It's been a long while since I've posted anything, been working hard and traveling a little but now that the dust has settled I thought it was time to sit and write a few thoughts on a place two blocks from where we live that I had never visited. Audibon Terrace is a rather imposing complex on Broadway and 156th Street. The two Beaux Arts buildings with a brick terrace and fountains is rather disconnected from the street. The iron gates don't seem to help, unlike the Columbia Campus there's not a welcome in kind of vibe, so I always walked right past it. Today I decided to walk in and I'm glad I did.
Looking across the terrace at Boriqua College
The lovely fountain parterre is currently under restoration
The main room is a lovely atrium dressed in Moravian tiles. It's a beautiful grand space on the ground floor with a balcony that currently houses the painting collection. That's one of the problems with the museum. The paintings are hung too high and sadly one cannot truly appreciate them. Add to that the lighting, which is rather harsh. I believe that originally there were vitrines, now moved to two other rooms under the paintings. I think it would have been better to place the paintings in those rooms and to have kept the pottery where it was, or better yet, there are empty vitrines under the arches, move the pottery there. It's a really great collection, but sadly it suffers from placement.
There are two of these rooms with vitrines. I can easily imagine them lined with paintings, at eye level. So much better than covering those glorious arches in the main hall. Plus, do you really want everyone to see your biggest hits all at once? So much better to have a procession, the Spanish know all about those, we were just in Toledo this summer and experienced a 5 hour affair.....and the balcony, which could still house a few vitrines could be used for temporary exhibits, one of the missing elements to keeping this place truly alive.
The most effective room holds a series of 15thc carvings
There are several first rate altars and carvings tucked away under the balcony or covering arches.
A huge room on the ground floor holds Joaquin Sorolla's "Views of Spain". Not quite a panorama, I'd call it more of a series of impressions and it seriously conveys the feel of the country.
The second floor landing. There are some lovely tiles and Roman mosaics
I love the terra-cotta color on the walls and the railings are lovely
One of several gorgeous altarpieces
A 1600's pottery vessel on an ornate stand. How about putting this on a refectory table in the middle of your atrium?
The most famous painting is by Goya of the Condesa de Alba. Sadly she was on loan, but again she lives right across from the entrance...first painting you'd see... she belongs at the end of a long room that you need to work your way to.
They really need to think about placement but it's a first rate collection that should be seen and it's proof that quality is much better than quantity.
