Brooklyn Museum

This was my first trip to the Brooklyn Museum and I must say I totally loved it. It was a Wednesday and I arrived around 2pm. It wasn't crowded at all, very spacious and easy to take in the work. It felt much different than the overly populated Met or MOMA. The foyer welcomes you with multiple Auguste Rodin bronze sculptures before you get to the ticket kiosk.

Admission: Suggested Contribution: $10; Students with Valid ID: $6; Adults 62 and over: $6; Members: Free;
Children under 12: Free
Hours: Wednesday–Friday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday–Sunday: 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Get detailed hours
Subway: Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum Get detailed directions

There is a substantial spread of art from all over the world. I didn't get a chance to check out the Chinese art but the African art section is full of tribal masks, headdresses and figures from all over the continent. There are also a few looping videos of tribal dances where you get to see the head pieces in action. These are fun to watch.

Decorative Arts floor was really intriguing. There were renovated parts of old homes from the late 1800's on display. The Moorish Room was one of my favorites. It was a section of an old 1860's New York town house with many intricate Victorian/Moroccan looking details on the ceiling and moldings. Another piece that blew me away was an old French iron gate from 1900. Wrought by hand these Art Nouveau styled butterfly wing gates are so complex I was thoroughly amazed with the precision.

Highlight now thru Sept. 20th
Yinka Shonicare MBE:British born Nigerian artist (1962) works with diverse artistic mediums exploring ideas about African contemporary identity & the legacy of European colonialism. There are headless mannequins wearing traditional European colonial dresses & suits made from brightly colored fabric in an African palette. The opening piece is a headless female mannequin adorned in a vibrant dress with a big bustle, lead this headless mannequin are 3 ocelots on leashes.
Another remarkable piece is the The Swing: inspired by Fragonard's 1767 painting the swing. It' basically a 3D sculpture version of the painting with a headless woman in mid swing hanging from a lush tree branch kicking her shoe off.