2020

Amazing Egon Schiele and Agrippina

Arriving in New York City always gets your heart pumping faster. I came to see: an exhibition of Egon Schiele drawings at the Galerie St. Etienne; the opera Agrippina; and the 2020 Metopera competition.

Galerie St. Etienne

The Egon Schiele work was part of a Viennese and German Expressionist exhibition held by the Galerie St. Etienne. The grandfather of Jane Kallir established the gallery 80 years ago after leaving Austria in 1939.

Egon Schiele figure drawings

Many of the pieces in the exhibition were from private collections, so they are rarely seen. Jane Kallir’s grandfather was unable to sell the pieces by unknown artists he brought to America, so he donated them to museums such as the Guggenheim and National Gallery. They repaid him by loaning those pieces back for this special commemorative celebration.

Egon Schiele Portraits

A few of the works were presented by the curator and gallery owner, Jane Kallir. The Klimt painting of an island (detail below) was influenced by Monet.

  • Detail of Island by Klimt
  • Otto Dix Portrait of a Woman

In the Otto Dix portrait, the perspective of the subject is in question. Does the portrait reflect the person, or is it the artist’s interpretation of the subject? In this case, it may show the nobleness of the prostitute that served men of power and influence. They reflect complicated questions of what, why and how the portrait artist paints his or her subject matter.

Jane Kallir, Owner of St. Etienne, giving a talk about Egon Schiele and others in the exhibition

Egon Schiele is my favorite artist. He was prolific in his figure drawings and captured curvature of the human body, facial expressions, and hands precisely. He died at a young age of 28 in 1918.

Agrippina
Curtain call

I rushed to the afternoon performance of Agrippina at the Metopera. After an exhilarating combination of beautiful music by Handel and delightful staging, I met Joyce diDonato, the diva superieure.

Metopera Grand Finals

After a delightful afternoon of opera classics sung by contestants from across the country and China, the winners included my favorites Jonah Hoskins, a tenor from Sarasota Springs, Utah (second from right); and Alexandria Shiner, a soprano from Waterford, Michigan. See https://www.playbill.com/article/metropolitan-opera-names-the-5-up-and-coming-opera-singers-to-win-the-2020-national-council-auditions

Lisa Oropesa, who won the contest in 2005, served as the host for the event. She graciously donated $25,000 in gratitude for the fame and fortune the competition brought to her. Javier Camerena, a current opera star, sang two arias. I look forward to seeing many of these emerging stars on the opera stage in the future.