Fly Me to the Moon

The Museum der Moderne Salzburg mounts a grand exhibition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing—an event that, more than any other before it, changed humanity’s relationship with its environment.

Fly Me to the Moon. The Lunar Landing: 50 Years Later will whisk the Museum der Moderne Salzburg’s visitors off on a fantastic voyage into the rich history of creative engagements with the moon. The show’s narrative arc is anchored by the titular lunar landing half a century ago, the first time a human set foot on the moon, framed by excursions into the histories of science and art and an examination of the wide-ranging consequences of this watershed event. Around 280 exhibits, from copperplate prints and paintings to photographs, works of video art, and multimedia installations, reflect the diverse—scientific, artistic, philosophical, and utopian—meanings that the moon has held for humans. The majority of the works date from the 20th and 21st centuries; many come from the outstanding collection of our cooperation partner the Kunsthaus Zürich, complemented by loans from other institutions and a selection from the Museum der Moderne Salzburg’s own holdings.

The tour opens with a chapter of the exhibition dedicated to the moon’s significance in history, from Galileo Galilei to classic modernism. The works on view in this section date from a time when taking a stroll on the moon’s surface was no more than a wishful fantasy. Technical achievements such as the telescope at least made it possible to subject the Earth’s satellite to detailed observation, as numerous works of art attest. The exhibition’s second chapter is devoted to the epoch-making event of July 20, 1969, and the political and technological developments that led up to it. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union had successfully launched Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite, into orbit, provoking the so-called “Sputnik shock” in the West and triggering what became known as the space race with the United States. As Fly Me to the Moon illustrates, both political systems’ space programs were flanked by extensive propaganda campaigns that resonated in visual art. The third and final chapter turns the spotlight on the lunar landing’s aftereffects, scrutinizing the figure of the astronaut as a model of masculinity, while a special display on “Afronauts” showcases the geographical diversity of lunar and space programs.

The exhibition is made possible by the generosity of numerous lenders, including the Ekaterina Cultural Foundation, Moscow; the Berliner Sparkasse; the Bröhan-Museum Berlin, Landesmuseum für Jugendstil, Art Deco und Funktionalismus; the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen/Basel; the Tate, London; the UBS Art Collection, Zurich; the Zabludowicz Collection, London; the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek; several private collectors; and the Kunsthaus Zürich.

With works by Darren Almond, Kader Attia, Hans Baluschek, Nuotama Frances Bodomo, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Robert Delauny, Cristina de Middel, Vladimir Dubossarsky & Alexander Vinogradov, Max Ernst, Nir Evron, Sylvie Fleury, Lucio Fontana, Johann Heinrich Füssli, Hannah Höch, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Kiki Kogelnik, David Lamelas, Fritz Lang, Lena Lapschina, Sonia Leimer, Zilla Leutenegger, René Magritte, Georges Méliès, Pierre Mennel, Jyoti Mistry, Gianni Motti, Edvard Munch, Amalia Pica, Robert Rauschenberg, Werner Reiterer, Thomas Riess, Pipilotti Rist, Michael Sailstorfer, Niki de Saint Phalle, Tom Sachs, Roman Signer, Yinka Shonibare, Andrei Sokolov, Nedko Solakov, Andy Warhol, Nives Widauer and others.

The exhibition is supported by Pro Helvetia—Swiss Arts Council and accompanied by a publication released by Snoeck Verlag.

In cooperation with the Kunsthaus Zürich
Conception: Cathérine Hug, Kunsthaus Zürich
Curators, Museum der Moderne Salzburg: Thorsten Sadowsky with Christina Penetsdorfer and Tina Teufel