Events

Historical events and our knowledge of them mould our understanding of today’s world. The interdisciplinary authorship of this volume focuses on the connection between past and future. A bold and unusual publication whose approaches and themes extend from biographical experiences via intergenerational exchange to the discussion of current social phenomena.

The Kunstpalast dedicates a major overview exhibition to Angelika Kauffmann (1741–1807), the most famous female artist in the age of Enlightenment and Sentimentalism.

In her work, Juul Kraijer explores human nature. To her, the human body is the signifier for all aspects of being human – it serves as a projection surface for the entire spectrum of human reality. With the exhibition "Juul Kraijer. Twoness", the Museum Sinclair-Haus presents a comprehensive insight into the oeuvre of the Dutch artist. The solo exhibition is a contribution of the Museum Sinclair-Haus to the 2020 annual programme of the Nantesbuch Foundation, which is dedicated to the theme “Determination/Destiny”.

From the 1950s through the 1980s, painters and sculptors throughout the Arab world explored the challenges and possibilities of abstraction in art. “Taking Shape”, an exhibition of works from the collection of the Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), presents the work of Middle Eastern and North African artists whose creative visions stretched beyond the boundaries of representation. Including artists originating from or working in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and the UAE, this exhibition, organized by the Grey Art Gallery at NYU, reveals the global reach and regional importance of abstraction in the 20th century.

Encouraged by Courbet, influenced by Manet, and esteemed by Van Gogh, Wilhelm Leibl (1844–1900) was among the most important representatives of realism in Europe. His oeuvre revolves around the uncompromisingly authentic portrayal of human beings. With his retreat from the city to the country, Leibl founded a style of modern figural painting in which the truth of nature took priority over the idylls and narrative tendencies of traditional genre painting. Wilhelm Leibl’s guiding principle was not that his models be beautiful, but that they be “well perceived.” This exhibition, which includes loan works from Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and the USA, arose in cooperation with the Kunsthaus Zürich.

The political collages of John Heartfield (1891–1968) have earned him a reputation as one of the most innovative graphic artists of the Weimar Republic. His photomontages and book covers based on collages which had their origins in Berlin’s Dada scene were directed against Fascism and made him internationally famous. Their explosive power has lost none of its impact.

This exhibition brings together a selection of drawings created by the Inuk artist Shuvinai Ashoona over the past two decades. In many of her drawings, Ashoona references traditional Inuit imagery—from quotidian life to the mythic—and she is celebrated for the imaginative way she combines these and other cultural references to develop a sophisticated and highly personal iconography. Derived equally from her environment and her imagination, Ashoona’s work is fed by her fascination with horror films, comic books and television. In this exhibition, visitors will encounter Ashoona’s wide-reaching interests that blur boundaries between the worlds of reality and fantasy, past and future. Organized and circulated by the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto and curated by Nancy Campbell

ReVisión: Art in the Americas is the first exhibition to open in the Martin Building. A strong selection of nearly 180 objects from the museum’s ancient American and Latin American art collections, hailed as one of the best in the country, will tell a visually compelling narrative about the formation of the Americas from 100 B.C. to today. The narrative will explore land, people, and place by linking ancient and contemporary artworks. These artworks address political and social issues at the heart of the America's cultural heritage and expand that narrative through voices that include women artists and ethnic minorities. ReVisión is organized by DAM curators Victoria I. Lyall, Frederick and Jan Mayer Curator of Art of the Ancient Americas, and Jorge Rivas Pérez, Frederick and Jan Mayer Curator of Latin American Art. The majority of the works on view will be from the DAM’s permanent collection, with additional loans from institutions such as the Blanton Museum of Art, and the Pérez Museum.

This show presents a selection of work by artists who address questions of diaspora from diverse perspectives, methodologies and aesthetic languages. The medium of painting, with its deep and complex history, becomes a particularly provocative lens through which to explore the complications and diversities that are analogous to the richness of diasporic experiences. This collective body of work also aims for an intergenerational dialogue and presents artists whose work has pushed the boundaries of what painting is and can be. Given the open-ended and discursive nature of the subject, the show is by no means an attempt to be exhaustive but, rather, endeavours to open up ideas and encourage dialogue.

Goddess, she-devil, doll, fetish, nymphet, or wonderful dream creature—women were the central subject matter of Surrealist male fantasies. It was often only in the role of companion or model that female artists could succeed in penetrating the circle surrounding André Breton, the founder of the group of Surrealists. However, on closer examination it becomes evident that the participation of women artists in the movement was considerably larger than is generally known or reported.

Marking the 500th anniversary of the Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés' landfall in the Gulf of Mexico, this major exhibition offers a fascinating insight into Aztec culture. At the centre of the exhibition are two unique feather shields and a nephrite jade figurine from the Württemberg State Museum, objects that have never been presented in the context of Aztec culture. These exquisite treasures will be complemented by high-quality objects loaned from Mexican and European institutions. Another focal point of this exhibition will be the presentation of the latest research results; for example, previously undisclosed findings regarding the great temple, the Templo Mayor, first discovered in 1978, will be on display. Impressive stone sculptures, ceramics, mosaics and gold works will provide a glimpse into Aztec art and culture, with vivid illustrations from colourful illuminated manuscripts bringing the visitor deeper into the subject. The dramaturgy of the exhibition follows the journey of Cortés from the peripheral provinces all the way to the sacred ceremonial precinct of the capital, Tenochtitlán.

This exhibition will present 67 masterpieces collected by John D. Rockefeller III (1906–1978) and his wife Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller (1909–1992), illuminating the cultures and history of Asia. This important collection underscores art’s capacity to encourage cross-cultural dialogue and influence economic and public policy. The selection of sculptures, bronzes, and ceramics ranges from the late 6th century BCE to the early 19th century CE, and originates from Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam.