2024 Detroit: Detroit Art Institute, Scarab Club, Library

 After spending the first night of our 10-day road trip in Windsor, Ontario, we crossed the border into Detroit via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, which was significantly quicker than the Ambassador Bridge due to all the trucks that used that crossing.  We spent the bulk of the day at the Detroit Institute of Art and a few other buildings in the area, before heading to Ann Arbor, which would be our home base for the next 7 days as we explored the surrounding areas.  We chose staying in Ann Arbor over Detroit since the prices for accommodations were much more reasonable, and it was the closer to the other destinations on our itinerary including Dearborne, Toledo, and Ann Arbor itself.

The Detroit Institute of Art (DIA) is a world-class art museum that has one of the largest and most significant collections in the United states with over 100 galleries displaying over 65,000 works ranging from ancient Egyptian through to contemporary art.  Established in 1885 as the Detroit Museum of Art, the museum moved into its current Beaux-Arts, Italian Renaissance styled white marble building in 1927, with a 16th Century French Gothic chapel installed in one of its galleries.  Between 1966-71, a major renovation saw the addition of a north and south wing to flank the original central building, and another 35,000 feet of space was added in 2007.  Before even entering the museum, you are presented with impressive works including Alexander Calder’s Young Woman and her Suitors and Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker.

The highlight of the DIA is the series of massive murals consisting of 27 panels painted in fresco style by Mexican artist Diego Rivera titled collectively as “Detroit Industry Murals”.  Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, commissioned the work, created between 1932-1933, to cover all four walls of the former Garden Court, which was renamed Rivera Court in honour of the murals. The paintings offer a comprehensive view of Detroit’s automotive manufacturing base and labour force in the 1930s and work done at the Ford Motor Plant specifically. Rivera worked for 9 months to complete the murals, overseen by DIA’s director William Valentiner.  At the entrance into Rivera Court are beautiful Wisteria Gates (1914-15) by Thomas Hastings made with wrought iron, copper, brass and enamel depicting intricate carvings of birds hidden within tree branches and leaves.  Just inside the gates, before reaching the murals, is a fountain created in the 1920s with tiles from the Pewabic Pottery Company.  Also made with Pewabic tiles are medallions on the floor that were installed in the 1990s.

My husband Rich and I used the same strategy that we employed in Amsterdam to have a few minutes alone with the Night Watch by Rembrandt, the most famous piece in the Rijksmuseum.  We arrived at the DIA just before it opened and were amongst the first ones in the museum.  Bypassing all the beautiful works that we saw enroute, we sprinted directly to the Rivera Court and for a blissful 15 minutes, we were alone with the murals and could admire this masterpiece in peace before more visitors arrived.  After this, we explored the rest of the museum but returned once again to Rivera Court as part of the DIA’s “highlights tour”.  As it turns out, our docent guide spent 50 minutes of the one- hour tour explaining Diego’s murals in great detail, leaving just 15 minutes (he went over the time limit) to race through a few other important works.

Diego Rivera’s murals mix the realism of Detroit’s auto industry and life at the Ford Motor Plant with depictions that reflect religion, spirituality and Aztec iconology and ideology. The panels present themes of man vs nature vs machine and Rivera used the four directions of the Rivera Court in a symbolic manner to emphasize his message.

Geographically, East is the direction in which the sun rises and is associated with the source of light and life itself.  On the East wall, which is the first wall that you see as you walk into the courtyard, there are two female figures holding grain and crops.  They represent fertility and the bounty of nature with more vegetables depicted below them.  The blond haired woman is said to represent North America while the dark haired on represents South America.  Together they symbolize the agricultural abundance of the Americas. Between them is a baby nested inside a plant’s bulb with roots extending into the soil.  Below the baby are two plows that represent the labour required to produce the harvest. As a whole, this wall represents new life and new life and new beginnings but also reflect on the relationship between man and machine.

North and South walls depict the processes involved in manufacturing the 1932 Ford V-8 automobile at the Ford Motor Company’s Rouge River Plant as well as life of the workers at and away from the plant.  The central panel of the North side depicts the industrial processes involved in the production and manufacturing of the engine and transmission of the Ford V-8.  The central panel of the South side shows work on the automotive exterior and final assembly of the vehicle.  Above the two central panels are four Aztec deities that Rivera considered to represent the four main races of the world, each surrounded by one of the four main components required to produce steel.  At the top of the North panel are the “Red Race”(Native American) associated with iron ore, and the “Black Race” (African) with coal.  The South panel depicts the “White Race”(European) with limestone and the “Yellow Race” (Asian) with sand.  Together the four images symbolize how all races contribute to the steel industry.

The central panel on the North side depicts racially diverse men working in tandem while performing the various stages of producing the engine and transmission of the car including foundry operations, engine assembly and use of spindle drills to create engine blocks.  This panel is darker in both tone and depicted themes.  It shows men toiling long hours in dangerous conditions surrounded by heavy equipment, toxic chemicals and hazardous fumes including the men with green, glowing skin that have been affected by the toxic environment.  The red glowing flames from the blast furnace at the top of the panel reminds you of hell-fire and Judgement Day.  It is probably not a coincidence that these depictions are on the North Panel, which is situated to the left as you enter the courtyard, since left is associated with evil in history and in religion.   Along the bottom of the North wall are monotone sketches of workers and machinery.

The Aztec concept of duality is prevalent on this wall, as it is throughout the panels, showing both positive and negative aspects of technology and industrialization. The auto industry represented jobs, stability and prosperity for the workers but also grueling and dangerous working conditions.  The top two panels on either side of the central panel illustrate the duality of innovation and knowledge advancement.  On the right side we see doctors administering a vaccine to a baby to attack the viruses shown below.  Controversially, Rivera turned this into a “nativity scene” by adding a horse and cow in the foreground and three scientists (wise men) in the background.  It is said that the scientist looking into a microscope is Louis Pasteur, the baby is modeled after the kidnapped Lindberg baby, the doctor is DIA director William Valentiner, and the Virgin Mary is drawn to resemble actress Jean Harlow.  This image was labeled as sacrilegious by the religiously fervent.  On the left side we get the harmful aspects of advancement with the development of bombs and poisonous gases.

The themes of duality continue on the West wall, which is also the entrance into the Rivera Courtyard.  Along the top are two depictions of airplanes. The panel on the right, which abuts the poisonous gas panel on the North wall shows bomber planes used for war with the image of the war hawk underneath.  The panel on the left features passenger planes and the dove of peace.  The centre panel in grisaille (painted in a greyish neutral colour) depicts half face of George Washington/half skull symbolizing the coexistence of life and death.  The panel also includes water themes with the depiction fish, ships and recreational boats, possibly highlighting the conflict between nature and human activities.  The bottom two panels show a workman on the left and management (depicted as an amalgamation of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford) on the right, standing in front of a machine that looks like a giant ear, implying that management is always listening.

The South wall shows workers completing the final assembly of the Ford V-8 while watched both by management and what looks like a crowd of spectators from the general public.  This wall has the most references to both real people and fictional characters.  The stern-looking man wearing a suit, tie, glasses and hat might be Harry Bennett, who was Henry Ford’s personal assistant, bodyguard and enforcer.  In the right corner are depictions of Edsel Ford in the grey suit looking outward and William Valentiner in profile in a dark suit.  In the crowd of spectators, comic strip character Dick Tracy stands to the left in a grey suit while two kids wearing baseball caps refer to the Katzenjammer Kids comic strip.

Rivera’s depiction of the machinery in the Ford plant was fairly accurate, except for the stamping machine shown on the South wall, which was an out-dated version no longer in use.  He chose this version because of its resemblance to the Aztec deity Coatlicue, goddess of childbirth, fertility, life and death.  The bottom grey panels on the South wall depict the drudgery of the workers lives.  The final panel to the right might depict Henry Ford lecturing the workers on the V-8 Engine, which is made to look like an Aztec dog with legs and a tail.  The top left side panel shows women working as stenographers since they were not allowed to work with heavy machinery.

Kresge Court was originally built in 1927 by architect Paul Philippe Cret to resemble an open courtyard of an Italian Renaissance palace and was meant to be an area for relaxation.  Each wall was designed to reflect a different European architectural style, including 14th Century European Gothic, 15th Century Italian, 16th Century German, and 17th Century Dutch/Flemish.  In 1961, the courtyard was covered with glass and in 2013, it was further renovated to add a cafeteria serving coffee, drinks and light snacks.  The space was refurnished with rugs, couches, eclectic chairs and tables as well as better lighting and electric outlets to create an area for meeting, work, dining and rest.  We stopped here for lunch where I ordered the truffled mushroom flatbread with wild mushrooms, arugula, mozzarella, truffle oil and bechamel sauce and Rich had the Falafel pita wrap while we shared a mochaccino.

Located on the second floor across from Rivera Court, the Great Hall was designed in the Beaux-Arts Style and features high ceilings decorated with trompe l’oeil paintings of classical figures from antiquity, giant chandeliers and more Pewabic tiled medallion patterns on the floor, like we saw in Rivera Court.  Glass cases containing full-body armor are currently on display along both sides of the hallway.  Archways along the Great Hall provide access to different galleries including an area with two curved niches displaying glassware.  The shimmering, iridescent Pewabic tiles at the back of each niche were so beautiful that they almost eclipsed the glass works in front of them, which included the “Jack-in-the-Pulpit” Vase made of Favrile Glass by Louis Tiffany Studios in 1915.

In 1924, the DIA was presented with a gift of an entire French Gothic chapel dating back to 1522-24.  The chapel was originally part of the Chateau de Herbéviller in Lorraine, France and was meant for private devotion by a noble family. The chapel is made of limestone with large stained glass windows and ornate altarpiece.   The chapel was disassembled in France and carefully transported via steamship to Detroit  where it was reassembled.

We were really impressed by the informational panels in front of key artworks that visually highlighted various parts of a painting and provided detailed explanations that really enhanced our appreciation of the art.  For the famous 1566 oil on oak painting “The Wedding Dance” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder that depicts merrymakers dancing at a wedding party, a few interesting facts are pointed out in terms of discoveries made by conservators who cleaned up the painting.  As part of the wardrobe of the men in the foreground, Bruegel had painted “codpieces”, a fashionable accessory that looked like a protuberance in the crotch area that later generations mistook as being crude and sexual, and painted over them.  A DIA conservator discovered this in 1941 and restored the figures to their intended appearance.  A hidden signature by Bruegel was also found in the bottom right of the painting.  In Artemisia Gentileschi’s 1623 painting “Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes”, we are taught to follow the light from top left to bottom right to discover the drama depicted in the work.

There were many interesting works in the DIA.  I liked a series in the African American section where African American artists highlighted political and social issues in their works. In particular, several pieces took traditionally white subject matters or famous works depicting white protagonists and reimagined them with black characters.  Welfare Queen (2012) by Amy Sherald depicts a regal black woman dressed in “Queen Elizabeth”-like garb.  Yet the title of the piece speaks to politicians who use this derogatory term to imply that Black women exploit public benefit programs.  Kehinde Wiley reimagines the iconic American painting “Watson and the Shark” (1786) by John Singleton Copley, replacing the white figures with Senegalese women.  He does the same thing with “An Officer of the Imperial Horse Guards Charging” (1812) by Théodore Géricault which shows a Napoleonic cavalry officer ready to attack.  Wiley’s version depicts a black man in blue jeans and an undershirt with a leopard-skin saddle.  Charles McGee’s “Noah’s Ark: Genesis” (1984) uses Egyptian art, African textiles and prehistoric rock paintings to depict Noah, his family and animals boarding the Ark.

Many of my favourite pieces in the DIA are sculptures.  The one I admired the most was the life-sized marble sculpture of Penelope, the character in Homer’s Oydssey who was known for her fidelity to her husband Odysseus while he was off fighting in the Trojan War. Created by Frank Simmons in 1903, the gorgeous work has so much intricate detail including the ripples and lace embroidery on the hem of her skirt, the braids in her hair, the carvings on her chair, and the fur on the animal skin that she sits upon.  The whimsical plaster cast busts created by J. Michallon the Younger are hilarious renderings of the sculptor and his wife, as well as caricatures of his friends and political peers.  For his marble sculpture Seated Woman (1890), Jean-Léon Gérôme used coloured wax to tint the skin, hair, eyes, lips using a technique that he is known for called polychrome.  I also loved the detail in Charles Cordier’s bronze carving “Black Moorish Woman” (1856) with ornate details added through cloth and gilding.  There were many interesting paintings in DIA’s collection including Salvador Dali’s Ballerina Skull (1939) that almost acts as an OpArt with the ballerina figure blending into the eyes of the skull.

In addition to Fine Arts, the DIA also has an impressive collection of gorgeous vintage furniture. A pair of “Gondala” chairs and a side table by Joseph Urban (1921) are made with painted wood covered with silver leaf and mother of pearl.  The sides of the chairs and the pedestal of the table are decorated with circular silver patterns and the multi-coloured striped upholstery really makes the chairs pop.  A beautiful writing desk (circa 1690-1700) by Anton Luchtenstein is made from oak and pine with ivory, dark ebony from India, silver, mother of pearl from Asian mollusks and translucent tortoise shell from Caribbean sea turtles.  The marquetry on this piece is exquisite.  John La Farge created a stunning set of stained-glass panels that he titled “Faith and Hope” (1890).   We also saw Edgar Brandt’s wrought iron and bronze gate (1925) depicting a female nude with a deer, a Tiffany tall case clock (1882) made from mahoganized cherry, stained glass, silvered bronze and laquer, and an ornate secretary/desk with mirror (1770) made from Kingwood, ivory, and ebony designed by Pietro Piffetti.

The DIA collection also includes some beautiful decorative arts including vases, bowls, teapots, jugs and more.  Our favourite was the “slip-cast” ceramic vase (circa 1900) by Hungarian Lajos Mack with eosin glazes used to depict a series of women with flowing skirts and raised arms, dancing underneath a starry sky.  We also liked the glazed earthenware “New Yorker (Jazz) Bowl” (1930) by Viktor Schreckengost that highlights the New York jazz scene of the 30s, with musical notes depicted inside the bowl.  A lead-glazed earthenware tobacco pipe (1770) is shaped like a coiled snake ready to strike.  Tiffany and Company designed a beautiful deep red coffee pot (1879) made from silver, copper, brass, niello inserts and ivory.  Displayed side by side was a glazed earthenware “Rozane Della Robbia” vase (1906) and an Ewer (1894) designed by Kataro Shirayamadini that both tried to capture art in motion.

Located across from the DIA, the Scarab Club is a meeting place, working studio and gallery space for artists to gather, socialize, create and discuss art. Formed in 1907 as the Hopkin Club, named after marine painter Robert Hopkin, the club’s vision was to promote acquaintance between art lovers and artists. Club members included painters, sculptors, architects, engravers, illustrators, musicians, and writers, but membership was closed to women until 1962.  In 1913, it was renamed the Scarab Club after the Egyptian symbol of rebirth. The club moved into the current Arts and Crafts-styled red brick building in 1928 with ornate zigzag brickwork patterns, three columns of recessed window openings with architectural features in between, a row of terracotta grilles under the windows as well as one above the front door where the words “Scarab Club” are carved into the pattern.  A circular scarab medallion made of turquoise, green and gold Pewabic tiles is found high above the doorway.  Once inside, more beautiful artworks are found in the entranceway and reception area including a mural that depicts another scarab and a painter’s pallet surrounded by faux bricks, a gilded mural depicting artists on the ceiling and a gorgeous reception desk made of carved polychromed gumwood with a painted scarab mural painted by artist and member Alfred Nygard in 1922.

The Scarab Club building houses six working artist studios on the third floor, a lounge area on the second floor and large gallery space on the first floor that opens up to a courtyard and private garden.  The various spaces are available for rent for weddings and other events.  The day that we visited, the exhibition in the gallery included a “Frankenmansion” with various sections of the house and gardens designed in different architectural styles including Georgian, Romanesque Reviaval, Neoclassical and Prairie styles.  Other works on the wall seemed to reference various social issues including Black Lives Matter, surveillance and privacy, fiscal inequality, etc.

The Arts and Crafts styled lounge on the second floor is breathtaking and features art works created by members over the years. Above an ornate fireplace is a mural painted by Paul Honoré depicting the “Scarab Family Tree” consisting of the different levels of club membership and the various art disciplines supported by the club.  The beams along the ceiling are of particular interest and importance since they are painted by club members to depict events from the club’s history.  Certain beams act as a “guest book” and have been signed by over 230 artists including Diego Riveria, Marcel Duchamp and Norman Rockwell.  Original mica and metal chandeliers hang from the ceiling and vintage furniture complete the décor.

The main branch of the Detroit Library system is an architectural gem and a heritage building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Designed by architect Cass Gilbert, the building was constructed in 1912 using funds donated by Andrew Carnegie.  The 3-storey early Italian Renaissance-style building  is constructed with Vermont marble with serpentine Italian marble trim. Additional wings were added in 1963.  The long hallway leading to the library’s main floor feature white marble walls, Doric columns made from pink Tennessee marble and a vaulted ceiling decorated with rosettes.   But the real architectural highlights are found on the second and third floors where there are stained glass windows, massive murals, Pewabic Pottery tiles, and painted windows depicting Roman mythology.  Much to our disappointment, the upper floors were closed for renovation so we could not see these works of art.  We had to settle for browsing a book of photos of the library to see what we had missed.  As the library was closing when we arrived, we also did not have time to venture deeper into the first floor’s Children’s Library where we would have seen a Pewabic tiled fireplace.  We have been making a list of things we would do on a return trip to Detroit, and this definitely went on the list.

The Maccabees Building was completed in 1927 for the fraternity called “Knights of the Maccabees”, who later established the Royal Maccabees Insurance Company.  A long-term tenant of the building the radio and television station WXYZ which ran popular radio programs like The Lone Ranger and Green Hornet.  Today the building is jointly occupied by Wayne State University and Detroit Public Television.  Designed by architect Albert Kahn, the impressive 14-story building with a limestone façade has elements of Romanesque (round arch and rose window over the door, recessed barreled arch) as well as Art Deco design (symmetry, linear, sleek lines, height). As a reflection of the original owners, there are stone carvings of knights all around the front entrance.

The interior of Macabees has stunning glass-tiled mosaics covering the ceiling and over the main doorway.  The mosaics form intricate designs including a purple and gold floral patterned ceiling, as well as scenes depicting palm trees, deer drinking from a stream, swans, squirrels and bee hives, and a woman (goddess?) holding scales and a bowl of fruit, representing themes of power, prosperity and peace. Magnificent chandeliers with intricate iron-work designs hang from the ceiling including one that continues the theme of “knights”.

Chartreuse Kitchen and Cocktails is a cosy “New American”-styled restaurant and bar serving fresh, seasonal farm-to-table foods and craft cocktails.  The eatery is located in the elegant Park Shelton Building, which was originally the Wardell Hotel, built in 1926 for Fred Wardell (creator of the Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company).  Diego Riveria and his wife artist Freda Khalo lived here while he was creating his famous murals.  The 12-story tower has beautiful designs by Corrado Parducci, who also worked on the Fisher building that we would tour the next day.  To me, the architectural features were reminiscent of those found on buildings in Vienna during the Secession period.  Curiously, emanating from of the corners of the rooftop was what looked like a metal orange outline of a man wearing a fedora hat.  This turned out to be one of over 100 similar works created by artist John Sauvé as part of a public art project called “Man in the City”.  These 43-inch tall, flat sheets of orange metal men have been placed on rooftops across Windsor and Detroit, with the goal of “activating the skyline” and encouraging people to take more notice of their surroundings as they look up in search of these figures.

The meal that we had at Chartreuse was wonderfully fresh, innovative and delicious.  We ordered a few dishes to share starting with the Maple Creek Salad consisting of lettuce, lemon feta, asparagus, chive and crispy garlic, as well as the  poached lobster served on fennel broth with fermented apple, trumpet mushroom, basil oil, micro herbs and wafer-shaped fried potato slices called “gaufrettes”.  As mains, we shared the sea bream drizzled with blueberry mostarda on top of a Brussel sprout slaw with bacon vinaigrette and accompanied with crispy smashed potato, plus the lamb strip loin with pistachio pesto, cucumber frisée salad, tzatziki, almond and chickpea.

The restaurant is named after the liqueur named chartreuse, which is a French slightly sweet herbal liqueur available in a green (stronger alcohol content) and a yellow version.  You can order a small (2oz?) taste of different types of chartreuse, but the tastes range from $10 to $350USD!!  Rich tried the yellow, making sure that he specified he wanted the $10 glass.  For dessert, we shared the Candy bar made from coffee, hazelnut and chocolate served with a small shot glass of burnt milk foam.  We also ordered the dessert special which came with three chartreuse-infused treats – a shortbread cookie, macaron and chocolate truffle.