Alechinsky, Appel and Jorn at Essl Museum, Vienna, Austria, 23 Jan - 16 Aug

Exhibition Description:

The Essl Collection will be presenting, for the first time, 60 works by Pierre Alechinsky, Karel Appel, and Asger Jorn from it's own holdings. The three artists were among the protagonists of the CoBrA group (1948-1951) whose revolutionary concepts kept informing art after 1945 and beyond the group's own lifetime.

The museum has taken the 60th anniversary of the founding of CoBrA as an occasion for this exhibition which was designed by the curator Rudi Fuchs with knowledgeable sensitivity, tracing the artistic development of Jorn, Appel, and Alechinsky over seven decades.

At the same time, the exhibition illustrates the special relationship of the collector couple Agnes and Karlheinz Essl's enthusiasm and passion for the works of the three artists. Today, the Essl Collection possesses significant bodies of works by these artists from different stages of their careers.

The Dutch artists Karel Appel and Asger Jorn from Denmark were among the artists who put their signature under the founding manifesto of CoBrA in a café in Paris. They were joined one year later by the Brussels-based painter Pierre Alechinsky.

The movement's name was derived from the initial letters of the three capital cities Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam. It's particular characteristics were the experimental gestural painting style and their free-handed work with bright colors that had a decisive formative influence on the art of subsequent generations.

The exhibition concept is based on the idea of bringing out both commonalities and differences in the works of the three artists. What all three have in common as painters is "the search for freedom of hand and brush" describes Fuchs.

In each exhibition space, paintings by two or three of the artists are set in dialogue with one another. In total, there are about 30 works - paintings from five decades and three assemblages - that provide an insight into the oeuvre of Karel Appel. Then Asper Jorn is represented with early works from the 1940s, pieces from his time with CoBrA, and some of his later paintings. While twelve works, mostly acrylic paintings, are shown from Pierre Alechinsky. Some of these paintings that were originally made on paper and later mounted on canvas were never shown before and come directly from the artist's studio.

Partners of the Essl Museum: bauMax AG / Café + Co International Holding / Donau Versicherungs-AG - Vienna Insurance Group / Siemens AG Österreich / Telekom Austria AG

Media partners: Ö1 / Die Presse

Description:

Image: Courtesy Essl Museum

Full Contact Details:

ESSL MUSEUM - Contemporary Art
An der Donau-Au 1, A-3400 Vienna / Klosterneuburg / Austria
phone: +43 (0)2243 370 50 150
Opening hours
Tue - Sun 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Wed 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.