The summer has come and gone and as Labor Day fast approaches, we found the time to have a little art-themed weekend.

We started with TGIFrida Friday at Gilcrease Museum of Art. (If you haven’t been following EE recently, please note that we are all about Frida Kahlo lately.) Gilcrease hosted a free event to celebrate the life and legacy of Kahlo. We got to enjoy a bit of after-hours time with her at TGIFrida. We arrived a little before 7 pm, bypassed the cash bar and free food, and went directly into the exhibit.

Thank goodness we did, because when we exited, the lobby was extremely crowded. I would have liked to have stayed a bit and listened to the live music and do some amazing people watching (Frida-philes were letting their freak-flags fly), but (a) I had forgotten my phone (hence no photos of this event) so we had to drive back home to get it before our final destination for the evening; and, (b) our final destination for the weekend was OKC (about 90 minutes away).

So, I will just have to leave you with one of my favorite portraits from the exhibit. The Hubs was most taken by some of her correspondences on display so I will also leave you with what he found to be a hilarious letter from Kahlo to Muray as she discusses Paris society:

They are so damn ‘intellectual’ and rotten that I can’t stand them any more. It is realy [sic] too much for my character—-I rather sit on the floor in the market of Toluca and sell tortillas than to have any thing to do with those ‘artistic’ bitches of Paris.

—Paris. Feb 16, 1939, from Frida to Nick

Next up was our two-night stay at 21 c Museum Hotel in OKC. This place is brand new, opening in June of this summer. It’s amazing! I love the philosophy of making contemporary art available 24/7 in this hotel setting. The OKC location is housed in the old Fred Jones Ford Assembly Plant. Its massive character is perfect for the many fun, quirky, and/or poignant art displays.

Part of the Labor and Materials exhibit at 21c OKC.

21c — These more than life-size purple penguins were everywhere!

Evocative art from 21c. (And, another penguin.)

21c — This installation was on the 2nd floor landing.

21 c. — When I first glanced at this piece as we entered the lobby for the first time, I thought it was a young boy kissing a cloud. I soon recognized the cloud as a polar bear.

2b1771a56a88c08 — How can you not love a place where rubber duckies are included for your shower experience?

Read Debra E.‘s review of 21c Museum Hotel Oklahoma City on Yelp

The hotel’s lounge and restaurant, Mary Eddy’s, is amazing as well.

21c — Column from the factory days between kitchen areas at Mary Eddy’s.

For more information about our time spent in this relaxing lounge and eatery, please go to Yelp. Read Debra E.‘s review of Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge on Yelp

Besides experiencing this artsy hotel, why were we in OKC for the weekend? The Hubs had a surprise for me. We were also going to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art to see the once-in-a-lifetime Matisse exhibit. (This exhibit is in OKC as the only North American stop. You can read more about it here.) The exhibit was amazing, including works by not only Matisse, but also Picasso, Renoir, Derain, Braque, Miró, and Modigliani plus some contemporary artists influenced by Matisse. I loved it. It was amazing. We learned so much about Matisse and the alleged feud between the Fauves and the cubists. Really fascinating. I was so absorbed with taking everything in and experiencing the moment, this is the only photo I took of the exhibit proper. (Yes, I was having some picture/phone issues from the get-go.)