Matisse Made
There was a time when the artist Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was referred to as a wild beast. That turned out to be a compliment. He and a group of other artists in the early part of the 20th century were derided by critics as fauves, or what translates from the French as beasts, because of their bold use of color. In Matisse’s early portraits and studies of female nudes, colors are so intense and varied that the works take on the effects of mosaic. Matisse became so well known for his fauvist and other later paintings that his legacy as a major sculptor is often ignored. The Dallas Museum of Art has remedied that by mounting a major show, “Matisse: Painter as Sculptor” (through April 29; continuing at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from June 10 to Sept. 2; then to the Baltimore Museum of Art from Oct. 7 to January 13, 2008). More than 40 of Matisse’s most arresting and sensuous sculptures will be on view, some juxtaposed with paintings of his that depict the same figures. “Too often, Matisse’s sculptures are seen as merely secondary to the paintings,” says Steven Nash, director of Dallas’s Nasher Sculpture Center, which is partnering with the museum for the show. “But our exhibition emphasizes the excitement and innovation of Matisse’s substantial achievement in sculpture.”

Rooms for Rent
When the National Trust for Historic Preservation periodically announces the latest members of its Historic Hotels programs, the news is really a matter of the old becoming new again. Nine new member hotels were recently named: The Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Historic Tidewater Inn in Easton, Maryland; Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona; Hotel Whitcomb in San Francisco; Hamilton Crowne Plaza in Washington, D.C.; The Palmer House Hilton in Chicago; Hotel Pere Marquette in Peoria, Illinois; Union Station, a Wyndham Historic Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee; and The Buccaneer in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since the National Trust instituted the program in 1989, there are, to date, 211 member hotels and resorts, all located in buildings at least 50 years old and listed in, or eligible for, the much coveted National Register of Historic Places. “Travelers today seek authentic experiences and value,” says Thierry Roch, executive director of the National Trust Historic Hotels of America. “The nine new members showcase some of America’s classic properties and destinations and offer travelers a variety of experiences.” For reservations and rates, call 800-678-8946.

A Story in Progress
New Yorkers may be the only people in America who regularly read guidebooks about their own city. New Yorkers so identify with their city that to read a guidebook is akin to reading an autobiography—everyone wants to make sure the facts are true and that character traits come across admirably. Writers Caitlin Leffel and Jacob Lehman set a goal of finding 1,001 activities in the city “that are truly, unequivocally great.” Their result, The Best Things to Do in New York: 1001 Ideas (Universe Publishing, $18.95), makes it clear that New York is still in the prime of life. Although they relate some of what they call the classics of a New York experience—a walk across Brooklyn Bridge, taking in a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden, a tour of Ellis Island—Leffel and Lehman keep their book a pageturner by describing activities about which even veteran New Yorkers may not know. These include seeing the fall foliage of Central Park from the top floor café of Bergdorf Goodman department store; playing a scale on Cole Porter’s original piano in the lobby of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel; viewing the heavens from the telescope at Columbia University’s Rutherford Observatory; and taking in exhilarating views from certain subway lines (when the trains go above ground, of course). The life of the city as rendered in the book is worth experiencing.

A Presidential First
Visitors to Mount Vernon, the Virginia home of George Washington, can now stand eyeball-to-eyeball with the first President. Mount Vernon’s most valuable object, an uncannily lifelike terracotta bust of Washington rendered by Antoine Houdon, has been utilized in such a way that it appears as if Washington is standing—giving visitors a sense of his dominating stature. Indeed, the experience of Mount Vernon is forever changed and enhanced with the opening of two new facilities, The Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center and The Ford Orientation Center. The education center is actually 23 individual galleries, each addressing a specific theme about Washington’s life, including “At Home with the Washingtons” and the “Young Virginian Gallery.” Within the “Revolutionary War Theater,” visitors are suddenly immersed in the war’s decisive battles (an experience so realistic that you might find yourself ducking the buckshot). Among the most fascinating details in the orientation center is “Mount Vernon in Miniature,” a 1/12th-scale replica of the 22-room mansion. Within the miniature house, completed in 1998, doorknobs actually turn, bureau drawers open, and fireplaces light. For more information, go to mountvernon.org or call 703-780-2000.

I Dream of Genie
At last, you've taken that long-anticipated trip to Paris. You're at the hotel, you've unfolded maps of the city and the Paris Metro system, you keep reciting useful phrases from a language book, and the pages of a guidebook are already dog-eared. But then you realize that you don't know where to begin your explorations. My Genie in Paris (mygenieinparis.com; or, to call in advance, 33-1-75-51-33-01) is a new service providing an English-speaking Parisian who meets with you for 45 minutes in the lounge of your hotel. You tell the expert exactly what you want to see and experience in Paris during your stay—whether it's an itinerary of Michelinstarred restaurants or children-family sites, romantic spots in the city worthy of making a proposal of marriage or appropriate places to entertain business clients. The fee is 59 euros (about $75). The expert leaves behind a detailed itinerary to follow. Your genie has granted your wishes.

Momie Dearest
As the mother of five children (ages 11 to 25), Denise Roy has come to realize that “motherhood leaves stretch marks…I have been stretched physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually,” she writes in her new book, Momfulness: Mothering with Mindfulness, Compassion, and Grace (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, $14.95). “Motherhood continues to stretch me to this day, and I see no end in sight.” For the California-based Roy, who is a noted spiritual director and licensed marriage and family therapist, mothering is not a burden but rather a “spiritual practice.” Roy coined the term “Momfulness” while sitting one day at the kitchen table with her husband, and she then set out to explore the ways to achieve and experience Momfulness. Her ultimate definition for the term: “Momfulness is the spiritual practice of cultivating a mindful, compassionate, mothering presence.” In her book, Roy shares stories about her family and children, the seemingly inconsequential intrigues and moments that bespeak bigger events. What may seem mundane, such as the time she and her husband accidentally wound up baking the rubberbands that held the claws of lobsters, becomes “one of many stories that not only describe but help to create the life of our family.”

Plain Folk
Why is it that the state of Alabama produced—and still produces —some of America’s best folk artists? Gail Andrews Trechsel, director of the Birmingham Museum of Art (BAM), says, “There are undoubtedly many factors, some identifiable, some intangible.” Trechsel is passionate about the subject because of a major show BAM is sponsoring, in conjunction with the State of Alabama, “Alabama Folk Art” (through December 30). According to Trechsel, the reasons for Alabama’s unmatchable folk art tradition include “the rural nature of the State that existed well into the 20th century, the deep roots of family and religion, the strong storytelling and craft traditions…the character of the population which can be both tolerant of the eccentric and resistant to change.” More than 100 paintings, drawings, quilts, works of sculpture, and pottery by folk artists, many self-taught, are on view at downtown Birmingham’s Young and Vann Building.

Florida's Fine Arts
Should you be in the market for a bejeweled Medieval chalice, a set of 19th-century silverware, an ancient Roman bust of an athlete, or a watercolor depiction of Buddha, such objects are likely to be found at the Palm Beach/America’s International Fine Art & Antique Fair (February 3–11) held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. This year’s fair features a special exhibition about Marie Antoinette (and, for the record, she did not dismiss her subjects with “Let them eat cake!”) that features examples of artwork dating from her reign. Her Highness’s presence will be made most conspicuous with a state portrait that was done by Elizabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755–1842). The work, on loan from the New Orleans Museum of Art, has long been regarded as one of the premier 18th-century royal portraits. This year’s show is also distinguished by dramatically new vetting guidelines. For the first time, artwork produced by artists born before 1977 is allowed to be displayed and sold. Some 100 premier dealers will be on hand. For fair information and daily tickets prices, call 561-209-1338 or go to palmbeachfair.com.