Chagall, Museum Entry Fees, and WTH Phoenix?

Sunday we visited Palau Martorell, a small art museum in El Gòtic that is currently hosting a Chagall exhibit called “The Color of Dreams”. The building originally housed the Old Commercial Credit Society, and was finished in 1900.

This is a private museum, so some locals have labeled it “elitist” for charging a €14 entry fee (although there are cheaper options for retirees, students, and so on), which amuses me to no end when I think about the costs to enter museums in the United States. Compare that to a single-day ticket for the Phoenix Art Museum or the MOMA in New York City, both at $28. A large difference is that the city of Barcelona provides a lot of support to the city’s cultural world, something that Phoenix is not apt to provide its own cultural environment, if that culture does not involve sports or... well, sports pretty much covers it.

So yeah, Phoenix. What a city. I lived there over a decade, after thirteen years in Tucson, and Jim lived there a number of years too. I spent about half my life living in Arizona. I saw a lot of change over that time, some good (more great breweries and fabulous winemaking, more great additions to the Desert Botanical Garden), some not. So put on your seatbelts and raise your tray tables, as strong feelings about my former home follow.

Ok, so, first problem getting in the way of Phoenix becoming the city it could be, its politicians spend more time fretting over drag queens than most anything else. It is sad to see a city the size of Phoenix (same size as Barcelona, in fact, when looking both at actual city population and metropolitan area) let so much potential remain fallow because a substantial portion of the population is scared of drag queens and clings to their gun collections in fear of The Rainbow Wokeacalypse that is going to brainwash their children. Perhaps after the festering shitshow known as the Waste Management Phoenix Open spiraled further down the toilet this year, the city and its people should get their heads out of their asses, turn off Fox News or whatever newer viler hate network has taken over their television, and start realizing the impact this small-minded, shallow, fearful, hateful mindset is having on their city. The Open is supposed to be one of the jewels in Phoenix’s crown - really Phoenix, this is your best? All I can do is shake my head and sigh.

Come on Phoenix, having been a Phoenician for over a decade, I have to wonder, is this just baked in and inherent to the city? Can you really not do better? This is the land that spawned the likes of Kerry Lake, the famous Pubeface, and the vile torture, murder, and mutilation of a gay man. that barely caused so much as a ripple of concern from the city… so maybe Phoenix just simply can NOT do better, considering the political climate (and the members of the city council, and the peoples of Phoenix who keep voting for those sad, tiny-minded fools). I do not think, at this point in time, that Phoenix CAN do better. Again, I am reminded why Jim and I chose to leave, forever.

But back to the Chagall work - a small but fantastic show. Like I have said before, seeing the actual works is such a different experience than seeing photos onscreen or reproductions in books. The colors are explosive, and he had a way of using color that manages to be aggressive but with a soft feeling. It is hard to describe.