John Craxton, Self-Portrait, Poros, 1946. Private Collection, Athens. Courtesy Kalfayan Galleries, Athens – Thessaloniki. © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2012. Photo: Yiannis and Odysseas Vaharides
|
Helmut Middendorf, A2, 1993. © Helmut Middendorf. Courtesy: Eleni Koroneou Gallery
|
Lucas Samaras, Still Life, c. 1979. Polaroid. © Lucas Samaras. Private Collection, Athens. Courtesy Kalfayan Galleries, Athens – Thessaloniki
|
|
|
The theme of the current show at the Museum of Cycladic Art, which Deutsche Bank supports as its main sponsor, is Greece as a location of inspiration for 20th-century artists. The Last Grand Tour was conceived by Jessica Morgan, curator at Tate Modern. In 2006, Morgan organized the first show in the exhibition series Blind Date featuring works from the Deutsche Bank Collection. The show’s title alludes to the tradition of the educational journey. Starting in the Renaissance, sons of the nobility and aristocracy embarked on trips to visit the most important European artistic sites. Greece’s rich culture and inimitable landscapes makes it a popular destination for artists to this day.
Painters as varied as Brice Marden and Martin Kippenberger have lived and worked here. In 1993, on Syros, the enfant terrible of the New Wilds completed the first group of his Metro Net, a worldwide subway system. Kippenberger named a modern ruin on the Cycladic island MoMAS (Museum of Modern Art Syros). For the first time in Greece, The Last Grand Tour gives an idea of this project through paintings, drawings, and models. On the other hand, Brice Marden’s works are more "classic." Marden has been spending his summers on Hydra since 1971; this is where, in 1981, he created a series in which elements of the formal language of antiquity merge with abstract painting. Additional artists represented in the exhibition are Lynda Benglis, Helmut Middendorf, Manfred Pernice, and Juergen Teller. The Museum of Cycladic Art, located at the center of Athens, shows artifacts from Cycladic culture of the Bronze Age, as well as regular exhibitions of contemporary work, such as Louise Bourgeois and Sarah Lucas.
The Last Grand Tour
April 15 – October 10, 2011
Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens
|
