To make it easy you have the MoMA in New York, the IMMA in Dublin, the Mukha in Antwerp, the MAMAC in Nice and the NAMOC in Beijing. The insiders of course know now that I’m talking about museums for modern art. And of course they like to use this secret language to show they are special people with a knowledge of the world.
So today we were at the NAMOC, The National Art Museum of China. We thought this would be fun and fun it was! But what did we see there? Well, it was like being in Europe: Caspar Friedrich, the great romantic German painter from the first half of the 19th century, Emil Nolde as a representative of the German Expressionism from the first half of the 20th century, Gerhard Richter as an exponent of the modern German art and a lot of other Germans. All these exhibitions were of course organised in connection with the Olympics because all in Beijing is organised in connection with the Olympics. And if this is not the case always a phrase is invented to do so.
I thought it interesting to show a picture of just a small painting by Friedrich that without any foreknowledge could have passed like a Chinese artwork. More romantic it cannot be: two men discussing the moon.
The solo exhibition of Richter was really impressing. Especially his big abstract paintings (see picture) had a lot of impact. I really would like to know how he makes them, how he paints layer after layer and what kinds of technical tricks he uses. Those who know my work probably will understand why this intrigues me.
The fact that I can show pictures of these exhibitions means that making photo’s in the museum wasn’t a problem at all, this in contradiction with the situation in the Western world.
On the outside of the NAMOC there was indeed a sign that said it was prohibited but inside the building no one said anything about it. Some paintings even were put on the memory card in the smallest details. May be to do something with it at home? Al last this is China!
Because we were in the neighbourhood we went after our visit to the back of the Forbidden City. Here lies, as an extremist sign in the flat Beijing, a park with a high hill. But it is an artificial one, originating from the mud that was put there when the big moat around the Forbidden City was excavated. From the top you are supposed to have a beautiful view over the roofs of the imperial quarters. Well, just have a look at the two pictures made here on a normal Beijing day without any special weather circumstances. Isn’t it wise of those athletes who cancelled already their participation in the Olympic marathon?
