The Morgan Library & Museum

A Baron's Bounty

I got caught.

Snapping photos of the stately exterior of the museum, an east side local sidled up and asked, "Do you know what's in there?" To which I immediately replied, "No." So as to ensure a colorful story. Anecdote ensued.

The Morgan Library & Museum campus comprises several buildings joined by a modern glass piazza at the center. Seems the oldest of the buildings, a brownstone -- that now houses the gift shop -- to the left of the entrance, was coveted by a local Democrat around the turn of the century. He made an offer for purchase and was flatly refused by Morgan, a staunch Republican. In retaliation, said Democrat purchased the property opposite the magnificent brownstone and garishly adorned it to irritate the somewhat understated Morgan. Some years later, to rub salt into the wound, it became the National Democratic Club. Presently it stands as the Consulate General to the Republic of Poland.

The man entreated me to take a look at it after my visit. I said I would oblige, and he sauntered off, his disinterested Pug in tow.

The truth is, I knew at least one thing that was in that building, a Gutenberg Bible. Steve Guttenberg, from such masterpieces as Can't Stop the Music, and Three Men and a Baby, created a magnificent work on vellum.... kidding. Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of movable type -- a revolution that would sweep the world and change the way we communicate. The bibles are testament to the first efforts of the great Gutenberg press. Of the 180 that originated, but 48 are left, 3 of which are at the Morgan Library, only 1 of which is on display in Mr. Morgan's study.

With preface provided by the enthusiastic local, the sense of stepping into something grand was palpable as I entered the main piazza. There was a low chatter. A few people moving about. What became immediately clear is that this is a locals museum. If you were to attempt the MET or MoMa, or Museum of Natural History on a Saturday it would be a nightmare. The population at the Morgan was understated, civilized.

I stopped off first for a glance into a small Puccini exhibit, showing medals, manuscripts and photos of the master. A booth in the corner offers patrons the chance to hear his works sung.

Exiting, I meandered my way downstairs to a plushly appointed auditorium. Still smelled brand new. The chairs a cushy red velvet. Showing every 15 minutes was an introduction to the museum and overview to the legacy of Pierpont Morgan. Morgan, an incomparable robber-baron of the golden age of banking began collecting art objects and manuscripts in 1890. His son, J.P. Morgan, Jr. elevated his father's considerable acquisitions by turning his private library into a museum in 1924.

After the film concluded I moved quickly. Bypassed several roving couplets of geriatrics and proceeded back through the main piazza into the library wing. Morgan's study is akin to something out of a movie. Brass, burgundy, mahogany, and the faint linger of cigar fill the chamber. Memory is palpable. Looking up, one is entreated to a resplendent painted coffered wood ceiling, which despite its beauty never crosses to garish. Sprinkled throughout the small room are artifacts from a wide array of locales and cultures. Books peek at you from behind caged glass. Morgan looms from an imposing portrait above the fireplace. There, below him stands the Gutenberg Bible. It's open at center and inviting. The gilded elements gently refract light. It inspires reverence in the pure impact of its creation. Silence observed by everyone who passes its pages.

Moving on, I crossed through the marble entry of the old library and sneeked a peek into the former librarian's office. A gorgeous room, with a coffered ceiling of its own and a large fireplace. It served as home to the Museum's directors up until 1991 when offices were moved the adjacent brownstone.

Last, was the library proper. Soaring stacks of neatly cased books give the room an intimidating grandeur. On display currently is a more recent masterwork, illustrations and original manuscripts of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. What's so incredible about this is to see the humanity behind a recognized work. Sendak wrote notes to himself, damned his own writing at times, even originally conceived a boy in search of wild horses, not beasts. It's an opportunity to see an artist's process at work. Particularly poignant in tandem with the film to be released October 16, 2009.

I usually have a rule. Don't try and devour an entire museum in one sitting. It's like Thanksgiving dinner. Eat, then go back for more. Don't overstuff. I overstuffed, and found in odd juxtaposition to my carefully constructed simile that I was hungry for food. I took a lite lunch at the cafe. I don't recommend it. Sadly, it's often the case that the restaurants in museums can't compete with the experience of the museum itself. Usually an external catering company is used, and they deliver little of the inspiration of the art that surrounds.

Not wishing to end on a sour note, I made a hasty move through the remaining galleries. On the second floor the Engelhard gallery offers: New at the Morgan: a diverse collection of acquisitions since 2004. On the first, off the main lobby are Rococo and Revolution: Eighteenth-Century French Drawings and William Blake's World: "A New Heaven Is Begun". The latter you have to at least glimpse, most especially his haunting portrayal of Satan (1790).

I emerged into the crisp afternoon light sated. Remembering my amateur guide's suggestion, I rounded the corner at the brownstone to find he was indeed correct. There, opposite (though presently under scaffolding) stands the Polish Consulate. A little research yielded that the story behind its Democratic past is true.

Capitalism was stoked and well fostered by Morgan. We may have a tendency to focus on the negative aspects of commercial exploits, and in particular the present tangle that banking has become. We may rightly look with some scorn at the extravagance of those above our own means. However, in this case greed paved the way for something greater.

The baron's bounty shared has become bevy for us all.

INFO:
The Morgan Library and Museum
225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street
New York, NY 10016
T: 212.685.0008
www.themorgan.org (resource-rich website! Check for FREE ENTRY times.)