Brancusi, Rosso, Man Ray
Framing Sculpture
8 February–11 May 2014
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
Museumpark 18-20
NL-3015 CX Rotterdam
The Netherlands
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 11am–5pm
In the spring of 2014 Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, brings together works from all over the world by three artists who were decisive for the development of modern art. This is the first exhibition to combine sculptures by Brancusi, Rosso and Man Ray together with their photographs, affording a unique insight into the artists’ working methods. The exhibition shows how even at the beginning of the twentieth century these three artists were preoccupied, each in his own way, with themes of representation and manipulation: themes that are now considered crucial in the understanding of the present days.
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen will be exhibiting more than forty sculptures and hundred vintage photographs by Constantin Brancusi (Hobita 1876–Paris 1957), Medardo Rosso (Turin 1858–Milan 1928) and Man Ray (Philadelphia 1890–Paris 1976). Active in Paris at the beginning of the twentieth century, the sculptors Rosso and Brancusi and the multi-faceted Man Ray explored the possibilities of photography to record their own work. In distinct ways, each of these artists altered the appearance of their sculptures through a surprising mise-en-scène, dramatic lighting, or manipulation of the prints. Presenting the sculptures together with the artists’ photographs reveals their often-surprising perspectives on their own works. These photographs show how Brancusi, Rosso and Man Ray interpreted their sculptures and how they wanted them to be seen by others.
The exhibition has been made possible through the long-standing relationships Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has developed with other museums which hold in their collection important works by the three artists, including Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition will feature as many as eighteen sculptures by Brancusi, including L’oiseau dans l’espace (Bird in space, 1915–1916) and Colonne sans fin (Endless Column, 1918). Sixteen sculptures by Rosso will be on view, including Ecce Puer (Sick Child, 1906) alongside works by Man Ray from the museum’s collection, such as the sculpture L’Énigme d’Isidore Ducasse (The Riddle of Isidore Ducasse, 1920/1971).
Interactive spaces, catalogue and video
Three interactive spaces in the exhibition offer the public an opportunity to experiment with photography and representation. A lavishly illustrated catalogue, compiled by the curators Peter van der Coelen and Francesco Stocchi, will be available from the museum shop and via webshop.boijmans.nl. An introductory video will be posted on the online video channel ARTtube.nl.
*Clockwise from top left: Constantin Brancusi, La Muse endormie (Sleeping Muse), 1910. Arthur Jerome Eddy Memorial Collection. The Art Institute of Chicago. © 2013 c/o Pictoright Amsterdam. Medardo Rosso, Enfant malade (Sick Child), c. 1909. Private collection. Man Ray, Noire et blanche (Black and white), 1926. © Man Ray Trust / ADAGP – PICTORIGHT / Telimage – 2013. Design: Thonik.
