Selected standouts from the NC Museum of Art

After the Mona Lisa 2, Devorah Sperber, 2005; my favorite work in the museum is composed of almost 5200 spools of thread!

The Three Shades, Rodin; the museum is well-known for its more than 30 Rodin sculptures (most of which are indoors)

Three Graces: Les Trois Femmes Noires, Mickalene Thomas, 2011; I loved this modern take on a popular theme showing empowered Black women in glitzy and fearless poses

Wild Turkey, John James Audubon; Audubon always painted birds life-size, usually in motion and with incredible detail

Statue of Bacchus, 1st century; Roman god of wine is made of marbles from Italy, Greece and Turkey; impressive analysis on how scientists determined origination of body parts

Song for my Father, George McKim, 2018; this was my favorite piece from an exhibit on contemporary art from NC artists

Summer's Where You'll Find Me, Louise Jones, 2018; the museum was free but special exhibits on Senegalese gold and Leonardo's drawings would have been $18

Lunar Bird, Joan Miro, 1945; the museum has a nice amphitheater for outdoor performances as well as a huge screen to show movies in the summer

Shape Shifter, Allora and Calzadilla, 2013; this work is made of used sandpaper from various construction sites around Puerto Rico

Large Standing Figure: Knife Edge, Henry Moore, 1961; I have always been puzzled by the fame of Moore since I just don't see the artistry or technical expertise

Lines That Link Humanity, El Anatsui, 2008; this work is made of discarded aluminum and copper wire; the artist is from Ghana with the museum having a large number of works from Ghanian artists

Cebolla Church, Georgia O'Keeffe, 1945; the artist passed by this NM church often and thought it represented the difficult life of the locals

Tar Baby vs Saint Sebastian, Michael Richards, 1999; this work honors the Tuskegee Airmen, the heroic African American pilots from WW2; the artist died on 9/11/01 in his studio in the World Trade Center

In a Japanese Garden, Harry Humphrey Moore, 1888; one of the first American artists to visit Japan, Moore was known for his highly detailed, exotic images

Portrait of Madame X Dressed for the Matinee, Mary Cassatt, 1878; the artist was the only American accepted into the inner circle of the French Impressionists

The Seine at Giverny, Morning Mists, Claude Monet, 1897; the artist is known for his series paintings where he experimented with varying conditions of light, time and atmosphere

Charles Davis, Gilbert Stuart, 1809; best known for painting George Washington (on the one dollar bill, for example), the artist gives us a glimpse of early American hairstyles in this work

Spring on the Missouri, Thomas Hart Benton, 1945; the museum is located where a large prison once stood

Winter 1946, Andrew Wyeth, 1946; the museum features more than 40 galleries as well as more than a dozen major works of art in the nation's largest museum park with 164 acres

The Saint-Sever Bridge, Rouen: Mist, Camille Pissarro, 1896; the artist was inspired by the success of Monet's Rouen paintings and, rather than the cathedral, selected bridges over the Seine for his works

Israel and the Law, John Singer Sargent, 1908; although the most celebrated portrait painter of his day, the artist staked his reputation on a series of murals for the Boston Public Library

Gyre, Thomas Sayre, 1999; there are miles of trails in the museum park that were popular with runners, dog walkers and photographers

Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon, Lucas Cranach the Younger, 1558; the museum opened in 1956 as the first major museum collection in the country to be formed by state legislation and funding

Capriccio: The Rialto Bridge and the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Canaletto, 1750; one of the most easily recognizable artists, Canaletto painted so many views of Venice that still look much the same almost 300 years later

A Tough Story, John George Brown, 1886; the artist painted these boys in an almost three dimensional view and with incredible detail

Predella panel of the Gavari altarpiece (San Domenico, Citta di Castello): St. Jerome Saving Sylvanus and Punishing the Heretic Sabinianus, Raphael, 1503; even though admission is free, right now you need a timed ticket as attendance is limited

Wind Sculpture II, Yinka Shonibare, 2013; the most colorful piece in the museum park demonstrates the use of fabric as an expression of cultural identity

View of Dresden with the Frauenkirche at Left, Bernardo Bellotto, 1747; Dresden is one of the most under-rated German cities to visit having been totally rebuilt after being destroyed in WW2

The Provincial Roman Synod of 1725, Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Pier Leone Ghezzi, 1725; in this huge work the detail is incredible as each person would be easily identifiable

Hydria, 320 BC; the museum had a large collection of Roman and Greek antiquities as well as pieces from ancient Egypt

Sir William Pepperrell and his Family, John Singleton Copley, 1778; the artist was regarded as the finest portrait painter in the American colonies but fled to London at the start of the revolution

Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite, Albert Bierstadt, 1871; the artist is famous for his dramatic portrayals of scenery from the Western US at a time when the area was largely unknown

The Yellow Porch: Sheridan County, Nebraska, Andrew Moore, 2017; this stark painting of an abandoned farm could almost be a photograph