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kswl2

Screened Porch Update: Museum Banner is Here and Up !

kswl2
12 years ago

......at least temporarily. I am updating my screened porch after a backyard/decks/ patio makeover gave us a new color palette for the porch. I finally decided to buy the museum banner for an impressionist exhibit from the Phillips Collection in D.C. that traveled to a museum in Los Angeles (LACMA). The banner arrived and I have sort of jury rigged it until our handy guy comes this week to hang it properly. HandyGuy is also going to put smooth 8" lap hardtoplank siding over the existing pecky cypress that looks so Seventies, particularly the walls paneled on the diagonal.

Anyway, here it is, I just love the colors and enthusiasm of it! The banner is 8ft x 2.5ft and is printed on very heavy duty vinyl, which makes it perfect for a covered porch. It is a detail from Renoir's painting The Luncheon of the Boating Party that I have always loved. About 70 of these were printed and hung on standards in front of the museum to herald the exhibit. They were out in the elements for almost a year and a half, and this one is in very good shape. I bought it at a site that sells banners from museums all over. The link isn't bottom; I don't have any connection with the company, just think their offerings are unique and surprisingly reasonable.

Here is a link that might be useful: Better Wall, website for post-exhibit museum banners

Comments (24)

  • Fun2BHere
    12 years ago

    Very nice! How much does the banner weigh, would you guess?

  • bestyears
    12 years ago

    I LOVE it!!!
    And thanks for the link....

  • kswl2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Not that much, really. Maybe around four or five pounds? It is extremely heavyweight vinyl and sewn with a pocket at top and bottom for the original installation. It was delivered wound around a tube with the most extraordinary packing. Already most of the waves from being rolled have fallen out due to its own weight.

    And of course in the OP I meant "hardiplank" siding....darn iPad autocorrect!

  • kswl2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I'm glad both of you like it. I am thrilled with it!

  • dedtired
    12 years ago

    That is fabulous. I want one. It's amazing that yours is in such good shape. I used to work for a large public library in the city and we used banners like that a lot. By the time they were taken down they were pretty much ruined by pigeon poop. I guess those sold at the site you mentioned are cleaned up before selling. I wonder what happens to all the banners used in my city since it's not listed and we do have a fabulous art museum.

    Congrats on your purchase. It looks wonderful.

  • gsciencechick
    12 years ago

    So cool! Thanks for the link!

  • Fun2BHere
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the weight info. I love the look!

  • kswl2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Ded, I would call the museum and ask. Some museums have a "garage sale" of such items every few years, but of course you'd get something that hadn't been cleaned. I can't even imagine how much soot was on mine, coming from LA. There was an article on the web about Better Wall that mentioned the banners are cleaned at a plant in Danver and some are in such bad shape the good bits are recycled into other products. Also, if a corporate sponsor hasn't agreed to the resale of the banners with their name, the name has to be steamed off before it is sold. Ever since I found this website I have been hoping to find a banner I love and have some connection to that would be just right for some spot in my house.

  • cloudy_christine
    12 years ago

    How cool! I never guessed you could buy these. Thanks for the link.

  • denali2007
    12 years ago

    Love it. DH and I went to see that exhibit when it was there. I adore that painting.

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    12 years ago

    kswl, that looks wonderful! I am thrilled for you. If you love that painting, you really do need to see it in person. It is extraordinary in real life (we saw it at the Phillips)and it will absolutely take your breath away!

  • ladypat1
    12 years ago

    Wow, that really looks good. Nice job!

  • kswl2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I have seen it in D.C.--- I hadn't realized how deep and strong Renoir's colors really were until we visited the Phillips.
    Before I saw this in person Monet was my favorite impressionist :)

  • happy2b…gw
    12 years ago

    The painting is out of this world gorgeous. Anyone who has the opportunity to see it at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC should. Link for Phillips -

    http://www.phillipscollection.org/index.aspx

    A good read is Luncheon of the Baoting Party by Sudsan Vreeland. I and several friends enjoyed the book. I inserted link for book below.
    Thanks for the link for banners. I had no idea that they were available to the public.

    Here is a link that might be useful: website for info about novel

  • Delilah66
    12 years ago

    Wednesday @ Phillips is FREE. I'll never forget walking into the exhibition room with Boating Party hanging on the opposite wall. Breathtaking! Thank you for the link, too.

  • loribee
    12 years ago

    Love it...enjoy!

  • caminnc
    12 years ago

    That looks fabulous. Gosh, those banners are not cheap though!

  • kswl2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    If you could see this in person, Caminnc you would think them very good value. If a person has an interest in some kind of art, or saw a particular exhibit or had a strong connection to an art museum--- or just wanted something unusual for an indoor/outdoor setting like mine--- there's nothing like them. And obviously they are much less expensive than an original work of art that size, and so much fun :)

  • daisychain01
    12 years ago

    What an awesome way to bring art into your space. That looks amazing. I just re-read your post and realized they are the actual banners - at first I thought they were reproductions. I soooo need one. Our front porch faces the road and one of those would be stunning. Two problems though: how to choose and where to find the money? I think I'll spend many hours looking. Thanks for posting the link.

  • justretired
    12 years ago

    I am currently reading the book "Luncheon of the Boating Party" by Susan Vreeland. A good read for anyone who loves this painting. Or just likes a good book!

    JR

  • rmkitchen
    12 years ago

    Love it! I know just how it feels when something you love, which has great meaning to you, serendipitously enters your life. I really am so happy for you, Friend. I have a banner from the Los Angeles Olympics ('84) and another from the FIFA World Cup ('94) at Stanford (University) -- I wonder where they are in storage .... You are such an inspiration. I have to say I also love the look of the pecky cypress, but I take your word for it that it looks dated.

    I remember as a girl taking classes at LACMA -- what a walk down memory lane for me this a.m.!

    Thanks again for sharing another peek of your fabulous home.

  • sameboat
    12 years ago

    Fun!

  • kswl2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks Riverhouse and others for the recommendation to read Susan Vreeland's book Luncheon of the Boating Party. It was delivered to my kindle moments ago and I am looking forward to reading it.

    Rmkitchen, what great banners to have with a sporting theme, and thanks for those kind words.

  • BetterWall
    12 years ago

    Thanks so much for posting this great photo of the Phillips Collection's banner. Few of our customers realize that their banners are perfectly suited for screen porches.

    If you're a fan of the Renoir's "Boating Party" and watch NBC's Parenthood, you may have noticed one of our banners hanging on a street pole outside the shoe factory where Adam works. The show wanted to create as an authentic backdrop as possible, so they used one of our Los Angeles County Museum of Art banners.

    Nicolas
    BetterWall