FREEDOM WITHOUT BORDERS. FROM APPEL TO BASQUIAT.

Cobra Museum of Modern Art is one of the most recognizable landmarks of Amstelveen, and this summer they are celebrating 75^th birthday of COBRA art movement, same one the museum is named after. To mark this occasion the Museum has prepared an exhibition FREEDOM WITHOUT BORDERS. FROM APPEL TO BASQUIAT, that should attract the attention of everyone with an interest in 20^th century art. The exhibition is curated by Maarten Bertheux (guest curator), and it features not only the works of the movement founders and their followers, but also illustrates the main trends that shaped visual arts last century. A separate section is dedicated to the lesser-known works of Pablo Picasso, an artist not directly involved in the movement, but hey, can you discuss modern art and not mention Picasso?

COBRA art movement was born on 8^th November 1948 in Paris and its name stands for Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam where its founders came from. At that time the world was still recovering after the horrors and destruction of WWII. To break from the omnipresent austerity Cobra artists’ concept was to go back to the beginnings, look for inspiration in children’s art, indigenous and folk art to release the freedom of expression. Many of their ideas defined directions in which the art of the second half of 20^th century developed.

Regardless of the vastness of the topic, the display is not enormous, but the congestion of big names can make any modern art enthusiast very excited. The list includes Klee, Appel, Van Gogh, Miro, Alechinsky, Pollock, Basquiat, Munch and many others. Special attention was paid to female artists entering art scene in 1950s and 60s such as Frieda Hunzier, Jaqueline de Jong or Cecily Brown, for whom it was difficult to establish their careers on equal term with men in male dominated environment.

The exhibition is arranged in three sections. On the ground floor you will find THE OTHER PICASSO. Indeed, apart from recognizable drawings, it was a surprise to see his clay work and pottery which not many people know he produced.

Equally surprising was to learn about Picasso’s involvement in stage set and costume design for Le Tricorne (The Three-Corned Hat,) 1919,a ballet with music by the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla and choreography by the Russian dancer Leonide Massine. Since the plot and the music is deeply rooted in Spanish folk tales and tunes, so are the costumes inspired with regional folk dresses, reinterpreted by Picasso, with bold patterns and strong colors. In a separate room you can see about 30 or so costume drawings and watch a recording with extract scenes from the ballet.

Another ground floor area presents 40 paintings by children from across the world to illustrate Picasso’s famous statement that all children are artists, and their spontaneous creativity was an inspiration for many. Yes, truly speaking, take the labels away and it would be hard to differ which work was by a child and which by an established artist. Which is a complement to the children, it is not my intention to make this comment sound critical or sarcastic, but you can clearly see that correlation when you go to the exhibition area upstairs. The starting point – a beautiful painting by Edvard Munch, Fruit Trees in Blossom in the Wind (left), on loan from Munch Museum in Oslo, or House Beneath the Trees II (right) by German painter Karl Schmidt-Rottluff.

They are ones of few figurative paintings there as this part is exploring abstract art, mostly from the second half of the 20^th century, some by famous names, some by artist few of us have heard of but it is great to have the opportunity to learn about them now.

Left: Constatnt Anton Nieuwenhuys, Fauna, 1949. Right: Emilio Vedova, Mixed media and collage on canvas, 1962

Overall, the exhibition is certainly well researched, offers a fresh take on Picasso, reminds, and teaches about the different contexts in which modern art can be seen. In my opinion it is the most interesting exhibition in Cobra Museum since FRIDA KAHLO & DIEGO RIVERA: A LOVEV REVOLUTIOIN two years ago. The choice to open the exhibition at the beginning of the summer and the fact that it is accompanied by a wide selection of events, activities and workshops brings the opportunity to escape from busy, crowded Amsterdam streets to the green of Amstelveen and to have an excellent art experience there.