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Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Man Ray Exhibition at Millesgården

I had a mini-vacation last week and, as I stayed put in Stockholm, had some time to visit a few museums & restaurants. Top of my list was a visit to Millesgården to see their Man Ray exhibition (last day June 8th, 2014).
Man Ray (1890-1976) was a modernist artist who is probably best known for his photography... especially famous photographs like "Les Larmes" and "Le Violin d'Ingres". But he was also proficient in other media, such as film, sculpture, painting and drawing. Man Ray was one of the early stars of the modern art world and was a contributor to the Cubist, Dada and Surrealism movements throughout his career. This retrospective exhibition is small in size, but it does cover the three main periods of his life/career: New York, Paris and Hollywood. The exhibit also contains examples from all of the above mentioned fields of art, not just his photography.
While I wished that some of his more famous photographs were part of this exhibit, I did enjoy it and it was nice to see his paintings and drawings as well (I have always thought of him as only a photographer). Whether you are a Man Ray fan or not... a visit to Millesgården is highly recommended when visiting Stockholm. I did blog about Millesgården several years ago, but it is always good with a refresher.
Millesgården is both an art museum and a sculpture garden. Originally the home of Swedish sculptor Carl Milles, both his house and art studio are on the property and open for the public. The sculpture garden is filled with the beautiful work of Milles and is a fantstic place to wander around on a sunny day. A great place to take pictures... all photos here taken by me on my visit last week.
Millesgården is located on the island of Lidingö on the outskirts of the city... high up on a bluff with views over Finnhamnen port (where many cruise ships depart from). When describing how to get there from the Rival Hotel, I always have to assure hotel guests that it is much easier to get there than it sounds. It is first a short subway trip to Ropsten (7 stations on the red line). When exiting the subway station, follow signs for the busses... you need to take a bus over the Lidingö bridge to the museum. There are several busses to choose from (201, 202, 204, 205, 206 or the express 207). Sounds a little complicated, but the trip only takes about 35 minutes. There is a tram that you can also take from Ropsten to the museum, however it is currently being renovated and not expected to be in use again until 2015. More info.



AN art, museum
Wednesday, January 22, 2014

"Dance Machines: From Léger to Kraftwerk" at Moderna!

Yesterday I attended the opening of the new exhibition at Moderna Museet (modern art museum). Entitled "Dance Machines: From Léger to Kraftwerk", the exhibition is a look at the world's fascination for machinery and industrialization at the start of the 20th century and how it found its way into the art scene of the era.
To be honest, I was a little leery when I first heard the title a few months back. While I do love modern art, I sometimes have trouble with artists leaning a rake against a wall and calling it art. I thought perhaps the exhibit would be more literal and feature actual machines as art (perhaps dancing?). But this is not the case! I found the exhibit to be very interesting, presented well with some great objets d'art.
Do you see Venice?
Several forms of art are represented in the exhibition, including painting, sculpture, dance, music and cinema. The wide range of art media really gives you a feeling for how this fascination for machines and industrialization really permeated society on multiple levels. It really came into focus for me when I entered one room in the exhibition and saw a screening of Charlie Chaplin's classic movie "Modern Times"... which, I feel, really sums up this fascination.
Modern Times
Other featured artists in the exhibition include Fernand Léger, Francis Picabia, Ballets Suédois, Man Ray, Giacomo Balla and Marcel Duchamp among others. Another artist in the exhibition is the German electronic music band Kraftwerk. Included in the exhibition to show that this attraction to machines and industry continues to modern times, the Kraftwerk portion is made up of a 3D installation called "12345678" and celebrates man's relationship to machines, the digital era and robotics... all with Kraftwerk's music as the soundtrack. If you, like me, were alive in the 1980's, you probably remember their hits like "Autobahn", "The Model" and "Tour de France".

The above 2 pictures are from the Kraftwerk istallation.
If they look blurry it is because they are in 3D and my camera is not!
The exhibition continues until April 27th. The museum, one of my favorites in Stockholm, is located on the island of Skeppsholmen and, to get there from the Rival Hotel, you can either take the Djurgårds Ferry from Slussen (make sure you let them know that you wish to disembark at Skeppsholmen) or a 30 minute walk through Gamla Stan (a bridge connects the island to the downtown area). Click here for a list of other art exhibitions this season!

AN art, museum
Saturday, January 4, 2014

Winter Art Exhibitions

The holiday season is winding down and it is time to look forward and turn our attention to other matters! If you are travelling to Stockholm in the next few months then you have some great art exhibitions to look forward to. Here is a list of the largest art museums and galleries with their main exhibitions this season...

© All rights reserved
Photographer: Cecilia Heisser/Nationalmuseum ©Hans Gedda
Other good art galleries to check out are... Bonniers Konsthall, Sven-Harry's Konstmuseum, Hallwyl Museum and Magasin 3. If you are staying at the Rival Hotel and are looking for other types of museums or want more information about the museums/exhibitions listed above... contact me directly!
Man Ray 1960, foto: Christer Strömholm/BVS Strömholm

AN art, Museums
Saturday, November 30, 2013

Photography Exhibition with a Rival Twist

Photo by Daniel Lindberg
Photo by Daniel Lindberg
Photo by Daniel Lindberg
Not only is Daniel Lindberg one of the Rival Hotel's fantastic bartenders, he is also an accomplished photographer! He has had several successful showings in Stockholm, even here at the hotel, and is now rounding off 2013 with a small exhibition of some of his favorite pieces from previous exhibitions. The exhibition is called "This and That" (Ett och Annat) and contains photographs that all have a special meaning for Daniel, including some great images of Stockholm. The showing runs until December 10th and can be seen at Café Mariaberget on Blecktornsgränd 4, just a stone's throw from the hotel. The café is on the way to Monteliusvägen, that I've reported on earlier, with its great views of the city. Great combination... have an espresso at the café and admire his photographs before heading up to see the view. Then, in the evening, you can talk to Daniel as he mixes your cocktails in the Rival's Bar. You never know... you may be able to haggle a good deal on a photograph to take home with you! Café Mariaberget is open from 11am to 6pm on Tuesday through Friday, and 11am to 5pm on Saturday & Sunday.
Check out his website to learn more about Daniel and his work...
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AN art, cafe, tip
Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Stockholm International Film Festival (2013)

Today (November 6th) is the first day of the 24th annual Stockholm International Film Festival... 12 days of cinematic delights, awards and red carpet events. It really is too much to list out here in the blog, so I will just write an overview and you can click on the link above (or links below) for more information about the festival, movies, tickets and events.
Skandia. Photo by Emmanuel Castro Skött
"Freedom" is the theme of this year's festival and this will loosely tie in different aspects of the festival. Breaking it down in numbers, the festival is 12 days long and features 180 movies (from over 50 countries) being shown at 9 different venues throughout the city. More numbers? There will be 5 parties/events with themes as varied as LGBT, Horror and Bollywood. 18 prizes and scholarships will be awarded during the festival, including the Bronze Horse and Stockholm Visionary and Lifetime Achievement Awards.
The coveted Bronze Horse. Photo by Isa Olsson
Festival visitors have several options when it comes to tickets... whether purchasing a membership card or single tickets (in advance or at the theatre). Choosing between 180 movies to see might sound daunting. Luckily, the festival organizers have sorted the movies into different sections to make it easier for you to search for a favorite. Some sections are based on themes like Twilight Zone (horror) and American Independents (self explanatory?), others by competition/award while others by type, like documentaries. Movies are all in their original languages with, for the most part, subtitles in English. Click on the movie you are interested in (on the festival website) for more information about the movie including language and subtitle. If you are staying at the Rival Hotel and are interested in seeing a movie during your stay... come talk to me directly and I can help you navigate through the choices and tickets.
AN art, festival, movies
Tuesday, October 22, 2013

This Weekend!

Picture by: Alexander Dokukin

October 22nd, 23rd and 24th

Lots of little odds and ends going on this weekend... truly something for everyone.
  • It's the premiere this Saturday for the big autumn exhibition at Prince Eugene's Waldermarsudde art gallery. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Swedish painter Anders Zorn's birth... the gallery is putting on an exhibition of some of the painter's most important pieces. Take this oppurtunity to view some of the masterpieces of one of Sweden's foremost artists of all time. Click here for other art & museum exhibitions going on this weekend.
  • If comic book illustration is more your bag... then the Seriegalleriet art gallery is putting on an exhibition of Swedish artist Alvaro Tapia's original illustrations to the cult game of Dungeons & Dragons (starting on Saturday). Good news is that it is right around the corner from the Rival Hotel on St Paulsgatan 14.
  • The Nordic Museum (Nordiska Museet), starting Friday, is having an exhibition looking at the Dandy... looking both at the past and how, perhaps, a Dandy would look today.
  • And for something completely different: The celebrities' favorite Stockholm watering hole, nightclub Café Opera turns 30 years old! They will be celebrating their birthday all weekend long... who knows what can happen?
  • And speaking of bars, our very own Rival Cocktail & Bistro Bars got a great write up in the prestigious newspaper Dagens Nyheter. So if you don't feel like going out in the chilly weather, staying in with a delicious cocktail and doing some people watching might be a good idea!
The weather this weekend? Hovering around 0 degrees Celsius and cloudy.
AN alcohol, art, Museums, weekend
Sunday, October 20, 2013

New Fall Exhibition at the National Museum

I stopped by the National Museum today to see their new exhibition "Staging Power". Being the history buff that I am... I thoroughly enjoyed it! That being said, there is a lot there for art lovers as well. The exhibition looks at "the art of ruling through art" in the Napoleonic Era. It concentrates on three very similar (at the same time different) rulers of the era... Napoleon, Czar Alexander I of Russia and Carl-Johan of Sweden. Besides the grand portraits of the rulers and their families, the exhibition contains many great artifacts from the rulers: uniforms, clothes, jewellery, letters, furniture, weapons, etc; You get to see how the ruling elite used art to convey power and how constant war formed this ideal. Some artifacts were especially interesting to see... Napoleon's uniform with famous bicorne hat for example, as well as one of the gold bay leaves from his coronation wreath.
This exhibition was formed through cooperation between the National Museum and the Hermitage in St Petersburg, Russia (where the exhibition will be next year). So many of the objects are from the Hermitage as well as on loan from museums all over Europe including France, Sweden, the UK and Poland. Sweden's king has also graciously loaned the exhibition many artifacts from his personal collection.
The exhibtion is on display until the 23rd of January. The museum is closed on Mondays, otherwise it opens at 11am and closes at 5pm, except on Tues & Thurs when it closes at 8pm. Entrance costs 120 SEK, 100 SEK for students and seniors. Youths under 19 get in for free as well as people with the Stockholm Card. To find out about other exhibitions at the National Museum, check their website (linked above) or read my last blog entry about the museum. The museum is located on Blasieholmen - within walking distance from the Rival Hotel, otherwise the closest subway station is Kungstädgården (blue line).
Click here for information about other art exhibitions going on in Stockholm this autumn, and here for info about other museums in the city.
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AN art, history, museum, stockholm card
Saturday, October 19, 2013

Cindy Sherman at Moderna

I recently attended the press showing for Moderna Museet's (modern art museum) new Cindy Sherman exhibition. Cindy Sherman is an American artist/photographer known mostly for her conceptual photographs and is considered one of the most important artists of the day. This is their big autumn exhibition and runs through January 19th, 2014.
The exhibition, "Untitled Horrors", is quite extensive and contains work spanning Sherman's career. I did find it interesting, especially her penchant to use herself as model/subject in many of her photographs without them ever being portraits. Sherman does a bit of role-playing in these photographs, disappearing into each role with the help of hair, make-up and set styling. Be aware that while the pictures are captivating and thought provoking, some of the pieces are a bit darker with some containing subjects of a sexual nature.
Moderna is located on the island of Skeppsholmen and is relatively simple to get to from the Rival Hotel... either by taking the Djurgårds Ferry (telling them that you wish to disembark at Skeppsholmen) or else there is a bridge connecting the island to the mainland at Blasieholmen. Moderna has a great gift shop and café, both of which I think are well worth a visit when at the museum! Closed on Mondays. Click here for other art exhibitions going on in Stockholm this autumn and early winter.
Gift shop... books, prints and lots of fun knick-knacks!

AN art, museum
Thursday, October 10, 2013

Moderna- The Modern Art Museum

Art outside as well!
I'm finally getting around to writing about one of my favorite Stockholm museums... the Modern Art Museum (Moderna Museet). I was there last week to see their new exhibition for this fall: The Moderna Exhibition 2013. This show highlights the work of 54 contemporary Swedish artists, all who have made an impact in the Swedish art scene. Now, to be honest, I found some of the pieces to be a little out there for me... and I love modern art. But all in all it was a nice exhibition with a lot of interesting pieces and I'm all for the age old question: "What exactly is art?". Besides the temporary exhibitions, Moderna has a great permanent collection featuring all of the greats within the modern art genre... Dali, Picasso, Warhol, Matisse, Lichtenstein, Pollack, etc; The collection is, of course, not as extensive as at the larger modern art museums in NYC, Paris or London, though it is thorough and well presented.

The gift shop...
It is not only the art which makes this one of my favorite museums, it is the whole experience. I love the building itself, light and airy with skylights letting in lots of natural light. They have a great espresso bar which is perfect for a light snack, otherwise they have a nice cafeteria with great views over the harbour and Strandvägen. Their gift shop is the best museum gift shop in Stockholm with plenty of gizmos and gadgets as well as books on art, fashion and photography. They also have a good selection of prints and posters. The museum is located on the island of Skeppsholmen. The closest subway station is Kungsträdgården (blue line), otherwise it is a pleasant 25 minute walk from the Rival Hotel through the Old Town. One can catch a ferry from Slussen, via Djurgården, as well. Entrance is 100 SEK, 80 for seniors and free for children under 19. It is, of course, free with the Stockholm Card. Be advised that the museum is closed on Mondays.
AN art, lunch, museum, shopping, stockholm card

Paolo Roversi at Fotografiska

If you have been reading this blog, then you probably know that I have a soft spot for photography exhibitions, especially the black & white, fashion variety... so it probably isn't strange that I should pay a visit to Fotografiska to see their latest exhibition Paolo Roversi: Secrets.
Italian born Roversi has been working as a fashion photographer for about 40 years and his work has made it into the pages of most high fashion magazines (both in editorial work and advertisement). His use of large format Polaroid print, natural light as well as his penchant for studio settings give his photographs an almost historical feel while still keeping a sense of intimacy.
Natalia Voldianova in all her glory.
From the exhibit, you do get a sense that Roversi views many of his models as personal muses... with many of them (Guinevere, Saskia, Natalia, etc;) appearing often throughout the exhibition. It evokes a feeling of collaboration between model and photographer.
Besides the Roversi exhibition (running until January 12th, 2014), there are several others going on simultaneously at Fotografiska. The Pieter Hugo exhibition, which I have already written about, is running until December 1st. A third, smaller exhibition features the Latvian photographer Inta Ruka (running until December 8th). Her stark photographs with characters from the Latvian countryside provide a wonderful contrast to the fashionable waifs of the Roversi exhibition. Add that to the slightly depressing, albeit thought provoking, subjects in the Hugo exhibit and you get an interesting afternoon at Fotografiska.
To get to the museum from the Rival Hotel... it is just a 15-20 minute walk. It is located on the Stadsgården waterfront and is a beautiful walk along the water from Slussen to Fotografiska. Interested in more art? Click here for other art exhibitions this season in Stockholm.
A Latvian gentleman by Inta Ruka

AN art, Fotografiska, museum
Saturday, October 5, 2013

Autumn Art Exhibitions in Stockholm

At Millesgården: Anna Riwkin, Självporträtt, 1920-tal
Foto: Erik Thor
As the weather gets colder, we start to concentrate ourselves on more indoor activities. One great way to spend a rainy autumn day is to visit one of the many fantastic museums in Stockholm. There are over 80 museums(!) in the city covering a wide range of subjects like military, history, sports, alcohol, biology, technology and even dance. There are also museums with quite specific subjects... like the warship Vasa and the pop group ABBA. Then, of course, there are many museums dedicated to art in all its forms! Here are some of the major art exhibits going on this season (some lasting through winter):
At Moderna: Cindy Sherman
Untitled #92© Courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures, New York. 


African Masterpieces at Bergsrummet.

There are several smaller art galleries and museums not listed above. If you are staying at the Rival Hotel, stop by or contact me in advance for further information and directions! 
At Sven Harry's! © Björn Berg / Bildmakarna Berg


AN art, Museums
Friday, September 27, 2013

Visit Djurgården!

Entrance to the visitors' center
I braved the drizzly weather today to visit the visitors' center for Djurgården called Visit Djurgården. Djurgården is both the name of an island as well as a National City Park (which includes the island). In fact, it is the world's first National City Park. For the sake of comparison, you could say that it is Stockholm's version of Hyde or Central Park. In the past this was a royal game park and these days it is still owned by the Crown. It is a great park to take a nature walk.
Some beauty found on the island.
Besides acres and acres of beautiful parks, woodlands and fields... Djurgården also has the highest concentration of tourist sites (museums, art galleries, amusement parks, etc;) in Stockholm. So if you are planning a visit to Stockholm, chances are pretty high that you will spend a considerable amount of your visit on this island! Here you will find museums such as the Vasa, Nordic, ABBA, Biology, Technology, Spirits and Maritime History. There are also several great art galleries/museums including Liljevalchs, Waldermarsudde and Thielska. If that wasn't enough, then you have Skansen park & zoo, Aquaria as well as the amusement parks Gröna Lund and Junibacken. You don't have to go hungry while here... quite a few restaurants like Villa Godthem, Ulla Winbladh and Oaxen Krog. Several cafés are spread throughout the park... a personal favorite during the summer is the rose gardens at Rosendals Trädgård.
Sjöcafé, adjacent to center, with boats and bikes for rent!
So you can see why I am so happy that they have built a visitor center just for the island/park. A great idea! There is so much to see and do that you sometimes need some expert advice... besides me! The visitors center is located just on the island side of Djurgårdsbron (the bridge connecting the island with the mainland). The center is open daily, year-round, and is manned by experts on Djurgården and its sites. There are also free maps of the park as well as brochures of the different museums and art galleries to help you decide what to visit. The center is connected to the newly renovated café Sjöcafé, so you can stay for ahwile and have a coffee or glass of wine. The café also rents paddle boats, kayaks and bicycles.
Take a street car to Djurgården, or...
Getting to Djurgården is quite easy... either by bus, street car or ferry (especially good for Rival Hotel guests!). Or why not walk along the waterfront promenade of Strandvägen? If you want to plan ahead of your visit, their website (linked at the top of this article) is filled with great information and an interactive map!
...a ferry (with Gröna Lund in background).

AN art, Djurgården, Museums, nature, tourist information, walk

Fashion Photography Exhibition


Photo by Herb Ritts

I have blogged earlier about the new photography museum in Stockholm called Fotografiska. They had a great success this summer with the Annie Leibowitz exhibition and now it is time for their new major showing... Fashion! A look at fashion photography from the 1920's until today. I love fashion photography and I think that it is a comprehensive and well thought out exhibition. All the greats through the past century are represented... Man Ray, Horst, Avedon, Penn, Newton, Ritts, Lindbergh, Jansson and Meisel, plus many more. I was smart and visited the museum on a quiet Monday afternoon, avoiding the weekend and evening crowds. The exhibition runs through January 2nd.
Other current exhibitions at the museum include pictures of Stockholm by Dutch photographer Pieter ten Hoopen and the tableau vivant photography of Sandy Skoglund. The museum is located along the water at Stadsgårdskajen... it's just a short walk from Slussen, along the water, past the Birka cruise terminal. It is open everyday between 10am and 9pm. Entrance costs 95 SEK, 70 SEK for students and seniors and free entrance for children under 12. Free entrance also with the Stockholm Card.
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Click here for more tips regarding museums.
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AN art, Fotografiska, museum, stockholm card
Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Pieter Hugo at Fotografiska

Last week I stopped by Fotografiska, the photography museum, to say good-bye to the Helmut Newton exhibition (last day is September 29th) and took the opportunity to see one of the museum's new exhibitions: Pieter Hugo: This Must Be The Place.
Pieter Hugo is a relatively young photographer from Cape Town, South Africa. His work reflects his upbringing in the age of apartheid... with many of the photographs depicting people who have been marginalized in some way. Not only in South Africa, but throughout the continent. Victims of genocide, poverty, the AIDS epidemic and environmental disasters. The photographs do not glorify at all, instead they often look at the subjects in their day to day life.
While the subject matter is heavy, the pictures are beautiful, haunting and very thought provoking. In fact, I felt that I learned quite a lot during my visit to the exhibit. Do you know what happens to a computer when you throw it away? See the exhibit and find out. This exhibition will be going on through December 1st. Too heavy for you? Then you always have the museum's main autumn exhibition coming soon: fashion photographer Paolo Roversi (starting October 4th). Fotografiska is located on the waterfront at Stadsgårdkajen... just a 15-20 minute walk from the Rival Hotel.

AN art, Fotografiska, museum
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