UTOPIA 1900-1940. Visions of a New World
Tuesday September 10 2013
As of 22 September, Leiden’s Museum De Lakenhal will fully focus on reformation. Works by famous artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Kazimir Malevich and Franz Marc will exemplify the revolutionary ideals of expressionists and constructivists: the two major avant-garde movements at the dawn of the 20th century. The exhibition ‘UTOPIA 1900-1940. Visions of a New World’ comprises international contributions which display the two movements in a radically original coherent setting.
Impressive names
International loans, many of which have not been on display to the public before, render UTOPIA a unique exhibition. In a broad scope of visual arts, film, architecture, dance, theatre, design, and photography many impressive names take the stage, including: Max Pechstein, Fernand Léger, Theo van Doesburg, El Lissitzky and Bruno Taut. UTOPIA is the sequel to the successful exhibition ‘Theo van Doesburg and the international Avant-Garde’, hosted by Museum De Lakenhal in 2009-2010 in cooperation with Tate Modern in London. It was elected one of the top exhibitions of the year by Artforum magazine.
New Man in a New Society
The avant-gardists felt they stood on the brink of a new era. They wished to achieve their aims by developing a utopian concept for a New Man in a New Society in a convincing and radical manner. This comprehensive concept comprised the arts, architecture and design: artists would design life from teaspoons to skyscrapers with the aim to better society. Nevertheless, expressionists and constructivists had diametrically opposed views: expressionism was focussed on personal freedom, individuals that literally exposed themselves, in particular emotionally. Constructivism envisaged individuals as part of a grand scheme, and standardisation and universality were its main cornerstones.
Special discoveries
A comprehensive utopian perception is evocated with optimum effect in the complete works of Wenzel Hablik. This neglected artist of the Hamburg art scene in those days designed interiors, jewellery, fabrics, paintings, artefacts and utensils in great detail. As such, Hablik created a universe of his own. His work will now be shown for the first time in the Netherlands at UTOPIA. The same applies to the expressionist ‘body masks’ of dance couple Lavinia Schulz and Walter Holdt, which are just as impressive. In the early 20th century, the world of film and theatre also served up a totally new experience to its audiences; including impressive settings and costumes.
UTOPIA outside the museum’s walls
The power of idealistic imagination is not an exclusive focus of Museum De Lakenhal: the phenomena of utopia fans out widely by means of special collaborations and a varied side programme. This includes a screening of the early Russian science fiction movie Aelita(1924) combined with live music in Leidse Schouwburg (Leiden theatre) in cooperation with Leiden International Film Festival. The exhibition will be followed by an epilogue there too. As a prologue to UTOPIA, the museum will host activities during the new festival Night of the Arts & Knowledge on 14 September. Studium Generale | Leiden University will host a series of lectures and Galerie LUMC will present the exhibition ‘Living in Utopia’. The full programme is available at lakenhal.nl/utopia.
Publication
A richly illustrated catalogue in both a Dutch and an English version (red. Doris Wintgens Hötte) will be issued on the occasion of this exhibition by nai010 Uitgevers Rotterdam. It includes articles by: Prof. Christina Lodder, Dr. Gregor Langfeld, Drs. Doris Wintgens Hötte and Judit Bozsan, M.A. It will be available from September 2013. Ned | ISBN 978-94-6208-101-7 Eng | ISBN 978-94-6208-102-4
Patrons
‘UTOPIA 1900-1940. Visions of a New World’ will partly be enabled by financial support from: the Municipality of Leiden, BankGiroLoterij, Rijksdienst voor Cultureel Erfgoed, VSB fonds, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, Mondriaan fonds, SNS REAAL fonds, SRC cultuurvakanties and AON. With this exhibition, Museum De Lakenhal participates in the many cultural manifestation that have been organized in framework of the Netherlands-Russia Year 2013.