The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento has been on my must-visit list forever, but somehow the opportunity to visit had eluded me. But with the recent opening of the Toulouse-Lautrec and La Vie Moderne, I made a point of going before the exhibition closes on April 26.
As we headed toward the entrance, I was immediately struck by The Crocker’s 2010 modern addition that connects to, but now subsumes, its original Italianate Mansion gallery.
The starkly white and appealing contemporary exterior design continues seamlessly into its lobby. The ticket desk is conveniently placed at the entrance with friendly staff. Ten dollars later and we found ourselves inside the gorgeous and airy, high-ceilinged atrium. The spacious room was filled with tables bounded by a windowed wall with a stunning view upon its vintage sister gallery, in striking architectural contrast. The captivating atrium is a space in which I could easily loll for hours, mesmerized by light and angles.
But with La Vie Moderne as our target, we jumped on the elevator and headed up to the 3rd floor, where no photography is allowed. I knew that I would love any exhibit that featured Toulouse-Lautrec.
Yet La Vie Moderne was far more – a voluptuous survey of the Paris Belle Époque, specifically covering the years of 1880 – 1910. With more than a hundred pieces, the exhibition is quite broad, but my favorites focused on the Montmartre nightlife of nightclubs and circus atmosphere, particularly the poster art. In addition to my favorite Toulouse-Lautrec, there were iconic prints of Le Chat Noir… but also new favorites such as Henri-Gabriel Ibels and Charles Guilloux.
While it was the La Vie Moderne exhibit that had lured me to The Crocker, it was the museum’s permanent modern art collection that won my heart. As a museum fanatic, I’ve spent a lot of time touring modern art around the world, and The Crocker’s collection is outstanding. Most of the works were a breathtaking revelation, and I found it refreshing to find so many artists that were new to me.
We wandered through three large and airy galleries filled with contemporary art. Most of the crowds seemed to concentrate in La Vie Moderne, and so the permanent collection was pleasantly spacious for optimal art-viewing. I found myself saying “wow” piece after piece of amazing art. I still think about the sculptural engineering feat of Progress II by Luis Jimenez – and was also blown away by other artists new to me like Joan Brown, Roland Petersen, Conrad Buff. But The Crocker also features a strong sampling of more well-known artists such as Wayne Thiebaud and Richard Diebenkorn.
Not only was The Crocker’s gallery space well-lit and organized, but I was particularly impressed with the signage on each artwork that was broken down by information about the artist and key things to look for in the art.
As The Crocker’s 5pm closing time was quickly approaching, I made a beeline to the gift shop to see if they had a book on their modern collection – but they don’t. They have a massively heavy book on The Crocker’s greatest hits – but I only wanted the something on the contemporary collection.
Having arrived mid-afternoon, I felt too rushed and was really only able to do a quick survey – and didn’t even get to the rest of the permanent collection. The Crocker is the oldest museum in the western U.S. and boasts a large permanent collection of California art. So there is still a lot for me to see. Just another reason to go back to The Crocker and spend a good part of the day there.
