Thomas Schütte
Extended to 13 January 2013
In and around the Het Huis pavilion
by Robbrecht en Daem
Middelheim Museum
Middelheimlaan 61
2020 Antwerp – Belgium
T +32 (0)3 288 33 60
F +32 (0)3 288 33 99
middelheimmuseum [at] stad.antwerpen.be
Since its opening week in late May, 172,728 people have already visited the renovated Middelheim Museum. Due to its massive success, the Middelheim Museum is extending Thomas Schütte’s exhibition in Het Huis (The House) to 13 January 2013.
Thomas Schütte in Het Huis
The Middelheim Museum is constantly in motion, but in 2012, the Museum and its collection underwent a major metamorphosis. A renovation that people literally cannot ignore, Het Huis, designed by Robbrecht en Daem for the “Hortiflora,” the Nightingale Park’s flower garden, was added to the open-air museum.The steel, semi-open pavilion provides shelter for fragile works of art, without isolating them from their surroundings.
Paul Robbrecht and Menno Meewis invited leading German artist Thomas Schütte (1954, Germany) to inaugurate the pavilion. In Het Huis, Thomas Schütte brings together fragile glass and ceramic pieces from 1999 to 2011 that come into their own perfectly within the protective surrounds of the pavilion (see attachment 1: Thomas Schütte installation in Het Huis). It consists of figurative sculptures, or works that—just like the collectives Urnen (1999) or Kleine Glasgeister (2011)—refer to interpersonal relationships. They are often portraits or interpretations of the genre. Each and every one of the pieces are characterised by a remarkable sensitivity and intense use of colour, but even more so by an exceptional insight into the human condition. The crystal clear selection and extremely well thought-through installation, with hanging pedestals and display cases, guarantee a special fusion of the sculptures and the unique surroundings.
Catalogue
A catalogue was published in late July and takes the reader along during a walk through Het Huis and the exhibition. The book contains black & white images and colour photos by Kristien Daem and interviews with Paul Robbrecht and Thomas Schütte by Chris Dercon (director of the Tate Modern) and Julian Heynen (director of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen). The catalogue was published by Ludion and can be purchased in the museum shop or in bookstores.
Middelheim 2012
The Middelheim Museum is constantly in motion, but in 2012 the Museum and its collection underwent a major metamorphosis. The renovated Middelheim Museum reopened for the public on 26 and 27 May 2012. The metamorphosis was complete: the grounds of the museum were extended considerably and the museum infrastructure was modernised. For this, the Middelheim Museum worked in tandem with the guest curator, Paul Robbrecht (1950, Belgium).
Robbrecht and Daem built a semi-open pavilion, Het Huis (The House), which was inaugurated with a prestigious exhibition of the works of Thomas Schütte (1954, Germany). The entire Middelheim collection was revisited, and renowned artists such as Ai Weiwei (1957, China), Roman Signer (1938, Switzerland) and Philippe Van Snick (1946, Belgium) created new works custom-made for the museum. Until mid-January 2013 in the Braempaviljoen (Braem Pavilion), fashion designers Bernhard Willhelm (1972, Germany) and Jutta Kraus (1972, Germany) are displaying an initial selection of pieces of international importance from the Middelheim collection that are too fragile to be displayed outside.
The open-air museum is now organising three exhibitions each year. The epicentre of these exhibitions is Het Huis, though they may expand into the flower garden or even throughout the entire museum. The summer exhibition will remain the major attraction, though the spring and autumn exhibitions will also be important occasions featuring interesting projects from international contemporary artists. The Braempaviljoen will feature two collections each year. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover and rediscover pieces of international importance from the Middelheim collection. These are works that have been purchased especially for the Braempaviljoen or that are too fragile to be displayed outside.
Accessibility
Open from Tuesday through Sunday
Hours:
October to March from 10–5pm
April and September from 10–7pm
May and August from 10–8pm
June and July from 10–9pm
Closed on Monday, 1 November, 25 and 31 December
Entrance: free
