The museum reinforced my belief that it’s not enough to have money–you must have money at the right time. Having money in the 1970s resulted in ink blob modernism and brutalist concrete buildings. But if a city was rich 100 years ago, ah then one sees something fine. I once toured Greece with a very old Baedeker, and found it more helpful than any modern guide. (Betrand Russell thought that, for concision of style, the philosopher should model himself on Baedeker.)  Similarly, the visitor to the United States should be guided by maps ca. 1900 or perhaps 1800.

The museums had two excellent Bouguereau‘s and a wonderful Chuck Close. Bougureau was the great art celebrity of 120 years ago. Nowadays he is scorned, but I much prefer him to his expressionist contemporaries. Surprisingly I also saw Tissot’s London Visitors–a loan from Toledo perhaps?