What's On at Europe's Museums

Raoul Dufy - first big exhibition

Museum Maillol, Paris

Raoul Dufy (1877-1953) borrowed heavily from artists such as Manet, Monet and Braque and came in for much criticism from his own contemporaries. The Museum Maillol in Paris is showing 60 of the best impressionist, fauvist and cubist works created by the French painter and graphic artist between 1898 and 1920. During this period Dufy was initially shaped by artists such as van Gogh and Gauguin, before he discovered fauvism and later cubism under the influence of Matisse. It was only after 1920 that Dufy developed his own distinctive style and came to be known for his paintings marked by fresh, bright colors and fluid brushstrokes.

Till June 16, 2003 daily 1a.m. – 6p.m. expect Tuesday

Celebration of the outlandish

Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt

An exhibition titled, "Grotesque! 130 Years of Witty Art" focusing on 20th century art rooted in the bizarrely comical is currently showing at the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt. The show explores for the first time the role of grotesque art in German-speaking countries. The presentation opens with paintings by Arnold Böcklin, which inspired artists such as Lovis Corinth, Paul Klee, Max Klinger, Alfred Kubin and Emil Nolde. The exhibition also examines the relationship between the rise of the cabaret and visual arts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The show ranges from Karl Valentin’s freakishly comical aesthetics to the Wiener Gruppe and works by Sigmar Polke, Thomas Schütte and John Bock.

Till June 9, 2003, Tuesday, Friday – Sunday 10a.m. - to 7p.m.

Women of the Pharaohs

Palazzo della Ragione, Bergamo, Italy

Women in ancient Egypt played a central role both in public as well as in private life. An exhibition titled "The Women of the Pharaohs – The Feminine World in Ancient Egypt" at the Palazzo della Ragione in Italian Bergamo displays more than 150 objects on the topic. The exhibits, which include statues, cosmetic items and jewelry, showcase the everyday life of women in this ancient culture from their role in family life and child care to personal hygiene and the beauty cult.

Till June 29, 2003 daily from 10a.m. – 8p.m. Thursday and Saturday 10a.m. – 11p.m.. Wednesday and Thursday 10a.m. - 10p.m.

Feast of Contemporary German Art

Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin

Under the title "Actionbutton," a new exhibition in Berlin’s Hamburger Bahnhof Museum for Contemporary Art showcases 90 works of art that were bought for Germany’s federal art collection from 2000-2002. The art works, which range from paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations and graphics, offer a glimpse into the influences and forces that shaped German art from the beginning of the 1990s to the present. Names such as Manfred Pernice, Kai Althoff, Cosima von Bonin, Daniel Pflumm, Jonathan Meese and Michel Majerus are defining voices in the German contemporary art scene. The federal collection of contemporary art, an initiative by German Chancellor Willy Brandt in 1970, boasts more than 1000 works of art gathered since 1945.

Till August 31, 2003 Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 11a.m. – 6p.m.

Tear-shaped sofas and green interiors

Hamburger Deichtorhallen, Hamburg

The Hamburger Deichtorhallen is showing a posthumous retrospective of Danish designer and architect Arne Jacobson, who won a prize in the 1960s for the ugliest construction in Kopenhagen. Called "Absolutely Modern", the exhibition encompasses a sweeping chronological show of Jacobsen’s creations from his early watercolors, vacation photographs and personal belongings to his first architectural creations. Influenced by Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Bauhaus masters, Jacobsen didn’t just design buildings but also interiors such as cutlery, taps, door knobs, curtains, lamps, clocks, tables. He is best know for his quirky collection of chairs which he began designing in the 1950s. A highlight of the exhibition is a copy of the legendary room 606 by Jacobson in Kopenhagen’s SAS hotel, populated by rockstars and actors.

Till August 31, 2003 Tuesday to Sunday 11a.m - 6p.m.