Le Musée des Racines: La première exposition/The first exhibition/Rolande Pauline Labesse

Français:

Aujourd'hui j'ai ouvert la première exposition au Musée des Racines, une exposition qui se déroule du 13 Avril au 30 Avril.
'ENTRE CIEL ET TERRE'.

J'ai le plaisir de présenter l'artiste: Rolande PAULINE Labesse.


English:

Today I opened the first exhibition at Musée des Racines (The Museum of the Roots), an exhibition displayed between the 13th of April and the 30th of April.
ENTRE CIEL ET TERRE. 

I have the pleasure introducing the artist: Rolande PAULINE Labesse.

(Copyright: http://www.pauline-peinture.odexpo.com/)

Le Musée des Racines/The Museum of the Roots

Français (English below):

Depuis aujourd’hui, j'ai commencé à travailler au Musée des Racines, dans la commune de Thevet Saint-Julien.
Je suis responsable pour le musée avec l'exposition permanente mais aussi pour les visites guidées à l'église et les expositions temporaires avec, par exemple, des peintres, des sculpteurs et des photographes.

Le Musée des Racines est ouvert depuis 2000.
On y trouve différentes scultpures représentant des animaux existants, mythiques ou fantastiques. Parmi les animaux disons connus, nous pouvons trouver un sanglier, des hippocampes, des girafes et des escargots. Toutes les 320 sculptures sont la création de l'abbé Aymon (André Aymon), curé de la paroisse de 1941 à 1987. Pendant deux ans il a collectionné arbres, tiges et autres 'matériaux' végétaux pour les sculpter selon son imagination. Le résultat est impressionant et vous pouvez participer en devinant ce que certaines sculptures représentent.

Outre cette exposition fixe, nous allons montrer des expositions temporaires avec des peintres, des sculpteurs, des photographes etc...

Bienvenue!

Entrée: 2€ pour les adultes et gratuit pour les enfants moins de 12 ans.

Les horaires d'ouverture: du 6 avril au 26 juin, 15h-18h et du 27 juin au 30 août, 14h-18h30.

English:

Today I started working at a museum called 'Musée des Racines' ('Museum of the Roots'), in the small town of Thevet Saint-Julien.
I am responsible for the museum and it's permanent exhibition but also for the guided visits in the church and the temporary exhibitions with i.g. painters, sculptors and photographers.

Le Musée des Racines (The Museum of the Roots) opened in 2000. In the museum one find different sculptures depicting existing, mythic or imaginary animals. Among the so called 'known' animals we can find wild boar, hippocampus, giraffes and snails (escargots). All the 320 sculptures are the work of abbé Aymon (André Aymon), vicar in the parish between 1941 à 1987. During two years he gathered trees, tree limbs and other plant 'material' in order to sculpt them according to his own imagination. The result is impressing and you can participate by trying to guess what some sculptures actually represent.

Besides this permanent exhibition we are also going to display temporary exhibitions with painters, sculptors, photographers etc...

Welcome!

Entrance fee: 2€ for adults, no entrance fee for children under 12.

The opening hours: From the 6th of April to the 26th of June, 3 pm-6 pm and from the 27th of June til the 30th of August, 2 pm-6.30 pm.

Vasaskeppet/The Vasa Ship

This day, 50 years ago, the royal combat ship Vasa (Vasa ship/museum site) - or the ship that was designed for combat but only succeeded in making 1,3 km in the harbour of Stockholm - was salvaged from the bottom of the sea at the inlet of Stockholm.
There it had been dwelling for 333 years (it sank the 10th of August 1628), almost intact, thanks to the cold water with its special quantities of salt balance.

This ship has become one of the most 'inspected failures' in the world, with more than 1,1, million visitors per year. Only the open air museum Skansen in Stockholm receive more visitors, among the museums in Stockholm.

The ship was built during the reign of Gustav II Adolf (Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden) and was meant to become the finest and greatest war ship in the Swedish Royal Navy and (one of) the most important flagship(s) in Europe.
Vasa was one of the heaviest armed ships in the world at the time and it was designated to be used during the Thirty Year's War. It had 64 canons.

When it sank it had 150 men aboard and more than 30 drowned.

It was forgotten and it was first when the amateur historian Anders Franzén (1918-1993) started looking for it, that it became known to the public. He nourished a dream to salvage the old ship and so he did.
Another important person was Per Edvin Fälting the divers forman, besides all the men and women involved in the practical work.

At first the government and members of the parliament and different institutions, were sceptic towards Franzén's ideas as they saw him as a treasure-hunter but when he succeeded finding sponsors - among them king Gustaf VI Adolf memorial fund - they became more interested. Later on the Wallenberg fund also contributed with money.

It was though after the ship reached the surface that the politicians really understood the potentials of this shipwreck.

Moderna museet 50 years!

Above, the inauguration of The Museum of Modern Art in 1958

The Museum of Modern Art (Moderna museet) in Stockholm this year celebrates its fiftieth anniversary!

It was founded in 1958 by - among others - Pontus Hultén, our foremost and most famous individual inspirer within the world of museums. He was also the first director for or head of the museum between 1960 and 1973.

Above: Pontus Hultén as a young man

It's not an exaggeration to say that he has been the most important person for the international reputation Moderna museet gained during these years.

Unfortunately there is an ongoing discussion within the museum whether or not they have the necessary economical means to complete the work catalogizing his collection of art, a collection donated to the museum after his death.

Above: Pontus Hultén in his "Önskemuseum"

This is rather typical for Sweden I would say. 
We here talk about a person who is the single most important individual for the creation and development of this museum and also the first director of, among other museums, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. 
In spite of this one discuss the necessity of completing this important work.

Above: Pontus Hultén in front of what shall become Centre Pompidou

A person working within the museum the other day said to me:

"It's as if the present management looks upon his collection as only 'a lot of work' in a negative way".

If this had been a museum of industrial achievements in Sweden, this discussion would never have taken place. We are unfortunately a technological and technocratic country where the humanities is of very little interest, both to the 'average' Swede, and the politicians - unless it generates money to the state, of course.

I hope - but hardly believe - that this attitude will change!

(Photo of inauguration of the Museum of Modern Art taken from: https://stockholmskallan.stockholm.se/post/1292)

(Photo of Pontus Hultén as a young man taken from: https://www.modernamuseet.se/stockholm/sv/samlingen/forskning/pontus-hulten-och-moderna-museet/)

(Photo of Pontus Hultén in front of the construction work place of Centre Pompidou taken from: https://www.centrepompidou.fr/cpv/ressource.action?param.id=FR_R-8128de60b682b941288dfc615a0ee5&param.idSource=FR_E-f630cb6b47a870fff67fc44ae183796e)

(Photo of Pontus Hultén in his "Önskemuseum" taken from: pontus-hulten-i-utst-onskemuseet-moderna-museet-1963_f_anders-engman_1500x1022-485x330)

Andy Warhol in Stockholm

I have already written on our joint blog, Aurore and mine, about the grand Andy Warhol-exhibition displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm (Moderna museet), starting today, the 9th of February. This is just a small reminder.

Go and look, if you can (if you are interested in the art of Warhol).

Last year the museum also arranged a rather important retrospective with works by Robert Rauschenberg. I find Rauschenberg interesting to listen to when he talks about his art or art in general, as he did via videos installed in the exhibition halls.

(Photo Andy Warhol 'strangled' copied from: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/85331/self-portrait-strangulation)

(Photo Andy Warhol as a woman copied from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsu5VZ0CbE5nXMLmcCGAHzc_9PR5ZVDVGLXq2qY4Kx3HgxEZ4czgvjZiAzH-j3FwQZUYRzI1Q72cwLcN2gKjCI1tvzXlNYKywoA2f7YShLfDHumRSRwDsT4-xZYTnIiEd0QUf2_g/s320/Andy+Warhol.jpg)

Otto G.Carlsund and Olle Baertling

Svenska (English below):

I Stockholm kan man just nu se två stora utställningar omkring två svenska modernistiska målare:

Otto G. Carlsund på Liljevalchs konsthall där man (bl.a.) målat upp hans stora väggmålning 'Rapid' (ovan) som gjordes till Stockholmsutställningen 1930. Det är en geometrisk soluppgång pekandes mot framtiden under konkretismens banér.

På Moderna museet öppnar höstens stora utställning nämligen, 'Olle Baertling - en modern klassiker'. Baertling född 1911 var autodidakt och skapade vinklade fält - ofta i triangulär form - i olika färger. 

Detta kom att bli sinnebilden för den moderna konstens abstraktion från det föreställande.

Olle Baertling

Irgur, 1958

oil on canvas, 195 x 97cm

Baertling var mycket produktiv men utställningskommissarien John Peter Nilsson har enligt uppgift varit mycket sparsmakad.

English:

In Stockholm one are able to visit two exhibitions displaying two great Swedish modernist painters:

Otto G. Carlsund at Liljevalchs art museum where they've (among other artworks exhibited) hanged his big wall painting 'Rapid', a painting he made in connection to the Stockholm exhibition in 1930. It's a geometrical sunrise pointing towards the future under the banners of concretism.

Sculpture YAYAO 1971 h 525 cm Centre National d'Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou, Paris

At Moderna museet (The Museum of Modern Art) the big autumn exhibition opens 6th of Octobre: 'Olle Baertling - a Modern Classic'. Baertling was born in 1911 and he was totally autodidact, creating angles and fields in different colours - often triangular in form.

This came to be the pure idealistic symbol for the modern art and its abstraction from the depicting art.

Baertling was very productive but the curator John Peter Nilsson has according to the information I've got, been very restrictive in his choice of works by Baertling.

Delaumbre bleu

(Photo 'Rapid' Otto G. Carlsund copied from: http://www.nt.se/inc/imagehandler.ashx?id=2278485&height=312&quality=75)
(Photos Olle Baertling, Irgur and YAYAO copied from: http://www.baertling.com/first.htm)
(Photo Delaumbre bleu copied from: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/565131453214508288)

The Hallwyl 'Palace' in Stockholm

Svenska (English below):

Aurore och jag besöker Hallwylska palatset/museet idag.
Jag har varit där tidigare men ej Aurore.

Palatset uppfördes 1893-98 och det var den kände svenske arkitekten Isak Gustaf Clason som fick detta uppdrag.
Clason är också arkitekten bakom byggnader som Nordiska museet (Wikipedia om Nordiska museet) och Östermalms saluhallar.

Först ville man inför byggandet av Hallwylska köpa tomten där Dramaten (Wikipedia om Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern) nu ligger men det godkände inte Stockholms stad.

Kraven på denna byggnad från Wilhelmina och Walther von Hallwyl var att den först och främst skulle fungera som deras hem men också som kontorslokaler åt den affärsverksamhet som Walther fick ansvar för genom svärfaderns överlåtande av chefsskapet.
Dessutom skulle byggnaden rymma alla Wilhelminas samlingar av konst och konsthantverk.

Fasaden är inspirerad av såväl spanska som italienska förebilder från övergången mellan sengotik och renässans.

Det är i alla fall en fantastisk byggnad som inte alls påminner om mycken arkitektur i Sverige vare sig exteriört eller interiört.

Interiört blandas en rad olika stilar och till detta kommer att då byggnaden stod färdig var den mycket modern för tiden med elektricitet, badrum, telefoner och centralvärme, vilket var mycket ovanligt.

Wilhelmina reste världen runt för att samla olika konstföremål och hennes familj var mycket förmögen där fadern var vd för Ljusne Woxna AB. Walther kom från en schweizisk adelsfamilj - en av Europas äldsta och tog över ledarskapet för företaget då svärfadern drog sig tillbaka.

1920 donerades denna bostad till Svenska staten och den ser idag ut som på den tiden då makarna Hallwyl bebodde densamma.
Genom donationen blev detta det museum som de facto Wilhelmina önskade då hon genomförde sina inköp av olika konstföremål världen runt.

Just nu pågår också en intressant utställning om Gentlemannen - om män och mode. där bl.a. Walther von Hallwyls kläder och accessoarer ställs ut för att belysa gentlemmanens garderob.

English:

Today Aurore and I visit the Hallwyl Palace in Stockolm, built by the famous Swedish architect Isak Gustaf Clason between 1893-98.
This building was built for Wilhelmina and Walther Hallwyl.

She was a wealthy woman, daughter of one of the industrialists in Sweden, head of Ljusne Woxna AB.
She collected art from all of the world during travels together with Walther.

Wather was a Swiss noble family, one of the oldest in Europe.
He became managing director of the company succeeding his father-in-law.

The building exteriorly is built in both Spanish and Italian style and the architect has also built the Nordic Museum (Wikipedia on the Nordic Museum) and other buildings in Stockholm.
It does not resemble the 'main architecture' in Stockholm.

It is a magnificent building and magnificent art and it looks exactly as when Hallwyl lived here.

It was donated to the Swedish state in 1920.

There is now an exhibition about the Gentleman and his clothes, showing Walther von Hallwyls private clothes as an example of how a real gentleman should be dressed.

A video clip about the daughter of Walther and Wilhelmina; 
Ellen Roosval von Hallwyl:

(Photo Hallwyl Palace copied from:Trip Advisor)