- "Modern Collections from 1905 to the 1960s" & "Contemporary Collections from the 1960s to today", and "Paris-Delhi-Bombay" @ Centre Pompidou (Musee national d'art moderne). I wasn't sold on the building - it's a bit obvious - but the two showpiece collections are both very good, starting from Matisse and fauvism, and aiming for a representative survey of the major movements since. (I only skimmed through the "Paris-Delhi-Bombay".)
- (A literary walking tour with Sarah V). We always said that maybe one day we'd meet in Paris and, five and a half years on, finally did; Sarah picked me up in the morning and took me on a day-long literary ramble, concentrated around the 5th and 6th - one of the highlights of the whole trip.
- Musee des arts et metiers. I'm not normally all that interested in how things work, but this museum did sound kind of cool, and it was. Plus, it's the home of Foucault's pendulum. (Meribah - who, by happy coincidence, was reading Eco's book at the time)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Jennifer Egan - A Visit From The Goon Squad
Just as good as its victory in this year's Tournament of Books would lead you to expect. It's about time, and turning points, and what it is to be human and alive; the sentences are wonderful, the characters affecting and real. Reading it, one feels happy, sad, reminded of how deep life runs, the piercing everyday specificity of all the moments and choices and actions that make up a life. Despite the formal playfulness of the 'linked short pieces' structure, there's something unassuming about Goon Squad; for all that, it's a quiet marvel.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Elizabeth Knox - The Vintner's Luck
A while back I ended up with a $250 Borders voucher, asked a few people for one book suggestion each, and then bought them. I'm not sure, but I think The Vintner's Luck is the first that I've got around to reading - Kelly's suggestion, and while I'd normally have been very dubious about the premise (Burgundy, 1808: a young vintner meets an angel in his vineyard and they agree to meet every year thereafter on the same date), she was spot on as usual. It turns out to be a rather luscious, passionate novel, full of human and historical drama - and a love story on more than one level, too. I'm glad that I've read it.
Steven Erikson - The First Collected Tales of Bauchelain & Korbal Broach
Three short novellas focusing on the havoc wreaked by the eponymous pair, marginal travellers in the main series of books. Enjoyable and often darkly funny, and the action scenes have some bite; excitingly, the final book in that main series is out now.
Vienna
- Schloss Schonbrunn. Figured I wouldn't have time to make it to Versailles, so this was my chance to see a palace. It was actually kind of fun, if inescapably somewhat tacky; the gardens were worth the hour or so I spent in them, too.
- Albertina. Spent most of my time in the two showpiece exhibitions of works from the museum's permanent collection - "Albertina Contemporary: Gerhard Richter to Kiki Smith" and "Monet to Picasso". From the first, it was Richter's work that most appealed, some abstract, others blurrily representational, even the abstract ones bearing hints of the objects from which they're abstracted; liked the pop-inspired Raymond Pettibon pen and ink works too. The second was a pretty good survey; my favourites were Munch's sublime (in both senses) "Winter Landscape" (1915) and Paul Delvaux's mysterious nocturnal vista "Landscape with Lanterns".
- Haus Der Musik. An interactive sound museum, exploring the experience of sound and how it's processed by the brain. Cool, but seemed to do horrible things to my inner ear or something, leading to some nausea and dizziness...but apparently I'm a bit of a wimp about those things. (Ruth)
- Esperanto Museum. Part of the 'Collection of Planned Languages' in the Austrian National Library. Who knew? (Ruth)
- Globe Museum. Random, but why not? Claims to be the only museum world-wide where globes and globe-related instruments are acquired, investigated and displayed to the general public. It's sure an impressive collection. (Ruth)
- Wiener Riesenrad. I have a weakness for ferris wheels; we went a night; the view was memorable; the amusement park in which the wheel sat, less so. (Ruth)
- Belvedere. Only went to the upper Belvedere - the permanent collection. Klimt and Schiele were the main events and neither are particular favourites of mine, but it was worth seeing a whole lot of their (and other Vienna/Austrian) artists' work together.
- Albertina. Spent most of my time in the two showpiece exhibitions of works from the museum's permanent collection - "Albertina Contemporary: Gerhard Richter to Kiki Smith" and "Monet to Picasso". From the first, it was Richter's work that most appealed, some abstract, others blurrily representational, even the abstract ones bearing hints of the objects from which they're abstracted; liked the pop-inspired Raymond Pettibon pen and ink works too. The second was a pretty good survey; my favourites were Munch's sublime (in both senses) "Winter Landscape" (1915) and Paul Delvaux's mysterious nocturnal vista "Landscape with Lanterns".
- Haus Der Musik. An interactive sound museum, exploring the experience of sound and how it's processed by the brain. Cool, but seemed to do horrible things to my inner ear or something, leading to some nausea and dizziness...but apparently I'm a bit of a wimp about those things. (Ruth)
- Esperanto Museum. Part of the 'Collection of Planned Languages' in the Austrian National Library. Who knew? (Ruth)
- Globe Museum. Random, but why not? Claims to be the only museum world-wide where globes and globe-related instruments are acquired, investigated and displayed to the general public. It's sure an impressive collection. (Ruth)
- Wiener Riesenrad. I have a weakness for ferris wheels; we went a night; the view was memorable; the amusement park in which the wheel sat, less so. (Ruth)
- Belvedere. Only went to the upper Belvedere - the permanent collection. Klimt and Schiele were the main events and neither are particular favourites of mine, but it was worth seeing a whole lot of their (and other Vienna/Austrian) artists' work together.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Europe museum and gallery round up - Berlin
Briefly (and incompletely):
- Memorial to the Murdered Jews of England. The memorial itself is impressive, public art with a sense of weightiness owing at least in part to (but not wholly dependent on) its object. The underground information centre was good too - very sombre-making. (w/ Jade, Ruth)
- Deutsches Historisches Museum. Large, well put-together survey of German and pre-German history and culture, from 100BC to today (or near enough - 1994). Impossible to go through comprehensively, but it held my attention, and I'm not normally one for historical museums at all. (Jade)
- "Based in Berlin" @ Neuer Berliner Kunstverein. Part of a wider set of exhibitions of contemporary Berlin art. Didn't especially take me. (Ruth)
- Hamburger Bahnhof. Several exhibitions in a wonderful space. I liked the large-scale Richard Long pieces laid out on the floor and far wall of the central hall/exhibition space, but the Rieckhallen, a long, converted basement space accessible from the main building by a long corridor, provided a true highlight, filled with a great range of 20th C and contemporary art set out in a series of bare, industrial chambers. To name just a few: Dan Flavin, Richard Serra, Sol LeWitt, and Gordon Matta-Clark are represented with characteristic, and striking, pieces; Donald Judd's "Untitled (Bull Nose Progression)" also left an impression. And three others whose names I hadn't heard before particularly impressed me - Jeff Wall's "Little Children" (three circular photos mounted high on a wall, porthole style, each with a child shot against a moody sky backdrop - accompanied by a model pavilion and exterior/interior schematics by Dan Graham with the circular photos inside), some deceptively flat, plain paintings by Thomas Schutte ("Museum", "Sackgasse", "Tor"), and Bruce Nauman's darkly Beckettian installation "Room With My Soul Left Out, Room That Does Not Care". (Ruth)
- Museum Berggruen. Smallish but carefully chosen collection of key classical modernists with a strong focus on Picasso. Also, some very nice Klees, and Matisse and Giacometti plus a couple of Braques. (Wei)
- "Surreal Worlds" @ Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg. A mirror building to the Berggruen (spiral staircase and gallery layout), just across the road. Exhibition covers early antecedents of surrealism (inc. Max Klinger and of course de Chirico), then running through the usual suspects, though disappointingly light on for Magritte. Tanguy's "Je suis venu, comme j'avais promis, Adieu" was a delightful discovery. (Wei)
- Australian Chamber Choir 2011 European Concert Tour - Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church. Europe dates were planned in part to be in Berlin to coincide with the choir's touring itinerary, since not only is ZG a standing member, but Kim was also touring with them. Enjoyed it, though I wasn't much of a fan of the (divisive) final work, Philip Nunn's "I Heard The Owl Call My Name". (Wei & others)
- "1900-1945: Modern Times. The Collection" @ Neue Nationalgalerie. A hot day, to the point of oppressiveness, as it was for much of my stay in Berlin, and I was pretty tired, so not ideal circumstances. Still, a cool ven der Rohe building, some nice pieces, and it contributed to my sense of the overall landscape of early 20th C German art, plus I discovered Georg Schrimpf ("Rundfunksender (Furstenfeldbruch)" [Radio transmitter], "Bahnubergang" [Railway Crossing], "Zwei Madchen am Fenster" [Two Girls By the Window]), whose elegant, finely rendered paintings reminded me of de Chirico's metaphysical style and appealed to me very much. (Kim)
- Memorial to the Murdered Jews of England. The memorial itself is impressive, public art with a sense of weightiness owing at least in part to (but not wholly dependent on) its object. The underground information centre was good too - very sombre-making. (w/ Jade, Ruth)
- Deutsches Historisches Museum. Large, well put-together survey of German and pre-German history and culture, from 100BC to today (or near enough - 1994). Impossible to go through comprehensively, but it held my attention, and I'm not normally one for historical museums at all. (Jade)
- "Based in Berlin" @ Neuer Berliner Kunstverein. Part of a wider set of exhibitions of contemporary Berlin art. Didn't especially take me. (Ruth)
- Hamburger Bahnhof. Several exhibitions in a wonderful space. I liked the large-scale Richard Long pieces laid out on the floor and far wall of the central hall/exhibition space, but the Rieckhallen, a long, converted basement space accessible from the main building by a long corridor, provided a true highlight, filled with a great range of 20th C and contemporary art set out in a series of bare, industrial chambers. To name just a few: Dan Flavin, Richard Serra, Sol LeWitt, and Gordon Matta-Clark are represented with characteristic, and striking, pieces; Donald Judd's "Untitled (Bull Nose Progression)" also left an impression. And three others whose names I hadn't heard before particularly impressed me - Jeff Wall's "Little Children" (three circular photos mounted high on a wall, porthole style, each with a child shot against a moody sky backdrop - accompanied by a model pavilion and exterior/interior schematics by Dan Graham with the circular photos inside), some deceptively flat, plain paintings by Thomas Schutte ("Museum", "Sackgasse", "Tor"), and Bruce Nauman's darkly Beckettian installation "Room With My Soul Left Out, Room That Does Not Care". (Ruth)
- Museum Berggruen. Smallish but carefully chosen collection of key classical modernists with a strong focus on Picasso. Also, some very nice Klees, and Matisse and Giacometti plus a couple of Braques. (Wei)
- "Surreal Worlds" @ Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg. A mirror building to the Berggruen (spiral staircase and gallery layout), just across the road. Exhibition covers early antecedents of surrealism (inc. Max Klinger and of course de Chirico), then running through the usual suspects, though disappointingly light on for Magritte. Tanguy's "Je suis venu, comme j'avais promis, Adieu" was a delightful discovery. (Wei)
- Australian Chamber Choir 2011 European Concert Tour - Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church. Europe dates were planned in part to be in Berlin to coincide with the choir's touring itinerary, since not only is ZG a standing member, but Kim was also touring with them. Enjoyed it, though I wasn't much of a fan of the (divisive) final work, Philip Nunn's "I Heard The Owl Call My Name". (Wei & others)
- "1900-1945: Modern Times. The Collection" @ Neue Nationalgalerie. A hot day, to the point of oppressiveness, as it was for much of my stay in Berlin, and I was pretty tired, so not ideal circumstances. Still, a cool ven der Rohe building, some nice pieces, and it contributed to my sense of the overall landscape of early 20th C German art, plus I discovered Georg Schrimpf ("Rundfunksender (Furstenfeldbruch)" [Radio transmitter], "Bahnubergang" [Railway Crossing], "Zwei Madchen am Fenster" [Two Girls By the Window]), whose elegant, finely rendered paintings reminded me of de Chirico's metaphysical style and appealed to me very much. (Kim)
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