February 11, 2021
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
During this quiet time of the year, it’s a treat to look back on 2020 as captured by our photographer extraordinaire, Jessica Norman. Despite our shared turmoil, Mother Nature staged a beautiful and uplifting performance for our delight last year. For more of our favorite photos from 2020, visit our website.
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
During this quiet time of the year, it’s a treat to look back on 2020 as captured by our photographer extraordinaire, Jessica Norman. Despite our shared turmoil, Mother Nature staged a beautiful and uplifting performance for our delight last year. For more of our favorite photos from 2020, visit our website.
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I was reading about the artist James McNeill Whistler recently and was reminded of one of his most famous paintings, Nocturne in Black and Gold, The Falling Rocket. In 1878 the writer and art critic John Ruskin wrote a harsh critique of the painting, which used a splatter technique that was avant-garde for the time. Outraged, Whistler sued Ruskin, which resulted in a court victory but a negligible monetary reward; the cost of litigation greatly hurt him. The notorious painting was later acquired by Samuel Untermyer, never one to be afraid of controversy (likely to be attracted to it), for the equivalent of $127,000 in 1892. After his death, it was sold for the equivalent of $130,000 in 1940. So much for investing in modern art in 1892.
Our annual Winter Lecture will take place virtually on Saturday, March 6, at 2:00 p.m. Emma Clark is an English garden designer and historian with a specialty in the Islamic meaning and symbolism associated with Persian gardens. The author of The Art of the Islamic Garden, Ms. Clark also designed the Persian Garden at Highgrove, the estate of Prince Charles. In addition to interpreting the spiritual resonance of a Persian garden, she will discuss plants that are suitable for a Persian garden in our climate. Tickets are available here.
Continuing our relationship with the New York Adventure Club, I will deliver a virtual lecture, “The Great Paradise Gardens of India and Pakistan,” on Wednesday, February 24, at 5:30 p.m. If you missed my live lecture in 2019, this is a good time to learn about a fascinating subject.
Having started this newsletter with pictures, I would like to conclude it with another one, filmed during the recent snowstorm.
Kind regards,
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
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