I finally got a chance to see the Baltimore Museum of Art's show  Edgar Allan Poe: A Baltimore Icon, and it was well worth the trip. The show nicely mixes images of Poe himself with those that illustrate macabre writings such as "The Black Cat" and "The Raven."  It's interesting to see the range of famous names drawn to Poe: Manet, Vallotton (shown here) and Motherwell among them. It's a tribute to the timelessness of Poe's works -- and to their ability to stimulate the imagination. If you have time, you can relax in the gallery's comfy chairs, read some of Poe stories at hand and let your own imagination soar. 

I would have liked to see more commentary explaining the artists' fascination with Poe. And it was odd to have the show, which is not all that big, split into two rooms -- that took away from the  sense of continuity. But overall, I enjoyed it. 

You can still catch the BMA show, part of the city's Poe celebration; it runs through Jan. 17.