A permanent collection in motion
A breath of fresh air has recently been blowing through the permanent presentation of modern masters at the KMSKA. The striking changes in the exhibition space are based on an important series of long-term loans from a high-ranking private collection. The international additions provide an excellent opportunity for new and fascinating dialogues to emerge. At the same time, these masterpieces by artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Delaunay and Gerhard Richter also allow the museum to broaden its perspective on its strong, Flemish-oriented collection. A brief overview.
Room Light
In the initial hall of the renewed museum volume, everything revolves around the play of light. Upon entering, you come across a fascinating encounter between three artists on your left.
First to note is Centrale électrique (1970) by the French-Portuguese artist Maria Elena Vieira da Silva. Although she pursued a very individual path as a determined female artist, her dynamic style is surprisingly in line with the ZERO movement. The transition to the work of Hermann Goepfert from the museum's own collection is therefore a natural one: he too explores the relationship between space, light and movement in a very direct way. Michelangelo Pistoletto takes this interplay a step further in his early mirror painting Persona seduta. The polished steel plates distort time and space with their reflective effect, actively involving the visitor in the work.
A little further on, Magritte's 16 September (currently on display in the exhibition Magritte. La ligne de vie) has temporarily made way for Rik Wouters' Woman at the Window. This choice is no coincidence: like Henri De Braekeleer next to it, Wouters plays with the light entering the room through the window. The shadows this creates also form a beautiful prelude to Anselm Kiefer's Freia's Garden, an imposing work from our own collection that has been given a new place at the back of the room. Whereas light illuminates in the other works, Kiefer shows its dark, destructive power. This links his work in an intriguing way to the whimsical forms of Arnaldo Pomodoro's sculpture, which also explores the tension between light and decay.
A small, playful addition to the theme is a loan from Max Ernst, complete with its original frame, next to Adrienne by Gustave Van de Woestyne. In the work of these two artists, light creates the pearly, almost magical effect of a shell when viewed up close.
‘Venus’ by Yves Klein, with ‘Untitled’ by Anish Kapoor in the background - Photo: Sanne De Block
'La ville à l'arc-en-ciel' by Robert Delaunay - Photo: Sanne De Block
Room Form
Those familiar with the museum will immediately notice that there is a different Lucio Fontana than usual: another loan from the aforementioned private collection. In Concetto Speciale (1964), Fontana plays with form by means of holes (buchi) instead of his familiar cuts (tagli), but his hand remains clearly recognisable. Anyone who looks beyond the abstraction will see that the holes create an orientation that is similar to the figures in Karl Hofer's work next to it.
Furthermore, another important international name was given a new place in Room Form: Robert Delaunay. His monumental La ville à l'arc-en-ciel from the 1920s exudes a folkloric atmosphere and soft colours, which nicely complement artists such as Rik Wouters.
These and many other loans help to keep the collection presentation dynamic and to constantly establish new connections. And given the large number of works, the museum is already looking forward to the next shifts and rotations. These are rewarding opportunities that we are keen to continue to seize.
Colour room
With the presence of a frivolous Auguste Oleffe from the museum’s own collection, the focus slowly but surely shifts to colour. The fact that Wouters was also a friend of Oleffe is not hard to notice when you see the two modernists hanging side by side.
But a small, intriguing Gerhard Richter also forms a bridge between form and colour. The palette is reminiscent of Wouters, but at the same time the work nods to the expressive abstraction of Schmalzigaug.
Further on, you find yourself in a veritable blue dialogue with Anish Kapoor, Yves Klein and Willem Paerels. Across the room, Kees van Dongen has temporarily made way for Robert Mangold's Circle Painting 7 (Green), followed by two highly original loans: Magritte's L'Écho and Richter's Abstraktes Bild (334-A). The latter is probably a thumb painting from his heyday in the 1970s, which once again demonstrates the strong museum value of the entire loan. Both Richter and Magritte approach colour in their own individual way in these works.
The revamped modern collection presentation ends with some real eye-catchers from American pop art. Tom Wesselmann's Bathroom Collage n.4 and Andy Warhol's Torso show how everyday images are elevated to art, while giving you the feeling of looking at a poster or advertising image from the 1960s or 1970s. Their impact is further enhanced by Frank Stella's imposing New Madrid on the opposite side. In his minimal art, Stella uses materials such as wall paint and plays with planes and lines to create, in this case, an optical tunnel effect. The fact that this work is now on display at the KMSKA is remarkable: since its purchase fifty years ago, it has never been shown to the public.
