Art at the Legion of Honor

The Legion of Honor, originally uploaded by monikalel42.

The Thinker statue by Rodin that sits in front of the Legion of Honor art museum in San Francisco, in the Richmond District on a foggy day yesterday. There is an exhibition there showing the art collection of James Simon, on loan from museums in Berlin, Germany. This includes ancient Egyptian statues, German folk art, paintings of actors from Japan in the past, and pictures of Simon and his collection. His most famous discovery is the Bust of Nefertiti, which is still in Berlin. The Legion of Honor is exhibiting a replica of Nefertiti and other statues made by the same artist in ancient Egypt. Simon financed the original excavation of the pyramids that brought the statues to Berlin. I attended the lecture on November 8 by art historian Professor Dietrich Wildung, who gave a fascinating account of Simon's efforts to preserve different cultures through collecting and donating art.