“Paris is always a good idea,” Audrey Hepburn is said to have said. The Kunsthalle Würth must have thought the same and brought Paris to idyllic Schwäbisch Hall without further ado. The exhibition “From Henri Matisse to Louise Bourgeois” with masterpieces from the Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris is currently on display […]
“Paris is always a good idea,” Audrey Hepburn is said to have said. The Kunsthalle Würth must have thought the same and brought Paris to idyllic Schwäbisch Hall without further ado. The exhibition “From Henri Matisse to Louise Bourgeois” with masterpieces from the Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris is currently on display there (until mid-September 2019). The Parisian museum was extraordinarily generous and provided a wonderful overview of French art from the 20th and 21st centuries. A real feast for the eyes.
The works on loan from Paris can fully unfold their potential in the spacious rooms of Kunsthalle Würth. Some of the works on loan, such as a giant format by Robert Delaunay or the early paintings by Bernard Buffet, long derided by the art world as a kitsch painter, seem as if they were made for the rooms in which they are now on display. Buffet’s “Femme au filet” from 1948, for example, invites a reassessment of the much-maligned artist. On display are classic panel paintings, assemblages, readymades and sculptures by 101 artists from the years 1901 to 2013. With Hans Arp, Daniel Buren, Alexander Calder, Marino Marini, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely and others, the list of artists reads like a who’s who of international modernism. The fact that, despite the abundance of works, some of which take up so much space, the result is a journey through time that is as precise as it is impressive is thanks to the curators of both institutions: the Kunsthalle and the Paris Museum. Robert Delaunay’s Eiffel Tower from 1926 is the emblem of the exhibition and to a certain extent stands for the Parisian attitude to life. Delaunay’s view of the Eiffel Tower from above and its capped top represents a new perspective on the city. The exhibition is divided into chronological blocks. The Fauves, the young savages around Matisse, André Derain and Raoul Dufy are represented with colorful, glowing pictures. The heavy bronze “Composition” by Otto Freundlich, created in 1911 and the first ever abstract work in Paris, undoubtedly posed very special challenges in terms of transport logistics. One room is dedicated to Nouveau Réalisme artists such as Arman, Daniel Spoerri, Jacques Villeglé and Yves Klein. Villeglé, who belongs to the affichistes, the so-called poster tear-off artists, is represented with his large-format “19.03.1965 Motorcycle, Avenue Ledru-Rollin”. Klein with the sculpture “Blue Venus”, which was created in 1960 as part of one of his legendary body painting performances. The almost six and a half meter high spider made of bronze and steel by Louise Bourgeois, born in Paris in 1911 and died in New York in 2010, is an absolute eye-catcher. There is also an important work by Annette Messager on display: “Dooomestic” is an ensemble of fabric beads and fabric figures that alludes to the domestication of wild animals and the term “doom”, the English word for doom. After the Berlin National Gallery, London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, the Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris is now a guest at Kunsthalle Würth with 200 masterpieces by 101 artists.
But what did the curators, art registrars, restorers, logistics, etc. do in detail? The exhibition certainly presented the museum with major logistical challenges. What measures were taken to ensure the safe transportation of the works? How were the works of art selected and the rooms designed, each of which is dedicated to a particular group of artists or style? What challenges arose during the installation and hanging of the objects? RESTAURO spoke to Sylvia Weber, Head of Art and Culture at the Würth Group.
RESTAURO: Who came up with the idea for the collaboration with the Paris museum? Were there any previous contacts between the two museums?
Sylvia Weber: The initial spark for the exhibition “From Henri Matisse to Louise Bourgeois” came from Prof. Dr. h. c. Reinhold Würth, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group’s Family Trusts, and Fabrice Hergott, Director of the Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, who has been a member of the Würth Group’s Art Advisory Board since 2005.
What was the timing of the exhibition? When were the first preliminary talks held?
We met for the first preliminary talks almost two years before the opening. From then on, the work of the curators, project managers, registrars, restorers, art transporters, scenographers, art mediators, event managers, public relations staff, editors, translators, graphic designers and printers interlocked step by step – an expert team of over fifty professionals got to work before we were able to celebrate the vernissage.
Were there any objects that posed particular challenges for the transport company in terms of packaging?
Sylvia Weber: All our exhibitions are moved by certified art shippers Transporting art is always an art. Every object requires the utmost care to protect it from moisture, impact and temperature fluctuations during transportation. Karl Valentin is credited with the bon mot “Art is beautiful, but it’s a lot of work” – this is all the more true when it travels hundreds of kilometers. Sculptures can be put on too hard, surfaces can be scratched or rubbed, canvases can warp and tear, paint particles can fall off. If not handled properly, all the packaging is of no use. But of course, art sometimes has to embark on the adventure of travel so that it can meet a new audience.
How was the safety of the objects ensured during transportation?
The top priority is: Handle with care! Careful, art! Air conditioning and air suspension in vehicles are now standard for all art transportation. In addition, the dimensions, the weight, the fragility of the artwork and the transport route determine what special protection an object needs – Tyvek and bubble wrap are almost always used before a painting is placed in the climate-controlled crates fitted with thick foam, where it is then enthroned like a princess in a sedan chair.
Read more in RESTAURO 6/2019. This special issue is dedicated to the topic of art handling, www.restauro.de/shop.
