Annamaria on Monday
Bringing coals to Newcastle has nothing on what I did this past Friday/Saturday. In my luggage were things to hang on my walls in Florence. My place is so close to what is arguable the most splendid art museum in the world that--with a good arm--you could throw a Spaldeen from my terrace and hit the roof of the Uffizi Gallery.
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| My terrace. Sloppy red arrow points at the roof of the Uffizi. |
The Uffizi's walls boast these masterpieces, plus Leonardo's Annunciation, placed front and center in honor of the season:
By contrast, my place has images the monetary value of which might buy you a ticket to see the masterpieces across the piazza, and perhaps a gelato. But I like them, mostly for sentimental reasons.
APOLOGY: My apartment has windows facing in all four directions. It fills with sunshine on bright days like today. So photographing images behind glass became more of a challenge the I was up to. I fear in some instances I became my own photobomber.
Hanging around me are--
Posters from exhibitions I have enjoyed:
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Milan exhibition on the 100th anniversary of the death
of Garibaldi. |
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The Phoenicians, absolutely fascinating. Changed my mind
about what they were all about.
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Most people, if they know Dali at all, think of
him as a nutcase. He was a genius! |
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| Modigliani! One can't praise him enough |
And movie posters;
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As COO of Davi's direct marketing company, I decorated the
walls of our office with posters of films having titles
with words relevant to his business. My two favorites now
give a noir period touch to my living room in Italy. |
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David and I took our daughter to a screening of Abel Gance's
"Napoleon" at Radio City Music Hall after Coppola had it restored.
His father wrote a new score for the film, which Papa Coppola conducted
that night. We went to dinner beforehand and ate beef Wellington.
They served napoleons in the lobby at intermission! |
And souvenirs of places visited. Cuba, for example.
Some of David's photos of our travels here and there:
A collection that fits into two categories - an exhibition of Botero's sculptures, photographed by David:
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A favorite of mine. It looks as if the cat is
about to pounce on a passerby. |
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| How many angels can dance on the tip of a finger? |
One of my favorites is self-portrait made by my granddaughter Emma when she was four years old. It knocked my socks off for its visual impact.
Some of my pictures I like just because I think they make the place look better:
What I had in my luggage this time around fits into this last category. It is part of a collection of Hogarth and Cruickshank political cartoons that did not make onto my walls after I downsized in New York when David fell ill. I brought four of them here last year and the two more fit into my luggage this time.
I thought I would be able to show you last year's and this year's haul all situated together. Alas, the wall in question is an exterior one. Tomorrow I will go to the mesticheria, a store that sells all sorts of things and get nails that will go into real plaster. At least the English prints are now together again.
