Highlights
Publications
MIDDELHEIM MUSEUM > The collection > Highlights
Highlights
A selection of highlights that you simply must not miss!
Balzac, Auguste Rodin (France)
B. Paris, 1840, d. Meudon, 1917
In 1891, Auguste Rodin was commissioned by the ‘Société des Gens de Lettres’ to create a ‘Monument to Balzac’ within a period of 18 months.
Crazy Violence, Rik Wouters (Belgium)
B. Mechelen, 1882, d. Amsterdam, 1916
Rik Wouters often depicted his wife Nel, who was his favourite model. He seldom portrayed her in so carefree and dynamic a manner as in this sculpture.
‘Polar Bear’, François Pompon (France)
B. Saulieu, 1855, d. Paris, 1933
This work marked François Pompon's first success at the Salon d’Automne in Paris. The Middelheim Museum own the third copy; the original is in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
‘King and Queen’, Henry Moore (United Kingdom)
B. Castleford, 1898, d. Much Hadham, 1986
‘The King and Queen group has no reference to present-day royalty, but rather to a very ancient idea of Royalty.’
The Dog, Alexander Calder (United States)
B. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1898. d. New York, New York, 1976
Although Calder was no beginner in 1958, having been close to Miró, Léger, Arp and Mondrian in his Paris period, it still proved to be a decisive year for the form of expression that he was to become the master of: the ‘stabiles’.
‘Two Figures for Middelheim’, Juan Muñoz (Spain)
B. Madrid, 1953, d. Ibiza, 2001
True to tradition, Juan Muñoz had his figures cast in bronze. While they are akin to human figures, the expressiveness of his sculptures differs dramatically from that of Rodin and others.
‘74 Weathering Way’, Carl Andre (United States)
B. Quincy, Massachusetts, 1935
This metal runner in the middle of the park is made up of no less than 74 identical steel plates. But the constant wear and tear that appear as a result of moisture and of members of the public walking up and down it, which is encouraged by the artist, have resulted in differences between the plates becoming visible.
‘Orbino’, Luc Deleu (Belgium)
B. Duffel, 1944
Luc Deleu has been working on container projects since 1983. His containers are ready-mades, industrially-manufactured steel boxes for transporting goods.
‘Belgian Funhouse’, Dan Graham (United States)
B. Urbana, Illinois, 1942
Dan Graham is an all-around artist who not only sculpts but is also a photographer, filmmaker and performance artist. His best known works are his outdoor pavilions containing glistening reflective plates of glass.
‘Beam Drop Antwerp’, Chris Burden (United States)
B. Boston, Massachusetts, 1946
The 2009 Chris Burden exhibition featured a spectacular opening during which spectators witnessed, live and close-up, the creation of his ‘Beam Drop Antwerp’.
‘Double Progression Vert et Blanc’, Jesús Rafael Soto (Venezuela)
B. Ciudad Bolívar, 1923, d. Paris, 2005
Soto has inserted reinforcing bars of ascending lengths into two concrete plates, creating forests of steel, one in white and one in green.
‘The Passage of the Hours’, Pedro Cabrita Reis (Portugal)
B. Lisbon, 1956
In close collaboration with the museum, Pedro Cabrita Reis created a new work entitled ‘The Passage of the Hours’. Measuring 8 x 8 x 24 metres, it is a construction in steel, brick, glass and fluorescent lamps.
‘Misconceivable’, Erwin Wurm (Austria)
B. Lisbon, 1956
The Middelheim Museum has purchased the Wear Me Out exhibition's key work by Erwin Wurm. The crooked boat, or ‘Misconceivable’ (2010), will be included in the museum’s permanent collection.
‘Yayoi’, Corey McCorkle (United States)
B. La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1969
With ‘Yayoi’, Corey McCorkle has emphatically chosen to create a minimal sculptural solution with a maximum of effect. The large reflective metal ball is based on 17th century French garden decorations.
‘Shouting is Breathing ’, Honoré d'O (Belgium)
B. Oudenaarde, 1961
The ‘Shouting Is Breathing ’ installation has a direct impact on its surroundings. An equal number of motors and bundles of wire hang from four different trees, two of which are artificial, with the wires connecting all the trees together through a widespread network.
Contact
Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions?