'Tis the Season for Art

One of the greatest joys in the season known for its joyousness is the availability of exceptional art. From performances—such as the Washington Ballet’s The Nutcracker—to grand museum exhibitions (The National Gallery of Art’s “Degas’ Little Dancer’), the art world provides no shortage of aesthetic wonders to feast on during the winter.

On a recent trip to New York, we had the long-awaited pleasure visiting MoMA to see Matisse’s cut-outs, the exuberant, dynamic paper collages from the painter’s late career. Among other delights on the trip, we also explored the Neue Galerie, which currently has up a striking exhibition of the Austrian artist Egon Schiele and permanently houses an impressive collection of Gustav Klimpt’s portraits. And that was only the beginning!

Full of masterful work after masterful work, the visit not only proved that it is indeed the season for art; it also reaffirmed, once again, that elusive power of art.