Art in NYC: World War I and the Visual Arts at The Met

August 11, 2017January 18, 2018 arts-NY 1 Comment

Art in NYC: World War I and the Visual Arts at The Met

The horrors of war in the eyes of the witnessing artists

This rather small exhibition at The Met, Fifth Avenue museum is guaranteed to leave a strong impression on the viewers. So powerful are the dark images that one hardly brings oneself to see the rest of art splendor at the museum. The sirens of bombardments, the smelly trenches, the victims in pain tell a sad story of war and devastation as it depicted by Kathe Kollwitz, Otto Dix, George Grosz, Gino Severini and many others.

Art in NYC: World War I and the Visual Arts The Met — Plague German by Otto Dix, 1919 / not in the exhibition

The exhibition starts with the patriotic posters issued by each and every country that had participated in the military actions at the time. The mood of the posters is about the same no matter which country they belong. In loud and demanding voices they all were asking their respective compatriots to bravely participate in collective sacrifice to support the honor of the king, or emperor, or kaiser, or sultan. That heroic and brave mood changes to the cries of the wounded and the tears for the dead as the exhibition continues.

The World War I, which started with the assassination of the archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in June of 1914, lasted till November, 1918 and had resulted in the death of one million combatants and seven million civilians making it one of the deadliest conflicts in history.

The exhibition opens with the cautious works from 1914-1915 such as lithographs by Natalia Goncharova, graphics by Christopher Nevinson and Gino Severini. While not exactly endorsing the war, in those initial years of the conflict many were looking at it as redemption. As more countries entered the war and more horrors started to fall on the civilians and the soldiers, the patriotic tunes turned to the screams for help.

The last gallery in the exhibition delivers probably the most powerful message begging to remember where the war leads. In that gallery you will find The War (Der Krieg) cycle of 50 etchings by Otto Dix released in 1924 to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the war start. Dix had volunteered for the German Army in 1914, served for 4 year and was badly wounded. Being profoundly affected by the conflict, his feelings about it changed as the nightmares of destruction continued to hound him for some time.

The same gallery also presents the drawings and prints by George Grosz. A contemporary and friend of Dix, Grosz was also serving in German army at the time of WWI but not with such clear patriotic overtones. His works satirize the high ranks of the military and depict the sorry state of the soldiers.

One of the most potent entries in the show are the lithographs by Kathe Kollwitz. Having experienced firsthand the grieve and pain of the loss of her son in WWI, Kollwitz’s depiction of women in deep mourning are a mighty plea to stop any posturing towards the war. This year as the world celebrates her 150th anniversary, Kollwitz humanistic works condemning the war and oppression can be seen at various exhibitions in London, Berlin and Cologne. An expose on Artnet.com points out that at each of these shows “there is good, hard art to be discovered”.

As for the show at The Met, its message is particularly relevant today amid the reckless threats and provocations.

For museum hours and more click here.

Enjoy your free visit to the Met museum with NewYorkPass!

Venue: The Met Museum on Fifth Avenue

Time: July 31, 2017 – January 7, 2018

The Met Fifth Avenue Roof Top Garden: The Theatre of Disappearance by Adrian Villar Rojas, April 14 – October 29, 2017

May 25, 2017January 18, 2018 arts-NY

Adrián Villar Rojas: The Theatre of Disappearance at The Met Fifth Avenue Roof Top Garden

On view April 14 – October 29, 2017

The Roof Top Garden of the Met Fifth Avenue Museum is hosting a fascinating exhibition titled “The Theater of Disappearance” by Argentinean artist Adrian Villar Rojas. The exhibition, which includes 16 large sculptures by Villar Rojas, is intertwined with multiple other events under the same umbrella title this year including film series at Berlin Film Festival and visual art shows in Greece, Austria and Los Angeles. This overarching theme seems timely today as our accelerated pace of life with at times endless pileup of stuff leads to its opposite, a void or disappearance.

Villar Rojas came to fame when at the age 32 he was selected to represent Argentina at the 2011 Venice Biennial. His next big engagement on the international art scene was at the Documenta 2013 and Istanbul Biennial 2015. Villa Rojas is known for making life-size sculptures from large animals caring heavy loads as at the Istanbul Biennial to the ruins of tumbled staircase at MoMA PS1 “LA INOCENCIA DE LOS ANIMALES” in 2013.

For current installation at the Met the artist used spectrometry and 3D scans of the artifacts from the Met collection mixing up the time periods, places, ideas and facts. Ideally the viewers have to visit this installation after seeing the originals on the floors below. The FT review notes that at times it seems that the artists is “undoing all of art history”. The ArtNews reports about Rojas’s laborious study of the Met Museum collection encompassing its all 17 departments as well as interviews with the staff as part of the creation process.

The photos from Art Summary blog lets you get a taste of the exhibition:

Photographs by Corrado Serra. Artist’s Statement The Met’s history as an institution is a testimony to America’s path as a nation. Its doors opened in 1870 with a large collection of plaster casts of sculptural masterpieces. By the mid-twentieth century, genuine artifacts had displaced the copies. Departments quickly emerged, dividing the cultural endowment into regions […]

via The Roof Garden Commission: Adrián Villar Rojas, The Theatre of Disappearance at The Met Fifth Avenue, April 14 – October 29, 2017 — Arts Summary

The Roof Top floors had to be redone with the tiles created by the artists for this installation . The particularly designed greenery were added as well as the bar. The effect of the spectacular Manhattan skyline in the background accentuates the bacchanal in the garden. Come and see it yourself.

For museum hours and more click here.

Enjoy your free visit to the Met museum with NewYorkPass!

Venue: The Met Museum on Fifth Avenue Time: till October 29, 2017

Art Event in NYC: Seurat’s Circus Slideshow at the Met Museum

April 19, 2017May 30, 2017 arts-NY

Art Event in NYC: Seurat’s Circus Slideshow at the Met Museum

On view till May 29, 2017

Art Event: Seurat's Circus Slideshow at the Met Museum — From the exhibition: Circus Slideshow, G. Seurat, 1887-1888

Feel the energy of festive crowd, hear the noise of excitement, become part of Paris street fair at the end of 19th century! This is the experience of the exhibition at the Met Museum about the saltimbanques, street performers, who were a well known presence on the cities’ streets around Europe. The musicians, the acrobats, the clowns – they are all there with all their glory and misery.

The title painting in the show is a great masterpiece by Georges Seurat “Parade de Cirque” complemented by many more works on the subject of street shows and circus performances. Seurat’s oeuvre is represented by two paintings and 16 conte crayon drawings. Those are shown alongside the works of Seurat’s contemporaries such as Fernand Pelez, Louis Hayet, Honoré Daumier among others. The stunning and subtle “Parade de Cirque” is contrasted by the naturalistic depiction of saltimbangues in Perez’s “Grimaces and Misery—The Saltimbanques” from Petit Palais in Paris. Other works in this exhibition are the lithographs and posters of Corvi Cirque, street scenes, and even a drypoint by Rembrandt from 1655. The selection of material and the storyline of the show presents the viewer with multiple angles of street life mixing highs and lows of that time.

The New York Times review calls “Seurat’s Circus Slideshow” at the Met Museum “an enthralling exhibition”.

Venue: The Met Museum on Fifth Avenue Time: till May 29, 2017

April – July 2017 Art Event in NYC: “Age of Empires” Exhibition at the Met Museum

March 30, 2017August 9, 2017 arts-NY

April – July 2017 Art Event in NYC: Age of Empires: Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties at the Met Museum

April - July 2017 Art Event NYC: Age of Empires: Chinese Art of Qin and Han Dynasties at the Met Museum — Terracotta Warriors

Organized in collaboration with 32 cultural institutions from China, the Age of Emrires exhibition at the Met Museum covers the epic period in Chinese history. The Qin (221–206 B.C.) and Han (206 B.C.–A.D. 220) dynasties’ rulings brought in a long period of stability and fostered a “golden age” in Chinese history. Scholars ascribe the Chinese identity as we know it today to be rooted in that period of 221 B.C. – A.D. 220. The significance of Qin and Han empires’ period resembles Greco-Roman era in the West.

The exhibition includes more than 160 artifacts and features a Terracotta Warrior and other examples of ancient sculptures as well as ritual vessels, musical instruments, lacquerware, and silk textiles. It is organized into 3 sections in chronological progression. A review of the upcoming exhibition in the ArtNet News quotes Met’s outgoing director Thomas Campbell calling the show “the largest and most important display of Chinese art in the US”.

You can find more at the Met Museum site.

Venue: Metropolitan Museum, Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street Time: April 3 – July 16, 2017

Tag: The Met Museum