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Discover the Modern
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Benno Tempel
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WWW.GEMEENTEMUSEUM.NL
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This publication is more than a book about modern art. It reads like an exciting exploration of modern times.
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In Discover the Modern, Benno Tempel, director of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, tells the story of modern art. An examination of different themes creates an atmospheric picture of the dynamic development of fine art from the nineteenth century to the present day. Embedded in political and social events, links are established between photography and painting, between space travel and utopian projects. This leads to fascinating comparisons, for example between Claude Monet and Wasssily Kandinsky, Francis Bacon and Gerhard Richter, or Anton Heyboer and Vincent van Gogh. The result need not be a clash. It can create harmony and surprising insights.
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If one wants to understand modern art one cannot ignore the historical events that helped shape it. This book reveals fascinating links between artistic innovations, idealism and social developments that left their mark on the modern era.
11-04-12 17:08
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Content
Introduction
7
Stagnation and movement
13
Child and savage
55
Tradition and experiment
99
Game and utopia
135
Discomfort and appropriate
157
6
[1]
[1] Sol LeWitt Wall Drawing nr. 1020, 2002 Isometric Form, Acrylic
7
Introduction
Museums are a nineteenth-century idea born
I have adopted a thematic approach in this book
of the desire to gather together remarkable
introducing the highlights of our modern art
objects from the history of the world for the
collection. I would like briefly to explain why.
purposes of education and entertainment. The
A chronological, encyclopedic arrangement
ideal was the so-called encyclopedic museum
by styles seems outmoded today. History is no
housing a collection illustrating virtually every
longer experienced as a succession of events
era and style. That megalomaniac ambition
about which a single Truth can be told. Modern
has nowadays been toned down, although
society is in flux. The digital revolution has
there are still museums that seem to want
demolished the gap between generations,
to possess and preserve ‘everything’. The
genders and origins, partly through the medium
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag is different.
of the worldwide web. Young people are
Its special nature was already apparent when
teaching their elders how to use the new media,
it was founded in 1866. A number of Dutch
and users worldwide are no longer allowing
artists donated works to the City of The Hague
time zones or ethnic differences to stand in the
for the establishment of a museum. Those
way of communicating. Shared identity and
origins proved decisive for the growth of the
common interests determine who we speak to.
collection. Artists have felt a special bond with
Helping each other for free by means of open
the Gemeentemuseum right up to the present
source creates a different economic principle.
day.
People tell each other about sources and pass
The museum now has a world-famous
on tips. At present that mainly takes the form of
collection of modern art. It includes many
the large-scale sharing of music, for example.
masterpieces, but it certainly cannot be
And the powers-that-be react with old-
described as comprehensive. Personally I do
fashioned, rigid copyright. But the sharing of
not see that as a shortcoming. It is precisely
knowledge will expand even more dramatically
because we have our strong points and
in the future, so in some areas the role of the
nonexistent showings in other areas (Pop
authorities will decline. Because everyone can
Art, for example, has left barely a trace on the
air his or her own opinion. I think that this will
collection) that we have a very distinct profile.
give rise to a new mentality that will also have
The museum consists of several departments.
consequences for the stories that museums
In addition to the large collection of modern
have to tell.
art there are the applied arts, fashion,
The traditional museum is based on a
photography, musical instruments, and
succession of movements. That, though,
drawings and prints. The Gemeentemuseum is
simplifies the facts in order to suit the goal
like a diamond - precious and multifaceted.
of proclaiming that one true Truth. And the
8
international museum world shows exactly
lines of influence instead, for example. That
where that can lead. Many collections resemble
also enables us to set up confrontations
each other, and the same artists are displayed
between artistic ideas. The result need not be
in the same constellations at different places
a clash. It can create harmony and surprising
in the world. The museums are consequently
insights.
presenting a static history of art that is becoming over-familiar and borders on the
their time. I do not believe it. Artists actually
boring.
reflect the times in which they live. Consciously
Such an overarching view is not what we
[2]
It is often said that artists are way ahead of
or unconsciously. They dare to look with a gaze
want in the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.
that sees things that ordinary peoplem iss. Art
New associations are created by combining
can thus give us a better understanding of an
our highlights differently, shrugging off the
age. Just as events in society can colour the
straitjacket of movements in order to trace
significance of a work of art.
9
[3]
The highlights of our modern art collection are
does not have just a single truth but a story
presented accessibly in this book in the context
that plots different lines of development that
of events in society as a whole. That context
in many cases do not lead to clear-cut answers.
is important, particularly when you want to
By doing so I hope to put the reader on a trail
demonstrate that art is not just a succession of
that turns looking and thinking about art into an
styles.
experience.
Modern art, like poetry, is regularly very self-referential. A work of art comments on
The history of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
forerunners or contemporaries or, just as often,
and its large collection of modern art stretches
is about the act of creation itself. You could
back more than 150 years. Although chance
say that a work of art of that kind is about
often played a part in its acquisitions there is
how you make a work of art of that kind. As a
a cohesion. Many of the pieces have visionary,
result people sometimes get the idea that art
poetic and human features.
is difficult to approach. That, though, is very
A lot of the artists whose works are in the
much open to question. Art sometimes needs
museum pursued visionary ideas. There is
explaining, but that is true of a great deal in our
the hope, for example, that was cherished by
society. My experience is that if you give the
Mondrian and the members of De Stijl that
viewer the context, even artistic processes and
their art would hasten the dawn of a better
intentions become fascinating.
future. And for decades Constant constructed
In making the selection for this book I set out to tell a different story for a change. One that [2] Gemeentemuseum Entrance
[3] Sol LeWitt Wall Drawing nr. 1018, 2002 Isometric Form, Acrylic
a completely new Europe. The artists were searching for a new world and dared to dream.
10
The poetic aspect is provided by the inter-
modern art with one of the most beautiful
action between the aesthetics of the building
buildings in the Netherlands. It was designed
and the works of art. As shown by Sol LeWitt’s
by the architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage and
murals. Even works that attract little attention
opened in 1935. Berlage excelled himself with
when presented in isolation in a neutral
this, his last building. It is still a true temple for
building soon acquire an aesthetic in the
art. The galleries are a pleasing size and most
Gemeentemuseum.
of the artworks are lit by daylight. And here
The human element is largely due to the
too the human dimensions contribute to the
relationship that springs up between the visitor
pleasure of a visit. The galleries are never too
and the works. They are not remote pieces of
large, and they vary in size, giving you the sense
intellectual navel-gazing by artists who behave
that the museum is breathing. The result is a
like hermits. They are paintings and sculptures
building in the International Art Deco style with
that very decidedly adopt a standpoint, have an
exceptional refinement in its details.
aura. And it is because they are in this beautiful
When he designed this, the largest and one
museum building that we can do justice to their
of the most impressive International Art Deco
empathetic quality.
works in the country, Berlage drew inspiration from buildings by the American architect
To me, the special attraction of visiting a
Frank Lloyd Wright. The result was an interplay
museum is the fact that you step briefly into
between exterior and interior, with a brickwork
a different world. A museum is a building that
facade.
you experience differently from a train station, say, or a town hall or a hospital. You often slow
The entrance is remarkable in itself. Lying
your personal tempo down to fit in with it, you
between two lakes there is a glass walkway
look more keenly and try to understand the
that puts visitors in the mood for what they are
reasons that prompted an artist to make a
about to experience. They then see unfolding
particular work. That is why the way the works
before them a museum with which one can
are presented is so important for the viewer’s
fall in love. I hope that this book will give you
experience.
the feeling of re-experiencing a visit to one of
In the case of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag it is a pairing of exceptional, international
the most important museum buildings of the twentieth century. Benno Tempel
11
[4]
12
13
Stagnation and movement
“Life in its thousand expressions, ever changing, ever new” Emile Zola
If there is one thing that characterises the nineteenth century in Europe it is the Industrial Revolution with all its new inventions and resultant urbanisation. More and more people abandoned the countryside for the city, upsetting a centuries-old social balance. From around 1860 a metamorphosis took place in many European cities. The old walls and gates were torn down to make way for new residential districts to accommodate the influx of workers. The advent of the steam train led to the demolition of entire city blocks to create room for the railway network. And so it was that the modern city was born, the modern city that is still part of our European landscape today. More than any other city, Paris underwent a magnificent transformation in both nature and appearance. The old Paris was pulled down under the direction of the engineer and architect Georges-Eugène Haussmann. Many small, winding streets disappeared, and the medieval houses were razed to the ground. In April 1868 it was the turn of Rue des Franc-Bourgeois in the St Marcel neighbourhood. The Dutch artist Johan Barthold Jongkind, who lived in France, painted the scene [ill. 7]. We can see what a laborious job it must have been. The buildings were demolished with pickaxes from the roof downwards, floor by floor. The old city was literally levelled, and in its place came broad avenues, boulevards
Å [5] G.H. Breitner Untitled (detail), 1900/1996 Gelatin silver print, 13.8 x 20.1 cm Gift Willem van Zoetendaal
14
The new successful elite wanted to proclaim its status to the world, and art gave it an ideal way of doing so
[6]
[6] Claude Monet Quai du Louvre, c. 1867 Oil on canvas, 69.7 x 124.5 cm Bequest private collection
[7]
and squares. The new city owed its grandeur to its parks and wide pavements, and to the shopping arcades catering for the tastes of the prosperous middle class. For the metamorphosis of the French capital also mirrored the rise of the bourgeoisie. And of the nouveau riche and fortune-hunters. Society changed, and its old leaders gradually surrendered power. The new successful elite wanted to proclaim its status to the world, and art gave it an ideal way of doing so. The nouveau riche was looking for an art that did not require any knowledge of mythological tales, battles or episodes from the Bible. It also wanted to set itself apart from the old guard, the aristocracy and the moribund royal houses. The bourgeoisie wanted an art that fitted their newly acquired position and the world they lived in. That world was set largely in the public space. The well-to-do Parisian dandy paraded in the most public place that there was: the city itself. He walked in the streets, enjoyed what the cafĂŠs and restaurants had to offer, and visited the opera, theatres and museums with his mistress. He was a peacock, dressed in the latest fashion with a tall hat. He and his kind can be seen strolling around [7] Johan Barthold Jongkind Demolition of the Rue des Franc-Bourgeois St. Marcel, 1868 Oil on canvas, 56.7 x 66.1 cm Purchased with support of the Rembrandt Association
15
16
Artists did not just look at what they encountered close at
[8]
hand, out on the street. Trains, omnibuses, bicycles even, made it easier to get out of town. They explored the contrasts between city and countryside.
in Claude Monet’s Quai du Louvre [ill. 6]. Sunlight sparkles through the leaves of the trees, and one can almost hear the clatter of the carriages and horses’ hooves clip-clopping on the cobblestones. And the swish of the ladies’ gowns. The gentlemen’s walking sticks click on the pavement. The city is a stage full of impressions, of seeing and being seen. A group of artists, the Impressionists, wanted to record all those impressions. They found a contemporary response to old artistic forms. Their new painting matched the lifestyle of the nouveau riche. The painters fastened their gaze on modern, fashionable life. They did not just look at what they encountered close at hand, out on the street. Trains, omnibuses, bicycles even, made it easier to get out of town. Artists explored the contrasts between city and countryside. It was a fascination spawned partly by the way in which cities had grown. There was no longer a clear dividing line between the city and its surroundings. With no town walls to contain it the built-up urban area merged gradually into countryside. Garden allotments, factories and sheds sprang up along the city limits. Jean François Raffaëlli painted a view of the Seine with smoking factory chimneys in the background [ill. 8]. The message is that although we are out in the country we are still only
just a stone’s throw from town. Jacob Maris’s Vegetable Gardens shows the area where The Hague stops and the countryside begins [ill. 9].
[8] Jean François Raffaelli View of the Seine Oil on canvas, 92 x 108.6 cm Bequest private collection
[9] Æ Jacob Maris Vegetable Gardens near The Hague, c. 1878 Oil on canvas, 81 x 72 cm