Friday, April 24, 2009

Rcmct: can't spell rampart without Art

I couldn't figure out a better title, oh well. One great thing about denmark (and if you read vanity fair probably Iceland, with disastrous results) is that they are willing to identify and support the arts, so you have these great places in and around Copenhagen such as the State's Museum of Art, the massive Louisiana, and the Danish Design Center, where you can look at some really great...stuff. Phil and I are nothing if not people who appreciate shiny things in a profound way, so we put the Louisiana on our list, and, while on a nice little wander, we accidentally lit on the State's Museum of Art.

STATES MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS
- Freddie and the Surrealists
This exhibition was done semi-chronologically but also divided up into themes like "dark desires" or something. I don't get surrealism as such, but I found his work brave and confusing and...just the kind of art that will really make you squirm
- The Door Thing
So these signs were up all over the place indicating "exhibit x -->" and we being young curious troublemakers Ala Scooby Doo, followed them to a long dark hall with one rather beaten door, which we opened, which led to another door, which led to another, and so on till we got to a very long, winding hall, and then another creepy, scary set of doors, and before we knew it we were on the OTHER SIDE OF THE MUSEUM! Phil contends they led us in a line across the museum...I say it is magic

- Modern Danish Artists
Leaving aside the I'm a citizen of the world attitude, they were pretty impressive, full of bright colors and 3d things that make avrying degrees of sense ("flying steamroller") and were simply delightful

LOuISIANA
The best thing about the louisiana is that it's by the sea: you can literally see Sweden from there. You buy a special train ticket to this small town and then walk for 15 minutes through cute pastoralness to what looks like a hobbit home, a cute little house whose massive lot was bought for the museum. It looked a bit underwhelming, but then we walked in and BOOM! From cute 1900 Danish landed elite to the "when is this supposed to be" futurism of a modern art bunker. It was massive, winding and wonderful. The biggest exhibit was a retrospective of Max Earnst (earnst? He should take himself less seriously! LOL). It was really well displayed and just wow.

I especially loved the works portraying napoleon on St. Helena and his lumbering oaf, symbolic of war. One danger of the exhibit was that some of the statues were coordined off at shin height, so...if you are busy looking at the art, you might--say--trip over the very strong coordins and...


maybe almost knock over cosmic asparagus and REALLY mess up your shin in the process...

hypothetically.

There is also a REALLY sweet park in the middle of the museum, where you can get a piece of Max Earsnt cake or picnic in a sculpture garden by the sea.
Here are some Picts of us in the sun







And then it was time for the museum's impressive permanent collection, which was just great. They had Picasso and Liechtenstein's, emerging artists who played with glitter and neons and an awesome photo of the little mermaid posing against a mirror called "when a country falls in love with itself.". Her whistful looks and body pose tOTAalLY work in making her look like a vain, self-obsessed creature.

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