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Five art exhibitions you must see this year
Art lovers, take note, 2010 is shaping up to be a great year for exhibitions. Here are five of the best, but there are plenty more than these!Tokyo
It's hard to beat Japanese art for sheer naturalistic beauty, and the Tokyo National Museum has an extensive collection of the best. See the work of one of the great Japanese masters in Hasegawa Tohaku: 400th Memorial Retrospective. This painter, who died in 1610, specialized in nature and Buddhist subjects, and you can see an example of his work in this post. The delicacy and ethereal quality of Japanese landscapes always gives me goosebumps. The exhibition runs from February 23 to March 22.
Madrid
Spain's famous Museo Nacional del Prado is hosting The Art of Power: Arms, Armour and Paintings from the Spanish Court. This is a collection of weapons and armor from Spain's Golden Age, along with paintings by important Spanish artists emphasizing Spain's military might at a time when the country ruled most of the New World. Many of the suits or armor were the personal property of important kings such as Philip II. The show will be on from March 8 to May 16.
London
From March 4-June 6 the British Museum will have Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures from West Africa. Ife was an important kingdom from the 12th to the 15th centuries in what is now Nigeria. Its artists specialized in creating human sculptures in brass, terracotta, and stone. I caught this when it was in Madrid last year and it was amazed at the level of artistic achievement in a civilization I'm ashamed to say I knew almost nothing about. The thing that most impressed me was how lifelike the sculptures were. I felt like I was staring into the faces of priests and kings who have been dead for five hundred years. My kid preferred the statue of the crocodile god.
Paris
For something a bit more grim, go to the Musée d'Orsay between March 15 and June 27 for Crime and Punishment: 1791-1981. The dates refer to the year of the first call in France to abolish the death penalty and the year it was actually abolished. The exhibition is a series of paintings with crime as their theme, by famous artists such as Picasso, Goya, and Magritte. There are also paintings of capital punishment, showing that crime does not pay, at least some of the time. This show is disturbing enough that it comes with a warning label, a bit like the Eros exhibit of ancient erotic art in Athens, which you can still catch until April 5.
New York City
If you want to see something right now, The Museum of Modern Art is showcasing the work of director Tim Burton until April 26. It's a collection of more than seven hundred drawings, storyboards, puppets, and other items from his films. There's also a large collection of his personal artwork that even most of his fans have never seen. They're showing his movies too!
For something a bit more grim, go to the Musée d'Orsay between March 15 and June 27 for Crime and Punishment: 1791-1981. The dates refer to the year of the first call in France to abolish the death penalty and the year it was actually abolished. The exhibition is a series of paintings with crime as their theme, by famous artists such as Picasso, Goya, and Magritte. There are also paintings of capital punishment, showing that crime does not pay, at least some of the time. This show is disturbing enough that it comes with a warning label, a bit like the Eros exhibit of ancient erotic art in Athens, which you can still catch until April 5.
New York City
If you want to see something right now, The Museum of Modern Art is showcasing the work of director Tim Burton until April 26. It's a collection of more than seven hundred drawings, storyboards, puppets, and other items from his films. There's also a large collection of his personal artwork that even most of his fans have never seen. They're showing his movies too!
Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Europe, North America, Nigeria, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, United States
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Zach Jan 6th 2010 5:13PM
While not an art exhibition, the National Gallery of London made a rare loan of Caravaggio's The Supper at Emmaus to The Art Institute of Chicago, giving Americans a better opportunity to see this masterpiece:
http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/exhibition/Caravaggio'sSupper
Supper at Emmaus is only on display in Chicago for 18 more days though.
Sean McLachlan Jan 6th 2010 5:15PM
Thanks for the tip!
A beautiful painting. Too bad I won't be in Chicago until April!
Zach Jan 6th 2010 6:08PM
You're welcome. Unfortunately I'm not getting to Chicago until March, although I did get to see the painting in London a couple of years ago.
Terry Jan 10th 2010 6:41AM
Hi, I enjoyed the latest top news around the country when I get up in the morning before work. Keep it up....then I have a topic to talk about with my colleagues...Thanks again....Terry
Calvin Trager Apr 5th 2010 4:30AM
Aren't there any worthwhile art exhibitions in the second half of 2010?
Sean McLachlan Apr 5th 2010 4:31AM
Yes, but most hadn't been announced as of January. That gives me a good idea for another article though!