The exhibition All in the present must be transformed: Matthew Barney and Joseph Beuys, curated by Nancy Spector, opened this past June 6th at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. It awakened a great public success: in the first 20 days of its opening there were 28.979 (1.448 daily average) visitors to the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, which is hosting a contemporary art exhibition for the first time. The exhibition examines affinities between the works of two artists, who, though separated by generation and geography, share certain key aesthetic and conceptual concerns. These works, thus, examine the metaphoric use of materials, the focus on metamorphosis, and the relationship between action and its documentation in their respective practices. It also reveals fundamental, philosophical differences between Barney and Beuys-fueled by the divide between modern and postmodernist thought- that, in turn, further enhances our understanding of each artist's work.
For this particular occasion the Peggy Guggenheim Collection has developed a educational program consisting of a variety of academic lectures, film showings, guided tours and will conclude with a concert dedicated to the two artists.
After the May conferences in collaboration with la Facoltà di Design e Arti dell’Università IUAV di Venezia, the month of July, during three evenings of extraordinary openings of the museum, will be dedicated to the projection of documentaries on the works and thoughts of Joseph Beuys and Matthew Barney. The cycle will be inaugurated on Wednesday 4th at 9pm with Joseph Beuys. Transformer, 1979 (60’) by John Halpern, who in this documentary interviews the German artist during the installation of his historic 1979 solo exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Wednesday 11th also at 9pm there will be a projection of The Body as Matrix: Matthew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle, 2002 (52’) by Maria Anna Tappeiner. In this film Nancy Spector, Matthew Barney and other speakers discuss the realization of the cycle of five episodes of CREMASTER (1994-2003) – a densely stratified and interconnected universe in which the American artist continually tests the references between the world of sports, biology, sexuality, history, geography and mythology in work that evolves in an organic manner – and from the next traditions in new artistic forms. Wednesday 18th at 9pm there will be a presentation of Alison Chernick’s documentary, Matthew Barney: No Restraint, 2005 (72’), in which Chernick follows Barney in Japan to record him shooting his last film DRAWING RESTRAINT 9 (2005). An unusual occasion to go behind the scene of the five productions while the artist confronts cultural divisions and demanding logistic solutions to realise his creative vision. Entrance tickets are 8 euros after 18.00. Free entrance for members. The Museum Café will remain open until 9pm. A special thanks to TV Express for the technical assistance.
From 13th June till 1st September, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11.30 am, visitors can attend a free guided tour. The cost of the entrance ticket includes the guided tour. Entrance is free for the “Amici della Collezione.” Additionally, July 8th, August 5th and September 2nd at 3pm the usual Sunday meeting of Kids’ Day, a didactic program free for children from 4 to 10 years old, will use content and images from the exhibition as its’ theme.
On the 26th of August, the traditional Birthday concert for Peggy Guggenheim, will be dedicated to the protagonists of the temporary exhibition this year. At 9pm within the garden of the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Giovanni Sollima & Violoncellisti della Scala will present Beuys and Barney promenade concert, music by H.I.F. von Biber, Jimi Hendrix, Carlo Galante, Giovanni Sollima. The concert is reserved for the members of the Collection. For information and bookings tel. +39 041 2405440, membership@guggenheim-venice.it. Special thanks to Hausbrandt for its generous support.
Dal 13 giugno al 1 settembre, tutti i mercoledì e i sabato alle ore 11.30, i visitatori della mostra potranno seguire delle visite guidate gratuite. Il costo del biglietto d’ingresso include la visita guidata. L’ingresso è gratuito per gli “Amici della Collezione”. Inoltre, l’8 luglio, il 5 agosto e il 2 settembre alle 15.00, il consueto appuntamento domenicale del Kids’ Day, laboratorio didattico gratuito per i bambini dai 4 ai 10 anni, avrà come tema i contenuti e le immagini della mostra.
Il 26 agosto, il tradizionale concerto per il compleanno di Peggy Guggenheim è quest’anno dedicato ai protagonisti della mostra temporanea. Alle 21.00 nella cornice del giardino di Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Giovanni Sollima & Violoncellisti della Scala presentano Beuys and Barney promenade concert, musiche di H.I.F. von Biber, Jimi Hendrix, Carlo Galante, Giovanni Sollima. Il concerto è riservato ai soci della Collezione, per informazioni e prenotazioni tel. +39 041 2405440, membership@guggenheimvenice.it. Si ringrazia Hausbrandt per il generoso sostegno.