Southeast Asian Art at the Met

Stela of a Four-Armed Vishnu (India) 10th - 11th Century Sandstone

Dancing Celestial (India), 12th Century Sandstone

Head of a Buddha or A Jain Tirthankara (India) c. 2nd Century, Mottled Red Sandstone

Bust of Hevajra (Cambodia), 12th - Early 13th Century Stone

Bust of a Five-Headed Shiva (Cambodia) Mid-10th Century Stone

Standing Eight-Armed Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion (Cambodia or Thailand), Late 12th Century Stone

Standing Four-Armed Male Deity (Cambodia) Angkor Period, Mid-11th Century Stone

Standing Crowned and Jewelled Buddha (Burma), 13th - Early 14th Century, Wood with Lacquer and Gilt

Standing Buddha (Thailand), 15th Century Gilt Bronze

These are some of the Southeast Asian artwork on exhibit at the Second Floor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Ernesto Neto's NAVEDENGA: Sculpture in Fabric

On view on the fourth floor of the Museum of Modern Art is the work of Brazilian artist ERNESTO NETO (born 1964) called NAVEDENGA (1998).  Neto is known for his interactive, immersive sculptural installations using translucent, stretchable fabric.

From the gallery label text:

Navedenga (1998), acquired for the Museum’s collection in 2007 and on view for the first time in the galleries, is one of the earliest pieces from this evolving body of work. With its taut contours, rounded appendages, and soft, pliant surface, the installation resembles both the intimate spaces of a body and a fantastical spacecraft; its title, a neologism coined by the artist, recalls the Portuguese word for ship, nave.The artist embedded aromatic cloves within the structure, and visitors are invited inside its hollow chamber to engage their visual, tactile, and olfactory senses. Male and female; internal and external; weight and ethereality—Navedenga encompasses a profusion of symbiotic oppositions. Polyamide stretch fabric, sand, Styrofoam, cloves, cord, and ribbon, 144 x 180 x 252" (365.8 x 457.2 x 640.1 cm). 

Vir Heroicus Sublimis

Part of the Museum of Modern Art's collection is this oil on canvas painting called VIR HEROICUS SUBLIMIS (1950-1951) by American painter  BARNETT NEWMAN (1905-1970).

From the gallery label text:

The Latin title of this painting can be translated as "Man, heroic and sublime." It refers to Newman’s essay "The Sublime is Now," in which he asks, "If we are living in a time without a legend that can be called sublime, how can we be creating sublime art?" His response is embodied in part by this painting—his largest ever at that time. Newman hoped that the viewer would stand close to this expansive work, and he likened the experience to a human encounter: "It's no different, really, from meeting another person. One has a reaction to the person physically. Also, there’s a metaphysical thing, and if a meeting of people is meaningful, it affects both their lives."

ABERCROMBIE and FITCH Flagship Store Fifth Avenue Store Greeters/Models

Abercrombie and Fitch Fifth Avenue flagship store greeters/models. January 18 and 23, 2010.

Joan Miro's MOONBIRD

This is Joan Miro's "Moonbird" sculpture (1966), located on the plaza of the Solow Building on 58th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. Moonbird is a vertical and dynamic form with a polished surface that evokes certain primitive figures.

The POND at BRYANT PARK

The Pond at Bryant Park is a famous destination for ice skaters during the winter season. The 170' x 100' skating rink is the only free admission in in the city. 

DAVID BLAINE in Times Square: Magic For Haiti

Brooklyn native, DAVID BLAINE, the American illusionist, magician and endurance artist is currently working with the American Red Cross to raise funds for the earthquake victims in Haiti by making an appearance, signing autographs and performing street magic for 72 hours non-stop in Times Square. He is accepting donations in Times Square, and online at www.davidblaine.com. I made these images earlier this evening.

Hollister Arriving on Fifth Avenue

The space that used to house Hickey Freeeman on Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street will soon be the home of New York's second HOLLISTER. Photo was taken on January 15, 2010.

American Apparel's Legalize Gay Campaign

This is a window display of an American Apparel store in Chelsea, photographed on December 9, 2009. In the fall of 2008, Proposition 8 passed in California striking down the legalization of same-sex marriage. Taking a stance for human rights, American Apparel started an ad campaign to support the protection and advancement of gay rights, by printing "Legalize Gay" t-shirts for protesters at rallies and marches.