Dia: Beacon has been on the list of places to visit for many months. This weekend my boo and I finally made it, and let me just say it was inspiring and a little magical.
We took Metro North from NYC up to Beacon, NY to the former Nabisco box-printing factory turned museum. Master planner and featured artist Robert Irwin intended the experience of Dia: Beacon to begin at Grand Central and continue on the train as the city dissolves away to suburbs. The museum is located just off the banks of the Hudson River and is only a 10-minute, sign-guided walk from the train station.
I quickly fell for the massive windows that perfectly daylit the brick walls, concrete floors and art (of course). Irwin's partly frosted windows allowed for only peaks of his beautifully landscaped grounds.
The babe's favorite exhibit was Richard Serra's and although I was only mildly impressed at first the more I looked and and explored his work the more I appreciated it's thoughtfulness.
I think exhibits I enjoyed most were Michael Heizer's permanent exhibit North, East, South, West which is very reminiscent of the World Trade Center Memorial reflection pools, and Dan Flavin's neon sculpture installations.
We spent five hours wandering, lunching, enjoying the 1pm tour (hich is available on weekends and I highly recommend), and lounging in the grass. It was such a lovely day in a beautiful place filled with interesting ideas.
