AUSTRIA
An exhibition devoted to the work of Maria Callas, through September 17, Vienna. A new exhibition opens at the Vienna Museum of Art History, exploring the creative phenomenon of Maria Callas – an opera diva and tragic heroine whose life, acting and even death became a true myth of the 20th century. The exhibition is based on the history of stage productions of the operas "Medea", "Norma", "Tosca", "La Traviata" in photographs and documents, as well as stage costumes, rare paintings and rare audio recordings of the singer's voice. The exhibition will show excerpts from the films "Medea" by P. P. Pasolini and "Callas Forever" by F. Zeffirelli. //www.khm.at
BELGIUM
Exhibition "From Ensor to Magritte", through October 1, Ghent. The collection of modern painting (late 19th – first half of the 20th century) returned this spring to the Ghent Museum of Fine Arts, after traveling to museums in France and Japan. On this occasion, until October, visitors will be able to see absolutely all the works from the complete collection of modern art of the Ghent museum. The first room contains paintings by the Impressionists and Symbolists, including T. van Rijsselberghe and J. Ensor, while in the second room one can see paintings by the Expressionists and Surrealists, including O. Kokoschka, E. Ludwig and R. Magritte. //www.mskgent.be
Exhibition of Tibetan art, through August 27, Brussels. The Royal Museum of Art and History is hosting a unique exhibition of Tibetan art, featuring exhibits from the collection of Lion Verber, bequeathed to the museum. The fine art of Tibet, strictly subordinated to Buddhist dogma, developed mainly in monasteries, where wall paintings and icons (thangka) were created, characterized by symmetrical compositions and bright, contrasting colors enhanced by the use of gold and silver. The exhibition presents 56 thangka, as well as figurines of deities made of wood, clay and metal, bronze liturgical utensils and musical instruments. //www.kmkg-mrah.be
UNITED KINGDOM
Exhibition "Great Landscapes of John Constable", through August 28, London. An exhibition of landscapes by John Constable (1776-1837), organized jointly with the National Gallery of Art in Washington, opens at the Tate gallery in London. The exhibition features 45 paintings by the artist, including the famous series of large landscapes that brought Constable worldwide fame. These include "The White Horse", "Dedham Mill", "The Hay Wain" (which was exhibited at the Salon in France in 1824 and won a gold medal), "View on the Stour", and "The Leaping Horse". Many of the paintings in this series were preceded by sketches and studies; for example, the theme of "The Hay Wain" was taken from the study "Willie Lott's House". For the first time, this exhibition brings together nine pairs of such studies and final versions of paintings, revealing to the viewer the artist's creative process itself. Indeed, Constable's great landscapes were the fruit of long preparatory work aimed at conveying the light and atmosphere, as well as correctly grouping the figures engaged in their everyday activities. //www.tate.org.uk
GERMANY
Exhibition "Architecture + Sport", through September 3, Munich. Major sport is a hot topic this summer in Germany, and the main event is, of course, the FIFA World Cup. This very exhibition, which has opened at the Munich Pinakothek of Modern Art, is dedicated to major sporting events. The full title of the exhibition is: "Architecture + Sport. From the Ancient Greek Stadium to the Modern Sports Arena". The layout of the exhibition fully confirms the title, as the materials are arranged in such a way that visitors can clearly visualize the evolution of sports facilities from ancient times to the present day. The exhibition features photographs, models, graphic art, drawings, films and installations. //www.pinakothek.de
Exhibition "Pieter Lastman. In the Shadow of Rembrandt?", through July 30, Hamburg. The subtitle in the exhibition title is by no means accidental. For the fate of the Dutch artist Pieter Lastman (1583-1633) was such that his name and paintings remained in the shadows for a long time, because his great student Rembrandt overshadowed his teacher. This exhibition is devoted to the study of Lastman's influence on Rembrandt, and vivid evidence of this has been found – for example, Lastman's paintings "Coriolanus" or "Balaam's Ass" (1622) and its version painted by Rembrandt in 1626. The exhibition at the Kunsthalle presents 25 paintings by Pieter Lastman, assembled from museums in Boston, Amsterdam, London, Berlin, Budapest, Stockholm and Vienna. It was these paintings that influenced the art of Rembrandt and his school. //www.hamburgerkunsthalle.de
GREECE
Cow Parade, through August 28, Athens. This amusing and touching event is intended to be constantly on the move: the first such parade of painted cows took place in Zurich in 1998 and has already been held in various cities around the world. Now it has reached Athens. So residents and tourists will encounter these animals all summer long on the streets and squares, at metro stations and in the airport building. Anyone who has sent in their design in advance can paint a fiberglass cow. At the end of August, the cows will be sold at auction, and the proceeds will go to charity. //www.cultureguide.gr
SPAIN
Exhibition “Picasso. Traditions and Avant-garde,” until September 3, Madrid. This summer in Madrid is dedicated to Picasso’s work. Two capital museums at once – the Prado and Reina Sofía – will open exhibitions devoted to the 125th anniversary of the artist’s birth and the 25th anniversary of the return of “Guernica” to Spain. The retrospective at the Prado will feature more than one hundred paintings by Picasso from the museum’s own collection and from museums in New York, Paris, Cleveland, Basel, and Barcelona. The exhibition at the Reina Sofía National Art Center will be devoted to the dramatic history of Picasso’s famous painting “Guernica” (painted in 1937), which traveled around the world for more than 40 years, and in the late 1960s Picasso himself gave it to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1968 Franco for the first time stated that “Guernica” should be returned to Spain. But the artist replied that this would not happen until the dictatorial regime fell. Only after Franco’s death, in 1981, the painting returned to Spain. //www.museoprado.mcu.es
Exhibition of Shirin Neshat, until July 23, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The American artist of Iranian origin Shirin Neshat is today one of the most popular and original creators working in film and video. The Museum of Contemporary Art (CAAM) presents a large retrospective exhibition of the artist’s photographs, video installations, and films, including a trilogy – “Turbulent” (1998), “Rapture” (1999), “Fervor” (2000) – which thematically continues the photographic series focused on the antithesis of male and female in traditional Islamic society. Shirin Neshat herself defined the specificity of her art most precisely: “In a certain sense, my works offer a very realistic image of our societies, our culture, our religion, our politics. But at the same time they contain emotional and mystical levels that reveal another stratum – the idea of poetry and beauty that has been underestimated for many years.” //www.caam.net
ITALY
Exhibition of Lorenzo Monaco, until September 24, Florence. A large exhibition of the monk-painter Lorenzo Monaco (1370-1425) has opened at the Accademia Gallery in Florence. The reconstruction of his early work (the San Gaggio Altarpiece, the Agony in the Garden) is based on stylistic analogies with his later works. Lorenzo Monaco’s subsequent altarpieces (the Coronation of the Virgin, the Monteoliveto Altarpiece) reflect the evolution of his style, brought about by the artist’s acquaintance with International Gothic art. Unrealistically winding lines, drama, vivid and contrasting colors, and the arbitrary play of light in the folds of garments are heightened by a psychologism that gives the faces deep spiritual significance. The late period of Lorenzo Monaco’s work is marked by a gradual complication of his artistic language and the search for new plastic and spatial solutions (the Adoration of the Magi, the Annunciation). //www.polomuseale.firenze.it
Exhibition “Venetian Prints,” until November 6, Venice. The famous museum Ca’ Rezzonico is hosting a thematic exhibition devoted to the views and customs of 18th-century Venice, captured in engravings and etchings by Antonio Canaletto (1697-1768) and Giambattista Brustolon (1712-1796). The exhibition includes architectural capriccios combining fiction and reality, and scenes of city life that attracted numerous travelers with their singularity. The city is reflected in the still waters of the canals, and reality acquires a shade of whimsical play, spectacle, and instability so characteristic of the Venetian perception. Visitors will certainly be curious to compare their own vision and perception of the city with the vision and understanding of Venice held by artists of the 18th century. //www.museiciviciveneziani.it
FINLAND
Contemporary Art Exhibition ARS 06, until August 27, Helsinki. The Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, which opened in 1998 and is now the most visited in Finland, is holding a major international exhibition, ARS 06. This was a conceptually important decision – to hold a kind of review of contemporary art in all genres and directions in a building that is itself an object of contemporary art. The exhibition features more than one hundred works by a wide variety of artists from 24 countries around the world. //www.typo.kiasma.fi
FRANCE
Festival of Graphics and Posters, until June 25, Chaumont. The festival will showcase works by the best designers from around the world. It is worth noting that all posters presented were created no earlier than January 1, 2001. Their themes are highly diverse, ranging from cultural and social to political and advertising. The exhibition is aimed at a young audience. //www.ville-chaumont.fr
Exhibition “American Artists and the Louvre,” until September 18, Paris. The Louvre Museum and the Terra Foundation for American Art have prepared a joint exhibition of American artists, presenting paintings from the late 18th to the mid-20th century. The general idea of the exhibition is the influence of artworks collected at the Louvre on young American artists, for whom the Paris museum was a kind of art academy. The exhibition brings together paintings by Benjamin West, who is regarded as the father of American painting, George Catlin, Edward Hopper, James Whistler, and other American artists. //www.louvre.fr
CZECH REPUBLIC
Exhibition of Abstract Artists, until October 1, Prague. The Prague City Gallery (the House of the Golden Ring) is hosting an exhibition that will present works by Czech abstract artists of the first half of the 20th century. Having emerged as one of many artistic trends, abstractionism after 1920 becomes an increasingly significant phenomenon and influences architecture, design, and decoration. The exhibition includes abstract paintings and design works grouped into three sections: “Abstraction and Music,” “Geometric Abstraction,” and “Abstraction and Esoterica.” //www.ghmp.cz
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