Below left we have a photograph* of Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture, which is on view at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy. Below right we have a detail of a David copy which we saw in Minneapolis not too long ago. Do you see the difference in facial expressions? Michelangelo’s David has a furrowed brow, with a look of concern on his face. According to the Wikipedia page on this sculpture, it’s because Michelangelo portrayed him at the moment before his battle with Goliath, at which point he is tense with anticipation and getting ready for battle. However, in the David copy from Minneapolis, he looks pretty darn mad, and I’ll tell you why … scroll down for more.

* Photo credit for the original David photograph above left is: Jörg Bittner Unna, as noted on this page, and shared under a Creative Commons license. Photo credit for the David copy above right: Artsology.

Here’s the reason why I think this David copy has an angry expression on his face … he’s been put to work outside of an antiques store in southwest Minneapolis on 50th Street. And … he has to endure the embarrassment of standing outside with an “Open” sign around his neck … although it is strategically placed to give him a little bit of personal privacy, unlike the David in Florence.

On a recent visit to the beach and boardwalk at Asbury Park, I noticed and photographed this sculpture of “Patriarch Athenagoras, 1886-1972, Man of Love” which is near the Asbury Park Convention Hall. So my question is: who is the “Man of Love” and why is he here overlooking the boardwalk at Asbury Park, New Jersey? Scroll down for more …

The “Man of Love” was born Aristocles Matthew Spyrou in 1886 in the village of Vasiliko in Greece. He studied religion at an early age, entered theological school at age 20, and after going through several levels that are beyond my scope of expertise (deacon, monk, archdeacon, etc), he was appointed the position of Archbishop of North and South America in 1930 as part of the American diocese of the Greek Orthodox Church. In 1938, he was naturalized as a United States citizen.

So why is he the “Man of Love?” He is noted as making this statement: “Love is my personal creed. Love is my philosophy. Love is my policy. Love is my mission. Love is my task. Love is the substance of my joy. Love is my destiny.” That’s a lot of love!

And why is his sculpture in Asbury Park? Patriarch Athenagoras visited Asbury Park four times for Holy Cross day observances when he was in his position of Archbishop of North and South America. In addition, he blessed of the waters of the Atlantic at Asbury Park, and while I’m not aware of the significance of that act, I’ll take it.

On a recent visit to New York City, as I was walking through the East Village, I noticed this entrance to the building at 70 East 3rd Street. It’s a simple single door, yet it’s framed by decorative columns, a stone arch and a carved face of a bearded man overlooking the entrance. It’s like this figure is watching everyone who comes and goes from the building! I’m trying to research to see if there’s any information on this carved face, but all I’ve found out so far is that this building was built in 1920 and is a six-story apartment building with 24 units. If you know anything about this building or this carved face, please share with us in the comments section below.

If, by chance, you have an interest in NYC architecture or East Village history, there’s a good read here, titled “A History of the East Village and Its Architecture,” by Francis Morrone with chapters by Rebecca Amato and Jean Arrington. Maybe I shouldn’t call it a “good read,” since that sounds kind of casual … it is in fact a 246 page PDF! But there is lots of great info and pictures, if you’re interested in these things (as I am, since I used to live in the East Village years ago).

I was walking around the west side of Manhattan, and took a photograph of this sculpture in an outdoor park area. It wasn’t until I got home and took a second look that I realized that this sculpture is based on Sandro Botticelli’s painting “The Birth of Venus,” (c. 1484–1486) which is in the collection of The Uffizi in Florence, Italy. Do you see the resemblance in the way the hands and hair are positioned? And the fact that the woman is standing on a seashell? Scroll down to see a comparison.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison with Botticelli’s famous painting:

I was walking south along First Avenue in the East Village when I noticed this humorous pairing in an antiques store. We’ve got a near-life-size sculpture of a “big cat,” in this case, a mountain lion, and in front of that we have a small framed image of a “little cat,” a dressed-up kitten with a hat, purse, and umbrella.

The store was closed at the time I walked by, so I didn’t get a chance to find out if there’s a discount for buying both cats and keeping them together – but I do like them as a pair!

Sometimes I think I have really good peripheral vision … or at least it allows me to notice unexpected things. I was cruising along John F. Kennedy Drive in Bloomfield (NJ) at a decent clip when I suddenly noticed something out of the corner of my eye, on a small hill behind a gas station. Even though I only saw something for a brief second, it made me curious enough to turn left at the next opportunity and circle back to see what it was. And it was this odd little angel, overseeing the back wall of the gas station lot, near the air pump and vacuum (below left). There was no indication of why this was here, but the fact that the body, hair, wings, and flowers (?) are all painted (below right), I thought it was unusual and kind of funky. I’ve seen plenty of plaster or concrete-colored lawn ornaments before, but a hand-painted example like this stands out – which explains why I noticed it!

If anyone knows about this piece, please share your info in the comments section below.

I’ve always liked Louise Nevelson’s sculpture, and especially like the large wooden pieces where every element is painted black. You can spend a fair amount of time visually investigating each little section, and then step back and take in the big view of a large black form, such as this 1963 piece titled “Big Black” at MoMA, or this one, “Black Wall,” 1959, which is on view at the Tate.

So with this Nevelson reference in place, perhaps you’ll better understand my reaction when I drove by this abandoned gas station in Bloomfield, NJ. As you can see from the inset image, it used to be a white building with red trim, windows, and a red and yellow sign. Now that it’s been closed down, they boarded up the windows and painted everything black – even the still-installed air conditioner above what used to be the door. I’d say this gas station got the Louise Nevelson treatment … it’s kind of like an extra-large public art Nevelson, don’t you think?

I recently posted a video about Yayoi Kusama and her pumpkin sculptures, and then shortly after noticed this Halloween pumpkin display in front of a neighbor’s front door in my condo development. The large polka-dot pumpkins on the bottom instantly made me think of Yayoi Kusama and her pumpkin art, and wondered where can I get my own imitation Kusama pumpkins? I’d be tempted to buy ones like this and add more polka dots to make them look even more like Kusama’s work … wouldn’t that be fun?

Speaking of holiday decorations that remind me of contemporary art, remember when I saw the Easter Bunnies that reminded me of Jeff Koons?

I recently wrote a preview of the upcoming Philadelphia Show, the 60th Anniversary edition of an art and design fair which will feature fine art, design, ceramics, textiles, antiques, Americana, folk art, porcelain, silver, jewelry, and decorative arts. Leading up to this event, which takes place from April 29 – May 1, 2022, I’d like to feature some more of the items shared with me by some of the dealers who will be participating in this show. This range of material, as described above, gives me a chance to have introductions to new artists and types of objects that I wasn’t previously familiar with, and I wanted to share them with you.

Today’s example is this abstract piece titled “Organic Ceramic Sculpture,” circa 1970, by Earl Hooks, which will be exhibited at The Philadelphia Show by Moderne Gallery of Philadelphia. This unique biomorphic ceramic sculpture comes from one of the most significant African American ceramicists of the 20th century and the founder of Studio A, one of the country’s first black owned and operated fine arts galleries, located in Gary, Indiana. Earl Hooks (1927-2005) was born in Baltimore, received his bachelor’s degree from Howard University in 1949, attended Catholic University in Washington, D.C., from 1949-51 and received graduate certificates from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1954 and the School of American Craftsman in New York in ceramics in 1955. He served as both a professor and chair of the art department at Fisk University from 1961-67 and taught at Indiana University Northwest Campus from 1954-61.

Moderne Gallery writes: “This ceramic work exemplifies why Hooks gained recognition for his unique use of monochromatic forms that maximized the inherent properties and appearances of the materials used to create his sculptural works. It demonstrates his exploration of creative techniques and emphasized his keen understanding of the relationships between balance, light, harmony and space. His biomorphic shapes referenced his fundamental interest in the human body and facial expressions that were windows to deeply felt and personal emotions.”


If you can make it to The Philadelphia Show (info on attending here), make sure to stop by the Moderne Gallery booth, or to visit their gallery space at Allegheny Ave. and Witte Street, click here for directions and more information. You can also read this article to learn more about the gallery.

I was visiting the Storm King Art Center over the weekend, and enjoyed my walk around the grounds very much. As I approached this large-scale sculpture by Ursula von Rydingsvard, I wanted to take a closer look.

Titled “For Paul,” and dated 1990-92/2001, this cedar and graphite sculpture is 14 feet and 4 inches tall, and the artist took these four-by-four lengths of cedar beams and stacked and glued them, and then cut into them freehand with a circular saw to create this shape. As I was standing next to it and looking closely, I noticed something unexpected: a pair of ladybugs crawling over it, one of which is seen below. My first thought was, I wonder if there’s something about cedar that attracts ladybugs, or has something on the surface that they eat? But as I researched this, it seems the opposite should be true: cedar is known to repel bugs, as it is used in the form of cedar mulch to discourage bugs in gardens, or think of a cedar chest or a cedar-lined closet which is meant to keep moths from linens and clothes. The scientific explanation is that there’s an insect-repelling oil present in cedar known as “thujone,” which is toxic in high doses.

So what’s the deal with these ladybugs? Why are they attracted to this cedar sculpture and not flying off to some other location? If it was just one ladybug, I’d say that maybe it was just a coincidence or unexpected landing by the ladybug, but seeing two makes me wonder. Any entomologists out there who can explain this for us? If so, share your thoughts in the comments section below.