Yesterday I took a drive with my dad to visit
Dia:Beacon, located about 80-minutes north of New York City. It was
a great autumn day for a drive through the lower Hudson Valley. I think we caught the tail end of the peak fall foliage
— the sun was shining and a gusty wind swirled colors all around as we curved up Route 9D after crossing the Bear
Mountain Bridge.
Dia:Beacon is home to the permanent collection of the Dia Art Foundation,
housed in 240,000 square feet of exhibition space in an old Nabisco warehouse along the banks of the Hudson River. The
spacious utilitarian design of the building is a perfect setting in which to showcase this expansive collection of
contemporary art, featuring pieces by Andy Warhol, Walter De Maria, Louise Bourgeois and many
others. I loved Warhol’s Shadows series (shown above) and particularly enjoyed Michael Heizer’s
negative sculpture and Richard Serra’s
spheres and spirals. I’m a big fan of comtemporary art
and an even bigger fan of creative exhibit space — Dia:Beacon hit the mark on both. It was well worth the ride and $10
entrance fee.
Beacon’s Metro North train station is within walking distance of the museum, so it’s easy to take a ride up for the
day from NYC or other tri-state area locations. The place was busy for a random Thursday morning, and we actually
bumped into folks we knew from Newark, NJ. If driving there, consider making a day of it and visit another river town
in Putnam or
Dutchess. Just south of Beacon are
Cold Spring and
Garrison, two towns worth visiting it you’re in the
area.