La nueva cara del Metropolitan Museum, The Met
El Metropolitan Museum quiere formar parte del arte moderno y contemporáneo y, para ello, ha redefinido su marca buscando un aire más actual. Primero, rebautizando cada uno de sus edificios (al edificio de la Quinta Avenida lo van a llamar Fifth Avenue Met; al Museo Medieval en el noroeste de la ciudad, The Cloisters Met; por otro lado han ocupado el edificio que fue sede del Whitney Museum en Madison Avenue, diseñado por el arquitecto Marcel Breuer. Lo han llamado Met Breuer y va a albergar las exhibiciones dedicadas a arte moderno y contemporáneo. En tercer lugar, han rediseñado su web y su logo.
Definitivamente, el Met quiere ser parte del arte contemporáneo: donde se mueve el dinero, donde se encuentran los mayores coleccionistas, los donantes y los visitantes a Museos.
El pasado mes de Marzo el Met Breuer, en Madison Avenue, abrió sus puertas con dos exposiciones. En el segundo piso, dibujos y fotografías de Nasreen Mohamedi (1937-1990), un artista de la India. En la tercera y cuarta plantas, la exhibición "Unfinished: thoughts left visible".
"Unfinished: thoughts left visible" muestra cerca de 200 piezas de la propia colección del Met: espectaculares obras de arte, como la obra de El Greco, que permiten hacer un recorrido histórico desde el Renacimiento hasta la actualidad. Además cuenta con prestamos extraordinarios, como las obras de Leonardo Da Vinci.
Leonardo DaVinci, Cabeza y hombros de una mujer, ca. 1500-1505
El Greco, La visión de San Juan, ca. 1608-14
Con este enfoque, el nuevo Met Breuer demuestra su potencial con una idea muy contemporánea de reexaminar el pasado. Aunque en mi opinión la exposición no pone el arte más antiguo y el más contemporáneo en conversación, sí es un "must" si se está de visita en la gran manzana.
Desde mi punto de vista es mucho más interesante la tercera planta, donde se presentan los trabajos previos al 1820. Las obras expuestas dejan mirar a través del ojo del artista, se puede adivinar el recorrido de su trabajo y su proceso, sus pensamientos a la hora de definir la composición de la obra. Es realmente excitante observar las piezas no terminadas y como muchas de ellas podrían ser la versión contemporánea de la obra maestra clásica.
La exhibición examina un aspecto del proceso creativo que genera gran zozobra en el artista y críticas por parte de espectadores sobre la obra inacabada o aparentemente sin terminar.
¿Cuándo está una obra de arte terminada?
Muchos críticos del pasado y del presente han escrito sobre los problemas y las posibilidades asociadas a las obras de arte que muestran una falta intencional de acabado. Estas obras revelan muchas decisiones del artista - tanto físicas como conceptuales y, sobre todo, cuándo y cómo la consideran completa. Esta exposición hace hincapié en los períodos en que la noción de acabado se convirtió en un asunto de experimentación.
La exhibición contiene dos tipos de obras: las que estaban, por cualquier razón, sin terminar y se dejaron así accidentalmente por el artista, y las que adoptan un estilo deliberadamente sin terminar.
El artista en general, conoce bastante bien si su obra está terminada, pero eso no es lo mismo que decir que el trabajo esté terminado a los ojos de otro. Para cuando el artista ha hecho todo lo posible, la cuestión sigue siendo si la obra tiene lo suficiente como para que hable por sí misma, como objeto de goce estético. La creación de una obra de arte es una experiencia profundamente personal. A veces, es como si el alma del artista se transmitiera a la superficie a través de su intervención en la pieza que está creando.
La propia naturaleza de creación es tan personal que a veces es difícil saber cuándo parar. El artista tiene que decidir si está satisfecho con el resultado. Si es así, entonces ya ha terminado. Aunque, por supuesto, el umbral de satisfacción y el concepto de acabado de la obra varía enormemente de un artista a otro.
Aquí algunas de las obras, previas al 1840, que más me han cautivado.
Anton Raphael Mengs
Alemán 1728-1779
Retrato de Mariana de Silva y Samiento, Duquesa de Huescar, 1740-1784
Perino del Vaga, Italiano, 1501-1547
Sagrada Familia con San Juan Bautista, 1528-1530
Sir Thomas Lawrence
Inglés, 1769-1830
Emilia, Lady Cahir, Condesa de Glengall 1776-1836, ca. 1803-5
George Rommey, Inglés 1734-1802
Retrato de George Rommey, 1784
Joseph Mallord William Turner, Inglés, 1775-1851
Margate desde el mar, ca. 1835-40
También hay una sala dedicada a la obra de J.M.W. Turner, uno de los paisajistas de finales del S.XVIII más admirados por su capacidad para la abstracción: admirado a posteriori, claro, porque en su tiempo era foco de críticas por sus contemporáneos. El grupo de pinturas que se presentan en esta sala se encontraron en su estudio después de su muerte, ninguna de ellas fue expuesta y lo que no se sabe es si eran trabajos que el artista consideraba terminados con la esperanza de que en algún momento fueran con el tiempo aceptados o sólo eran los primeros pasos de una obra sin terminar.
El cuarto piso de la exposición está dedicado a la obra inacabada en el siglo XX. Desde 1945, el artista ha analizado el concepto de inacabado como requisito previo y meta a ser perseguida. Con este fin se han utilizado materiales diseñados para la decadencia, diseñando obras que se expanden más allá de sus propios límites espaciales y temporales. El arte está diseñado para sobrevivir, su durabilidad frente a la brevedad, la fragilidad y fugacidad de la vida. Sin embargo, después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, a menudo en respuesta a la agitación social, económica y ambiental, muchos artistas crearon deliberadamente obras destinadas a decaer o desaparecer con el tiempo. En su corazón se encuentra una fascinación con la entropía. A pesar de que a menudo se equipara con el deterioro, la entropía se describe con mayor precisión como la pérdida de energía, un proceso físico común a todos los sistemas. Todo sistema pierde no sólo energía, sino que también pierde estabilidad y coherencia. Por esta razón, la entropía tiende a expresarse visualmente como la degradación y la desorganización.
Las esculturas en la galería transmiten entropía no sólo a través de la forma, los materiales y el contenido, sino también a través del proceso y la técnica. Muchas piezas muestran abrasión, corrosión y los daños producidos por el tiempo, ya sea real o simulada, mientras que otras, como el trabajo de Félix González-Torre, muestran su propio declive en tiempo real, ofreciendo una reflexión conmovedora sobre la mortalidad. Esculturas como éstas cuestionan nuestras definiciones tradicionales de acabado, así como inciden negativamente en la posibilidad misma de terminar, de una vez por todas, una obra de arte.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, "Sin titulo" (Retrato de Ross en Los Angeles), 1991
Feliz González-Torres representa con esta instalación el retrato de su compañero Ross Laycock, quien murió de SIDA en el año 1991. El trabajo consiste en una pila de caramelos cuyo peso equivale al peso ideal de Ross, 175 libras. Los espectadores están invitados a coger los caramelos; a medida que estos van desapareciendo, la pila de caramelos va perdiendo su regularidad, disminuyendo en volumen y peso. Esta transformación refleja el debilitamiento de Ross Laycock debido a su enfermedad. El Museo continúa reponiéndolos, quedando la obra suspendida entre la desaparición y la renovación, obra en continuo proceso.
Janine Antoni, Americana, 1964
Lamer y espuma, 1993-94
Chocolate y jabón
Estas dos esculturas han cambiado y continuarán cambiando a lo largo del tiempo. Una está hecha de chocolate y la otra de jabón. La propia artista chupó la de chocolate y se baño con la de jabón. Según la artista: "Somos destructivos por naturaleza y tendemos a deshacer para volver a hacer y ese concepto me interesa mucho". Los bustos convencionales están creados para ser inmortales y permanentes, pero en este caso irán envejeciendo con el tiempo como la vida misma.
Alina Szapocznikow, Polaca, 1926-1973
Tumores personificados, 1971
A comienzos de los años 60, la artista Alina Szapocznikow exploró el cuerpo en materiales como la resina poliéster o materiales creados para insular. En ese periodo le fue diagnosticado un cáncer de pecho. La artista quiso expresar su enfermedad en esta instalación donde aparecen de la gravilla rostros deformes con su imagen que representan los tumores que estaban invadiendo su cuerpo (ver foto).
Cy Twombly, Americano, 1928-2011
Sin titulo I-VI (Pinturas verdes), ca. 1986
Esta serie en verde de Cy Twombly fue encontrada en su estudio después de su muerte; nunca antes se exhibieron y hasta el momento se desconoce si el artista consideraba esta obra terminada o no.
El próximo Domingo, 8 de Mayo, el Met Fifth Avenue organiza una charla donde uno de los artistas de la exhibición, un musicólogo y el comisario del Met discutirán las ideas que surgen a proposito de la exhibición. Sunday at The Met- "Unfinished: Thoughts left visible across time and cultures" 3pm to 4:30pm.
"Unfinished: thoughts left visible" estará abierto al público hasta el 4 de Septiembre, 2016
#MetUnfinished
A new face for the Metropolitan Museum, The Met
The Metropolitan Museum wants to be part of modern and contemporary art and it has redefined its brand looking for a more modern look. First, renaming each of its buildings (the building on Fifth Avenue, Fifth Avenue Met, the Medieval Museum on the northwest of the city, the Cloisters Met, and the building formerly occupied by the Whitney Museum on Madison Avenue, designed by architect Marcel Breuer, now called Met Breuer that will host exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. The Met has also changed the look of its web and its logo.
These are the first steps of a more ambitious plan that will include an investment of $600 million for the construction of a new gallery in the Metropolitan Museum on Fifth Avenue.
The Met definitely wants to be part of contemporary art, where the money, collectors, donors and visitors are.
Last March, the Met Breuer on Madison Avenue opened with two exhibitions. On the second floor, drawings and photographs of Nasreen Mohamedi (1937-1990), an artist of India The third and fourth floors dedicated to the exhibition "Unfinished: thoughts left visible".
"Unfinished: thoughts left visible" shows about 200 pieces of The Met's own collection: spectacular art, like the work of El Greco, allowing to make a historical journey from the Renaissance to the present. It also has outstanding loans, as the Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings.
With this approach, the new Met Breuer shows its potential of a very contemporary idea of re-examining the past. Although the exhibition fails to create an “conversation” between the oldest and most contemporary art, the trip to the Museum is a must if you're in the Big Apple.
From my point of view it is more interesting the third floor, where the work pre-1840 is shown. The pieces on display allow you to look through the eye of the artists, guess the course of their approached and their process and their thoughts when defining the composition of the work. It is really exciting to observe the unfinished parts and how many of them could be the contemporary version of the classic masterpieces.
The exhibition examines one aspect of the creative process that generates great anxiety in the artist and criticism from experts and viewers about the unfinished work, or apparently unfinished.
When is a work of art finished?
Many critics in the past and present have written about the problems and possibilities associated with the works of art that show an intentional lack of finish. These works reveal many artist decisions, both physical, conceptual and, especially, when and how it is considered completed. This exhibition emphasizes the periods in which the notion of finishing became a matter of experimentation.
The exhibition contains two types of works: those that were, for whatever reason, and accidentally left unfinished by the artist; and others that adopt a style deliberately unfinished.
The artist generally knows quite well if a work is finished, but that's not the same as saying that the work is completed in the eyes of another viewer. By the time the artist has done everything possible, the question remains whether the work is enough to speak for itself, as an object of aesthetic enjoyment. The creation of a work of art is a deeply personal experience. Sometimes, it is as if the artist's soul was transmitted to the surface through its intervention in the art that is being created.
The very nature of creation is so personal that it is sometimes difficult to know when to stop. As an artist, you have to decide if you are satisfied with the result. If yes, then you have finished. Although, of course, the threshold of satisfaction and the concept of finishing the work varies greatly from one artist to another.
Here are some of the works prior to 1840 that have captivated me.
There is also a room dedicated to the work of J.M.W. Turner, one of the landscape painters from the ninetieth century most admired for his capacity for abstraction; admired clearly “a posteriori” to his period because in his time, he was criticized by his contemporaries. The group of paintings presented in this room was found in his studio after his death; none of them was shown and what is not known is if the artist considered them finished with the hope that at some point they were accepted, or they were only the first steps of an unfinished work.
The fourth floor of the exhibition is dedicated to the unfinished work in the twentieth century. Since 1945, the artist has analyzed the concept of unfinished as a prerequisite and goal to be pursued. To this end, they have been used materials designed to decay, designing works that expand beyond its own space and time limits. The work of art is designed to survive, its durability against brevity, fragility and transience of life. However, after World War II, often in response to social, economic and environmental upheaval, many artists created works deliberately intended to wane or disappear over time. At its heart lies a fascination with entropy. Although often equated with decay, entropy is more accurately described as loss of energy, a physical process common to all systems. As a system loses energy, it also loses stability and consistency. For this reason, entropy tends to express visually as degradation and disorganization.
The sculptures in the gallery transmitted entropy not only through the form, materials and content, but also through the process and technique. Many pieces show abrasion, corrosion and damage caused by time, whether real or simulated, while others, like the work of Felix Gonzalez-Torre, makes its own decline in real time, providing a poignant reflection on mortality. Sculptures that question our traditional definitions of finish, as well as adversely affect the very possibility of ever ending, once and for all, a work of art.
Gonzalez-Torres, with this installation, represents the portrait of his partner Ross Laycock, who died of AIDS in 1991. The work consists of a pile of candies whose weight is equivalent to Ross ideal weight, 175 pounds. Viewers are invited to take a candy; as these are disappearing, the pile loses its regularity, decreasing in volume and weight. This transformation reflects the weakening of Ross Laycock because of his illness. The Museum replenishes the supply of candy. Suspended between the disappearance and renewal, the work is in continuous process.
These two sculptures have changed and continue to change over time. One is made of chocolate and the other with soap. The artist herself ate the chocolate and bathed with the one made with soap. According to the artist, "There is this element of destruction, that we have to unmake in order to make, and that interests me very much.", Here the artist challenges the conventions of the classical portrait bust, premised as it is upon immortality and permanence, not to mention the heroism and authority of the white men such busts typically portray.
Alina Szapocznikow, Polish, 1926-1973
In the early 60s, the artist Alina Szapocznikow explored the body in new materials such as polyester, resin materials and glass wool. During this period she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the artist wanted to express in this installation how the tumors had taken over her identity, each tumor appears to grow from the gravel and includes a self-portrait.
This group of green paintings from Cy Twombly were found in his studio after his death, never before shown, and so far it is unknown whether the artist considered finished or not finished.
On May 8th, at 3pm, The Met Fifth Avenue will host a talk where an artist in the exhibition, a musicologist and a The Met curator will discuss the ideas raised by the exhibition "Unfinished: Thoughts left visible across time and cultures".
These are the first steps of a more ambitious plan that will include an investment of $600 million for the construction of a new gallery in the Metropolitan Museum on Fifth Avenue.
The Met definitely wants to be part of contemporary art, where the money, collectors, donors and visitors are.
Last March, the Met Breuer on Madison Avenue opened with two exhibitions. On the second floor, drawings and photographs of Nasreen Mohamedi (1937-1990), an artist of India The third and fourth floors dedicated to the exhibition "Unfinished: thoughts left visible".
"Unfinished: thoughts left visible" shows about 200 pieces of The Met's own collection: spectacular art, like the work of El Greco, allowing to make a historical journey from the Renaissance to the present. It also has outstanding loans, as the Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings.
Leonardo DaVinci, Head and Shoulders of a Woman, ca. 1500-1505
El Greco, The vision of Saint John, ca. 1608-1614
With this approach, the new Met Breuer shows its potential of a very contemporary idea of re-examining the past. Although the exhibition fails to create an “conversation” between the oldest and most contemporary art, the trip to the Museum is a must if you're in the Big Apple.
From my point of view it is more interesting the third floor, where the work pre-1840 is shown. The pieces on display allow you to look through the eye of the artists, guess the course of their approached and their process and their thoughts when defining the composition of the work. It is really exciting to observe the unfinished parts and how many of them could be the contemporary version of the classic masterpieces.
The exhibition examines one aspect of the creative process that generates great anxiety in the artist and criticism from experts and viewers about the unfinished work, or apparently unfinished.
When is a work of art finished?
Many critics in the past and present have written about the problems and possibilities associated with the works of art that show an intentional lack of finish. These works reveal many artist decisions, both physical, conceptual and, especially, when and how it is considered completed. This exhibition emphasizes the periods in which the notion of finishing became a matter of experimentation.
The exhibition contains two types of works: those that were, for whatever reason, and accidentally left unfinished by the artist; and others that adopt a style deliberately unfinished.
The artist generally knows quite well if a work is finished, but that's not the same as saying that the work is completed in the eyes of another viewer. By the time the artist has done everything possible, the question remains whether the work is enough to speak for itself, as an object of aesthetic enjoyment. The creation of a work of art is a deeply personal experience. Sometimes, it is as if the artist's soul was transmitted to the surface through its intervention in the art that is being created.
The very nature of creation is so personal that it is sometimes difficult to know when to stop. As an artist, you have to decide if you are satisfied with the result. If yes, then you have finished. Although, of course, the threshold of satisfaction and the concept of finishing the work varies greatly from one artist to another.
Here are some of the works prior to 1840 that have captivated me.
Anton Raphael Mengs
German 1728-1779
Portrait of Mariana de Silva and Samiento, Duchess of Huescar, 1740-1784
Perino del Vaga, Italian, Florence 1501-1547 Rome
Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist, 1528-1530
Sir Thomas Lawrence
British, 1769-1830
Emilia, Lady Cahir, Later Countess of Glengall 1776-1836, ca. 1803-5
George Romney, British 1734-1802
George Romney portrait, 1784
Joseph Mallord William Turner, British, 1775-1851
Margate from the sea, ca. 1835-1840
There is also a room dedicated to the work of J.M.W. Turner, one of the landscape painters from the ninetieth century most admired for his capacity for abstraction; admired clearly “a posteriori” to his period because in his time, he was criticized by his contemporaries. The group of paintings presented in this room was found in his studio after his death; none of them was shown and what is not known is if the artist considered them finished with the hope that at some point they were accepted, or they were only the first steps of an unfinished work.
The fourth floor of the exhibition is dedicated to the unfinished work in the twentieth century. Since 1945, the artist has analyzed the concept of unfinished as a prerequisite and goal to be pursued. To this end, they have been used materials designed to decay, designing works that expand beyond its own space and time limits. The work of art is designed to survive, its durability against brevity, fragility and transience of life. However, after World War II, often in response to social, economic and environmental upheaval, many artists created works deliberately intended to wane or disappear over time. At its heart lies a fascination with entropy. Although often equated with decay, entropy is more accurately described as loss of energy, a physical process common to all systems. As a system loses energy, it also loses stability and consistency. For this reason, entropy tends to express visually as degradation and disorganization.
The sculptures in the gallery transmitted entropy not only through the form, materials and content, but also through the process and technique. Many pieces show abrasion, corrosion and damage caused by time, whether real or simulated, while others, like the work of Felix Gonzalez-Torre, makes its own decline in real time, providing a poignant reflection on mortality. Sculptures that question our traditional definitions of finish, as well as adversely affect the very possibility of ever ending, once and for all, a work of art.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, "Untitled" (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), 1991
Janine Antoni, American, 1964
Lick and Lather 1993-94
Chocolate and soap
These two sculptures have changed and continue to change over time. One is made of chocolate and the other with soap. The artist herself ate the chocolate and bathed with the one made with soap. According to the artist, "There is this element of destruction, that we have to unmake in order to make, and that interests me very much.", Here the artist challenges the conventions of the classical portrait bust, premised as it is upon immortality and permanence, not to mention the heroism and authority of the white men such busts typically portray.
Alina Szapocznikow, Polish, 1926-1973
Tumors Personified, 1971
In the early 60s, the artist Alina Szapocznikow explored the body in new materials such as polyester, resin materials and glass wool. During this period she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the artist wanted to express in this installation how the tumors had taken over her identity, each tumor appears to grow from the gravel and includes a self-portrait.
Cy Twombly, American, 1928-2011
Untitled I-VI (Green Paintings), ca. 1986
This group of green paintings from Cy Twombly were found in his studio after his death, never before shown, and so far it is unknown whether the artist considered finished or not finished.
On May 8th, at 3pm, The Met Fifth Avenue will host a talk where an artist in the exhibition, a musicologist and a The Met curator will discuss the ideas raised by the exhibition "Unfinished: Thoughts left visible across time and cultures".
"Unfinished: thoughts left visible" March 18 - September 4th, 2016
#MetUnfinished
