Eros
dal 5/8/2006 al 17/2/2007
Segnalato da
5/8/2006
Eros
Fondation Beyeler, Basel
The concept of Eros. How has the phenomenon of sexual love and desire been treated in art from early modernism to the present day? What developments ensued in connection with the transformation of art on the one hand, and society in general on the other?The exhibition will not be limited to the subject of the human body - in particular the nude - alone. Instead, “Eros" has purposely been more broadly defined, enabling the inclusion of art .
An Exhibition Project in Two Phases
Overall exhibition duration 6 August 2006 - 18 February 2007
EROS I 6 August - 7 October 2006
EROS II 8 October 2006 - 18 February 2007
The Fondation Beyeler is planning an extraordinary exhibition for the period of August 2006 to February 2007. Its focus will be on the concept of EROS. How has the phenomenon of sexual love and desire been treated in art from early modernism to the present day? What developments ensued in connection with the transformation of art on the one hand, and society in general on the other?
The exhibition will not be limited to the subject of the human body - in particular the nude - alone. Instead, “Eros" has purposely been more broadly defined, enabling the inclusion of art - such as that of Rebecca Horn - whose approach to the erotic sphere of temptation and union extends beyond the merely physical.
The exhibition takes the form of two distinct sections. The first, representing a collaboration with the Muse'e Picasso and Muse'e Rodin in Paris, focuses on erotic aspects in the oeuvres of these two giants, including, in Picasso’s case, the early works. The juxtaposition of Rodin with Picasso corresponds to a meeting between the dawn of modernism and its triumphant unfolding. In view of Picasso’s interest in Degas’s renowned graphic depictions of bordello scenes, the idea of associating the subject of “maisons closes" with the first exhibition section seemed highly appropriate.
After this introduction, marked by the powerful presence of two key figures in erotic art, the second exhibition section takes a broader view. Here we trace the multifarious developments of the theme of “Eros" in art from the period of Courbet down to the present day. To name but a few aspects: classical French approaches to the subject in the nineteenth century; eroticism in Austrian art, as represented by Klimt and Schiele; the major contribution made by Surrealism; and not least, the eminent presence of photography and the rich variations on the theme seen since the emergence of Pop Art until the present day.
Works by the following artists, among others, are foreseen: G. Courbet, A. Renoir, P. Gauguin, A. Rodin, E. Degas, H. de Toulouse-Lautrec, G. Rouault, P. Picasso, G. Klimt, E. Schiele, M. Klinger, F. Hodler, M. Ray, M. Ernst, S. Dali', M. Oppenheim, D. Maar, L. Bourgeois, A. Giacometti, M. Duchamp, R. Horn, N. Araki, R. Mapplethorpe, H. Newton, B. Rheims, Y. Klein, F. Bacon, A. Warhol, T. Wesselmann, R. Lichtenstein, E. Fischl, J. Koons, P. Rist, M. Dumas, M. Abramovic, M. Studer / Chr. van den Berg.
The exhibition catalogue published in parallel with the project’s course comprises two parts. The catalogue provides a scholarly yet highly readable art-historical investigation and review of the theme in the form of essays and cogent notes on the exhibits.
The project, organized under the supervision of Ernst Beyeler and Christoph Vitali, is curated by Philippe Buttner and Ulf Kuster.
Image: (c) Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel 2006
Fondation Beyeler
Baselstrasse 101, Riehen - Basel - Switzerland
Opening hours of the special exhibition: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily, Wednesdays until 8 p.m.