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Michelangelo Pistoletto (1933)

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I know his work and recognize it by his reflecting surfaces and mirror like qualities , but Pistoletto is much more than an artist who uses a “Gimmick”. Now , 85 years of age he has proven to be one of the most influential Italian artists from the last century and his works have spread all over the world . (I even have illy collection cups by Pistoletto in my collection ;-).

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Why is he, i think, so important?…. Probably this is because he stayed true to his art and has developed it into a very personal and recognizable form which is now appreciated by many. Pistoletto had had his exhibitions in the Netherlands in the van Abbemuseum and Stedelijk Museum and has built steadily an appreciative audience because of these exhibitions in the Netherlands since his earliest one at the van Abbemuseum in 1986. Arte Povera is Pistoletto ….and within his works he brings together Fluxus and conceptual art. The admiration of Bacon started his art career, but since he has walked his own path of “REFLECTION”.

Here are some of the books www.ftn-books.com has on Pistoletto in collection

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Jean Fautrier (1898-1964)

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Together with Jean Dubuffet, Fautrier is the most well known representative of the  “l’art informel”. Educated at the Royals Academy in London , he soon freed himself from the classic form of painting and discovered a new way of painting . Putting layers on top of each other , thus creating a flat but almost 3d like abstract picture with a hint of realism.  Fautrier is not as well known as Dubuffet, but personally i think he is at least as important and deserves to be known better. In France his works are popular when they are presented in galleries, auctions and museums, but outside France his works are a rare appearance and when you find one it is almost every time presented in relation with other painters from that era….one exception…the Stedelijk Museum holds some magnificent Fautrier prints in their collection.

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The Stedelijk Museum ( Wim Crouwel design) Fautrier catalogue is available at www.ftn-books.com

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Jake & Dinos Chapman ( 1966 & 1962)…brothers in art.

Their art is “fun” for the art nlover that takes his time and wants to discover. Not only highly original but beside the the horror depicted, there is always a layer of humor and fun in their works. I first encountered their works at the Groninger Museum , where a large Retrospective in 2003 was held and i was sold. ( catalogue available at www.ftn-book.com) and it struck me these works are not only filed with horror, but study them closely and you will find humor in them too.

Jake and Dinos belong to the ( not so ) young and influential British art scene which appeared in the Nineties and gathered , because of their recognizable, original works a huge worldwide following and in 2003 their works were presented at the Groninger Museum. See these and they will leave you wondering is this horror or are these scenes entertain. It leaves you thinking about them for a very long time and they stay with you in your memory. These are not light works of art, because some are so powerful and explicit, but stay with them for some time and you will distinguish some lighter parts and sometimes downright ridiculous elements within them.

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Haus Konstruktiv – Zurich- Suisse

Museum Haus Konstruktiv – the Foundation for Constructive and Concrete Art

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It was 2 months ago that i visited the museum HAUS KONSTRUKTIV. At first a little disappointed but the Graevenitz exhibition made the visit worthwhile . Personally i think it is importnat that such a small part of the modern art scene has an excellent platform in which special exhibitions can be held.

The Haus Konstruktiv is located in one of the most distinctive icons of Zurich’s industrial architecture, providing a space for concrete art.

The museum is dedicated to the exploration of concrete, constructive and conceptual art. The Museum Haus Konstruktiv focuses on making it part of a living dialog with international trends in contemporary art.

Over the five floors of the former Selnau electricity sub-station, visitors discover works of art in the context of their historical background through temporary exhibitions and collection presentations.  Also on permanent display are treasures from the museum’s own collection, the legendary “Rockefeller Dining Room” by the Swiss artist Fritz Glarner. Beside the special exhibitions the Haus Konstruktiv has an excellent exhibition program of which some publications are available at www.ftn-books.com

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( to be continued )

 

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“Negerkunst uit Centraal Afrika”

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Yesterday morning there was an article in the Volkskrant about the way art in museums by colored people and minorities must be described . The reason why the dutch museums are also looking for a desirable idiom is that also in dutch history there is a part of their history which is very doubtful. The catalogue which is in the title is the example which was given in the article ( available at http://www.ftn-books.com ). The exhibition was in those days, (which is very recent history) announced by the journalists and museum as “primitive art by natives inspired by western civilization a way of announcement as if we in Western Europe were civilized and others not.” A complete wrong way of describing the art from these artists. On the positive side…Sandberg was the one who thought these artists deserved a museum platform in the Stedelijk Museum as early as 1957. which was the place for these artists where they could, for the first time, present and show their art , side by side with Malevich and Mondrian. I can really understand why some words and expressions can not be used any longer, however …where a museum decides to remove an object from an exhibited collection and with this action denying some of the history from a country, should not be done…. in my opinion a better way would be to keep it within the collection and add an explanation why the museum thinks different nowadays about an object . This way explaining and not judging. Let the public judge for itself if the object is still beautiful or not.

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