Dear Read,

I’m sorry I left you standing in the middle of the street back in January.  It seems life got in the way of our tour.  Let’s pick up where we were.

This is actually the part of our tour where I have the least knowledge.  Just east of the Kimbell is the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.  I must confess that most of the works at the Modern don’t tug my heartstrings.  To me, that’s what “art” is — emotion.  Whether it’s a pile of sticks or an elaborate mosaic mural, whether or not it is art is completely up to the viewer.

But the building . . . is spectacular.  From the Modern’s website:

“The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth’s building was designed by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The Modern is located in Fort Worth’s celebrated Cultural District, directly opposite the Kimbell Art Museum, designed by Louis I. Kahn, and near the Amon Carter Museum, designed by Philip Johnson. Ando’s design, which embodies the pure, unadorned elements of a modern work of art, is comprised of five long, flat-roofed pavilions situated on a 1.5 acre pond.”

http://www.themodern.org/index.html

So we’re walking across the street, approaching this gorgeous building from the southwest and are confronted by a huge metal sculpture twisting its way to the sky

This is a 67′ tall steel sculpture by Richard Serra.  You can stand inside it and look up to the sky.  It almost feels like being in the vortex of a tornado, but very serene.

Here’s more detailed information about the piece:  http://themodern.org/f_html/serra2.html#top

I have searched and can’t find information on an unobtrusive sculpture that stands tucked in a corner on the west side of the building.  If I were to name it, I would call it something like Desert Stallion.  I will find the name and artist and include it here, but in the meantime, enjoy.

Finally, going to the main entrance of the building, here’s a peek inside as well.

You can catch a view of a sculpture that amazes me. Titled Drape this work looks like a piece of fabric with the ability to move in the breeze, but it is in fact a bronze sculpture by Joseph Havel.

http://www.themodern.org/f_html/havel.html

I’m going to leave you here and dash off to the Amon Carter Museum, where I want to catch this exhibit before it closes

But just a quick look at downtown from our vantage point before we go in. The Museum of Natural History is to our right, with the Kimbell and the Modern in front of us.

More Travels With Julie soon.