Nevada Museum of Art

Every trip to Reno means a visit to the Nevada Museum of Art. We have never been disappointed. Sometimes I think that they have better exhibits than the Seattle Art Museum. Not bigger but better, more interesting. This time was no exception. Most important was an exhibit of Frank Lloyd Wright, the great architect. The exhibit had many of his plans for residential dwellings and for individual rooms. There were also renderings of the rooms with furniture in place, often in color. But an exhibit of architectural drawings alone would have been boring. There was furniture, chairs, a dining room set with chairs, lamps, chandeliers, doorways, his leaded glass mirrors. Artifacts from a different time. We were surprised that much of the wood used was very common. Today an architect would have used more exotic woods. All in all it was a very interesting exhibit.

But the museum was not done. Another gallery contained the painting of Edwin Deakin, a California painter. We had not heard of him before, but we were very impressed. Deakin was active in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Deakin was a realist. He painted many of the missions in California and outdoor scenes, mountains and lakes. But he was most impressive when he chose some small area of a building and concentrated on a doorway, or a window with the light from inside streaming out. Or a corner in a cathedral with the light coming in from outside. He also did various paintings of clusters of different species of grapes, with the blush on them, the light reflecting the sun. You wanted to reach out and pluck a couple. I was delighted with the paintings and had to buy the book with many of his paintings reproduced.

A third room contained ceramics by Japanese potters, all of whom had been declared National Treasures. Beautiful pots, bowls, vases, cups, all utilitarian objects, yet beautiful in the rendering by these expert artisans. A couple of the potters had turned down the designation of national treasure. Two of the artisans had journeyed to Cornwall to study with Bernard Leach, a famous potter. The irony in this was that Leach himself had visited Japan to study with potters there. His famous pottery is in St. Ives, Cornwall. We visited there once. I have a cup and saucer done by one of his students. I could not afford one done by the master himself.

If you are ever in Reno, Nevada I would recommend the Nevada Museum of Art. It is quite near downtown and within walking distance of the major downtown casino hotels.