Flemish Masters Programme 2018 - 2020

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Flemish Masters Programme 2018 - 2020 EXPERIENCE THE FLEMISH MASTERS PROGRAMME 2018 - 2020 1 INTRODUCTION For over 250 years, from the 15th to well into the late 17th century, Flanders was the fountainhead of the finest art in Western Europe and the inspiration be- hind the most famous art movements of the time: Primitive, Renaissance and Baroque. The artists, renowned for their skill, creativity and technical innovation, turned an already rich and urban Flanders into one of the world’s most culturally sophisticated regions, with impressive achievements in both art and architecture. 2 3 BRUGES ANTWERP GHENT MECHELEN BRUSSELS LEUVEN THE FLEMISH MASTERS 2018-2020 The Flemish Masters project focuses on the life and legacy of several 15th, 16th and 17th century artists who were based in Flanders, particularly Rubens, Bruegel and the Flemish Primitives, including Van Eyck. The restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece and its return to St Bavo’s Cathedral, the re-opening of the Royal Museum While many of the works by these Flemish Masters can be admired all over the of Fine Arts Antwerp, a true Rubens’ treasure trove, and the different events marking the 450th anniversary of world, the experience is most powerful in the unique setting of Flanders, where Bruegel’s death will be the highlights of the programme. the work was created. You can stroll around the historic setting in which Rubens lived, wander through the landscapes that inspired Pieter Bruegel the elder, and While the art from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries will be the main priority, we will also make several discover a painting by Van Eyck in the exact location it was painted for. crossovers to other art forms and experiences. For example, contemporary art, comic strips and gastronomy will be featured. Significant infrastructure investments are being made throughout Flanders as we realize how important high-quality tourist services are in delivering an optimal Most of the Flemish art cities will be in the spotlight, though smaller towns with top pieces will also be taking part. visitor experience. Futhermore, a programme of high-quality events and perma- nent exhibitions with international appeal will be organized throughout 2018, Our goal is to make the Flemish Masters project accessible for everyone, deliver quality over the entire holiday 2019 and 2020. value chain. We look forward to your support and partnership in this endeavour. 4 5 FLEMISH MASTERS PROGRAMME 2018 - 2020 2020 THE GHENT ALTARPIECE IS COMING HOME p. 30 2018 ANTWERP BAROQUE CITY, SIGNED BY RUBENS 2019 p. 8 EXPERIENCE THE WORLD OF BRUEGEL p. 20 6 7 ANTWERP BAROQUE CITY, SIGNED BY RUBENS PETER PAUL RUBENS MAY MOSTLY KNOWN AS A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST, BUT HE WAS ALSO AN ESTEEMED DIPLOMAT, POLYGLOT AND COLLECTOR. AN AUSPICIOUS START ordinary Flemish house into Europe with many contem- a ‘palazzo’. He extended the poraries considering him as Rubens was born in 1577 in home considerably and add- skilled a diplomat as he was Siegen (in present-day Ger- ed a studio, a garden pavilion an artist. For he was by then many), but soon moved to and a semi-circular sculpture almost universally revered as Antwerp with his mother after museum with a dome, and a painter without rival. his father died. It was there there was a magnificent that he learnt to paint, taking portico offering a beautiful During his travels he secured instruction from artists such view of the courtyard garden many high-profile assign- as Tobias Verhaecht, Adam and the garden pavilion. The ments, including commissions van Noort and Otto van result was magnificent. From such as the creation of 24 Veen. In 1600, he travelled then on, his studio would paintings celebrating the life to Rome and Venice in Italy, become a hive of activity of Maria de Medici for the Pa- and then later to Spain. It with many employees and risian Palais du Luxembourg. was clear even then that he students (some of them was no ordinary talent as he going on to be famous, like A BAROQUE LEGEND soon received Royal commis- Anthony van Dyck and Jacob sions from both courts. Jordaens), producing many In 1630, Rubens returned hundreds of creations and to Flanders for good and RUBENS HOUSE AND paintings to order. bought Elewijt Castle outside STUDIOS Brussels. There he painted his A DIPLOMATIC CAREER largest commission to date, In 1608, he returned to Ant- namely 112 works to decorate werp as the official court A favourite of Archduchess the Royal Hunting Lodge in painter to the Low Countries, Isabella, Rubens became Madrid, the Torre de la Parada. a title bestowed on him by increasingly involved in diplo- By 1638, these were finally Archduke Albert of Austria matic missions on her behalf finished and sent to Spain, and Isabella of Spain. It was - indeed he was the one who but by then his health was then that he bought a house finally brokered a peace deal beginning to deteriorate, and and land on Wapper Square between Spain and England, he died in 1640 at his home and set about redesigning it. a move that would eventually on Antwerp’s Wapper Square. Inspired by the architecture lead to a cessation of hostili- of Roman Antiquity and the ties between the Spanish and Renaissance, Rubens drew the Dutch, close allies of the up the plans for the renova- English. Rubens was a highly tion himself, and turned an esteemed court guest all over 8 9 BAROQUE IN ANTWERP THE CONTEMPORARY BAROQUE SPIRIT OF ANTWERP LIVES ON In 2018, the city of Antwerp will pay homage to its baroque cultural The word Baroque is derived from the Portuguese word ‘barocco’ meaning, ‘irregular pearl or stone’. This is per- heritage, and to Peter Paul Rubens, in particular. An icon of Antwerp, haps the perfect metaphor for Antwerp as it evokes something mysterious, multifaceted and difficult to pin down, the largest and most baroque of the five Flemish cities of art, Rubens while remaining classic and amazingly contemporary at the same time. Rubens’ house – today one of the city’s is the embodiment of baroque, and it is he who is credited with bring- major museums – is a baroque classic, and there are also many stylish churches in the city from this era. Fortu- ing this art movement to the Low Countries when returning from Italy nately, the tradition continues and new and eccentric, baroque-like buildings are being added to Antwerp’s skyline in the early 17th century. It was Rubens who gave Antwerp, marked by all the time, including Richard Rogers’ Court House and Zaha Hadid’s new Port House, while some of our great the capitulation of 1585, a regained pride and identity that still defines contemporary artists based in Antwerp continue to be inspired by Rubens’ baroque tradition. and characterizes the city today. 10 11 I’M JUST A SIMPLE MAN STANDING ALONE WITH MY ANTWERP BAROQUE CITY 2018, OLD BRUSHES, signed by Rubens The city of Antwerp has ambitious plans to celebrate its impressive baroque heritage and Rubens in particular, and a citywide cultural project is being organized under the name ABC ASKING 2018 (Antwerp Baroque City, signed by Rubens). Curator Teju Cole, art historian and award winning GOD FOR writer, will link the past with the present through arts and artists, and emphasizes that Antwerp and Rubens are still impressively fascinating when it comes to INSPIRATION. imagination and splendour. Food, fashion and shopping, glamour and glitter and a plethora of cultural and artistic initiatives are being prepared to ensure that you can enjoy the city and its baroque heritage every day of PETER PAUL RUBENS the year. 1212 13 2 6 1 3 4 5 7 8 1 \ GROENPLAATS 2 \ RUBENSHUIS 3 \ TEJU COLE 4 \ LUC TUYMANS 5 \ M HKA EVENTS PROGRAMME 6 \ MAS MUSEUM 7 \ CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY 8 \ MOMU ANTWERP BAROQUE CITY 2018, signed by Rubens EXHIBITIONS FESTIVITIES • MAS MUSEUM: Starting from the • THE RUBENS HOUSE: The Rubens al historical locations around old • MIDDELHEIMMUSEUM: The open-air • Teju Cole provides the artistic • Walter Van Beirendonck and work of Peter Paul Rubens and House, the ‘palazzo’ where the town Antwerp. sculpture park of Middelheim will inspiration for a juxtaposition of Linder Sterling will create a Ba- other Flemish baroque masters, Flemish master and his family www.momu.be host an exhibition on so-called contemporary art and work by roque parade, in the full tradition curator Bert Watteeuw will lived, will host an exposition of ‘follies’. Contemporary baroque Rubens in the Cathedral of Our of those Triumphal Entries of the illustrate how three areas of life small-scale and intimate baroque • M HKA: The Antwerp-based sculptures will be inspired by the Lady, Carolus Borromeus church Baroque age. - ‘public’, ‘private’ and ‘secret’ - works designed by Rubens, and artist Luc Tuymans will contrast extravagant garden decorations of and a fully restored Saint James’ influenced the Baroque period brought to Antwerp from collec- works from historical baroque several centuries ago. church. • ARTISTS’ STUDIOS/GALLERIES: and still play a decisive role tions all over the world. and contemporary masters at www.middelheimmuseum.be the studios of contemporary today. www.rubenshuis.be The Museum of Contemporary • The Royal Ballet Flanders and ‘baroque artists’ Jan Fabre and www.mas.be Art, Antwerp. Opera are working on baroque Annemie Van Kerckhoven will be • MoMu: Antwerp’s fashion museum www.muhka.be performances with Sidi Larbi Cher- open to the public. will curate an exhibition in sever- kaoui and Aviel Cahn. 14 15 PERMANENT RUBENS & BAROQUE OFFER ANYONE WHO SAYS ANTWERP, THINKS RUBENS In no other city in the world will you find as many tangible reminders of Rubens as in Antwerp, for he spent most of his life living and working there.
Recommended publications
  • De Grote Rubens Atlas
    DE GROTE RUBENS ATLAS GUNTER HAUSPIE DUITSLAND INHOUD 1568-1589 12-23 13 VLUCHT NAAR KEULEN 13 HUISARREST IN SIEGEN 14 GEBOORTE VAN PETER PAUL ANTWERPEN 15 SIEGEN 16 JEUGD IN KEULEN 1561-1568 17 KEULEN 20 RUBENS’ SCHILDERIJ 10-11 10 WELGESTELDE OUDERS IN DE SANKT PETER 10 ONRUST IN ANTWERPEN 21 NEDERLANDSE ENCLAVE IN KEULEN 11 SCHRIKBEWIND VAN ALVA 22 RUBENS IN HET WALLRAF- RICHARTZ-MUSEUM 23 TERUGKEER NAAR ANTWERPEN 1561 1568 1577 LEEFTIJD 0 1 2 3 4 ITALIË 1600-1608 32-71 33 OVER DE ALPEN 53 OP MISSIE NAAR SPANJE 33 VIA VENETIË NAAR MANTUA 54 EEN ZWARE TOCHT 35 GLORIERIJK MANTUA 54 OPLAPWERK IN VALLADOLID 38 LAGO DI MEZZO 55 VALLADOLID 39 MANTUA IN RUBENS’ TIJD 56 PALACIO REAL 40 CASTELLO DI SAN GIORGIO 57 OVERHANDIGING VAN DE GESCHENKEN 41 PALAZZO DUCALE 57 HERTOG VAN LERMA 42 BASILICA DI SANT’ANDREA 59 GEEN SPAANSE HOFSCHILDER 42 IL RIO 59 TWEEDE VERBLIJF IN ROME 42 HUIS VAN GIULIO ROMANO 59 CHIESA NUOVA 42 HUIS VAN ANDREA MANTEGNA 60 DE GENUESE ELITE 43 PALAZZO TE 61 INSPIREREND GENUA 44 MANTUAANS MEESTERWERK 65 DE PALAZZI VAN GENUA 48 HUWELIJK VAN MARIA DE’ MEDICI 67 EEN LAATSTE KEER ROME IN FIRENZE 67 TERUGKEER NAAR ANTWERPEN 49 EERSTE VERBLIJF IN ROME 68 RUBENS IN ROME 49 SANTA CROCE IN GERUSALEMME 70 STEDEN MET SCHILDERIJEN UIT 51 VIA EEN OMWEG NAAR GRASSE RUBENS’ ITALIAANSE PERIODE 52 VERONA EN PADUA 1600 1608 VLAAMSE MEESTERS 4 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 ANTWERPEN 1589-1600 24-31 25 TERUG IN ANTWERPEN 25 STAD IN VERVAL 26 UITMUNTEND STUDENT 27 DE JEUGDJAREN IN ANTWERPEN 28 GOEDE MANIEREN LEREN 28 DE ROEP VAN DE KUNST 28
    [Show full text]
  • The Rubenianum Quarterly
    2016 The Rubenianum Quarterly 1 Announcing project Collection Ludwig Burchard II Dear friends, colleagues and benefactors, We are pleased to announce that through a generous donation the Rubenianum will be I have the pleasure to inform you of the able to dedicate another project to Ludwig Burchard’s scholarly legacy. The project entails imminent publication of the first part of two main components, both building on previous undertakings that have been carried the mythology volumes in the Corpus out to preserve the Rubenianum’s core collection and at the same time ensure enhanced Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard. The accessibility to the scholarly community of the wealth of Rubens documentation. Digitizing the Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard, launched in 2013 and successfully two volumes are going to press as we extended until May 2016, will be continued for all Corpus volumes published before 2003, speak and will be truly impressive. abiding by the moving wall of 15 years, that was agreed upon with Brepols Publishers, for the Consisting of nearly 1000 pages and over years 2016–18. 400 images, they will be a monumental The second and larger component of the project builds on the enterprise titled A treasure addition to our ever-growing catalogue trove of study material. Disclosure and valorization of the Collection Ludwig Burchard, raisonné of Rubens’s oeuvre and constitute successfully executed in 2014–15. An archival description of Rubenianum objects originating from Burchard’s library and documentation has since allowed for a virtual reconstruction a wonderful Easter present. of the expert’s scholarly legacy. Much emphasis was placed on the Rubens files during In the meantime, volume xix, 4 on Peter this project, while the collection contains many other resources that are of considerable Paul Rubens’s many portrait copies, importance to Rubens research.
    [Show full text]
  • Bruegel Notes Writing of the Novel Began October 20, 1998
    Rudy Rucker, Notes for Ortelius and Bruegel, June 17, 2011 The Life of Bruegel Notes Writing of the novel began October 20, 1998. Finished first fully proofed draft on May 20, 2000 at 107,353 words. Did nothing for a year and seven months. Did revisions January 9, 2002 - March 1, 2002. Did additional revisions March 18, 2002. Latest update of the notes, September 7, 2002 64,353 Words. Table of Contents Table of Contents .................................................................................................... 1 Timeline .................................................................................................................. 9 Painting List .......................................................................................................... 10 Word Count ........................................................................................................... 12 Title ....................................................................................................................... 13 Chapter Ideas ......................................................................................................... 13 Chapter 1. Bruegel. Alps. May, 1552. Mountain Landscape. ....................... 13 Chapter 2. Bruegel. Rome. July, 1553. The Tower of Babel. ....................... 14 Chapter 3. Ortelius. Antwerp. February, 1556. The Battle Between Carnival and Lent......................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 4. Bruegel. Antwerp. February,
    [Show full text]
  • Experience the Flemish Masters Programme 2018 - 2020
    EXPERIENCE THE FLEMISH MASTERS PROGRAMME 2018 - 2020 1 The contents of this brochure may be subject to change. For up-to-date information: check www.visitflanders.com/flemishmasters. 2 THE FLEMISH MASTERS 2018-2020 AT THE PINNACLE OF ARTISTIC INVENTION FROM THE MIDDLE AGES ONWARDS, FLANDERS WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE FAMOUS ART MOVEMENTS OF THE TIME: PRIMITIVE, RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE. FOR A PERIOD OF SOME 250 YEARS, IT WAS THE PLACE TO MEET AND EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE MOST ADMIRED ARTISTS IN WESTERN EUROPE. THREE PRACTITIONERS IN PARTICULAR, VAN EYCK, BRUEGEL AND RUBENS ROSE TO PROMINENCE DURING THIS TIME AND CEMENTED THEIR PLACE IN THE PANTHEON OF ALL-TIME GREATEST MASTERS. 3 FLANDERS WAS THEN A MELTING POT OF ART AND CREATIVITY, SCIENCE AND INVENTION, AND STILL TODAY IS A REGION THAT BUSTLES WITH VITALITY AND INNOVATION. The “Flemish Masters” project has THE FLEMISH MASTERS been established for the inquisitive PROJECT 2018-2020 traveller who enjoys learning about others as much as about him or The Flemish Masters project focuses Significant infrastructure herself. It is intended for those on the life and legacies of van Eyck, investments in tourism and culture who, like the Flemish Masters in Bruegel and Rubens active during are being made throughout their time, are looking to immerse th th th the 15 , 16 and 17 centuries, as well Flanders in order to deliver an themselves in new cultures and new as many other notable artists of the optimal visitor experience. In insights. time. addition, a programme of high- quality events and exhibitions From 2018 through to 2020, Many of the works by these original with international appeal will be VISITFLANDERS is hosting an Flemish Masters can be admired all organised throughout 2018, 2019 abundance of activities and events over the world but there is no doubt and 2020.
    [Show full text]
  • Antwerp in 2 Days | the Rubens House
    Antwerp in 2 days | The Rubens House Rubens was a man of many talents. Besides being the gifted painter we all know, he was also a diplomat, a devoted family man, an art collector and an architect. Where better to begin this immersion in Rubens’s city than the house in which he lived and worked? Rubens as an architect Rubens was talented in many areas of life. Besides being the gifted painter we all know, he was also a diplomat, a devoted family man, an art collector and architect. Where better to begin this immersion in Rubens’s city than the house in which he lived and worked? When Rubens returned from Italy in 1608, at the age of 31, he came back with a case full of sketches and a head full of ideas. He purchased a plot of land with a house near his grandfather’s home (Meir 54) and converted it into his own Palazzetto. Take an hour to visit the Rubens House and to breathe in the atmosphere in the master’s house before setting off to explore his city. Rubens’s palazzetto on the Wapper was not yet complete when the artist was commissioned to work on the Baroque Jesuit church some distance away, at Hendrik Conscienceplein. On your way to Hendrik Conscienceplein, we would suggest you make a brief stop at another church: St James’s Church (St Jacobskerk) in Lange Nieuwstraat. This robust building dooms up rather unexpectedly among the houses, but its interior presents a perfect harmony between Gothic and Baroque: the elegant Middle Ages and the flamboyant style of the 17th century go hand-in-hand here.
    [Show full text]
  • A Landscape with a Convoy on a Wooded Track Under Attack Oil on Panel 44 X 64 Cm (17⅜ X 25¼ In)
    Sebastian Vrancx (Antwerp 1573 - Antwerp 1647) A Landscape with a Convoy on a Wooded Track under Attack oil on panel 44 x 64 cm (17⅜ x 25¼ in) Sebastian Vrancx was one of the first artists in the Netherlands to attempt battle scenes and A Landscape with Convoy on a Wooded Track under Attack offers an excellent example of his work. A wagon is under attack from bandits who have been hiding in the undergrowth on the right-hand side of the painting. The wagon has stopped as its driver flees for the safety of the bushes, whilst its occupants are left stranded inside. The wagon is guarded by three soldiers on horseback but in their startled state none have managed to engage their attackers. A line of bandits emerge from their hiding place and circle behind and around their victims, thus adding further to the confusion. Two figures remain in the bushes to provide covering fire and above them, perched in a tree, is one of their companions who has been keeping watch for the convoy and now helps to direct the attack. The scene is set in a softly coloured and brightly-lit landscape, which contrasts with the darker theme of the painting. Attack of Robbers, another scene of conflict, in the Hermitage, also possesses the decorative qualities and Vrancx’s typically poised figures, just as in A Landscape with a Convoy on a Wooded Track under Attack. A clear narrative, with travellers on horses attempting to ward off robbers, creates a personal and absorbing image. It once more reveals Vrancx’s delight in detailing his paintings with the dynamic qualities that make his compositions appealing on both an aesthetic and historical level.
    [Show full text]
  • Rubenianum Fund Field Trip to Princely Rome, October 2017
    2017 The Rubenianum Quarterly 3 Peter Paul Rubens: The Power of Transformation Drawn to drawings: a new collaborative project Mythological dramas and biblical miracles, intimate portraits and vast landscapes – Although the Rubenianum seldom seeks the Peter Paul Rubens’s creative power knew no limits. His ingenuity seems inexhaustible, public spotlight for its scholarship, specialists and his imagination boundless. The special exhibition ‘Kraft der Verwandlung’ institutions in the field know very well where to turn (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, 17 October 2017–21 January 2018) sets out to to for broad, grounded and reliable art-historical explore this spirit of innovation, taking an in-depth look at the sources on which the expertise. Earlier this year, the Flemish Government Flemish master drew and how he made them his own. approached us with a view to a possible assignment Rubens had an unrivalled ability to apply his examples freely and creatively. concerning 17th-century drawings. Given that Ignoring the boundaries of genre, he studied the small-scale art of printmaking as well another of the Rubenianum’s unmistakable as monumental oil paintings. The artist’s extensive library provided a further source trademarks is its open and generous attitude to of inspiration, as did antique coins. He took three-dimensional sculptures – bronze statuettes, casts from nature and marble statues – and brought them to life in his collaboration, this task was indeed assigned to paintings. us thanks to a thoroughly prepared partnership Rubens drew, copied and interpreted as he saw fit throughout his life. Existing with the Royal Library of Belgium. We are proud, sources were transformed by his hand into something entirely new.
    [Show full text]
  • Luc Tuymans in the Dark Regions of The
    Luc Tuymans In the Dark Regions of the My project is an effort to avert the critical gaze from the racial object to the racial World subject; from the described and the imagined to the describers and imaginers; from the serving to the served. - Toni Morrison" "Mwana Kitoko, The beautiful White Man." Thus did the people of the In Tuymans' oeuvre, a painting often acquires additional layers of Congo address their sovereign, Baudouin, king of the Belgians. Luc meaning through the precisely devised context of its first exhibition, Tuymans painted him descending the narrow stairs of his airplane in the frequently involving spaces that require a certain number and mid-fifties, wearing an immaculate white Navy uniform, looking just a combination of works. Even while painting, Tuymans often has a little too stiff for the elegance of his slim figure, one hand firmly precise notion of how the picture is to operate alone, together with grasping his sword, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses to protect them others, and in the room where it is first to be presented. In his most from the sun and the intrusive gaze of others. The painting of Baudouin, recent cycle for the David Zwirner Gallery in New York, the full- MWANA KITOKO (2000), shows a grand entrance in bright light that length portrait of the monarch is placed— among others—opposite a oscillates between the dazzling effect of a media event and the light of slightly smaller three-quarter portrait of a black man titled STATUE the tropics. The dark lens gives the figure an insect-like appearance.
    [Show full text]
  • Julius S. Held Papers, Ca
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt3g50355c No online items Finding aid for the Julius S. Held papers, ca. 1921-1999 Isabella Zuralski. Finding aid for the Julius S. Held 990056 1 papers, ca. 1921-1999 Descriptive Summary Title: Julius S. Held papers Date (inclusive): ca. 1918-1999 Number: 990056 Creator/Collector: Held, Julius S (Julius Samuel) Physical Description: 168 box(es)(ca. 70 lin. ft.) Repository: The Getty Research Institute Special Collections 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100 Los Angeles 90049-1688 [email protected] URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref (310) 440-7390 Abstract: Research papers of Julius Samuel Held, American art historian renowned for his scholarship in 16th- and 17th-century Dutch and Flemish art, expert on Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Rembrandt. The ca. 70 linear feet of material, dating from the mid-1920s to 1999, includes correspondence, research material for Held's writings and his teaching and lecturing activities, with extensive travel notes. Well documented is Held's advisory role in building the collection of the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico. A significant portion of the ca. 29 linear feet of study photographs documents Flemish and Dutch artists from the 15th to the 17th century. Request Materials: Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record for this collection. Click here for the access policy . Language: Collection material is in English Biographical / Historical Note The art historian Julius Samuel Held is considered one of the foremost authorities on the works of Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Rembrandt.
    [Show full text]
  • Cabinet of Curiosities Ages 6 and up | 60 - 120 Min
    Cabinet of Curiosities ages 6 and up | 60 - 120 min. Background: During the transatlantic slave trade, which lasted for more than 300 years, 12–15 million people were forcibly migrated from Africa to the Western Hemisphere. An estimated 1.2–2.4 million people died en route, but the complete death toll is not documented. The slave trade to the United States began in 1581 in Florida and did not conclude until 1807, though illegal trading continued for nearly 60 more years. The nations that are home to the largest populations of people of African descent are Brazil (55 million), the United States (46 million), Haiti (10 million), and the Dominican Republic (9 million). There are also significant populations in many more countries including France, Mexico, Canada, and Italy. Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NXC4Q_4JVg Inspiration: This virtual tour of Folayemi Wilson’s Eliza’s Peculiar Cabinet of Curiosities. (2016) at Lynden: https://lynden.tours/folayemi-wilson-elizas-peculiar- cabinet-of-curiosities/ Vocabulary Site-specific art is artwork created to exist in a certain place. Typically, the artist takes the location into account while planning and creating the artwork. Cabinets of curiosities were early precursors of museums, increasingly popular in 16th-century Europe. Viewed as symbols of socioeconomic or scholarly status, they contained collections of natural specimens, religious relics, historic artifacts, works of art, and other objects collected during travels abroad. Afrofuturism is a literary, musical, and artistic movement that explores the contested history, diverse realities and future possibilities of people of African descent. Common themes include science fiction, magic realism, interrogating historic narratives and questioning power relationships to reimagine the past and envision a better future.
    [Show full text]
  • Silver, Bells and Nautilus Shells: Royal Cabinets of Curiosity and Antiquarian Collecting
    Silver, Bells and Nautilus Shells: Royal cabinets of curiosity and antiquarian collecting Kathryn Jones Curator of Decorative Arts at Royal Collection Trust, London 98 In 1812 James Wyatt, architect to the Prince Regent, was The term Wunderkammer, usually translated as a given instructions to complete the Plate Closet in Carlton ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, encompassed far more than the House, the Prince’s residence on Pall Mall. The plans traditional piece of furniture containing unusual works of included a large proportion of plate glass. James Wyatt art and items of natural history (fig 1). The concept of a noted this glass although expensive was ‘indispensably Wunderkammer was essentially born in the 16th century necessary, as it is intended that the Plate shall be seen as the princely courts of Europe became less peripatetic and as the Plate is chiefly if not entirely ornamental, and as humanist philosophy spread. The idea was to any glass but Plate [glass] therefore would cripple the create a collection to hold the sum of man’s knowledge. forms and perhaps the most ornamental parts would This was clarified by Francis Bacon in the 17th century 2 be the most injured.’1 The Plate Closet was to be a who stated that the first principle of a ruler was to gather place of wonder, where visitors would be surrounded by together a ‘most perfect and general library’ holding great treasures of wrought silver and gilt. George IV’s every branch of knowledge then published. Secondly a collections, particularly of silver for the Wunderkammer, prince should create a spacious and wonderful garden to show an interest in an area of collecting that was largely contain plants and fauna ‘so that you may have in small unfashionable in the early-nineteenth century and compass a model of universal nature made private’.
    [Show full text]
  • Luc Tuymans Good Luck
    Luc Tuymans Good Luck October 27 – December 19, 2020 5–6/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central Hong Kong Luc Tuymans, Still, 2019 ​ ​ © Luc Tuymans Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner David Zwirner is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by the renowned Belgian artist Luc Tuymans (b. 1958) at the gallery’s Hong Kong location—his first solo presentation in Greater China. On view will be a selection of recent paintings and a new single-channel animated video that are drawn from a range of historical and contemporary images. Together the works share an undercurrent, as suggested by the exhibition’s title, of paradox and uncertainty. Tuymans has become known for a distinctive style of painting that demonstrates the power of images to simultaneously communicate and withhold. Emerging in the 1980s, Tuymans pioneered a decidedly non-narrative approach to figurative painting, instead exploring how information can be layered and embedded within certain scenes and signifiers. Based on preexisting imagery culled from a variety of sources, his works are rendered in a muted palette that is suggestive of a blurry recollection or a fading memory. Their quiet and restrained appearance, however, belies an underlying moral complexity, and they engage equally with questions of history and its representation as they do with quotidian subject matter. Tuymans’s canvases both undermine and reinvent traditional notions of monumentality through their insistence on the ambiguity of meaning. ​ The present exhibition brings together a wide range of global, historical, and contemporary references that reflect ongoing themes of interest for the artist.
    [Show full text]