I just returned from a week-long trip out west, where I made stops in Denver, CO and San Diego, CA. When I was staying in Denver, I made sure the visit the newly-renovated Denver Art Museum. I did not really know much about their permanent Modern and Contemporary Art collection, but was blown away when I came across Sandy Skoglund’s installation Fox Games:

The installation depicts an invasion of gray foxes, sculpted in clay and cast in polyester resin, within a restaurant. The foxes prowl on and around red tables in an entirely red room.  Every element of the installation—forks, knives, plates, dinner rolls, and even a squirrel in the mouth of one of the foxes—is painted red.

Sandy Skoglund’s photographs have always inspired me and her work is the reason I decided to do my college thesis show as an installation instead of a collection of paintings. I had never had the opportunity to truly experience one of her scenes IRL, and getting to walk through this magnificent exhibit was the highlight of my trip.

Check out her website to see more of her work.

1. The Old Guitarist, 1903, Pablo Picasso, Art Institute of Chicago

This has always been one of my favorites and I’ve probably seen it over a dozen times in person. It must be the Elliott Smith vibe that draws me to it. See the rest after the jump.

2. Number VII from Eight Studies for a Portrait, 1953, Francis Bacon, MoMA, New York

Francis Bacon’s work is ever more jarring up close and personal!

3. The Joy of Life, 1905-06, Henri Matisse, The Barnes Foundation, Merion, PA

It may have been the fact that this painting had been sequestered in the Barnes Foundation for decades that made it so incredible to see.

4. Christina’s World, 1948, Andrew Wyeth, MoMA, New York

I visited the MoMA in NYC for the first time last Fall and I couldn’t get over all the incredible modern art in its collection. The piece that had the most unexpected effect on me was this Wyeth painting. I honestly had never really been a Wyeth fan, but, when I turned the corner and met this face to face, I was speechless. You can’t help but feel the desperation of Christina as your drawn into that field with her. It also doesn’t hurt that my favorite comic book ever, Preacher, pays homage to this incredible painting.

5. Bicycle Wheel, 1951, Marcel Duchamp, MoMA, New York

I don’t think I ever appreciated Duchamp’s work until seeing this piece. Both fine artists and musicians get a bonus for changing the course of their respective fields, and Duchamp’s readymades changed modern art. His work keeps all creatives asking themselves “What is art?”