2008.11.26
One can now see the original works of Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall all in one Seoul gallery, thanks to the Pompidou Center.
An exhibition of masterpieces from the French institution is running at Seoul Museum of Art in central Seoul. It features 79 pieces of world renowned artists, including ones displayed for the first time in Korea.
The Pompidou Center is the most famous museum of contemporary art in France. It holds more than 58,000 works by 5,200 artists and an average of six million people visit each year.
This exhibition is the last of Seoul Museum of Art's special exhibition series of prestigious French art museums. An exhibition of Louvre Museum was held in 2006 and one of Orsay Museum was held in 2007.
"This is an exhibition which tells a story," said Alain Seban, president of the Pompidou Center, at a press conference held last Friday. Titled "Arcadia: Heaven for Artists," this exhibition reveals the story on how images of Arcadia, or heaven, were depicted and idealized by Parisian artists after the 20th century.
"Bergers d'Arcadie, 'Et in Arcadia Ego'" of Nicolas Poussin, the great artist of French classicism, is the key to understanding the story. The masterpiece is not actually present at the exhibition but is projected on a wall made of strings at the entrance to the second floor.
Shepherds of Arcadia chat peacefully in the painting. One of them points to a tombstone, which reads "and in Arcadia there is me." The phrase implies that Arcadia is the same as everywhere else - people are with all their usual experiences, such as hope, joy, vanity and death.
By walking through the string wall, visitors can feel like they are entering Arcadia itself.
Behind the wall, a herd of sheep greets visitors, roaming peacefully on green grass which makes it feel like springtime. The scene is "Tropeaux de moutons," by Francois-Xavier Lalanne. The sheep imply the peace of Arcadia filled with poetry and music.
The exhibition is composed of 10 parts, each showing different aspects of Arcadia. On the second floor, visitors will find "The Golden Age," "Arcadia," "Joy," "Abundance," and "Recovered Arcadia," one following another.
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Dider Ottinger, vice president of Pompidou Center and the director of this exposition, picks "Grand Interieur Rouge" by Henri Matisse in the "Abundance" division as one of the most notable works in the exhibition. Flowers in full bloom and vivid red walls light up the canvas, creating a warm and bountiful ambience. "Matisse is one of those who most believed in Arcadia, and this is his best work," said Ottinger. "Quite a lot of Pompidou's visitors come to see only this work."
Giuseppe Penone's "Respire l'Ombre" in the "Recovered Arcadia" section attracts many eyes - and noses. It is a room made of walls packed with laurel leaves. "Here, visitors can smell Arcadia, the blue sky, or the Mediterranean ocean," explained Ottinger.
On the third floor, divisions of "Harmony," "Vanity," "Darkness," and "The Lunch on the Grass" awaits the visitors.
Joan Miro expressed his vision of humans and birds blinking in the dark in "Personnage et Oiseaux dans la Nuit," in the "Darkness" division. The picture spreads six meters across and stands about two meters in height, the biggest in the exhibition. The frame needed to be separated and then reconstructed in Korea for transportation.
The exhibition concludes with "The Lunch on the Grass." Edouard Manet's work is not there, but interesting works of the same title, which reinterpret Manet are displayed.
Vladimir E. Dubossarsky and Alexander A.Vinogradov changed the characters of the picture to feature prestigious artists. Vincent Van Gogh and Edouard Manet hang around at the picnic scene, naked.
The tale of how Arcadia was depicted in the 20th century ends there, but there is no need to be disappointed. The story is ongoing.
"'The Lunch on the Grass,' which is the end of this exhibition is actually what we see as the start of today's contemporary art," said Ottinger.
The exhibition runs through March 22 next year. Admission is 12,000 won for adults, 9,000 won for students and 7,000 won for children. The museum is closed Mondays. For more information, call (02) 325-1077 or visit www.pompidou2008.kr
By Park Min-young
(claire@heraldm.com)
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