Highlights from Nelson-Atkins Art Museum in Kansas City,pt 1

The Thinker, Auguste Rodin, 1880; this bronze was cast in 1949 from Rodin's original and showcases the monumental facade of the Nelson-Atkins

The Benton Farm, Thomas Hart Benton, 1973; Benton died in 1975 at work in his studio, as he completed his final mural, The Sources of Country Music, for the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville

Dusasa I, El Anatsui, 2007; this huge work was created from recycled liquor-bottle tops that have been flattened and stitched together using copper wire

Faaturuma (Melancholic), Paul Gauguin, 1891; disillusioned with modern society, the artist left France for Tahiti only to discover that colonialism had practically eradicated Tahitian culture

Epergne, Thomas Pitts I, 1761; the Folgers Coffee Silver Collection comprises 100+ pieces of 18th and 19th century English, Scottish and Irish silver

Heineken, Idelle Weber, 1976; the perfect painting for Bob Niel!; this artist specialized in Photo-Realism where she photographed scenes (like piles of trash) and then meticulously painted them

The museum had a huge collection of pieces from ancient Egypt, native Americans, India and the Far East; I was impressed by their porcelain collection too

Little Campbell's Soup Can (Consomme), Andy Warhol, 1962; supposedly he kept his television on 24 hours a day so he was keenly aware of sales pitches and popular culture

Hollywood, Thomas Hart Benton, 1938; many excellent works by this native son are displayed here and his last home in Kansas City and studio are normally open to visitors

Reclining Armchair, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1903; it's not a La-Z-Boy but it does look more comfortable than most critically-acclaimed, modern furniture

Two-Tiered Still Life with Fruit and Sunset Landscape, Severin Roesen, 1867; this over-achieving artist must have foreseen America's habit for gluttony and all-you-can-eat buffets

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my Feet and a Light unto my Path, Eastman Johnson, 1881; nicknamed the American Rembrandt, the artist painted a Nantucket couple of a simpler, bygone era

View of Argenteuil-Snow, Claude Monet, 1875; the museum had a huge Monet of water lilies but I didn't think it nearly as good as this winter scene

The Garden of Les Mathurins at Pontoise, Camille Pissarro, 1876; among the best works by Pissarro (and my favorite), this piece depicts middle class life in a town northwest of Paris

Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, Edgar Degas, 1881; the original wax version of this work was debuted at the 1881 Impressionist exhibition causing a stir with passionate critiques, both good and bad

A Lazy Fisherman, John Gadsby Chapman, 1844; I really liked this piece from an artist I had never heard of

Women at Sunrise, Joan Miro, 1946; the (very successful) artist was a Surrealist whose elaborate doodles were devoid of rational thought

Bust of a Faun, Pablo Picasso, 1946; this half human-half goat is depicted in a geometric pattern that suggests a harlequin, a theatrical trickster character