Tribute to Cate Blanchett at MoMA

It's a rare occurrence for the venerable museum in New York to salute not Monet or Mondrian, but a great actress instead. At the MoMA film department, Cate Blanchett stands for exceptional theatrical art, so the Australian is now the eighth film artist to be honored in New York.

The museum gala is timed to match the premiere of Cate Blanchett's new film. In "Carol" by director Todd Haynes, she plays an unhappily married woman who finds a new partner in Therese, a younger woman portrayed by Rooney Mara.

Like few others, Cate Blanchett manages a balancing act, appearing both in high-quality but low-budget films and in blockbusters. She's to be seen in "Lord of the Rings."

When making its choice, MoMA will likely have considered her appearance as Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator." Like no other, Hepburn was considered clever, adaptable and charismatic. All these apply to Blanchett too.

Cate Blanchett doesn't just play in movies of great glamor and entertainment. She also had a convincing appearance in the postwar drama "The Good German" in 2006.

A year after "The Good German," Cate Blanchett acted the role of a young, attractive teacher alongside her colleague Judi Dench in the British film "Diary of a Scandal." Here, too, she convincingly embodied a contradictory, sensitive character.

One of her most baffling appearances was in 2007, in the German-American co-production "I'm Not There." In Todd Haynes's artistically outstanding movie, the Australian portrays the legendary musician Bob Dylan, among others.

Enormously adaptable, Cate Blanchett also embodied the title role in the heavily costumed film "Elizabeth - the Golden Kingdom" one year later.

In a career spanning nearly 20 years, Cate Blanchett has received many honors and distinctions. After her first Oscar for Best Supporting Role (in "The Aviator"), she took Best Actress in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" two years ago, depicting a woman in a life's crisis.

A good actress shines also in bad films. Cate Blanchett was one of the few bright spots in George Clooney's "The Monuments Men." A grand artistic failure, it dealt with art as war booty.

Cate Blanchett is a welcome guest at every kind of cultural event and stands out at red-carpet festivals, embodying acting artistry and glamor in equal measure.

MoMA declares that she stands for innovation and risk. And even though the New York museum usually does retrospectives of great artistic careers, this time it wasn't so. More can be expected from Cate Blanchett.