Not Leaving Shanghai: An Overview of the 500 Year History of Art Development in Europe
The modernist stroll: Museum Collection Exhibition of the National Museum of Bogurui in Berlin, presented jointly by UCCA and the National Museum of Bogurui in Berlin, recently made its debut at UCCA Edge in Shanghai. The exhibition gathers nearly a hundred representative works of six 20th century modern art giants, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Henry Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, Paul C é zanne, and George Braque. Through the presentation of Cubism, Surrealism, and various abstract forms of expression, it traces the evolution of 20th century European modern art.
This is the third major exhibition of modernist art giants planned by UCCA in recent years. The Picasso works exhibited this time are another comprehensive review of his important works at various stages of his artistic career, following "Picasso - the Birth of a Genius" in 2019; And Matisse's works can be seen as an extension of this year's other annual exhibition "Matisse's Matisse". In addition, the content of the exhibition continues the trajectory of the Shanghai Museum's "From Botticelli to Van Gogh - National Gallery of Fine Arts Exhibition", allowing visitors to enjoy the 500 year history of art development in Europe without leaving Shanghai.
The modernist stroll begins with the works of Paul C é zanne, a key figure in the development of modern art and widely recognized as having had a significant impact on Matthews, Picasso, and Giacometti. It showcases portraits created by C é zanne for his wife in earlier periods around 1885 and 1890. Subsequently, the exhibition gathered more than 40 classic works created by Pablo Picasso in various stages, showcasing his artistic development over 70 years. Among the many works of Picasso's Cubism period, viewers can also appreciate George Blake's work "The Still Life of a Pipe", which co founded Cubism with Picasso.
In the exhibition, you can also see the works of Henry Matisse, who maintained a friendly relationship with Picasso in the early 20th century avant-garde art exploration. As the founder of Fauvism, Matisse's 10 works cover his sculptures and charcoal works focusing on human body research, his indoor landscape paintings with Mediterranean style and vivid colors, and his innovative artistic expression of exploring the combination of form and color - Paper Cuttings works in the middle and later stages of his artistic career. Paul Klee's more than 30 works are his most comprehensive display in China to date, featuring both elegant abstract landscape paintings and the bizarre portrayal of the characters in "Children's Games". The lighthearted and joyful portrayal seems to be a counterattack to the political violence and early conflicts of the previous decade. Other works of the same period, such as Picasso's "The Great Leaning Nude," narrated the atmosphere of claustrophobia, anxiety, and anxiety that pervaded the war period.
Moving forward along the timeline, the audience will unexpectedly encounter two sculptures by Alberto Giacometti. The exhibition ends with the interaction of masters' works. Through Matisse's passionate Paper Cuttings works and Picasso's late works full of resistance and charm, such as Bullfighter and Nude, the exhibition highlights the continuous mutual inspiration and influence between modernist masters.
This batch of precious collections, covering painting, sculpture, Paper Cuttings and other multiple media, are exhibited in China for the first time. The Berlin National Museum of Fine Arts is a member of the Berlin National Museums Union and one of the leading modern art museums in Europe. As the third stop of its international tour of collections, this exhibition is different from the previous Tokyo and Osaka stations. It is specially planned and presented in a chronological structure based on the creation time of the works, aiming to clarify the origins and influence of the six art masters in their creative context for the audience, and to clearly outline a new landscape that marks the flourishing development of artistic creativity in Europe in the first half of the 20th century for Chinese audiences. At the same time, the exhibition also focuses on the creative practices of art masters in different periods, supplemented by "situational" introductions, leading the audience to experience the profound impact of the turbulent times on the creations of these art masters.
Gabriel Montua, the director of the National Museum of Bogurui Art in Berlin and one of the curators of this exhibition, said, "This is the first time that the precious collection of Bogurui Art Museum has come to China. The unique vision and aesthetics of Chinese audiences will give these works a new interpretation, and I am sincerely looking forward to and honored." UCCA director and CEO Tian Feiyu said, "We are deeply honored and excited to present this precious collection to Chinese audiences. These artworks have become treasures in many national museum collections in Germany more than 20 years ago. It is undoubtedly worth celebrating that they can be presented almost completely on the other side of the ocean in China."
The exhibition is planned by Klaus Biesenbach, the director of the New National Museum of Fine Arts in Berlin, Gabriel Montua, the director of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Berlin, and Veronica Rudolf, the curator of the museum, and presented jointly by UCCA. During the exhibition period, the UCCA Public Practice Department planned a series of public practice projects around the historical, cultural, and social issues involved in the exhibition, with the theme of "Modernist Strolling". These projects included various forms such as invited tours, dialogues, workshops, and sharing of visual arts. The series of activities will be presented in groups of three and will be concentrated on weekend activity days. The exhibition will end on October 8th, and from November 11th, 2023 to February 25th, 2024, it will tour to the UCCA Ullens Contemporary Art Center in Beijing.
