What's on at Europe's Museums
June 7, 2004
Contemporary, young Painters
Centre Pompidou, Paris
Espace 315, the Centre Pompidou's new venue for young, contemporary art is showing work by German painter Magnus von Plessen (b. 1967), who in recent years has gained recognition on the international art scene. Like all artists invited to show at the space, the Berlin-based von Plessen created new works specifically for this exhibition. Initially a photographer, he switched to painting. He plays with the abstract and the figurative in his works, purposefully leaving the viewer with the feeling that something is missing. Von Plessen's paintings are being shown in conjunction with American artist Kristin Baker's large format paintings on PVC panels of Formula one car racing.
The exhibition runs from June 9 to August 23, daily except Tuesdays, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Comparing Munch and Vigeland
Edvard Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway
Two of Norway's most famous artists face off in an exhibition organized by the culture institutes named after them: the Edvard Munch Museum and the Gustav Vigeland Museum. The show compares the works of painter Munch (1863-1944) and sculptor Vigeland (1869-1943) who are considered extreme opposites. But both of them explored the subjects of love and death in their work, particularly during the time they both spent in Berlin (1894-95).
The exhibition "Eros and Thanatos" runs until Sept. 15. The museum is open daily, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Last century's wear
Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, Netherlands
For those who missed a few fashionable decades, fill in haute couture gaps at the Gemeentemuseum, which is showing 100 years of fashion. Clothes from trend-setting designers including Coco Chanel, André Courrèges, Christian Dior, Cristobal Balenciaga, Jean-Paul Gautier, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Dries van Noten are on view.
"From Chanel to Punk: Fashion in the 20th century" until August 29, daily except Mondays 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Young, wild and Austrian
Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria
Siegfried Anzinger (b. 1953) first gained international recognition as one of the "young, wild" proponents of Austrian "New Painting" in the early 1980s. He subsequently abandoned the expressionistic style the group was known for. "We were young and naïve. We were just playing games," he explained. Anzinger has described himself as a "great destroyer" and an "unreliable artist," but that didn't stop his home country from awarding him the Great Austrian State Prize on the eve of the Albertina exhibition opening.
"Siegfried Anzinger. Works on Paper 2001-2004" is on show until August 29. The museum is open daily 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Wednesdays until 9 p.m.
Hundertwasser's fantasies
Kunsthal Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Ecology and fantasy underlay Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000) buildings with names like Eye-slit House, Terrace House and Spiral House. The idiosyncratic Austrian artist and architect believed that the building process only begins once the inhabitants move in. The Dutch exhibition showcases Hundertwasser paintings and models as well as his ideas for alternative ways of living. The show was organized in cooperation with the KunstHaus Vienna, which houses the Hundertwasser Museum.
Hundertwasser's works are on show until Sept. 5, Tuesdays - Saturdays 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.. Sundays 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.