An Eye For The Stage

Script From My Podcast, Season 1, Episode 2

I went to the Museum Of Fine Art here in Saint Petersburg, Florida to see the exhibit “An Eye For The Stage” which was on tour from the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas and is a part of their Tobin Collection. It was a refreshing exhibit.
Robert Lynn Batts Tobin was raised by well known families in Texas, his father Edgar was a WWI flying ace and descended from early Texas settlers and defenders of the Alamo. Tobin’s mother was descended from a long line of attorneys and judges. His mother was an art lover and this led to Tobin’s love of the arts.
Tobin acquired his first artwork at the age of 13, a Paul Klee watercolor and asked for artist’s drawings and theatre designs for birthday presents. If you make it to San Antonio, a visit to the McNay is definitely in order to see the Tobin collection.
The Tobin Collection has theatre set and costume designs from well known artists like Giorgio de Chirico, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. I found some of the sketches by David Hockney and Edward Craig very interesting and beautiful but mostly due to my personal familiarity of the artists having studied them at University.
Perhaps my favorite pieces from the exhibit were by artists who worked with the Ballets Russes on the eve of the Russian revolution and WWI. Wonderful pieces by Leon Bakst, Alexandre Benois, Alexandra Exter, Pavel Tchelitchev, Mikhail Larionov and Natalia Gontcharova. Natalia’s sketches are colorful and exotic and all of these artists well represent the societal contrasts, drama and conflicts of the time and are remarkably modern.
I have always been fascinated with the tragic Russian history leading up to and throughout the revolution and that may account for being drawn to these works.
I recommend seeing this exhibit if it is near you and if it isn’t near you then a trip to San Antonio should be on your bucket list.