whilst not even looking at the art.
On my first visit to the Peruvian show, one lady was holding a 4-5 month old baby, positioning him in front of an important piece, explaining to the infant the historical and cultural significance of the artifact for over 15 minutes…for one thing, the kid’s eyes were fixed on an overhead light, for another, there were hundreds of people in line, waiting for her to just drop the nutty uber-mommy baloney. So I did what any well-intentioned museum goer would do and I said; “Will ya cut the crap and get it moving, lady…what your kid really needs is a diaper change.” I could totally get used to random bursts of applause from throngs of total strangers. I even provided a mini-curtsy towards my new admirers as she snatched her child to her chest and stalked off to another section.
If you want to have the place all to yourself, go smack in the middle of the exhibit’s run-time and do it on a weekday afternoon. It can be risky in the opening morning hours when the school busses pull up, loaded with quasi-interested students who are often overheard saying stuff like; “when’s lunch?…I don’t get it…OMG, there are boobs everywhere…Ariella, come here, quick, check out the shlong on this sculpture!…if I touched that Rembrandt, would alarm bells go off?” Better off hedging your bets for a more serene perusal after 1pm.
If you want an in-depth tour, get a head-set and follow with the audio guide. There are professionally guided tours as well that offer excellent insight and intelligent opinions. If you’re the type who likes to go solo, bring your IPod and load it with jazz or classical music (That’s what I do when I’m not visiting à deux). Photographs are allowed, but no flashes…they don’t give you many more chances after your flash goes off accidentally the first time. Not that I got my camera confiscated or anything.
Habitante de las cordilleras del Perú
The 4 distinct sections of the Peruvian exhibit as highlighted & described in the museum guide;
◦Section 1 explains how archaeology rewrote the national history beginning with the discovery, in 1911, of Machu Picchu to the recent restitution of artworks
◦Section 2 focuses on the myths and rituals of the early civilizations of the Andes, highlighting their role in forming and shaping Peruvian identity during the pre-Columbian era
◦Section 3 illustrates the perpetuation, concealment, and hybridization of the indigenous culture during the colonial period
◦Section 4 highlights the rediscovery of this culture in the 20th century and the revalorization of ancient symbols of identity in contemporary Peruvian iconography.
I was really delighted and surprised to find such a large number of beautifully executed modern-era paintings that illustrate the colorful, warm native life and idyllic landscapes of Peru.
The ornaments, gold funerary masks, jewellery, drinking vessels, textiles and fertility pieces are numerous and strikingly preserved, restored and displayed in glass cases that allow for 360° viewing.
And of course there’s the standard MMFA multi-media/video viewing room for a short, looped visual essay on Peruvian culture, geographical landscapes and an archaeological compendium that didn’t much hold my attention. Not to disparage the film, but I was like a kid in a candy store, and I just wanted to go out and prance around all the pretty, shiny things.
Visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts page for more info; http://www.mbam.qc.ca/peru/
Addendum;
If you have a lot of time on your hands, continue your mini-excursion to the permanent collection that I never grow tired of…it’s like re-visiting an old friend who’s always happy to see you after a lengthy absence. I’ve even been caught talking to some paintings that I adore; “Hey, funny-face, I love it when you give me that crooked smile” (a Picasso portrait).
The Canadian Collection is also completely out of this world with important & impressive pieces by Suzor-Côté, The Group of 7, Emily Carr, Alfred Laliberté, Edwin Holgate, etc., and it’s now housed in the new wing. I think it’s my favourite part of the museum these days, because my admiration for (globally underrated) Canadian art is maturing and deepening with time like a really fine wine.
