AUSTRIA
Exhibition “Expressionism! Artists of the Bridge Group”, until August 26, Vienna. More than 250 drawings, paintings, graphic works, and prints from the private collection of Hermann Gerlinger will be presented at the Albertina Museum. The Bridge Group was founded in 1905 by four students of the Dresden University of Technology, where they studied architecture. They were Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. The latter came up with the group’s name, which expressed the desire to unite all non-academic trends in German painting. Later, Max Pechstein, Cuno Amiet, and – very briefly – Emil Nolde would join the group. It is believed that the activities of the Bridge Group, with their quest for a synthesis of artistic means (from ancient engraving to African art), open the modern era in the history of German painting and, in particular, Expressionism, which is reflected in the exhibition’s title. //www.albertina.at
Retrospective exhibition of Chen Zhen “Body as Landscape”, until September 2, Vienna. The Vienna Kunsthalle opens a retrospective exhibition of works by contemporary artist Chen Zhen (1955-2000), who combined ancient traditions of Eastern culture with European avant-garde in his work. Chen Zhen emigrated from China in the mid-80s and lived in Paris, where his concept of “open sculpture” gained international recognition and where he attempted to realize a unique utopia of cultural dialogue. The artist’s works presented at the Vienna exhibition were created between 1989 and 2000. These include, above all, selected installations by Chen Zhen, including the interactive sound piece “Last Song” (2000). Also on display will be models and drawings of the artist’s unrealized projects, which have never been exhibited before. //www.kunsthallewien.at
BELGIUM
11th European Biennial of Graphic Art, until September 2, Bruges. For the 11th time, the Arentshuis Museum will host a biennial of contemporary graphic art, featuring about 200 European artists. This year’s theme is “Lace Patterns,” so a special jury will evaluate, above all, the virtuosity of technique and visual persuasiveness of graphic works. At the end of the event, the jury will award prizes for the best works, followed by an auction and sale of exhibits. //www.brugge.be
Exhibition “Portraits of Artists”, until September 9, Ghent. On May 26, after reconstruction, the Ghent Museum of Fine Arts (Museum voor Schone Kunsten), renowned for its collection of Flemish painting, reopened. In honor of this event, a thematic exhibition “Portraits of Artists” has been organized, featuring painted, graphic, and sculptural portraits and self-portraits of artists from the 18th to 20th centuries from museums in Bruges, Antwerp, and Ghent. Admission to the museum is free for the first three days. //www.brugge.be
UNITED KINGDOM
Exhibition of Turner’s watercolors, June 11 – February 3, London. The Tate Gallery in London will open an exhibition of watercolors by the famous English artist William Turner (1775-1851). It will be curated by another British celebrity – artist David Hockney, who will personally select 150 of Turner’s watercolors from the museum collection and create his own commentary on them. Among the exhibits, visitors will see the returned “Blue Rigi” (1842), which was recently bought back from a foreign collector for $10 million. //www.tate.org.uk
Sculpture Week, June 14-22, London. The next June Sculpture Week will take place in the prestigious London district of Mayfair. This year, five art galleries are participating, offering individual collectible items for sale: Sam Fogg Ltd, Daniel Katz Ltd, Robin Katz, Rossi & Rossi, and Rupert Wace Ancient Art. Sam Fogg Ltd specializes in medieval art; Daniel Katz Ltd will present European sculpture spanning a thousand-year period from 900 to 1900; Robin Katz will exhibit British sculptural works of the 20th century; Rossi & Rossi will show ancient Indian and Tibetan sculptures; and Rupert Wace Ancient Art will feature Egyptian and classical works. //www.londonsculptureweek.com
Exhibition “Portraits of the Nude”, until September 2, Edinburgh. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is opening an exhibition where children under 16 will only be admitted accompanied by an adult. Among its exhibits are drawings, sculptures, photographs, and paintings by Egon Schiele, Lucian Freud, Sarah Lucas, Gilbert & George, David Hockney, and David Bailey. The exhibition will feature about 200 portraits of nudes created between 1906 and 2006. //www.nationalgalleries.org
GERMANY
Exhibition “Seascape: From Max Beckmann to Gerhard Richter”, until September 16, Hamburg. This exhibition is a kind of continuation of the highly acclaimed exhibition two years ago, “Seascape: From Caspar David Friedrich to Emil Nolde.” In 2005, 100,000 people visited it at the Hamburg Kunsthalle. The next historical episode in the exploration of this theme and genre is contemporary painting, i.e., works created over the last 80 years. This includes about one hundred paintings and drawings by artists such as Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee, Max Ernst, Paul Nash, Andy Warhol, and Anselm Kiefer. //www.hamburgerkunsthalle.de
Exhibition 'Masterpieces of French 19th-Century Painting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York', until October 7, Berlin. The New National Gallery in Berlin is opening an exhibition worthy of art lovers' attention. This is a truly unique opportunity to see the collection of 19th-century French art from the Metropolitan Museum on European soil, as some of its halls are closed for renovation. Curators claim that the choice of this 'temporary haven' for the paintings is not accidental, as Berlin hosted a similarly successful exhibition from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York in 2004. Visitors will be able to see 135 paintings and 15 sculptures from French Romanticism, Impressionism, and Modernism, works by Ingres, Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, Cézanne, Courbet, Corot, Degas, Pissarro, Gauguin, Bonnard, and Matisse, as well as sculptures by Rodin and Maillol. //www.neue-nationalgalerie.de
SPAIN
International Photography Festival PhotoEspana 2007, until July 22, Madrid. More than a million people attended this international festival of photography and visual arts last year, and even more are expected this year as PhotoEspana celebrates its tenth anniversary. As part of PhotoEspana, about 70 exhibitions will take place in museums, exhibition centers, and art galleries in Madrid. This year, organizers have announced 375 participants from 30 countries, presenting art of both ancient and modern photography. Headliners include Bruce Davidson, Lynn Davis, Sylvia Plachy, Sebastião Salgado, and Andres Serrano. //www.phedigital.com
Exhibition 'Still Life: From Cotán to Goya', until July 24, Barcelona. The National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC) in Barcelona is hosting an exhibition dedicated to the history of Spanish still life, featuring about 60 paintings from the Prado, MNAC, and major private collections. The paintings were created between the 17th ('great century of still life') and 19th centuries. Fans of this genre will find it especially interesting to see works by artists such as Luis Paret y Alcázar, Francisco Zurbarán, Luis Egidio Meléndez, Juan Sánchez Cotán, and, of course, Francisco Goya. //www.mnac.es
ITALY
52nd Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art, June 10 – November 21, Venice. The most authoritative international forum for contemporary art opens in Venice on June 10. Its program consists of five festivals: International Festival of Contemporary Dance (June 14–30), 39th International Theatre Festival (July 18–29), 64th Venice International Film Festival (August 29 – September 8), 51st International Festival of Contemporary Music (October 4–13), and the International Art Exhibition (June 10 – November 21). This year, artists from 64 countries will participate, presenting 'art of the present time' and their ability to 'think with feeling, feel with thought'. The national pavilions are traditionally located in the Giardini della Biennale, near the Riva San Marco. //www.labiennale.org
Monographic Exhibition of Renzo Piano, until September 2, Milan. The Palazzo della Triennale in Milan is hosting an exhibition dedicated to the work of one of the most famous contemporary architects, Renzo Piano (b. 1937). The Italian architect is considered one of the founders of the high-tech style, and his worldwide fame comes from the Paris Centre Pompidou (co-designed with Richard Rogers), the Beyeler Foundation Museum in Basel, Rome's Auditorium Parco della Musica, Kansai Airport, and many others. The exhibition will feature not only these grand projects but also Piano's 'conceptual architecture' works related to urban space redevelopment: a residential area in Perugia, the Schlumberger complex in Paris, redevelopment projects for the industrial Lingotto area in Turin, and others. //www.triennale.it
NETHERLANDS
3rd International Architecture Biennale, until September 2, Rotterdam. The biennale will focus on the city of the future and various versions of optimizing life processes in 21st-century cities. The biennale's theme is 'Architecture POWER: Creating the Modern City'. The futuristic exhibition project 'The Power of Imagination' reflects the vision of cities in the mid-21st century, while the 'New Dutch City' plan addresses the issue of large cities in the Netherlands.
The biennale will also feature the joint architecture and design project 'A Better World' and the student design exhibition 'Form and the City'. All exhibitions are located at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam. //www.iabr.nl
FRANCE
Exhibition of Philippe de Champaigne, until August 15, Lille. The Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille is hosting an exhibition dedicated to the life and work of French classicist Philippe de Champaigne (1602–1674). Success came to him soon after he moved to Paris, where he lived until the end of his days. In 1622, he participated in the decoration of the Luxembourg Palace (together with Nicolas Poussin) and quickly gained popularity and respect from both secular authorities and the church. Flemish by birth, he combined features of the Flemish realist school and French classicism in his style. De Champaigne was influenced by Jansenism, which is reflected in the strict style of his later works. For the first time, the genre diversity of de Champaigne's work is presented so fully at the exhibition in Lille: 85 landscapes, portraits, and religious paintings from European and American museums and private collections are assembled here. //www.musenor.com
SWITZERLAND
Art Basel contemporary art fair, June 13-17, Basel. About 300 art galleries from around the world will once again present contemporary art in all its genre diversity at the Basel art show. Sculpture, painting, airbrushing, installations, video and digital art, both by recognized artists and those not yet known, will be evaluated and even purchased by about 50,000 people. This year, two themes dominate Art Basel – 'Dialogue of Cultures' and 'Art Without Borders'. //www.artbasel.com