Tentoonstellingen Archive - Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst

Archives: Tentoonstellingen

Cobra 75: Danish modern art

vrijdag 27 jan 2023 t/m zondag 14 mei 2023

Deel:

The anniversary programme Cobra 75  kicks off with a triptych of Danish modern art.

Egill Jacobsen, Rød maske, 1943, olieverf op doek, 85 x 65 cm, collectie Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst Amstelveen, c/o Pictoright 2022

We Kiss the Earth
Danish modern art 1934-1948Exhibition
27 January – 14 May 2023

The anniversary year of Cobra 75 kicks off with a triptych of Danish modern art. The Danish artists who founded Cobra in 1948 had a great influence on the much younger Dutch and Belgian Cobra members. Developments in Danish modern art from the 1930s and 1940s take centre stage with themes such as sexual freedom, politics, provocation, experimentation and spontaneity. These developments would later have such a profound influence on Cobra. This is the first large survey outside Denmark that presents around 100 masterpieces by more than 25 artists. 

Sonja Ferlov & Ernest Mancoba
Exhibition
27 January – 14 May 2023

A presentation on the artist couple Sonja Ferlov (Denmark) and Ernest Mancoba (South Africa) complements this retrospective. Both were involved in founding the Cobra movement in Denmark. Their interracial relationship was unique at the time. They each had their own international artistic practice. In 2019, Centre Pompidou presented two major retrospectives of their oeuvre; a selection will be exhibited in Amstelveen. 

Ovartaci, Den kinesiske formel

Becoming Ovartaci
The liberating lives of Ovartaci
Exhibition
27 January – 14 May 2023

Ovartaci’s intriguing work forms the final part of the Danish triptych. Ovartaci – born Louis Marcussen – spent most of her life in a psychiatric hospital. Transformation is the central theme in her life and work. The exhibition of paintings, drawings and sculptures is an ode to the imagination and inspiration of this Danish artist who died in 1985 at the age of 91.

Anton Corbijn – MOØDe

vrijdag 20 okt 2023 t/m zondag 28 jan 2024

Deel:

In MOØDe, photographer and filmmaker Anton Corbijn presents photographs from his extensive oeuvre in which he explores the crossover between photography and the world of fashion – in the broadest sense of the word. The exhibition, previously on show in Belgium, contains around 200 photographs, including the now iconic portraits Corbijn made of Kate Moss, Tom Waits, Alexander McQueen and Naomi Campbell.

SUPREME new york 2017 ©anton corbijn

Picasso – Back to the Origin

vrijdag 2 jun 2023 t/m zondag 17 sep 2023

Deel:

The year 2023 also marks the 50th anniversary of the death of one of the most famous artists of the 20th century and this will be widely commemorated in France and Spain. The Cobra Museum is also dedicating a special exhibition to Picasso.

Pablo Picasso, Gezicht met groene neus, 1968 met dank aan Expona

In his career, Picasso always returned to his childhood and his cultural background, in which dance and theatre played a major role. Moreover, he was a source of inspiration for many Cobra artists. “Every child is an artist” is one of his most famous statements. This careful selection of drawings, ceramics and etchings shows the hand of the master who was never afraid to experiment.

Visions from Ukraine

donderdag 29 sep 2022 t/m zondag 30 okt 2022

Deel:

Location: Cobra Cafe, Sandbergplein 1 Amstelveen
Free entrance: the Cobra Cafe is open from Tuesday – Sunday, 10.00 – 17.00 hrs

The Cobra Museum for Modern Art and the Ukrainian School Dzherelo in Amstelveen present: Visions from Ukraine – exhibition of Ukrainian Posters 

Together with Dzherelo, the Ukrainian School in Amstelveen, the Cobra Museum for Modern Art organizes an exhibition of posters, created by illustrators from the Ukrainian collective Pictoric.  Pictoric brings together a broad community of Ukrainian artist, ranging from graphic designers to famous children’s books illustrators. Since the start of the war, they comment on the situation in their country through their illustrations, but they also aim to show the pride, strength and hope of the Ukrainian people with their work. A selection of these images will be on display at the Cobra Cafe from September 29 until October 30.  

Ukrainian School & The Cobra Museum
The Cobra Museum and the Ukrainian School Dzherelo join together to present an exhibition in Amstelveen that reflects the current situation in Ukraine as perceived by the Ukrainians themselves. The Ukrainian School Dzherelo (Source), located at the Doctor Schaepmanlaan, has been a meeting place for the Ukrainian community in Amstelveen, Amsterdam and the region for years. Every Sunday children learn about the Ukrainian language and culture at the school. Art also forms a considerable part of the curriculum. Since the beginning of the war and the arrival of Ukrainian refugees to the Netherlands, the importance of Dzherelo has only increased.  

Pictoric
The posters of the Ukrainian illustrator collective Pictoric were already on display in different places in the world; in New York, Ottawa, Paris, Florence and Utrecht, in places like museums, libraries or on the streets. Some illustrators from the collective still work from Ukraine, but some of them had to flee their country and now work from different places. From the establishment in 2014 the illustrators from Pictoric find their inspiration in the contemporary Ukrainian culture and daily life. The collective already took part in various national and international projects.  

Posters for sale 
We offer the option of purchasing a poster from the exhibition for € 30,-. For more information and placing an order, please contact Marina Starik from Dzherelo: marina.starik@gmail.com. Posters will be posted directly to you. All proceeds will be equally divided between Pictoric, Dzherelo and Stichting Oekraïners in Nederland.

The biggest damage Ukraine gets from air and missile strikes of russian army. Only with the support of Europe, it is possible to protect the Ukrainian sky and save hundreds of innocent lives.

Cobra 75: Freedom without Borders 

vrijdag 2 jun 2023 t/m zondag 8 okt 2023

Deel:

In 2023, the Cobra Museum in Amstelveen will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the international Cobra movement (1948 – 1951) by bringing together the work of Appel, Constant, Corneille and Jorn with that of Picasso, Beckmann, Basquiat, Munch and contemporary artists such as Jonathan Meese and Cecily Brown. 

Karel Appel, Le Regard, 1950, loan Collection ABN AMRO ©Pictoright 2022

It shows the universal character of Cobra and its close kinship with the free, expressive working methods of artists throughout the years. With around 150 paintings, sculptures, works on paper, photographs and ceramics, the public is invited to compare the work of a large number of Cobra artists and find connections with related earlier, contemporaneous or later artists.   

Cosmogony

vrijdag 7 okt 2022 t/m zondag 8 jan 2023

Deel:

Zinsou, an African Art Collection

This year the Cobra Museum has a special focus on art from different parts of Africa. In doing so, we follow the example of a number of Cobra artists in their fascination for African art. In the autumn we present the exhibition Cosmogony: Zinsou, an African Art Collection with a selection of 110 works of art by 37 African artists, from different countries and from different generations. The Cobra Museum supplements this imaginative exhibition with an original program of activities.

Emo de Medeiros, Surtenture #4 (… and the Dreams of Thunder Permeate the String of Inflections)[Overspanning #4 (… en de dromen van donder doordringen de keten van verbuigingen)], 2015, Zinsou Collection, courtesy of the artist c/o Pictoright 2022
On the occasion of an African-French conference in Montpellier in 2021, dedicated to culture, creativity and innovation, MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporary in the exhibition Cosmogonies: Zinsou, une collection africaine, where a large part of the Zinsou art collection was shown for the first time in Europe. The selection of artworks, consisting of sculptures, photography, paintings and installations, was presented around the theme of ‘Cosmogony’ and refers to the study of the creation of the cosmos. This concept has led to several themes in this exhibition: ‘Alphabet and Codes’, ‘Identity and Memory’,  ‘Life As It Comes’, ‘Pose and Staging ‘, ‘Critical Reflection’, ‘Mythology and Symbols’ and ‘Metamorphoses’. Exhibiting this collection in this context has been done with the desire to raise awareness among people of the vibrant contemporary art scene that is present all over the African continent. In addition to internationally recognized names such as Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, Cyprien Tokoudagba, Mallick Sidibé, Chéri Samba and Zanele Muholi, they also came into contact with young talent, giving them a better idea of ​​the modern influences that shape the contemporary experience alongside cultural traditions. in Africa.

Zanele Muholi, Mizuzu Parkttown JHB, 2019, Zinsou Collection, courtesy Galerie Carole Kvasnevski & Muholi Productions © Zanele Muholi

Building on the intention of MO.CO Montpellier, the Cobra Museum also wants to introduce the Dutch public to this African art collection, whose works not only all come from Africa, but the collection itself was created in Benin. The exhibition provides the Zinsou Foundation with a platform to present part of their special collection on an international scale, and the Dutch public is given the exceptional opportunity to get to know the contemporary African art world in depth. The Cobra Museum welcomes this treasure chest of contemporary African art and hopes that it can make a substantial contribution to broadening and diversifying the art offered in Dutch museums.

Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Untitled, 1987-1988 (Serie Bodies of Experience), Zinsou Collection, courtesy Autograph, London © Rotimi Fani-Kayode

Corneille 100

zondag 3 jul 2022 t/m zondag 20 nov 2022

Deel:

Corneille’s 100th birthday will be celebrated from 3 July 2022 onwards in the Cobra Museum. He started his artistry searching, looking at other artists and inspired by nature and people around him.

During the reconstruction, Corneille and his fellow Cobra artists focused on liberating art. It was time for new subjects, new materials and a new way of painting. Corneille painted spontaneously and improvising in which drawn lines grew into shapes and figures. He created an optimistic utopian world inhabited by cheerful fantasy figures.

A trip to the Hoggar Mountains in North Africa is a new source of inspiration. Corneille translates the dry, cracked landscape into increasingly abstract canvases with round shapes and a powerful interplay of lines in earthy tones. Corneille would make many inspiring journeys, which translated to the canvas, but Africa will be a lasting source of inspiration for him.

At the end of the sixties, the narrative character returned to Corneille’s work. With a poetic visual language he placed figuration, such as woman, bird and celestial bodies in a paradisiacal, colorful world. Using screen printing techniques, he reached countless Dutch households in the eighties and nineties in the form of cups, pens, ties, but also by means of a modified hot-air balloon and tram. This commercialization was frowned upon by the art world. For the many spectators, however, the recognizable and colorful character of Corneille’s work often served as an introduction to the same art world.

Corneille, Fete, 1962, langdurige bruikleen particuliere collectie, c/o Pictoright 2022

Collected for Amstelveen – the municipal art collection

zaterdag 2 jul 2022 t/m zondag 25 sep 2022

Deel:

The Cobra Museum of Modern Art and Museum JAN are showcasing the art treasures of the Municipality of Amstelveen in the exhibition Collected for Amstelveen – the municipal art collection. Over the past seventy years, the municipality has assembled a leading collection of visual arts. This versatile collection is now presented to the public for the first time and is free of charge for all residents of Amstelveen.

The municipal art collection
Around 1955, the town council of Amstelveen started to collect visual art, initially without a specific purchasing policy. The choice of particular works or artists depended heavily on the available budget and the administrators involved. The town council commissioned or bought directly from artists, galleries and the former exhibition centre Aemstelle. A lot of cutting-edge art has been collected in the past seventy years, which the Amstelveen museums are now eager to present.

Exhibition in the Cobra Museum of Modern Art
The Cobra Museum of Modern Art is showing a selection of works from the depots of the municipality of Amstelveen. Nationally as well as regionally acclaimed artists are represented in this selection: ranging from Eugène Brands to Jaap Egmond and from Melanie Bonajo to Gerard Schäperkötter. These commissioned, purchased and donated works of art – dating from the 1960s to the present – provide an insight into the municipal art policy.

The Cobra Museum also shows a contemporary reflection on the municipal art collection. Johannes Verwoerd Studio has created a digital depot by means of augmented reality in which you can see the artworks from the collection that are not on display.

Exhibition in Museum JAN
Museum JAN shows a selection from the so-called Topographic Atlas. From 1958 onwards, the town council commissioned artists to record the changing landscape in and around Amstelveen. This resulted in a collection of watercolours, drawings, photographs and some paintings. The exhibition in Museum JAN also features three new works by contemporary artists who responded to the Amstelveen landscape in a contemporary manner.

Humanity’s End as a New Beginning

zaterdag 19 mrt 2022 t/m zondag 19 jun 2022

Deel:

From 20 March, the Cobra Museum will present the exhibition Humanity’s End as a New Beginning in collaboration with the Amstelveen publishing house Leporello. Thirty watercolours by Japanese-American artist Yuriko Fujita Yamaguchi, painted to accompany an extraordinary collection of myths from all over the world, are on display in the Voordrachtszaal. These old stories, compiled by professor emeritus Mineke Schipper from Amstelveen, each give their vision of what the end of the world might look like, but also of how this could lead to a new beginning.

Yuriko Fujita Yamaguchi, Oceania Punishment Rescue, 201

The end and a new beginning
The end of humanity has fascinated storytellers for thousands of years. Myths show us how people from different places and different times imagined how the world would come to an end. In her paintings, Yuriko Yamaguchi depicts the well-known story of the Deluge, but she also shows how, in a Hindu tale, a fire sets the whole earth ablaze, or how, in a Chinese Han myth, the sky collapses in a catastrophic event. Some stories remind us that humankind has been wiped out before and how life started all over again. In a Japanese myth, the gods actually manage to prevent our End.

Several works in the exhibition are inspired by the dreadful future that awaits us if we do not radically change our behaviour. In light of the alarming levels of pollution and global warming, but also with the current Covid pandemic in mind, Yuriko Yamaguchi’s works have an urgent message: save our fragile and unique planet. It is high time for a new beginning. Now.

Special collaboration
Visual artist Yuriko Yamaguchi and writer and professor emeritus of intercultural literature Mineke Schipper met in Italy at a residency for researchers and artists. There, they decided to join forces. The myths about the end of the world that Schipper collected inspired Yamaguchi to make thirty watercolours. Publisher Leporello has brought their work together in the book Humanity’s End as a New Beginning.

Yuriko Yamaguchi (Japan, 1948) is a painter and sculptor. Her work is exhibited in various museums and galleries in the US, Japan and Europe. She has also been commissioned to make works for public spaces, for example at Washington Dulles Airport.

Dr Mineke Schipper has published academic works, literary essays and novels. A few much-translated titles are Never Marry a Woman with Big Feet, Hills of Paradise, and Naked or Covered.

The special collaboration between Yamaguchi and Schipper already led to an exhibition in Japan in 2018. The work was also shown in the US and in the Dutch city of Leiden.

Cobra and North Africa

zaterdag 12 mrt 2022 t/m zondag 20 nov 2022

Deel:

Several artists of the Cobra movement sought inspiration for their work and philosophy in art from outside Europe, including from North Africa. The exhibition ‘Cobra and North Africa’ shows work from the museum collection by the artists who, through travel or in other ways, came into contact with the art, culture and people of North African countries such as Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

After the Second World War, the Dutch, Danish and Belgian artists of the Cobra movement first came into contact with non-European art in museums. The Rijksmuseum exhibited ethnographic collections, for example, and Pablo Picasso’s paintings, based on his collection of African masks, found their way into museums of modern art. These images and paintings had a strong influence on some of the Cobra artists. Several of them felt the urge to see more of the world. Sometimes out of a sincere, deeper interest in other parts of the world, and sometimes with completely unrealistic expectations, artists such as Asger Jorn, Corneille and Anton Rooskens travelled to parts of North Africa. Asger Jorn, among others, even decided to live there for a longer period of time.

The artists used their travel impressions for their paintings, sculptures and written works. While one tried to capture the impressions of the landscape on canvas, being in an environment and culture different from those of Western Europe helped the other to refine his ideas and philosophy on art.

Anton Rooskens, Afrika Symbolen, 1958, C/o Pictoright Amsterdam