The cafe (OK, let's say snack bar) at the St Louis Art Museum (SLAM) is about the size of a train car and the offerings are only slightly less Spartan.  Out the window, the baby bump of the 200,000 square foot expansion is visible.  Taking a moment to pause in 'The Cafe' after one of the daily permanent collection tours, I am reflecting on what an unexpected opportunity it is to visit the SLAM during construction. 

The construction required a reduction and reorganization of what is on display.  What you will find currently on the museum walls is the St Louis Art Museum All Star Team.  During the tour, our docent, Emily Long, addresses this issue head on.  Input from the education department and the docents was considered in selecting the "Collection Highlights."

In the hour long tour, we touched on works from just four galleries.  Emily was like an old friend who knows all of the best stories, has a good eye and encourages you to take a closer look.  Here is a sampling of some of my discoveries.

Did you know that in 1612, Artemisia Gentileschi, a female artist, sued for rape and won?  The falling book in The Account Keeper is a characteristic of baroque art.  In gallery 117, you can find the same ruddy face in two different George Caleb Bingham paintings.

Beyond these very memorable insights, is the even more substantial opportunity to see the arc of art history condensed to four walls the size of a bedroom.  At the beginning of Gallery 222, art jumps from Medieval to Renaissance.  The contrast created by these statues and paintings is an eye opener.                                                                   

Enthroned Virgin and Child, 12th century; French; wood with traces of paint; 36 x 14 x 13 in.;Saint Louis Art Museum, Friends Fund 279:1952

Virgin and Child, c.1320; French limestone with traces of paint and gilding; 72 1/2 x 24 1/4 18 1/4 in. Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 2:1930  

 The statue, Enthorned Virgin and Child, from the 12th century (left) seems primitive and unrealistic.  The statue right next to it, Virgin and Child, (right), sculpted 150 years later, portrays the relationship Jesus and Mary as a recognizable filial bond.  These aren't my observations.  I've walked through this gallery a dozen times and I never appreciated how much art history I was actually seeing.

The ETA on the expansion is currently, winter of 2012/2013.  When I am enjoying that new museum smell, and the art that isn't currently on display, I look forward to seeing my old friends: the docents of the St Louis Art Museums and the "Collection Highlights" they have helped me to see in a different light.        

Drew Davis ww.twitter.com/svo1905