SALZBURG- A CITY OF THE VISUAL ARTS
Salzburg, the city of music, has asserted its importance as a location for museums, private and public galleries in recent years. In summer, during the time of the Salzburg Festival, the selection of exhibits and the tours, workshops and discussions with artists accompanying them, is exceptionally broad. During the summer season, art and antique dealers also gear up; Salzburg is not only a pleasure for the ears but also a feast for the eyes.
A large part of the „ Museumsquartier“ around the cathedral square has already become a reality. In 2014, the incorporation of the Wallis wing will complete the quadrangle around the Residenz, cathedral, and St. Peter‘ s Abbey. Residenzgalerie Salzburg, in the former prince archbishop‘ s residence, houses the painting collections of the state of Salzburg.
Residenzgalerie Salzburg 1923 – 2013 90th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION
Since its opening on August 28, 1923, the Residenzgalerie Salzburg has developed from a museum without pictures into a treasure of exquisite paintings through many purchases, especially those from the collection of Count Czernin. Newly designed exhibition rooms and interactive animations invite you to discover a high-quality collection of the most important representatives of European painting from the 16th to 19th centuries. Between 05.06.2013 and 09.02.2014, modern technology provides insights into the methods of the artists in an anniversary exhibition „ neues sehen- not business as usual“. The most famous painting of the collection is Rembrandt‘ s „ Old Woman Praying“, an early work painted on a gilded copper plate. It is presented separately so as to express the special significance of the painting in Rembrandt studies as well as within the collection.
Questions concerning the depiction of space, the different means to apply color, and the discrepancy between illusion and apparent reality characterize the works of the Baroque as well as the modern era. In the Baroque period, artists freed themselves from perfect, purely commercial execution and turned to visionary effects, freer staging, and complex, creative thinking. The sensuous mastery of the surface and presentation of space create a skillful play with illusion and seeming reality before your eyes. Associations with contemporary phenomena are expressed or demonstrated. Along with exquisite paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Cornelis de Heem, Paulus Potter, Franz Anton Maulbertsch, Gaspard Dughet, Charles Le Brun, Pietro Ricchi, Pietro Muttoni, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, and Hans Makart, works of classic modernity from the Museum der Moderne in Salzburg top off the exhibit. These
pieces on loan were part of the Residenzgalerie Salzburg collections until all the works from the 20th century were handed over to the Rupertinum in 1983. Rarely or never before presented treasures can now be discovered in a „ display depot“. www. residenzgalerie. at Opening times from 05.06.2013-09.02.2014: daily, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, except for 04.– 29.11.2013, 24.12.2013.
Franz Anton Maulbertsch, „ The Last Supper“, detail, © RGS / Ghezzi
Close-by and connected to the Alte Residenz by a walkway from beneath the northern cathedral archway, the Cathedral Museum shows sacred works of art. Until the end of October 2013, you will have the rare opportunity to marvel at ostensories up-close. In the Chamber of Art and Wonders this summer, a showcase is dedicated to a contemporary artist: Gerd Rohling presents his Miracoli Plastico. What at first glance appear to be old, polished, hand-blown goblets and bowls turn out to be sophisticated objects made from refuse products.
The Salzburg Museum, with its main location in the building of the new Residenz, investigates the „ Myths of Salzburg“ with its permanent exhibition. Art history and contemporary art come together in the exhibit „ Teutloff meets Ars Sacra“; video art enters into a dialogue with the medieval art treasures of the museum( until 26.1.2014). Other special exhibits are devoted to Gottfried Salzmann, native of Salzburg living in Paris, and Salzburg artist
Lotte Ranft. Located in the same quadrangle is the Panorama Museum with the famous cyclorama by Sattler, which depicts a historical view of Salzburg. The Cathedral Excavation Museum below the Residenz and cathedral square provides insights into building activities occurring since Roman times in the area of the present cathedral.
If you are interested in medieval castle life, you can learn more in the Fortress Museum at Hohensalzburg castle. The shop in the Kaivertel, on the other hand, takes you away from Europe and local history, and instead to a different continent.
ART FROM AFRICA AT THE MATOMBO
Objects from daily life and ritual, masks, unique textiles and trading beads for collectors and aficionados are drawn from the cultural diversity of such countries as Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Cameroon and Congo. Friends of modern sculpture are captivated by stone sculptures from Zimbabwe, generally made from serpentine. Stone sculptures from the Matombo are also on display in the Botanical Garden of Salzburg University at No. 34 Hellbrunnerstrasse. The garden is open from May to September, including Saturdays and Sundays( www. unisalzburg. at / bot. garten). For several years now, Matombo has also offered a summer course in sculpting taught by a master sculptor from Zimbabwe. www. matombo. at
Matombo, African head mask, photo: Matombo