Legion of Honor Favorite Pieces

The last time we were at Legion of Honor was more than 10 years ago so it was definitely high time we paid this museum another visit.

Look at how gorgeous this museum is:

Hubby and I like going to museums to appreciate the art but we are not experts at all.  We just know what we like and take it from there :)  

I've learned my lesson from overly preparing for our Uffizi and Prado visits.  I researched the 'must-see' pieces for each museum and even though I got to see all of them, I cannot for the life of me remember them anymore, much less say what my faves were.  And taking pics were not allowed!  I was too obsessed checking off the must-see's that I completely missed the point of seeing them in the first place.  What a hard lesson to learn, boo.

From then on, I've learned to just slowly walk through a museum with no preconceived notions of what the key pieces are.  It's all about what I like:

Water Lilies, Claude Monet

Monet is my all-time fave.  My bucket list includes a visit to his gardens at Giverny.

The Russian Bride's Attire, Konstantin Makovsky

I did a double take as I was walking past this painting.  And it's not because of the sheer size of it which almost took up the whole wall btw.  The colors and the detail were just so vivid.  There were so many things going on that I wanted to find out what was going on with who.  And the Russian period clothing was just fabulous.  I wanted to buy a magnet but it was just too small that the essence of the painting got lost and the colors of the print version was so lackluster compared to the real thing.

terracotta of Mary Queen of Scots, Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse

The museum has a significant number of Rodin sculptures which are a technical marvel but unfortunately I'm not feeling them.  My one fave sculpture in the museum is this terracotta.  The detail with her hair, dress and accessories was amazing.  Side note:  I cannot wait and I have high expectations for Reign!  CW, you had better not disappoint.

Carle Vanloo's Sculpture, Painting, Music and Architecture

I love how the painter depicted children doing grown up activities.

From The Story of Snow White, Maxfield Parrish

I love this atypical rendition of a scene from Snow White.

 

from the Porcelain Gallery:  Palissy Wares (pic with 6 pcs on it) and Maiolica pieces (other 2 pics) 

I don't like the typical grandmotherly feel of porcelain but these pieces were definitely not that.  Happy that I entered this gallery and continued past the initial exhibit of the dreaded typical porcelain to discover these pieces.

Overall, happy that we revisited this museum.  This is my favorite museum in the Bay Area with complete rankings as follows:

1. Legion of Honor
2. De Young Museum - for the awesome free views at the top, pieces from Degas and Gaugain, and cool temporary exhibits like the ongoing The Art of Bulgari which is on my list to see
3. Asian Art of Museum - I honestly find their collection one note and boring but we did like their Terracotta Warriors exhibit
4. MoMA - not a fan of modern art but I'll give it another shot when it reopens
5. Contemporary Jewish Museum - huh, well, I did like 2 pieces and the architecture was stunning so not a complete waste of time plus it was a free day

Quick notes, if you are planning to visit:

• if coming from the Bay Area, best to take a car (vs BART then a Muni bus).  There's ample free parking.
• free every first Tuesday of the month