34 34-39 ArtPDF.indd 34 ON: ART | EXHIBITIONS funny and poetic, as is the is tale of Itits journey chair. into empty enormous an by epitomised conspicuousfatherthefigure,the byabsence of upstagedthree the height, of order in couch, a grave-faced woman and her two sons perched on a shows It know. not did Miller who Ju Mack, lie photographer of show end-of-term the to invitean ofmail arrivalby the thankstoabout when the US was finally ready to do so. first exhibitions to look back at the Vietnam War, ies,Miller usedsuchphotos mount totheoneof that, startlingly, it doesn’t look real. In the Eight until he died in 1971. It possesses such Vietnamglossy in grit war documented the whoBurrows, couver in the Fifties. Herzog,who took colour-drenched slides of Van Fred experimentalismas of the spirit simple showssame Seventies the in sign street a and LeeFriedlander’s icecreamcloudmadea outof tumbled. gallery his at exhibitions which from tographs that struck home and became the shots motivations.” But it conflicting was the humility of often the pho “multiple, with them bought youngest contract photographer. BurkUzzle, who,17,becameat from 2006, is the matter-of-fact ‘Desert between Prada’ by latest, the 1887; in takentorpedo, and encounter chicken tragicomic Muybridge’s Eadweard pioneer picture motion features one earliest thecentury: a span here show on ages im the and business, nor art neither still was photography when time a at Seventies, the in ownerLaurence Miller. Miller started collecting T Spider girl Collectibles n o hs ot eet custos came acquisitions recent most his of One One of the few other colour images is by Larry he and Miller, says him, foundPhotographs Art 3-er eid y e Yr gallery York New by period 35-year a iscomprised ofphotographs collected over exhibitionPrivats’(PrivateEyes)‘Ullshe (c. 1980),HelenLevitt | Exhibitions LifeMagazine ’s - - - - - very good. Brotmeyer’sverysilly Nose‘Man Suit’ain so is tographsrepresenting the Nineties or why Gary pho no are there why Ponder us. intriguefolk Wrighton’sfrill-freeBruce why and poise,such have Eighties and Seventies the of shots bled tum and tipped Spano’s Michael how explore vate eyes on them and make our own narratives: society’s rules. The images invite us deflateto place our own pri that pinpricks photographic kids, who delight and inspire? lookingmiserable? OrofHelen Levitt’s naughty always Hun for Kertész André photographer seriousgarian teased short, who a womaniser Siskind, dumpy Aaron by images abstract cool the of make to we areseascapes.what But violinistMing’strainingsonorousaher fromas sneeringfulshotaof deer killer, DoDo ofJinor of the choleric nature of Les Krims by his venge photographer.theirsomethinggaugeofcan We dark, curvaceous cityscape. a throughscamperfigures tiny which in Kong, Hong Fifties’ of depictions Ho’s Fan tographer stylestwothen appearblendChinese to in pho gularphotography of Eighties’ Philadelphia; the trast curiously with Ray K. Metzker’s sharp, an con they doorway—and a into dashes woman plumpcommunity—here, Ravala the of charm photos are enthused with the squeezable cheeky lom and his images of Fifties’ . Colom’s Miller’s collection.

www.colectania.es Until January10th2009,€3 Fundación FotoColectania Ulls Privats. Laurence Miller collection ‘Private Eyes’ is a show of mischievous quirks, Other photos are infused with the personality Co Joan own ourdiscovered recently Miller

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W represented, pointing to the wide range and and range richness of the dance and tradition wide scene of Cat the to pointing is represented, styles dancing of variety A art. performing this in involved those individual of interests the and dreams on but whole, a as companies dance on placed not is focus The it. behind ple of the peo and and the dance, personality spirit of understanding personal photographers’ the dansa sobre three into sections— Divided words. and through question photography this to answer an provides November 6th to January 2nd 2009 2nd January to 6th November Galeria Masart Dehnel Sabine tos. pho or paintings they be representational, and illusion, Dehnel’s pictures are at once decorative forms. Dehnel maintains a balance between the two art but as are they interdependent, in ined parallel, exam are photography and painting show, the Throughout medium? unreal an through reality reach we can but truth, the tell don’t tographs pho Distorted tell. to hard it’s resides, reality then—paradoxically but exactly Where true. also is reverse enough—the painting, Photography imitates end.” the in out comes different totally Something game. whispers’ ‘Chinese the like bit little a It’s lost. or re-interpreted added, is “something that suggests Dehnel media, two one medium to the other. In moving between the F November 3rd to December 31st Flors les de Mercat moviment el darrere rostre El dance. through pression ex by moved anybody and forms, art other of tends to be a for point of professionals reflection in rather but dancers, to dedicated solely not In or it search this concern’. respect, is creation, behind face ‘The titled been have could hibition ex the Lage, to According art. their produce to use dancers that methods different the explore rehearsal and show understand to classes and theatres spaces, images the techniques; and forms colours, of blend a through dance alunya Cat of history the portray photos alunya—the -- KS --

tion tion of the of transference her motifs from celebra a is exhibition Dehnel’s Sabine back, and painting to photography rom Blending Blending the borders between reality and El rostredarrereelmoviment©ManuTrillo Lage and Manu Trillo, this exhibition exhibition this Trillo, Manu and Lage F. Sonia by Curated like? look celona Bar in dance contemporary does hat ote ab Paraules amb Rostres and and Video —each part represents represents part —each -- Katerina Skoulida Katerina -- , , Reflexions Reflexions 23/10/08 11:47:21 ------ART & EXHIBITIONS | M | 35

3 Punts Galeria 4Open daily from 9am to 8pm (visiting Aribau 75, Tel. 93 451 2348, www.3punts. times vary according to availability of com Passeig de Gràcia: L2, L3 & L4 or rooms). Masterpiece by Antoni Gaudí Hospital Clinic: L5 and a reference point for Modernista 4Valery Florkin Using simple iconog- architecture. Built 1904-1906, now World raphy and avoiding decorative aesthet- Heritage building (UNESCO, July 2005). ics, Florkin’s paintings seek to portray Audio guides available in six languages. the relationship between the individual and the world. Until Nov 8th Centre d’ArtSantaMòniCA La Rambla 7, Tel. 93 556 5313, www. Àngels Barcelona centredartsantamonica.net/ Pintor Fortuny 27, Tel. 93 412 5400, www. Drassanes: L3 angelsbarcelona.com Catalunya: L1 & 4Bestué-Vives Barcelona artists David L3 or : L3 Bestué and Marc Vives invite the visitor on 4Peter Downsbrough American a journey, which mirrors a fictional one on visual artist whose work is often an screen, and explores personal experience investigation or treatment of space, the and maturity. Until Jan 20094David position of objects and their consequent Shrigley Hilariously surreal British displacement. Exhibition includes artist perhaps best known for his comic installation, photography, albums and drawings, employs video, poster, anima- postcards. Until Nov 29th tion, sculpture and photography in this comprehensive new exhibition. Until Jan African Art Gallery 4th 2009 Boulevard dels Antiquaris, Passeig de Gràcia 55–57, Tel. 93 467 6912 Passeig Centre de Cultura Con- de Gràcia: L2, L3 & L4 temporània de Barcelona 4Gallery promotes African culture and (CCCB) unity through various monthly exhibi- Montalegre 5, Tel 93 306 4100, www.cccb. tions, activities and concerts. org Catalunya: L1 & L3 or Universi- tat: L1 & L2 Artesania Catalunya 4J. G. Ballard. Autòpsia del nou Banys Nous 11, Tel. 93 318 8209, www. mil·leni The prolific and highly artesania-catalunya.com Liceu: L3 or influential author Ballard inspires a Jaume I: L4 new exhibition looking at his exploits, 4Centre for Institute of Catalan crafts obsessions and visions of the future. is housed in building which incorporates With his autobiography Miracles of Life both Roman and medieval elements. out this year, Ballard proves he is still the important cultural player that many, from CaixaForum Thom Yorke to Steven Spielberg, claim Av. Marquès de Comillas 6-8, Tel. 93 him to be. Until Nov 9th4OPENING 476 8600, www.fundacio.lacaixa.es World Press Photo 2008 Organised for Espanya: L1 & L3 the fourth year running in Barcelona by 4Fermín Jiménez Landa Last show in Photographic Social Vision, the World cycle entitled ‘Euphoria. Cases of extreme Press Photo Exhibition is recognised as optimism’. Jiménez questions abstract the most prominent touring display of ideas of physics and the supposed prac- photojournalism. The superb images are ticality of scientific knowledge. Until Dec presented here without any censor- 21st 4El pa dels àngels Art works are ship and prove photography’s power to loaned from the splendid Uffizi gallery in change the course of history by becom- Florence; the unique collection includes ing part of the collective memory. See 45 masterpieces of Italian Renaissance preview on page 37. Nov 18th to Dec 14th art not seen in Barcelona before. Until Feb 8th 20094Zones de risc Selec- CosmoCaixa tion of contemporary works from the Isaac Newton 26, Tel. 93 212 6050, www. permanent collection of CaixaForum. fundacio.lacaixa.es FGC: Av. del Tibidabo Until March 11th 20094La ciutat or buses: 17, 22, 58, 60, 73, 75 & 196 transformada Examining the urban 4Science museum that includes a plan- growth of Barcelona. Until Dec 8th4Al- etarium and walk-in rainforest replica, phonse Mucha: Seducció, modernitat complete with birds. i utopia Pioneer of Art Nouveau whose lush romantic posters and images have Espace Cultural Ample endured and still captivate lovers of the Ample 5, Tel 93 301 1112, www. espace- nouveau style today. See review on page ample.com Drassanes: L3 38. Until Jan 18th 2009 4OPENING Transfashionlab—Re- loaded In conjunction with the Canals-Galeria d’Art Fundación Privada para el Desarrollo del Plaça Octavià 16, Sant Cugat, Tel. 93 675 Arte Contemporáneo de Barcelona and 4902, www.canals-art.com inspired by the last wishes of its founder 4Joan Pere Viladecans Important Bertrand Cheuvreux, this is the first Catalan artist who takes work by Tàpies Spanish exhibition of French photogra- and Brossa as his references, and incor- pher Gérard Rancinan. From Nov 27th porates a constant interaction between figuration and abstraction. This exhibi- Espai Cultural Francoli tion includes work completed between Francoli 13-15 principal, Tel. 93 238 9877, 1997 and 2005 and the series entitled www.teresarius.com Fontana & ‘Flora i Fauna’. Until Nov 30th Lesseps: L3 4Jordi Guillén, el primer viatge Casa Asia Selection of oil paintings by Catalan Diagonal 373, Tel. 93 238 7337, artist. Guillén’s works are renowned www.casaasia.es Diagonal: L3 & L5 for transmitting feelings of calm and 4Centre dedicated to Asian culture. harmony to the viewer. Until Nov 7th Talks, exhibitions, film screenings and workshops presented year-round. Espai VolART 4Jardín Japonés Japanese gardens are Ausiàs Marc 22, Tel. 93 481 7985, www. regarded as models of order and harmo- fundacionvilacasas.org Urquinaona: ny. Azusa Kito’s installation is inspired by L1 & L4 ikebana (flower arranging) and ponders 4Realisme Contemporani Twin broth- the unstoppable flow of time. Until Jan ers Pere and Josep Santilari showcase 11th 20094Rong Rong and inri Exhibi- their highly realistic paintings of nudes tion featuring one of the most important and landscapes; the works’ photo-like ap- figures of Chinese photography of the pearance and technically high accuracy Eighties and Nineties. The 45 displayed can trick the observer. Until Nov 15th images portray an intense love story and 4OPENING Presons intimes Spanish the downfall of old Beijing. See review on painter and printmaker Assumpció page 39. Until Jan 11th 2009 Mateu celebrates a new solo show. Nov 27th to Feb 7th 2009 Casa Batlló Passeig de Gràcia 43, Tel. 93 216 0306, FNAC www.casabatllo.es Passeig de Gràcia: El Triangle, Plaça Catalunya 4 L2, L3 & L4 Catalunya: L1 & L3; L’ Illa, Diagonal 549

34-39 ArtPDF.indd 35 23/10/08 11:47:30 36 34-39 ArtPDF.indd 36 ON: ART | EXHIBITIONS provides a broad view of the differ the of broadprovidesview a 4 bcn.fjmiro.es ParcMontjuïc, de Tel. 1908,www. 329 93 Miró Joan Fundació page34. on review Bruce and Wrighton. Spano Michael Levitt,RayK. Metzker, JinMing, DoDo Brotmeyer, byGary Colom, Joan Helen works collection, including enviable his from best the displays of exhibition some photography today. art fine worldof This the relevant most in addresses the of one New in Yorkgallery well:his become has as collector a butas curator and gallerist photography, worldof a as only not years’ 30 morethe than in experience 4 photographs. contemporary of 4 Fontana:L3 and L7 & L6 colectania.es, Gràcia: FGC JuliánRomea 6, Tel. 1626,www. 217 93 Colectania Foto Fundació artists. local other work of the year, last died who promoting as well as ModestCuixart, painter nativelona and 4 www.cuixart.org Montcada de Placeta 7, Tel. 1947, 319 93 Cuixart Fundació and debates. to Tibet and the region, as well as talks changing exhibitions selection of related foundation provides space for an ever- 4 sadeltibetbcn.org 181, Rosselló Tel. 5966,www.ca 207 93 Tibet del Casa Fundació shows. art temporary host Catalunya Plaça and shopsDiagonal on 4 3 Diagonal Projecte dequiosc Principally acultural centre, this The foundation’s The extensive collection Privats Ulls features range Permanentcollection honoursBarce Permanentcollection Three exhibition halls situated in in situated halls exhibition Three Maria Cristina: L3; Diagonal Mar, Diagonal L3; Cristina: Maria El Maresme/Fòrum:L4 El Laurence Miller has has LaurenceMiller Espanya: L1 & L3 Espanya:L3 & L1

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Galeria Artevistas Galeria ‘Anar-hi Anant’. shows work artist installation and video Passeig de Gràcia 98, Tel.Gràcia Passeig de 1032, 496 93 Suñol Fundació UntilNov 16th installation. an and documentary video ‘Avuires’,aspiro a no a consistsof which exhibition his with cycle the opens López Juanartists. emerging to dedicated space 13, Foundation’sdisplayed Espai the be in artists. Workswill artists byfive Spanish on younger influence his and art porary contem role in Miró,leading Joan his Vint-i-QuatreGraons Paris. of ence influ weighty the were who under artists photography byand painting landscape century, 19th the encompassingof end atthe started art, which of period trious Twombly,covers illus exhibition an this Cornell,Hopper, Rothko, Kooning de and Sargent, Singer including artists major overworksby together 100 bringing and in Washington of Art CorcoranGallery americana tapestry. and prints paintings, sculpture,including drawings, worked, Miró Joan which in entmedia 4 lagaleria-art.com Consell de Cent 279, Tel. 609 386 517, www. Galeria La form. art an as seen be to for language potential explores the then work since of body main his and assumptions traditional Seventies. early Hethe challenges during fame found who art conceptual worldof Lawrence Until31st Dec decades. three past fromthe art Catalan 4 L4 & L2, Gràcia: L3 www.fundaciosunol.org Eugènia Balcells Balcells Eugènia 1970-2001 1970-2001

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- - Jonqueres 10, Tel. 933192627, www. Marcos Miguel Galería painting. mediumsof such as video, sculpture and Spanish who works artist arange with 4 L4 & L2, Gràcia: L3 www.galeriajoanprats.com Catalunya de Rambla 54, Tel. 0290, 216 93 Prats Joan Galería power light over of dark. super-simplistic style, here he explores the exhibition. Known for his pared down, never published before, thisnew in Rivas presents 41photos, some them of Argentinian photographer Humberto 4 L5 & galeriahartmann.com Teresa Santa 8, Tel. 9556,www. 415 93 Hartmann Galería Eighties. the createdin he works groundbreaking celebratedfor the JoséPedro, especially sculptor Lisbon a and UK; the in visible most the of some worksare Jaumeart Plensa, public whose lithographs, of book artists’ and paintings ethereal forhis Sicilia,José María known artists: nowned re bythree paintings and foretchings 4 L2, L3&L4 galeriaeude.com Consell de Cent 278, Tel. 93 487 9386, www. Eude Galería moments. captured create to dreamlike pictures to hand his time. Hehis nowturns in signer designer, decostume graphic and dancer stylist, a been has who photographer 4 Jaume I:L4 www. artevistas.com Passatge del Crèdit 4, Tel. 935120465, Revolutionary art forms of art. experimentingnewstill whilewith order,newcelebratewould thethatworks ofseries a beganandFront throw himself into the debate; he formed a group called the Left Artists’ MalevichKandinsky,andRodchenko’s enthusiastically reactionto was theproletarian arsenal fighttothewar against thebourgeoisie. Unlike Modernism were in danger from the idea that art should be a weapon in ryone was forced to take sides and suddenly the aesthetic experiments of RussianRevolution perspectivenewaput artist:theroletheofon eve where else for painting to go in its rejection of the tyranny of figuration. ‘White on White’ series. After this abstractionist face-off there seemedechoeschallengesand friendhisnothatofrivaland Malevich, famousthe ers. The purely abstract works end with his ‘Black on Black’ series,vas whichto a collection of diagonal lines and geometric shapes drawn with rul called‘Lineism’, taking ‘anti-painting’ even further byreducing thecan version radical own Constructivism. famous: his developed Rodchenko him madethat style the onsettle finally to Cubismflirtations withto ferentartistic styles, from his early tendency towards colourful Fauvism ings created before his death in 1956. tohis photographs, collages and posters, concluding with his last paint pleteview ofthe artist’s the largest selection of his work ever seen outside Russia, offering a com influential that of memberthird the on show a with cycle thecompletes Pedrera retrospectivesRussiantheModernistson Kandinsky Malevich,and La Russia,where political upheaval wasstrongest. Now,after outstanding no coincidence, therefore, that Modernismis flourishedIt mostutopias. in places new like of search in forms old breakingparallel, in worked T

Javier Peñafiel Javier Iluminar Sicilia-Plensa-Croft OPENING Yet,asoften happens, history was destined tocatch upwith art. The dif pursuing endlessly spirit, peripatetic creative a hadRodchenko through a violentthroughpast,strongrupturepoliticaltheawith currents seeing of ways new explored artists While century. 20th the of history the to inextricablytied is Modernism ofdevelopment he Until Nov 30th Nov 17th to Jan 11th 2009 Jan to Nov 11th 17th

Celebrated award-winning troika Aymeric Giraudel AymericGiraudel Latest exhibition from Passeig de Gràcia: , Alexander Rodchenko. The exhibition brings together You’re Alone -- DanielCampi Extended run run Extended Until Nov 24th Liceu: or L3 Diagonal: L3 UntilNov 15th oeuvre Passeig de (1992); (1992); **** French starting from his first paintings in1914 - * - Until Nov22nd Until 1960. to 1920 from ran movementthat creative the in key were who Funke and Rössler,are maestros WiskovskyThe checa vanguardia la de maestros Catalunyamonths. forin 18 living Chupartist’sstand, the is response to Chupa a of one paintings, including and screens wood and silk of exhibition This fromNew Zealand. originally painter and ‘Ny-ree’artist textile a is Dignan graciaartsproject.com Sant Honorat 11, Tel. 671 300 638, www. Project Arts Gracia on these objects. dhist principle the slow of work time of he investigates the Wabi-Sabi Zen Bud sculpture boxes. Picked for their beauty, uses found objects as the subject his of 4 Universitat:or L2 & L1 galeriasicart.com www.18,Tel. 157 Ferlandina 879 680 Sicart Galería 31st Dec to Nov 20th spiritual. the concrete and the between sky, and borders the crosses Streicher ground earth.By linking the to connect to seem and structures vertical form that clouds “mamma”givenof basis the to exposition’s name comesfromthe title years’ 16 result of the is work. The icher’s exhibition sculpture inflatable 4 & L4 ‘strange’places. in alone themselves find who people on focuses Clément-Delmas Cyprien 4 kowasa.com Mallorca235, Tel. 3588,www. 487 93 Gallery Kowasa 16th 3rdto 4 miguelmarcos.com del futur Ródtxenko. Laconstrucció Until January6th2009 La Pedrera Naufragis II II Naufragis OPENING El ser y la nada nada la y ser El OPENING Mammatus Mammatus Dolce Catalunya Dolce Until Nov22nd Until Diagonal: L3 & L5 & Diagonal: L3 Barcelona who artist Until Dec 5th French photographer photographer French

Catalunya: L3 & L1 Urquinaona: L1 Jaume I:L4 Max StreMax 4 Ngaire Tres Nov ------23/10/08 11:47:41 - ART & EXHIBITIONS | M | 37

World Press Photo of the Year 2007 © Tim Hetherington for Vanity Fair Photographing the world he only international event of its kind, the winners of the annual World Press Photo Contest, which celebrates the best in press pho- Ttography from around the world, go on display this month at the CCCB. Open to all professional photographers, the competition awards first, second and third prizes in 10 themed categories for photo stories and single images, as well as the prestigious overall prize for the World Press Photo of the Year, given to a single photograph regarded as encap- sulating an event, situation or issue of journalistic significance. The top prize for 2007 went to British photographer Tim Hetherington for his beautiful yet haunting image of a US soldier resting on the em- bankment of a bunker in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan. The valley is the epicentre of the US fight against militant Islamists in Afghanistan, and scene of some of the deadliest combat in the region. Hetherington’s photograph bears witness to the intense emotional and psychological pressure that this man was under; its slightly painterly look manages to seduce the eye while the distinctly humanitarian focus ensures that its message remains clear and relevant. Photographs can always be read as signifying something more than what appears in the frame, and as jury chairman Nick Knight asserts, “The image shows the exhaustion of a man—and the exhaustion of a na- tion.” He adds “We are all connected to this. It’s a picture of a man at the end of a line.” Judging and awarding photography (and art in general) will forever be a contentious issue though: how can 12 people possibly reach a consensus? And what criteria can they use to nominate just one image? Nevertheless, despite the meaningless idea of a ‘winner’, Tim Hetherington’s image challenges preconceptions of war photogra- phy and World Press Photo continues to not only reflect and analyse our world but also the world of World Press Photo 2008 images and the place where the CCCB two collide. November 18th to December 16th -- Tim Clark www.cccb.org

Masart Galería macba.es Catalunya: L1 & L3 Sant Eusebi 40, Tel. 93 414 1597, www. 4Col·leció MACBA A selection of mas-art.net Fontana: L3 works from the permanent collection, fo- 4OPENING Sabine Dehnel German cusing on minimalist contemporary art. artist who examines the interplay between Until Jan 6th 20094Arxiu universal The the real in photography against the per- idea that photography builds a historical ceived ‘less real’ in paintings. See preview archive and how that is its essential mis- on page 34. Nov 6th to Jan 2nd 2009 sion are the themes explored here, using texts that accompanied the seminal 1955 Mercat de les Flors exhibition by August Sander shown at Lleida 59, Tel. 93 426 1875, www. the MOMA, ‘The Family of Man’, which mercatflors.org Espanya: L1 & L3 or tracked the idea of photography as a Poble Sec: L3 universal language. Until Jan 6th 2009 4OPENING El rostre darrere el movi- ment Exhibition that aims to show the Museu de les Artes Decora- face of contempory dance in Catalunya tives today, using behind-the-scenes images Palau Reial de Pedralbes, Diagonal 686, and video. See preview on page 34. Nov www.museuartsdecoratives.bcn.es 3rd to Dec 31st Palau Reial: L3 4Permanent display of artifacts range Museu d’Arqueologia from Romanesque items to modern Passeig Santa Madrona 39, Tel. 93 424 design classics. 6577, www.mac.es Poble Sec: L3 4Permanent exhibition of archaeologi- Museu Barbier-Mueller d’Art cal relics that illustrate the evolution of Precolombí the Catalan region. Last Sunday of each Montcada 14, Tel. 93 310 45163, www. month is free. barbier-mueller.ch Jaume 1: L4 4Museum dedicated to pre-Columbian Museu d’Art Contemporani art. Includes works from the Meso-Ameri- de Barcelona (MACBA) can, Central American, Andean American Pl. dels Àngels 1, Tel. 93 412 0810, www. and Amazon regions.

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Drassanes: L3 4Museum housed in former shipyards Much success celebrates Barcelona’s maritime culture orn in Moravia (now in the Czech Re- and history, and includes a full-scale model of a galleon. Also houses tempo- public) in 1860, Alphonse Mucha was a rary exhibitions and provides free tours Bpopular turn-of-the-century artist, entre- on Sundays and public holidays with preneur and the don of Art Nouveau. As a young general admission. 4OPENING Els Grans Viatges de Zheng He Exhibition artist, Mucha painted theatre sets in Vienna, re- explores the Chinese maritime culture turning to his country in 1881, where he decorated between the 10th and 15th centuries, the walls of Count Karl Khuen’s castle to such with special reference to the Chinese expeditions in the Indian Ocean led by pleasing effect that his ecstatic patron sponsored Zheng He. Unique opportunity to see his art studies. Mucha then immersed himself in works that have never been showcased the artistic hotbed of Paris and it was there, in in before. Nov 13th to May 31st 20094OPENING Antonio Hervás Druzba (2003-present)1894, that he leapt at the opportunity to whip up Painting exhibition inspired by the a wildly theatrical poster design that captured archaeological remains of the site Les the dramatic elegance of actor Sarah Bernhardt. Sorres X excavated in 1990 during the construction of the canal in Castelldefels It made him a star and Mucha continued in the for the Olympic Games. Nov 28th to Jan business for six years, producing reams of exotic 11th 2009 posters, using (perhaps unnecessarily) nude mod- Museu Monestir de Pe- els to produce beautiful, bland figures. The crowds dralbes loved it. Baixada del Monestir 9, Tel. 93 203 9282 While Mucha was no Toulouse-Lautrec—a con- Bus: 22, 63, 64 & 78 4Museum housed in one of the finest temporary of his—he was more accessible and a Catalan gothic buildings, and consists of good businessman, branching out into jewellery the church and the monastery. It boasts a design, carpets and wallpaper; his unfettered great collection of works of art, liturgical objects and furniture, that the commu- style enthused Barcelona brands, which used his nity of St. Clare has been collecting since works to make items like Amatller chocolates and 1327, when the monastery was founded. Escofet cement tiles seem luxurious and exciting. Museu Nacional d’Art de But there is more to Mucha, as the exhibition Catalunya (MNAC) shows. He became interested in photography , Parc de Montjuïc, Tel. 93 thanks to a friendship with the Lumière broth- 622 0360, www.mnac.es Espanya: L1 & L3 ers and in 1914, he travelled to Moscow with a 4Julí González First retrospective in camera to do research for a series of 20 mammoth Barcelona of Spanish artist González. paintings completed in 1928. Like his ladies, the Friend and contempory of Picasso, he was one of the most innovative and im- ‘Slav Epic’ paintings are impressive, yet static; the portant sculptors of the 20th century and photographs he took for them, however, are exqui- although born in Barcelona, González site. Textured, experimental shots of snow-caked spent his working life in Paris, never to return to his native city. The exhibition benches and Russian women in padded clothing displays his famous iron sculptures and broken boots, huddling together with a vast alongside drawings and jewels. Until white Red Square looming desolately behind them. Jan 25th 20094Monedes en lluita. Catalunya a l’Europa napoleònica Mucha was wildly successful as a commercial art- Small but effective show that commemo- ist, but his true talent was as a documentary pho- rates the outbreak of the Peninsular War tographer. in Catalunya with medals and military Alphonse Mucha: Seduc- decorations, and examines the impor- ció, modernitat i utopia tance of coins throughout this and other -- Alex Phillips CaixaForum wars. Until May 31st 2009 El lliri blanc (1898) © Mucha Trust 2008, VEGAP 2008 ***** Until January 18th 2009 www.fundacio.lacaixa.es Montcada 15-23, Tel. 93 319 6310, www. museupicasso.bcn.es Jaume I: L4 Museu de Ciències Naturals Museu Diocesà 4Home to sculptures and private collec- 4An extensive collection of 3,000 de Barcelona Avda de la Catedral 4, Tel. 93 315 2213 tions of lifelong collector Marès as well as paintings, sketches and drawings make Museu de Zoologia, Pg. Picasso s/n, Tel. 93 Liceu: L3 or Jaume I: L4 other temporary exhibitions. up the permanent collection, with hun- 319 6912, www.bcn.es/museuciencies 4A display of religious art from dreds of additional pieces on temporary Ciutadella—Vila Olímpica: L4 Roman times to the present day. Also Museu d’Història de Barce- display. 4Natural history museum, with per- hosts temporary exhibitions.4Parla lona manent collection of natural specimens Gaudí Sketches, drawings and other art Plaça del Rei s/n, Tel. 93 315 1111, www. Museo Real Circulo Artís- and temporary exhibitions.4Murder at that Gaudí created of his architectural museuhistoria.bcn.es Jaume I: L4 tico de Barcelona the Museum Eight different laboratories masterpieces like the Sagrada Familia. 4Museum dedicated to the study and Arcs 5, Tel. 93 318 1774, www.dalibar- present criminology techniques that help Until Dec 31st diffusion of the culture of Barcelona. celona.com Liceu: L3 or Catalunya: the visitor solve the hypothetical murder Historical and contemporary issues L1 & L3 of the museum director. Until Feb 2009 Museu Egipci are explored in permanent exhibitions 4Dalí Permanent exhibition of the València 284, Tel. 93 488 0188, www. as well as in their rotating roster of works of world’s most famous Surrealist Museu de la Ceràmica museuegipci.com Passeig de Gràcia: temporary shows.4Barraques: La artist. Private collection includes 44 Av Diagonal 686, Tel. 93 280 1621 www. L2, L3 & L4 ciutat informal Using more than 150 original sculptures from the Seventies. museuceramica.bcn.es Palau Reial: L3 4Collection of unique archaeological photos, paintings and other objects, this 4Santi Moix. Del fang a l’escultura finds from ancient Egypt. The museum exhibition examines the origins and his- Museu Tèxtil i Showcasing the ceramic work that hosts special activities and programmes. tory of Barcelona’s 20th-century shanty d’Indumentària Barcelona artist Moix (now living in New towns (barraques). It looks at how they Montcada 12-14, Tel. 93 319 7603, www. York) has produced during his 14-year Museu Etnològic affected the identities of their inhabit- museutextil.bcn.cat Jaume I: L4 collaboration with fellow ceramicist Portal de Santa Madrona 16-22, Tel. 93 ants, shaped the city’s social fabric and 4Permanent displays and temporary Joan Raventós at the latter’s studio in La 424 6807, www.museuetnologic.bcn.cat influenced town planning. Until Feb exhibitions on the textile industry and Bisbal. Until Jan 10th 2009 Poble Sec: L3 22nd 2009 related culture from Egyptian times on, 4Museum dedicated to the ethnologi- with a focus on the role textiles have Museu del Calçat cal history of Europe, with exhibitions Museu d’Història de played in Barcelona’s industrial past. Pl. de Sant Felip Neri 5, Tel. 93 301 4533, and permanent collections focusing on Catalunya Jaume I: L4 the human traffic between this continent Palau de Mar, Pl. Pau Vila 3, Tel. 93 342 N2 Galería 4Tiny, old-fashioned museum houses a and the rest of the world.4Àfriques 9920, www.mhcat.net Barceloneta: L4 Enrique Granados 61, Tel. 93 452 0592, unique collection of shoes and explains (Viatges a l’altra riba) Presents a mul- 4Seven permanent exhibitions that www.n2galeria.com Provença: L6 their place in history. titude of perspectives from this huge, explore the history and geography of Cat- &L7 overwhelmingly diverse, and fascinating alunya, including ‘The Birth of a Nation’, 4Eva Davidova Using diverse media Museu del Comic continent. Until Nov 9th ‘Our Sea’, and ‘The Defeat and Recovery such as photography, video, animations, Castillo de Montjuïc, Tel. 93 441 6829, of a Nation’. drawings, sculptures and holograms, www.delcomic.es Bus: 55, 50 Museu Frederic Marès the work of Eva Davidova questions the 4Museum dedicated to the history of Plaça de Sant Iu 5-6, Tel. 93 310 5800, Museu Marítim relationships we form as individuals comics, from classic to modern, and their www.museumares.bcn.es Joanic: L4 or Pl. Portal de la Pau, Tel. 93 302 5224, within the space and time in which we import to Catalan society. Fontana: L3 www.museumaritimbarcelona.com live. Until Nov 12th

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In Fujisan, Japan (2001) The artist as art t’s intriguing to look at art that has emerged from a society that pun- ished freedom of expression for the alleged good of the whole. Chinese Iart, which has experienced a boom in the last decade that has only re- cently hit Barcelona, is easy to pass off as unadventurous and unoriginal: in many ways it draws on Western preconceptions, repackages them in bright, bubblegum colours, and sells them back to us as novel and exotic. It’s amusing, but evasive. The photographer Rong Rong, born in Zhangzhou in 1968, is not one of those artists. Firstly, he is brave enough to be serious. His photographs are dark, nuanced and raw. They don’t turn to novelty but connect to each other with repetitions and reminders, so that looking at them is like following characters in a book. Rong Rong became known in the late Nineties for a series of photo- graphs taken of artists’ performances in an impoverished area of Beijing, known as East Village. His palpable presence in the shots gives them a rare honesty: he becomes part of the act itself and photograph and per- formance become co-dependent. The exhibition now at Casa Asia, featuring works done together by Rong Rong and his Japanese wife inri (sic), reflects on the process of rampant construction and deconstruction, which is nothing new, but the striking images manage to be both desolate and hopeful. The figures ap- pear in various settings—a construction site, an abandoned factory and a snowy field—like a contemporary version of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The little colour there is, is smeared across the background like a polluted dawn, and the couple, naked and semi-transparent, Rong Rong and inri seem vulnerable yet persistent, Casa Asia like memories. Until January 11th 2009 -- Alex Phillips www.casaasia.es *****

Pabellón Mies van der Rohe and prizes and is seen as an expert in the Marqués de Comillas s/n, www.miesbcn. field. Nov 6th to Feb 8th 2009 com Espanya: L1 & L3 4The Fundació Mies van der Rohe La Pedrera works to conserve and disseminate Passeig de Gràcia 92, Tel. 93 484 5900 knowledge about Ludwig Mies van der Passeig de Gràcia: L2, L3 & L4 Rohe and Modernism. 4La construcció del futur Alexander Rodchenko was one of Russia’s leading Contructivist painters to emerge after Passeig de Gràcia 107, Tel. 93 238 8081, the Revolution. He became increasingly www.gencat.cat/palaurobert. Diago- interested in the Productivist movement, nal: L3 & L5 which led him into graphic design in a 4Exposició en memòria del càmera bid to bring art into people’s everyday Miguel Gil, mort a Sierra Leone lives. See review on page 36. Until Jan Audiovisual exhibition of unpublished 6th 2009 images taken in different wars by Spanish journalist Miguel Gil before his death in Roomservice BCN an ambush in Sierra Leone in 2000. Until Àngels 16, Tel. 93 302 1016, www. room Nov 8th servicebcn.com Catalunya: L1 & L3 4Maarten Baas Highly-acclaimed Palau Virreina Dutch designer has his first show in La Rambla 99, Tel. 93 316 1000, www. Barcelona. His diverse creations are all bcn.cat/virreinacentredelaimatge hand made using synthetic clays. Until Liceu: L3 Jan 31st 2009 4OPENING De Facto-Joan Fontcu- berta 1982-2008 Barcelona-born leader Tapiceria Galeria in the visual arts world, Fontcuberta has Topazi 14, Tel. 93 218 8854, www.untitled- devoted his life to curating, criticism bcn.com Fontana: L3 and creative photography work. With 4OPENING Contradictions. New arts numerous exhibitions and an impressive organisation Untitled Barcelona presents knowledge of the history of Spanish pho- the work of 10 Barcelona artists. Nov 1st tography, he has been given many awards to 14th

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