CoBrA
dal 28/3/2003 al 28/9/2003
Segnalato da
28/3/2003
CoBrA
Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Schiedam
'The colour of freedom'. An exhibition, featuring the famous Schiedam CoBrA collection in all its glory and scope. The international CoBrA movement is regarded by some as the most important avant-garde movement in post-1945 expressive art. By the time the exhibition opens, some 250 works of art will have been restored and re-framed. In addition to paintings, sculptures, and works on paper, all CoBrA documents collected by the museum will be on display for the first time. The Schiedam CoBrA collection was started during the 1950's
from the idea, but from the subject matter. Spontaneous artistic expression
doesn't know beauty or ugliness.'' - Karel Appel, Tegenmanifest, 1948
On March 29, the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam (Schiedam Municipal Museum) will
kick off its stimulating CoBrA: de kleur van vrijheid (CoBrA: the colour of
freedom) exhibition, featuring the famous Schiedam CoBrA collection in all its
glory and scope. Through several years of hard work by restorers, curators and
researchers on the CoBrA collection's preservation, the Stedelijk Museum
Schiedam has restored this beautiful collection to its optimal form. The
Schiedam CoBrA collection was started during the 1950's, when only a handful of
museums collected modern art. Thus, the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam changed from
an antiquities' room to a much talked-about modern art museum. Much
talked-about, because the CoBrA movement's experimental work (which has since
won the hearts of many) was at first dismissed as 'a childish mess'.
The international CoBrA movement is regarded by some as the most important
avant-garde movement in post-1945 expressive art. By using spontaneous
expression as a basis for an all new, experimental visual language, CoBrA
embodies the post-WWII era's regained freedom. Dutch artists who played
prominent roles in this movement included Karel Appel, Constant, and Corneille.
In 1948, they founded the ''Experimentele Groep'' (Experimental Group), which,
later that same year, would found the CoBrA movement with like-minded groups in
Denmark and Belgium. Not surprisingly, CoBrA stands for: Copenhague
(Copenhagen), Bruxelles (Brussels) and Amsterdam.
By the time the exhibition opens, some 250 works of art will have been cleaned,
restored, and re-framed. In addition to paintings, sculptures, and works on
paper, all CoBrA documents (including letters, magazines and invitations)
collected by the museum will be on display for the first time. Once again, the
public will be able to enjoy well-known CoBrA works like Oerbeest (Primal Beast)
by Karel Appel, Victory Borfimah by Euge'ne Brands and Verschroeide Aarde
(Scorched Earth) by Constant. But there are also some new acquisitions and
donations that were recently added to the CoBrA collection. From the time the
''CoBrA: de kleur van vrijheid'' exhibition opens, the CoBrA works will be on
permanent display at the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam.
This will be accompanied by the colourful collection catalo ''Cobra: de kleur
van vrijheid. De Schiedamse collectie'' ( 45,-) and ''CoBrA: the colour of
freedom. The Schiedam collection'' ( 54,-), in which the remarkable CoBrA
collection's history is described in great detail.
Thanks to the Europese Commissie (European Commission), the Mondriaan Stichting
(Mondriaan Foundation), the Prins Bernard Cultuurfonds (Prince Bernard Cultural
Fund) and the Fonds Schiedam-Vlaardingen (Schiedam-Vlaardingen Fund).
In the image:'Oerbeest' ,Karel Appel, 1951.
Exhibition hours:
Tuesday through Saturday 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sundays and holidays 12:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Tours by appointment ( 60,-)
''Rotterdampas'' (Rotterdam pass), ''65+ pas'' (senior citizen's pass), CJP
(Cultural Youth Pass), ''Vriendenpas'', children ages 4 through 12
Access to the museum: is free (tickets courtesy of ONS Groep)
For additional information and/or visual materials, please contact: Anniek Vrij,
Stedelijk Museum Schiedam Marketing Dept.
Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
Hoogstraat 112, 3111 HL SCHIEDAM, The
Netherlands