While recovering from my second bout of COVID, I have been looking back through the pictures I took on my around-the-world trip this summer (which you can read more about here). On the Europe leg of the trip, we were lucky enough to visit some of the best museums in the world, but we also found some inspiring art in unexpected places. Excluding famous works, here are some selected favorites:

Paris

Petit Palais

The Swim, or Two Mothers and Their Children on a Boat by Mary Cassatt, 1910
The Swim, or Two Mothers and Their Children on a Boat by Mary Cassatt, 1910
The Petit Palais is a free museum in Paris, and in my opinion, one of the hidden gems. There are some great works inside, and the palace itself is beautiful as well.

59 Rivoli

A painted wall in 59 Rivoli
A painted wall in 59 Rivoli
59 Rivoli is a free art gallery in Paris that was formerly occupied by squatting artists. It was legalized by the city in 2006. This particular corner gave me some visual inspiration for the album I’m working on titled arboretum, which is slated for release in 2024.

Basel

Kunstmuseum

Portrait of Karl Im Obersteg by Bernard Buffet, 1954
Portrait of Karl Im Obersteg by Bernard Buffet, 1954

Portrait of Hieronymus Tscheckenburlin and Death by unknown artist, 1487
Portrait of Hieronymus Tscheckenburlin and Death by unknown artist, 1487

Self-Portrait with a Japanese Print by Vincent van Gogh, 1887 and Mademoiselle Gachet au piano by Vincent van Gogh, 1890
Self-Portrait with a Japanese Print by Vincent van Gogh, 1887 and Mademoiselle Gachet au piano by Vincent van Gogh, 1890

Basel was probably the museum high-point of the trip, and the Kunstmuseum was the best of the museums we saw. I highly recommend going if you’re in the region.

Vienna

Belvedere

Portrait of Père Paul (or Der Koch) by Claude Monet, 1882
Portrait of Père Paul (or Der Koch) by Claude Monet, 1882

Self Portrait by Jospeh Floch, 1922
Self Portrait by Jospeh Floch, 1922

Klimt’s “The Kiss” gets all the attention at Belvedere, but there are some masterful portraits spread all through the gallery. These two in particular stuck out to me.

Bonus Round

A cute baby merman
A cute lil baby merman

I can’t find the name of the full painting, but I couldn’t stop laughing at this little guy.

Conclusion

That’s it for now, but I have way too many pictures of this trip. I would love to create some more collections around different ideas (e.g. architecture, gardens, food, etc.), and I might. But that all depends on how fast I recover from COVID and have to get back to work 😛 Stay tuned for more! ✌️