Last night I went to the opening of German painter Gerhard Richter's retrospective at MoMA. Over 500 people shoehorned into dinner, while another 1500 or so poured into the galleries. It's the last major exhibition before the museum closes for a three-year renovation. In his speech, Glenn Lowry, the Director, likened the show (and the artist) to the museum's landmark exhibits of Cezanne and Picasso.
Even at such a weighty, important, and exciting occasion, it didn't take more than one course before our table was engrossed in sharing personal experiences of September 11. (Don't look at me; I was talking about Nazi-stolen art and the growing imperative for schools to ban dodgeball.) The stories were familiar, similar to ones we all had/heard, but it didn't matter. We apparently still need to remember these things.
