AUSTRIA
Exhibition 'Adolf Hölzel. Pioneer of Abstract Painting', May 11 - August 28, Vienna. An exhibition dedicated to the work of the forerunner of modern painting and pioneer of abstractionism Adolf Hölzel has opened at the Leopold Museum in Vienna. This artist is better known as an art historian and talented painting teacher in Vienna, and later in Stuttgart. In his classes, Hölzel spoke about the peculiarities of compositional structures in paintings of the old masters and the pictorial possibilities of combining light and dark. Along with composition in painting, he paid special attention to the basics of color theory – he was particularly fascinated by Goethe's theory of color. Hölzel was a teacher open to everything new. It is not surprising that his lyrical abstract paintings appeared much earlier than Kandinsky's Impressions and Improvisations. They are just not very well known to the general public. At the exhibition, you can see 'Red Composition' from 1905 and other abstract works by the artist. //www.leopoldmuseum.org
Exhibition 'White-Blue', until September 9, Vienna. The exhibition 'Objects of white-blue color from Egypt to China' (as its full title goes) opened this spring at the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts (MAK). It is the idea of color that, from the organizers' point of view, is considered a connecting symbol of the interpenetration of world cultures, which can be clearly seen by examining classic white-blue ceramics from 14th-century China and later examples from Persia, Turkey, and Europe. By the way, on Tuesdays the doors of MAK are open to visitors until midnight, and on Saturdays you can enter the museum for free. //www.mak.at
BELGIUM
Exhibition Bernardí Roig, until June 3, Ostend. The Museum of Modern Art in Ostend (PMMK) in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of Spain is holding an exhibition of works by the famous contemporary Spanish artist Bernardí Roig. It presents a 'series of light experiments' from 2000-2003 – installations in which the artist actively used neon light. Spiritual blindness, the fragmented illusory consciousness of a person lost in a crowd, extreme loneliness and death – these are the main themes of his artistic objects. It is expected that after the exhibition closes at PMMK, it will move to Bonn in the summer, and then to Prague. //www.pmmk.be
GREAT BRITAIN
Chelsea Flower Show, May 22-26; Exhibition of Esoteric Art, May 12-13, London. For almost 150 years, the famous Chelsea Flower Show has enjoyed consistent success, held on the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea under the patronage of the royal family. New flower varieties and new trends in landscape design are the main themes of this show. On the last day of the exhibition, a sale of the exhibited items will take place. And at London's Olympia exhibition center, an exhibition dedicated to esoteric knowledge and art will take place. The focus is on problems of clairvoyance and other paranormal phenomena that lie beyond human knowledge of the world. At the exhibition, numerous specialists in this field will demonstrate their secret knowledge and talents. Esoteric art will be presented separately. //www.rhs.org.uk
Contemporary Art Fair, May 18-20, Bristol. Probably it is no coincidence that the word 'affordable' appears in the name of this fair. After all, it presents exhibits in a price range from €50 to €3,000, which implies democracy and accessibility of sculptures, paintings, drawings, graphics, photographs, and original posters not only for businessmen and collectors but also for ordinary lovers of contemporary art. It is known for sure that more than 50 European galleries will participate in the fair, and it will take place at The Passenger Shed, Temple Meads, and some other museums and galleries in Bristol. //www.affordableartfair.co.uk
GERMANY
Exhibition 'Pain', until August 5, Berlin. At the Berlin Museum of Contemporary Art Hamburger Bahnhof, the exhibition 'Pain' is running. It presents both images of crucifixions (from medieval sculptures to Francis Bacon's 'Crucifixion') and paintings, photographs, and installations by contemporary artists who interpret pain and suffering as the only possible transition to true knowledge of earthly life and eternal life. //www.smb.museum
SPAIN
Exhibition of works by Anselm Kiefer, until September 3, Bilbao. The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is preparing a whole series of exhibitions of outstanding contemporary artists for its 10th anniversary. Recently, the museum acquired several paintings by German artist Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945), which gave occasion to open an extensive exhibition of his works provided by European museums and private collectors. The main themes of Anselm Kiefer's paintings and installations are history, culture, and geography. Here you can see the artist's works created in the last ten years. Among them are the large series Chevirat-Ha-Kelim (2000), 'The Secret Life of Plants' (2001-2002), 'To Khlebnikov' (2004), and the installation 'Unfinished Work' (2006), which is a 15-meter map of the starry sky. //www.guggenheim-bilbao.es
Exhibition 'Kinetic Art', until August 20, Madrid. A large thematic exhibition dedicated to the history of kinetic art has opened at the National Museum Queen Sofía in Madrid. Born at the intersection of various artistic movements, kinetic art took shape as a definite and coherent trend only in the late 1950s. But the desire to convey movement, taking into account the factor of time, was evident among the Futurists, Constructivists, Dadaists, and Surrealists, whose works are also presented in the context of the stated theme. The exhibition will feature paintings and installations by artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Salvador Dalí, Naum Gabo, Julio Le Parc, Victor Vasarely, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Jesús Rafael Soto. //www.museoreinasofia.es
ITALY
Annual event "May of Monuments", until May 27, Naples. The annual event "May of Monuments" is a huge success among Italians – a broad program designed for comprehensive acquaintance with national culture. All museums and monuments of Naples are open for free visits, and every weekend there are special excursions, for example, around the ancient districts of the city or its underground passages. In addition, a program of musical concerts, theatrical performances, and sports events has been prepared for "May of Monuments". The theme of the Maggio dei Monumenti event this year: "Secrets of Naples". \/\/www.napolioggi.it
Exhibition "Front Row (from the François Pinault contemporary art collection)", until November 11, Venice. In early May, another exhibition from the collection of contemporary art of the French magnate, one of the most influential people in the art world, François Pinault, opened at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice. For this exhibition, paintings, sculptures, and installations by 16 artists who are positioned as "traditionalists" in the contemporary art market have been selected. Among them are works by Roberto Cuoghi, Mike Kelley, Richard Prince, Anselm Reyle, Rudolf Stingel, Urs Fischer, Takashi Murakami. \/\/www.palazzograssi.it \/\/www.vivaticket.it
NETHERLANDS
Sand Sculpture Festival, until June 1, The Hague. For the 17th time now, the start of the beach season in Scheveningen on the outskirts of The Hague coincides with the sand sculpture festival there. Seven teams of sculptors, who will need very clean "young" sand, water, shovels, trowels, and cocktail straws (to "blow away excess"), will begin creating sand sculptures. Then a special jury will select the winners, evaluating the perfection of composition and technical complexity of execution. Viewers can admire the objects for another month. The theme of this year's festival: "Made in Holland". \/\/www.sandsculptures.nl
World Press Photo Exhibition, until June 17, Amsterdam. The most prestigious international professional photography competition, World Press Photo, and the award ceremony for winners traditionally take place in Amsterdam. Then the best works of the photojournalists go on a world tour. During May, at the Oude Kerk (Old Church) in Amsterdam, visitors can see the best works of the competition winners in 18 categories ("Portraits", "Classic Black-and-White Photography", "Sports Photography", "Art and Entertainment", "General News", etc.). \/\/www.worldpressphoto.nl
FRANCE
International Fair Foire de Bordeaux, May 12-21, Bordeaux. The International May Fair in Bordeaux has an excellent reputation and an impressive track record, as it has been held since 1916. The huge number of visitors is also explained by the attractiveness of the range: these are a wide spectrum of goods, called "consumer goods", that is, everything a person needs in daily life – on weekdays and holidays. Presentations, expert consultations, salons, and special shows prevent this fair from turning into a banal market. \/\/www.foiredebordeaux.com \/\/www.bordeaux-expo.com
Graphics and Poster Festival, May 12 - June 24, Chaumont. This famous festival consists of two parts – an exhibition of the world's best designers and a competition program. At the exhibition, visitors can get acquainted with selected works of world-famous designer Paul Rand (1914-1996). The themes of the competition program are very diverse – from cultural-social to political and advertising: "Graphic Posters", "Global Warming", "Student Works", etc. \/\/www.ville-chaumont.fr
CZECH REPUBLIC
Wine Exhibition Vino & Destilaty, May 15-17, Prague. The traditional wine fair will be held for the 10th time at the Prague exhibition center Vystaviste Praha. The first day is dedicated to wines of the Czech Republic – on May 15 one should go to taste the best varieties of white Moravian wines. The second day is for classic Burgundy wines of France. On the third day, red Bulgarian wines will be the highlight. Throughout all three days, the tasting event "Symphony of Wine and Cheese" will take place. \/\/www.vegoprag.cz
SWITZERLAND
Book Fair BuchBasel, May 11-13, Basel. This book fair is taking place in Basel for the 5th time, where in addition to a wide selection of book novelties from recent years, visitors will be offered the following cultural program: a literary festival, a youth festival, children's book festivals, a comics and humorous literature festival. An entrance ticket to the fair costs €10. \/\/www.buchbasel.ch \/\/www.messe.ch
Exhibition of Landscapes by Nicolaes Berchem, until August 19, Zurich. Nicolaes Berchem (1622-1683) is considered one of the most prominent Dutch painters of the 17th century, although Constable once advised collectors to burn his works. They did not follow that advice, so Berchem's works are widely represented in the best European museums. They lent paintings by this artist for the retrospective exhibition in Zurich at the Kunsthaus. Here, 45 paintings are displayed, as well as many drawings and engravings by Nicolaes Berchem. \/\/www.kunsthaus.ch
Nyuta KUKUSHKINA.
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