What's on at Europe's Museums
July 26, 2004
The Uncanny in Vienna
Museum for Modern Art, Vienna
The city of Vienna, its slightly morbid and melancholy aura as well as its great son Sigmund Freud form the basis of an exhibition by American artist Mike Kelley at Vienna's Museum for Modern Art (Mumok). Kelley uses the show, titled, "The Uncanny," to transform the exhibition halls of the bunker-like museum into a treasure trove of art. Figurative presentations drawn from all epochs of art history are at the forefront of the exhibition. The works range from ancient Egyptian burial objects, anatomical models from scientific institutes to pieces by contemporary artists such as Christo, Tony Oursler and Paul McCarthy.
"The Uncanny" runs through Oct. 31 and is open Tuesdays to Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursdays until 9 p.m.
Budapest Beauty
Budapest Museum of Fine Art
His motifs adorn coffee cups, cosmetic packaging and Swedish furniture company Ikea's furnishings. He even created the logo for the Soccer World Cup 1982 a year before his death. Catalonian artist Joan Miró (1893-1983) belongs to the great figures of the 20th century, whose works have transcended the mere appeal of mass commerce and become enduring symbols of art in the public consciousness. The Budapest Museum of Fine Art (Szépmüvészeti Múzeum) is currently showing a selection of 48 paintings, graphics and sculptures that is meant to provide an overview of Miró's creative periods over seven decades. The focus is on the 1960s and 1970s. Miró was deeply influenced by Surrealism, Fauvism and Cubism. The exhibits stem from the collection at the National Museum in Madrid.
The exhibition runs through Sept. 30 and is open Tuesdays to Sundays 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Precious Porcelain
International Museum of Ceramics, Faenza
Ornately decorated vases, plates and figurines from Japan are at the center of a large exhibition in the Italian city of Faenza. "Jiki. Japanese porcelain between the Orient and the Occident 1610-1760" includes around 90 exhibits from two centuries. The exhibition traces the development of the valuable porcelain, its origins when the motifs were still influenced by China, the development of an own Japanese style, the heyday of porcelain creativity to the export articles created specially for the European market. The exhibition at the Museo Internazionale Faenza is divided in four sections.
The exhibition runs through Nov. 7 and is open Tuesdays to Sundays 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Manor Nostalgia
Caputh castle, Potsdam
An exhibition at the Caputh castle near Potsdam, southwest of Berlin, takes a nostalgic look at the castles and mansions that once dotted the region. Called "Castles and Manors in Former East Prussia", the show includes pictures of the buildings by Polish photographer Miroslaw Garniec. While the manors in East Prussia were rather plain as compared to other regions, from the 17th century onwards they represented a variety of architectural styles. Following the Second World War, the northern part of East Prussia went to the Soviet Union, the southern to Poland. The German population was expelled, many of the manors were seized by the Polish state and used as residences for agricultural cooperatives and others fell into decay. But after the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, interest has been rekindled in the research and preservation of the monuments.
The exhibition runs through Sept. 26 and is open Tuesdays to Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.