Whitney Biennial, Klimt, Renoir, Steins Collection @ Manhattan

Whistler/Frick  (The Yorck Project)

I really, really, really would like to hang out for a whole afternoon at the Whitney Biennial 2012, which is still on through May 27.

This review/blogpost by the New Yorker's Hilton Als provides an interesting commentary before you go.

BuffaloNews.com has meanwhile showcased "Five things at the Whitney Biennial."

Yet Choire Sicha of The Awl appears to give it at least one thumb down.

Hmm, perhaps the Klimt show at the Neue Galerie is a safer bet next time you're in Manhattan, but the Whitney Biennial may still be well worth a visit.

At the Met, "The Steins Collect" looks to be particularly interesting among the roster of current exhibitions. This new Renoir show at the Frick also looks interesting.

Time to check the Vamoose bus schedule and seek out the cheapest possible accomodations in Manhattan, which to me is a place of art pilgrimage (shopping, dining, etc. are great too there of course, but to me the No. 1 reason to visit NYC is to view art!).

So much art, so little time!

Google Art Project @ White House & Beyond

"Thanks to Google Art Project, you can visit @White House whenever you like."

First Lady Michelle Obama with U.S. President Barack Obama and their daughters Malia (left) and Sasha (right) at the White House. (Official press photo from the White House website.)

This was tweeted today (April 3, 2012) by First Lady Michelle Obama, who is one of nearly 250 individuals, media outlets, or organizations I presently follow on Twitter. (My Twitter "handle" is @Carstens71)

If you click the tab that says "Featured" in the lower lefthand corner of the Google Art Project website, one of these items invites you to "Explore the White House with the First Lady of the United States of America."

Yet even after signing in with my gmail account password, it was hard to enter this new White House tour on the site - perhaps there was either a temporary glitch or something was wrong with my (likely outdated) PC browser.

Leaving aside my initial confusion at navigating this site, it clearly serves as an excellent online compilation of high-resolution images of artworks located in museums and galleries all over the world, from the Acropolis Museum to the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University.

In Washington, D.C., for instance, the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries have also been included.

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art and Frick Collection were moreover among the first museums included on the site.

Google Art Project, a real treat for anyone who wishes to view great art online, was launched in 2011.