cobra in the hermitage: the past of the present
Exhibition — May 16 until Sep 2, 2003
This exhibition comprises a selection of about 60 paintings, 10 sculptures and 20 works on paper by Cobra and its contemporaries, from the Stedelijk's collection, for a presentation in the Hermitage's Petrovskaya Gallery (which communicates with the section showing 17th century Dutch art).
It is Amsterdam's contribution to the celebration of St. Petersburg's 300 anniversary.
Artists
Pierre Alechinksy, Karel Appel, Eugene Brands, Constant, Corneille, Lotti van der Gaag, Henry Heerup, Arne Jacobsen, Asger Jorn, Lucebert, Pieter Ouborg, Carl-Henning Pedersen, Anton Rooskens, Shinkici Tajiri, Theo Wolvecamp.
CoBrA
The CoBrA movement lasted from 1948 to 1951 as the European answer to American abstract-expressionism. The main features ot the paintings are a blunt expressionism and coloring and an iconography which celebrates the pure world of fantasy, myth and children. The artists came from the three cities that make up the name of the movement: Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam.
The first initial show was held in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and caused a stir among the art world. Since then, the Stedelijk have been collecting work of the representatives up until the present. Most important contributors of CoBrA are the Dutch Karel Appel and the Danish Asger Jorn who are both very well represented in the Stedelijk Museum’s collection.
