Dresden, Friday, 14 January 2011.
Nearly 1500 km on the clock.
Oh, Oh, Oh, another world-class art museum! Leipzig is more of a commercial centre than a tourist trap, but my goal was the Museum der bildende Künste (Museum of visual arts), MdbK. This museum houses masterpieces from the 15th century until the present day, with an emphasis on German and Dutch art. The building itself, opened in 2004, is remarkable. From the outside, it looks like a massive glass box plonked down right in the middle of Leipzig. Inside, the natural daylight is managed so that it falls into the exhibition spaces. The exhibition rooms are based on the 'white cube' idea, which, while working well for the contemporary art is a little unusual for the display of earlier work, even though some walls have been painted in darker colours.
As is often the case, much of the collection was donated by benefactors and the audio guide had a nice video by a representative of a supporting foundation whose great-grandfather had donated some of the early pieces. He told how two works by Cranach had been hung in the children's nursery in the castle where his grandfather lived, and how they had transported a Renoir by carrying it on the tram! A lot of modern works were confiscated by the Nazis in the 1930s as part of their campaign against 'decadent' art. They destroyed some, but several others have since been bought back and restored to the museum.
There are a few Italian renaissance pieces from the 15th century. From the 16th century, Cranach's "Wellspring Nymph" (1518) has to be the prototype for many a reclining nude in subsequent centuries. Baldung's "Seven Stages of Woman" (1545) is like a satirical parody on Cranach's style. There are German and Italian religious pieces from the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as some interesting secular pieces such as Valentin's "Musical Company" (1624) in the style of Caravaggio, and Hals' "Mulatto" (1628), a half drunk grinning figure, much less formal than most of Hals' work.
German Romanticism (19th century) is well represented, including "Life steps" (about 1834) by master of the genre Caspar David Friedrich; a group of 5 people of various ages, including Friedrich himself as an old man, on a shore contemplate a group of 5 ships of various sizes, some coming some going. Max Liebermann (Berlin 1847-1935) is well represented and two whole galleries are dedicated to the Leipzig master Max Klinger (1857-1920).
In the early 20th century, Leipzig expressionist Max Beckmann (1184-1950) dominates a whole gallery, alongside work from Nolde, Dix, Koroshka and others. Later 20th century German art is often grotesque, dealing with matters of life and death, reflecting some of the dramatic events of the century in Germany under both Nazism and Stalinism.
Finally, the special exhibition when I was there was of work by Michael Triegel (Born Erfurt, 1968). He uses the early masters' techniques on triptychs and (MDF) panels as well as oil on canvas to recycle and re-examine cliches in historical art, in an often surreal manner. The sleeping Ariadne, for example, lies in the arms of a wooden man. The symbolism is rife, and the audio guide was particularly helpful as it included audio and video interviews with the artist. Triegel is the only artist yet permitted to paint a portrait of the current (German) pope Benedict.
I was there five hours and enjoyed every minute.
Tip: if you go by car, don't believe the museum staff when they tell you it's OK to feed the meter. The traffic police have a different idea.
No comments:
Post a Comment