Art Excursions
Philadelphia Art
and Gardens Tour: Featuring the Frida Kahlo special exhibition at the
Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Barnes Foundation - May 8-11,
2008
Also featuring
Winterthur, Longwood Gardens, The Rodin Museum, a Philadelphia
Orchestra concert at spectacular Verizon Hall, the museum of The
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, The University of Pennsylvania
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, AND accommodations at the
renovated historic Radisson Warwick Hotel off Rittenhouse
Square
Please see below for more info on
tour highlights, features, pricing and reservations.
TOUR
HIGHLIGHTS
The new Frida Kahlo special exhibition at
the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Enjoy the first major U.S. exhibit devoted to
artist Frida Kahlo in more than fifteen years. Organized in
celebration of Frida's birth, this exhibit presents 40 of her most
important self-portraits, still lifes, and portraits from the
beginning of her career until her death in 1954. Loaned from more
than 30 private and public collections worldwide, many of these works
have never been displayed in America. Although vivid and detailed,
Kahlo's jewel-like paintings are filled with complex and often
autobiographical symbolism.
A selection of fascinating photographs enhances
the exhibit. Some are personal snapshots of Frida with friends such
as Leon Trotsky that feature inscriptions, lipstick traces and other
personal marks. Some of these have never been published or exhibited.
Other photographs depict Kahlo and her husband, Mexican muralist
Diego Rivera, as captured by international photographers, such as
Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Lola Alvarez Bravo, Gisele Freund, Tina
Modotti, and Nickolas Muray.
Barnes Foundation Collection
The Barnes Foundation is one of America's
greatest cultural treasures. A one-of-a-kind museum and private
residence setting juxtaposes major works from movements such as
Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism and Cubism with examples
of decorative art and African art. Visitors of this private
collection turned public museum will be treated to seminal paintings
by artists such as Cezanne, Renoir, Picasso, Matisse, van Gogh, and
Degas. The Barnes features more than fifty Cezannes and more than two
hundred Renoirs alone. This is a rare opportunity to see this
impressive jewel of a museum before its move into central
Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Museum of
Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of
America's top four art museums. The Asian collection includes
paintings and decorative objects as well as a Japanese ceremonial
teahouse, a Chinese palace hall, and a collection of Oriental
carpets. The European collections include medieval sculpture, stained
glass, and a 13th century cloister; Renaissance masterpieces; a suite
of 18th century French interiors; and superb Impressionist and
Post-Impressionist works. The American collections include extensive
holdings of Pennsylvania German art, refined furniture and silver by
early Philadelphia craftsmen, and the world's most important
collection of Philadelphia-based artist Thomas Eakins.
The Rodin Museum
Most famous as the creator of The
Thinker, Auguste Rodin was one of history's greatest sculptors.
Sensual and expressive surfaces and subjects that are dramatic,
passionate and emotional characterize his work. The Rodin
Museum is one of only two museums in the world devoted to this great
artist (the other is in Paris). Whereas many museums throughout the
world display a small selection of Rodin's work, here all of the
sculptor's most famous works are displayed together
- from The Gates of Hell to
Balzac.
The Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of
Art and Thomas Eakins' Gross Clinic
In 2008, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
celebrates its 203rd anniversary. Many important artists were
founders, teachers or students here, including Charles Willson Peale,
Thomas Eakins, Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase and Robert
Henri. Your visit brings you face to face with one of the
foremost museum collections of American art featuring works by these
and other artists.
The museum now displays one of America's most
iconic paintings, Thomas Eakins' 1875 masterpiece The Gross
Clinic. This painting has been recently rescued from a sale to a
museum outside Philadelphia through an unprecedented fund raising
campaign that has seen donations from over 3,400 individuals from all
50 states, the District of Columbia and even American soldiers
serving in Iraq. The famous painting now hangs alongside other Eakins
works and examples of anatomical casts Eakins made while a member of
the Academy's faculty.
Our best seats yet for a performance by the
Philadelphia Orchestra in Verizon Hall at the Splendid Kimmel
Center
Enjoy excellent seats for a performance by one
of the nation's top orchestras in Verizon Hall, one of the world's
best venues. This elegant cello-shaped 2,500-seat auditorium combines
warmth and richness of design with amazing sightlines and
cutting-edge acoustics. The concert is conducted by Christoph
Eschenbach and features Prokofiev's popular Fifth Symphony,
the Organ Concerto written and performed by Thierry Escaich,
organist at of St-Etienne-du-Mont in Paris, as well as the American
premiere of an intriguing new work by French composer
Marc-André Dalbavie.
The Winterthur Estate and
Gardens
Nestled in the heart of Delaware's beautiful
Brandywine Valley, Winterthur is the former home of Henry Francis du
Pont (1880-1969), an avid antiques collector and horticulturist.
You'll have the chance to discover the museum's magnificent
collection of American antiques celebrating the best in style and
craftsmanship. Delight your senses with a stroll through the glorious
60-acre garden and surrounding landscape of woodlands, waterways, and
rolling meadows. Special exhibitions include the magnificent
Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens, memorabilia from the 1876
Centennial Exhibition, and dining, drinking, and decorative Chinese
export porcelain from 1500 to 1900.
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens was created by industrialist
Pierre S. du Pont (and is sometimes referred to as the DuPont
Gardens) and offers 1,050 acres (425 hectares) of gardens, woodlands,
and meadows; 20 outdoor gardens; 20 indoor gardens within 4 acres
(1.6 hectares) of heated greenhouses; 11,000 different types of
plants. Longwood is particularly significant for its spectacular
fountain displays.
The University of
Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the return of
its treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur
Since its founding in 1887, the University of
Pennsylvania Museum has been an international leader in
archaeological and anthropological research. Your tour of the
museum's collections lets you enjoy the fruits of field research that
uncovered cuneiform clay tablets, Maya monuments, and a 12 ton
Egyptian sphinx (the 3rd largest in the world). Its collection of
Sumerian treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur finally returns to the
museum after a tour lasting more than a decade. This collection is
unparalleled in this country and features precious objects of gilded
wood, shell inlay, and lapus lazuli.
You will have the opportunity to see highlights
from the Royal Tombs of Ur and step inside an Egyptian Royal Palace,
the world's best preserved and the only one in the U.S. The museum's
Chinese Rotunda is the majestic setting of their Chinese collection.
Ninety feet in diameter and soaring ninety feet high, the rotunda is
one of the largest unsupported masonry domes in the United States,
housing one of the finest collections of monumental Chinese art in
the country.
Accommodations at the
Renovated Historic Radisson Warwick Hotel
Built in 1926, the Warwick hotel, with its
English Renaissance architecture, is listed on the National Register
of Historic Places. The full-service hotel is known for its elegant
lobby with its sweeping staircase and matching fireplaces.
Transformed to suit contemporary standards in terms of room design,
furniture and furnishings, the hotel is located just off the
world-renowned Rittenhouse Square, the city's most prestigious
residential, commercial and business district.
Each of the spacious, comfortable and
beautifully furnished rooms at the Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel
Philadelphia has convenient amenities including a large desk,
telephones serviced by dual phone lines, voice messaging,
complimentary High-Speed Internet Access, complimentary bottled water
and coffee service.
The Radisson Plaza Warwick Hotel Philadelphia
is awash in services designed to enhance visitor stays, including a
24 hour Fitness Center featuring cardio and weight-training
equipment.
TOUR
ITINERARY
Thursday May 8
At 2:30 p.m. depart the Warwick Hotel and enjoy
a private tour by your hosts of the Museum of the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Arts. After time for dinner on your own, at 7:15 p.m.
we will walk as a group a few blocks to the Kimmel Center for our
Philadelphia Orchestra concert. Walk back to the hotel after the
concert.
Friday May 9
This morning we will visit the Barnes
Foundation. Afterwards, we will have a guided tour the University of
Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Enjoy lunch at
the museum (included). Evening free.
Saturday May 10
This morning we will visit Longwood Gardens.
After the Noon fountain show, we will depart Longwood for Winterthur.
At Winterthur, you will have time for lunch on your own before
joining the introductory tour of the Winterthur collection. After
your tour, you will have time to enjoy the Winterthur Museum, visit
the museum shops, and take the narrated tram tour of the estate
and/or walk the gorgeous estate grounds. Evening free.
Sunday May 11
This morning we will visit the Rodin Museum.
Enjoy a self-guided tour of the museum after introductory remarks
from your tour hosts. At 11 a.m., we will depart the Rodin Museum for
the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Enjoy lunch on your own at the museum
and a self-guided tour of one of the top four art museums in the
United States. Our tour ends back at the hotel at 3:15
p.m.
TOUR INCLUDES
- Accommodations at the Radisson Warwick off
Rittenhouse Square for 3 nights
- Admission to all venues highlighted
above
- A private guided tour of the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Arts provided by Jeff and Michelle
- Introduction and orientation to The Rodin
Museum provided by Jeff and Michelle
- A performance by the Philadelphia
Orchestra
- Independent time to take in what you like
at each event on the itinerary
- Transportation for all itinerary
events
- Driver gratuities
- Lunch at the University of Pennsylvania
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
- Daily breakfast, evening canapés,
& more with early bird booking bonus (see below for
details)
- Tour hosting, commentaries and handouts
provided by Jeff and Michelle
TOUR DOES NOT
INCLUDE
- Gratuities for tour guides and hotel
staff
- Incidentals at the hotel
- Costs for items not specified
above
- Airfare and airport transfers (We can make
airfare arrangements for a $20 per ticket booking fee or you can
book airfare on your own.)
EARLY BIRD BOOKING BONUS:
Plaza Club Accommodations - a $150 value
If we receive your tour application and deposit
by Febrary 29, 2008, you will receive a complimentary upgrade to the
Warwick's Plaza Club level. This "concierge level" features
upgraded accommodations, amenities and access to a private lounge
serving complimentary continental breakfast and evening hors
d'oeuvres with beer, wine and soda and followed by a dessert
selection. The plaza club lounge also features sofas, chairs,
tables, a complimentary PC and printer and a dedicated
concierge.
TOUR RESERVATIONS - Use the
link at the end of this tour page to sign up
Group size is limited to 25 persons.
Reservations accepted first-come, first-served. As our prior tours
have sold out, we expect a sell out. For more details please email
artexcursions@yahoo.com
or call 630/671-9745.
TOUR PRICING
$998 per person based on double
occupancy
$325 single supplement
Traveling as a single?
Our boutique tours are ideal for single
travelers, singles traveling together, or couples. We typically have
a mix of these types of travelers. If you wish to know why we charge
a single supplement or have any other questions, please visit the
Frequently Asked Questions link below or email us.
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630/671-9745