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Pablo Picasso and Guernica
Personally i am not a great fan of Picasso. I understand his importance for Modern Art, but somehow he never appealed to me very much. One exception . In 1937 Picasso painted GUERNICA. The first time i saw this extremely large painting was in 1977 when i visited New York with my father. It was breathtaking!
So much to see in this painting. I shows the city of Guernica while it was bombarded by the Condor legion of the Luftwaffe. Pure panic and chaos on every painted part of the painting. This is a painting you must see in reality, because the sheer size is breathtaking already. It was one memory i brought home with me.
About 12 years ago the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag had the studies for Guernica in a special show and even on these much smaller studies you can see the struggle of the painter and the power of the subject.
A few years ago we went to the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid and saw this masterpiece again. The same experience…still breathtaking.
When you look at this painting you can see that it has influenced many painters. . For one, there is a dutch painter ” Willy Boers” who borrowed the theme with the horse and made his own version of chaos and despair. The painting is called “La Quintessence” dated 1947/1948, 10 years after Guernicia was painted and is depicted in DOORBRAAK VAN DE MODERNE KUNST IN NEDERLAND. Can you spot the similarities too?
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wilfried
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Jungwook Kim……and Korean Art
A few months ago i had the fortune to have the winning bid in auction for a large Jungwook Kim painting. ( see the above picture of my office)
Since, i have been trying to find publications on this artist….so far none. This painting was originally sold at the Skape gallery in Seoul, who now know of its present whereabouts, but i am still looking for books, folders and information on this wonderful work of art.
http://www.skape.co.kr/wp/artists-gridview/
Who can help?……….
It is not the first time i notice that there is a strong and lively artists mouvement in Korea. Lately at another auction i noticed another great work by Kang-Ik-Joong. An artist i did not know of either. But what a wonderful works he makes. becoming rather expensive now, but many of these artists must be on the verge of their international breakthrough. Will Korea become to new “China”for art collectors?
wilfried
Piet Dirkx daily….007
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www.ftn-books.com
wvdelshout@ziggo.nl
Antoine Pevsner and the World Forum in Den Haag.
The question is….why hide a great sculpture behind a sea of 200 flags. The sculpture by Pevsner ( Yes, it is in the picture above…..look closely) was placed on this location shortly after the opening of the Congresgebouw. A modern building with an annex tower designed by JJP Oud. This tower was for a very long time the only high rise building in Den Haag. This all located in the neighborhood of the Gemeentemuseum designed by Berlage. The entrance of the Congresgebouw has a tile painting by Karel Appel.
In the front, in the pond, a beautiful sculpture by Auke de Vreis has been placed some 20 years ago. Excellent works of art that add quality to the buildings and its surrounding.
Now some years ago somebody from the local administration had the “excellent idea” to place 200 flags, 1 for each nation in the world to enhance the entrance to the world forum……wrong idea…..
The flags have to be replaced frequently because of the wear through wind and sun. Costs approx. 2 x 200 x 100 euro = 40.000 euro each year. So please remove the flags and put a spotlight on this great Pevsner that really adds quality to this surrounding.
wilfried
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www.ftn-books.com
wvdelshout@ziggo.nl
van Doesburg and the Aubette
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A few months ago we visited Strasbourg. One of the two capitals for the European Union. Beside an excellent modern art museum ( another blog in the near future) this used to be the town of the Aubette. The Aubette was a “dancehall”/activity center designed by Theo van Doesburg, just right after he had left the DE STIJL mouvement. He left because he wanted to use the diagonal line too and not be restricted to only horizontal and vertical lines. The Aubette does not exist anymore. There is a plaque fixed on the wall where once was the Aubette, but what remains are the many designs , drawings and photographs that documented this masterpiece of architecture and with the many wall decorations with diagonal lines, one can imagine that this must have been very impressive when it was opened in 1928. Theo van Doesburg made one of the most breathtaking buildings of the 20’s.
It is nice to know that the Modern Art Museum in Strasbourg recognized the importance of the Aubette and dedicated some of the rooms within the museum to the Aubette. It is possible to virtually walk through these rooms.
see: http://www.musees.strasbourg.eu/index.php?page=aubette-virtueel-bezoek.
Beside the Aubette van Doesburg also designed a house in Meudon. A house which i once visited without knowing it was a van Doesburg design. The party which was held over there was more important to me. Wish a had known at that time what i know now…and i would have paid much more attention to the outside and interior of this iconic piece of architecture. Now there is only a memory left that i missed something……….
wilfried
www.ftn-books.comwww.ftn-books.com
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www.ftn-books.com
wvdelshout@ziggo.nl
Marthe Wery ( 1930-2005)
A long time ago….in 1986….i met one of the friendliest artist I have ever encountered. Marthe Wery. She held her first exhibition in the Gemeentemuseum . Later , in 2011, there was a retrospective in the same museum, but with the 1986 one i first encountered a “minimal” artist, who i personally met and who’s work i really liked. It was not the easiest kind of work, but it was the first time i was impressed by an installation of an artist who took an entire room in the museum and transformed it into a work of art. One was filled with standing blue panels and another one with red ones. We spoke each other about these works and she signed the catalogue i had bought . A deep green cover on one of the nicest catalogues i had sold during my time as a bookseller for the Gemeentemuseum. Fold out pages like the panels within the exhibition, excellent print quality.
Together with Walter Leblanc, Marthe Wery is one of my favorite Belgian artists. Belgium has produced so many great names in the last 5 decades. Cordier, Magritte, Delvaux, Bury, Verheyen, Peirre and personally i think you must add the name of Marthe Wery to that list. A highly original artist and a friendly lady who made very impressive art works.
catalogue available at www.ftn-books.com
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