If you ever find yourself in St. Louis, you must visit the St. Louis Art Museum. Located in Forest Park, the STL museum boast an impressive collection of, both, traditional and contemporary art from global artists and visionaries. As always, I tend to gravitate towards the wing hosting the more modern pieces and this time was no different. 

Massive paint heavy canvases provided a visual guidance that lead you from room to room. The mixture of mediums broke up the cadence quite nicely while offering a sense of juxtaposition as you walked throughout the space. In what seems to be a trend (or quite the coincidence), another fluorescent piece by Dan Flavin softens a corner with a linear strip of light. He is still one of my favorite artist using light as a medium. I’ve been fortunate to see his work in Marfa, TX at the Chianti Foundation and at The Modern in Fort Worth. 

They had an entire gallery dedicated to Oscar Murillo. The Colombia born artist has had his work displayed in cities across the globe including Aspen, Hamburg, Germany in the U.K. and, of course, St. Louis. The tone of this work appears dark in nature but whimsical in how it depicts a story of manifestation, as his series on display is called. It is always interesting to see how the an artist takes his inspiration and turn it into a piece of art that tells a slightly different version of a story to every person who sees it based on their own individual interpretation of what they see.

At the center of a gallery lies an aluminum structural piece by Donald Judd. The geometric pieces, cobalt in hue, lie four in a row on the ground as if they lied in formation. When viewing this piece from the site, the blue tones catch your eye, acting like the focal point of the room. When viewed from the ends, at a squat level, the piece offers a different point of view filled with reflecting shadowing and flashes of silver and light that almost give the piece a kaleidoscope affect. In my opinion, it was one of the most visually appealing modern pieces in this museum offering a distinct element that titillated the visual sense. 

I wish I had more time to continue exploring the art filled cavities of this modern building, but I shall return soon. Fun fact, and one that I should not have buried in this post, is that the museum entry is free. Not just on Sundays or special holidays, but free, as in every day to everyone. I absolutely love this because it increases the accessibility to any individuals that, perhaps, wouldn’t have the opportunity to visit a museum of this caliber to enjoy world class art. More cities and museums should take note. Kudos to you, St. Louis Museum of Art, for making this possible.