Through this Summer three of the most enduring and classical genres of art history met in the Louisiana West Wing. Showcasing the span of the museum collection and the wealth and variety in which the themes of landscape, still life and portrait have been – and still are – interpreted artistically. Works by Léger, Picasso, Avedon, Warhol, Kirkeby, Demand, Doig, Dubuffet and many more.
This thematic hanging of works from the Louisiana collection turned the focus on three classical art-historical genres, steeped in tradition: Landscape, Still Life and Portrait. Three genres that have been cultivated over time with different intensities and varieties of expression – and that have not in any way been relegated to past history. On the contrary these genres are constantly reinvented and given new meaning.
Through a selection of samples the exhibition presented different artistic positions that reinterpret the classic subjects of the genres. In time they range from early Danish modernism – the historical foundation of the Louisiana collection – to international contemporary art; besides the more traditional media painting and sculpture, the exhibition featured more recently recognized media such as photography and video.
Changing presentations
Louisiana’s collection comprises a good 4000 works, mainly from the period 1945 until today. The collection forms the core of the museum’s activities and provides background resonance for its special exhibitions. It is growing continuously, and when a work is incorporated in the collection it becomes a part of Louisiana’s DNA and the Danish cultural heritage.
At Louisiana we show selected works from our collection in changing and varied presentations. This allows for new and unexpected juxtapositions as well as different focuses – the changes in meaning that take place when works meet across genres, periods and styles, and cross-fertilize our views of them. In this way the museum’s guests have the opportunity to discover and rediscover works from the collection anew.
