# Ivar Hagendoorn > Choreographer, photographer, researcher Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### Contact URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/contact/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T13:45:13.000Z # Contact To contact me just send an e-mail to my firstname at ivarhagendoorn.com, that is: ivar \[add at\] ivarhagendoorn.com Before contacting me please bear in mind that I currently devote all (or most of) my spare time to my academic and creative pursuits. Consequently, it may take some time before I can reply to your request. I do my best to answer all e-mail within two weeks of receipt (unless I'm travelling in which case it may take more time). However.... don't let that keep you from contacting me! I'd love to hear from you. ### Almost Every Book I Have Ever Read URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/almost-every-book-i-have-ever-read/ Last updated: 2025-12-29T21:12:08.000Z # Almost Every Book I Have Ever Read | Author | Title | Category | Year | Rating | | ------ | ----- | -------- | ---- | ------ | | Author | Title | Category | Year | Rating | I started keeping a list of the books I read back when I was at high school. I didn't always keep the list up-to-date. That's why I had to partially reconstruct it. At some point I also started adding ratings. They don't mean much, but they can be helpful. For example, I recently noticed that I tend to rate classic novels that have stood the test of time higher than novels that are being hyped or received rave reviews. I've therefore resolved to read more classics. ### Pricing URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/pricing/ Last updated: 2024-09-29T09:05:13.000Z # Pricing All prices are indicative and for editorial use only. Advertising rates available upon request. Please note that all prices are in EURO and exclusive of VAT (21%). Please contact me for a quote. Send an e-mail to: IVAR \[at\] IVARHAGENDOORN.COM A select number of photographs are available as high quality art prints. Please contact me for details. \- - - ## Magazine | Circulation | 1/4 Page | 1/2 Page | Full page | Double page | Cover | | ----------- | -------- | -------- | --------- | ----------- | ----- | | 10,000 | 120 | 150 | 240 | 450 | 1200 | | 50,000 | 150 | 187.50 | 300 | 562.50 | 1500 | | 100,000 | 180 | 225 | 360 | 675 | 1800 | | 250,000 | 210 | 262.50 | 420 | 787.50 | 2100 | | 1,000,000 | 300 | 375 | 600 | 1125 | 3000 | ## Book | Circulation | 1/4 Page | 1/2 Page | Full page | Cover | | ----------- | -------- | -------- | --------- | ----- | | 5,000 | 100 | 125 | 200 | 500 | | 25,000 | 120 | 150 | 240 | 600 | | 100,000 | 140 | 175 | 280 | 700 | | 500,000 | 160 | 200 | 320 | 800 | ## Textbook | Circulation | 1/4 Page | 1/2 Page | Full page | Cover | | ----------- | -------- | -------- | --------- | ----- | | 5,000 | 60 | 75 | 120 | 300 | | 25,000 | 72 | 90 | 144 | 360 | | 100,000 | 84 | 105 | 168 | 420 | | 500,000 | 96 | 120 | 192 | 480 | ## Newspaper | Circulation | 1/4 Page | 1/2 Page | Full page | Cover | | ----------- | -------- | -------- | --------- | ----- | | 100,000 | 100 | 125 | 200 | 500 | | 500,000 | 150 | 187.50 | 300 | 750 | | 1,000,000 | 200 | 250 | 400 | 1000 | ### Portfolio URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/portfolio/ Last updated: 2026-04-28T17:59:08.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/09/saskia-de-vries-43.jpg) STOP ## Posts ### Emil Ferris. Between Selves at the Cartoonmuseum Basel URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/08/16/emil-ferris-between-selves-cartoonmuseum-basel/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T08:49:53.000Z ![Emil Ferris. Between Selves at the Cartoonmuseum Basel](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/emil-ferris-cartoonmuseum-basel-1.jpg) "Born From Art". Emil Ferris. Between Selves at the Cartoonmuseum Basel “Between Selves”, the Emil Ferris exhibition at the Cartoonmuseum Basel, is an absolute joy from start to finish, bringing together scores of original drawings (a number of them unpublished), preparatory sketches and objects drawn from the artist's personal archive. Emil Ferris (b. 1962) rose to fame with her debut graphic novel “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” (2017), which went on to win multiple awards, including the Fauve D'Or at the 2019 Angoulême International Comics Festival, and is generally considered one of the best comics of the 21st century. The year is 1968\. The book follows 10-year-old Karen Reyes, who lives with her mother and her brother Deeze in a townhouse in Chicago, as she investigates the death of her beautiful and mysterious neighbour Anka Silverberg. Karen is fascinated by art and comic book monsters and imagines herself as one. As readers we only get to see Karen as she sees herself: a werewolf dressed as a private detective in a raincoat. As the story unfolds we learn that Anka Silverberg was a Holocaust survivor with a profoundly traumatic past. We also learn that Karen’s brother Deeze is a shadowy character with a weakness for women, which sometimes gets him into trouble, who deeply loves his sister and teaches her how to draw. He frequently takes her to the Art Institute of Chicago where Karen copies some of the artworks in her notebook, which are included in the novel. Towards the end of the novel Karen’s mother dies, leaving her in the care of her brother Deeze. Volume 2 of “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” (2024) further explores Karen’s coming-of-age as she discovers her queer identity and continues her investigation into the death of Anka Silverberg and her life in Nazi Germany. It ends with a cliffhanger, which made me look forward to Volume 3. ![Emil Ferris. Between Selves at the Cartoonmuseum Basel](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/emil-ferris-cartoonmuseum-basel-4.jpg) The two volumes of “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters”, which together comprise close to 800 pages, take the form of a gifted child's diary, drawn entirely in lined spiral notebooks with a Bic ballpoint. Some pages are in black-and-white, others are in color. ![Emil Ferris. Between Selves at the Cartoonmuseum Basel](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/emil-ferris-cartoonmuseum-basel-2.jpg) What makes “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” unique are its frequent references to art history. The book doubles as a tour of Ferris's favorite artworks, invoking the Italian Renaissance, borrowing from the Spanish and Flemish schools, and sounding the depths of gothic, expressionist, symbolist, impressionist, surrealist and realist painting. Ferris has an excellent eye for detail and in her reproductions, or rather recreations, she brings out hidden motifs in the original. Above all she delights in the female body, voluptuous and unflinching in its gaze: Judith, Mona, virgin, witch, mother, wife, lesbian, powerful across the whole span of art and literature. It was a tremendous joy to see a generous selection of original drawings, some of which didn’t make it into the book. As a child, Ferris dreamed of being a monster and traveling through time. Art let her have it both ways. The pages of “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” gather historical horrors — the inserted story of Anka unfolds amid a Europe seized by Nazism — alongside personal ghosts such as the criminals prowling the streets of 1960s Chicago, and the petty villains of daily life: bullies, racists and homophobes, whom she renders as dog-headed creatures and cockroaches. “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” is a visually rich and intellectually dense graphic novel that rewards slow reading. Ferris works without a script and each page and image follows from the next according to Ferris’s own visual logic. The novel is also rich in symbols that invite interpretation: gardens, plants, cellars, attics and of course, monsters. ![Emil Ferris. Between Selves at the Cartoonmuseum Basel](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/emil-ferris-cartoonmuseum-basel-7.jpg) Queen and Witch In many cultures and myths the monster is a creature at the margins, defined by its abnormalities. Monsters violate categories, and cultures use them to mark where categories lie. The centaur, the mermaid, the sphinx and the werewolf straddle boundaries considered fundamental: that between human and beast, living and dead, male and female. Whatever doesn’t fit a classification system is treated as dangerous or impure, which is why monsters are often employed to endorse morality: the Minotaur, for example, is the fruit of a forbidden union. On a cosmic scale the monster stands for the chaos that order must overcome: Marduk splits Tiamat to build the sky, Ra fights Apep to secure the sunrise, Thor meets Jörmungandt, Yahweh subdues Leviathan and so on. Because they mark boundaries, monsters also absorb whatever a society wishes to exclude or expel: adversaries are often depicted as subhuman and accused of monstrous acts. Female power draws monstrous form with particular consistency: Medusa, Lamia, Lilith, Baba Yaga, Lady MacBeth, witches, the list goes on and on. The monster therefore tells us what a culture cannot bear to acknowledge about itself, wrapped in a guise that permits the acknowledgement to be disavowed. Yet the relationship is nearly always ambiguous — the Minotaur seduces and repels, Frankenstein originally had a gentle heart — which is why monsters are not just frightening, some also serve as protectors: the Chinese dragon brings rain and imperial legitimacy, guardian lions flank temple gates, gargoyles repel evil by out-uglying it. Karen Reyes’s imaginary disguise as a werewolf similarly functions as a shield against the hostile outside world. The modern era has extended this ambivalence into outright sympathy: Frankenstein’s creature is more articulate and more wronged than his maker. To identify with the monster rather than the mob is now a recognizable moral position, and one common among artists. In that sense “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” is a thoroughly modern novel. Ferris’s monster is no more the other than the self (I borrowed this phrase from the exhibition leaflet). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/emil-ferris-cartoonmuseum-basel-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/emil-ferris-cartoonmuseum-basel-5.jpg) “Between Selves” is a must-see exhibition for comic book fans. Of course, it helps if you’ve read “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters”, but if you haven’t I can almost guarantee that you want to after visiting the exhibition. In an interview on the occasion of the exhibition opening Emil Ferris also had some good news for fans: Blemmy, Karen Reyes’s headless toy monster, a reference to the akephaloi or Blemmyae in ancient mythology, will get a book of his own. She is also working on a prequel, which will focus on the life of Anka Silverberg. **Emil Ferris. Between Selves** is at the Cartoonmuseum, Basel until 15 November 2026. ![Emil Ferris. Between Selves at the Cartoonmuseum Basel](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/emil-ferris-cartoonmuseum-basel-6.jpg) Emil Ferris. Between Selves at the Cartoonmuseum Basel ### Related Posts [Richard McGuire. Then and There. Here and Now](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/07/28/richard-mcguire-then-and-there-here-and-now/) at the Cartoonmuseum Basel. [Bande Dessinée 1964-2024 at the Centre Pompidou](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/17/bande-dessinee-1964-2024-at-the-centre-pompidou/). ### Cao Fei at the Kunstmuseum Basel URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/08/09/cao-fei-kunstmuseum-basel/ Last updated: 2026-08-14T09:03:39.000Z ![Installation view of Cao Fei: "Testimonies of the Near Future" at the Kunstmuseum Basel ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/cao-fei-kunstmuseum-basel-1.jpg) Installation view of Cao Fei: "Testimonies of the Near Future" at the Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart There is much to see at “Testimonies to the Near Future”, the Cao Fei retrospective at the Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart, so much that you’re allowed to enter the exhibition twice with the same ticket. The exhibition occupies all four floors of the Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart, which is housed in a converted paper mill overlooking the Rhine about ten minutes walk from the museum's main building. The show, which was co-designed by Cao Fei, has been conceived as a [city](https://kunstmuseumbasel.ch/en/file/8741/00b3213e/cao-fei-city-map-kunstmuseum-basel.pdf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with a street, a park, factories, a cinema, a playground — a highly Instagrammable installation, which shows that Cao Fei is totally in tune with her time — an office and a shelter. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/cao-fei-kunstmuseum-basel-2.jpg) The exhibition opens with a graffitied skating ramp, for which Cao Fei invited some local graffiti artists to decorate the walls of the ground floor of the Kunstmuseum Basel Gegenwart. I enjoyed seeing a reference to the Emil Ferris show at the nearby Cartoonmuseum. The skating ramp is one of ten immersive installations and environments, dealing with street culture, factory life and the metaverse, that invite viewers into Cao Fei’s world. Working across film, virtual reality and installation, Cao Fei conjures settings at once ordinary and extraordinary, registering the convulsive changes that have remade her native China and the wider world over the past thirty or so years. Born in Guangzhou, the sprawling metropolis bordering Hong Kong and Shenzhen, she has made the human cost of globalization, emergent technology and the internet age her enduring subject. Two works anchor the show. "Whose Utopia?" (2006), the work that made her name, was filmed inside a lightbulb factory, where laborers stepped away from the assembly line to perform some ballet and hip-hop moves. "RMB City" (2007–2011) is conceived as a virtual metropolis built on Second Life and populated by her own avatar, China Tracy. Other works including "Asia One" (2018), "Nova" (2019–) and the hilarious "Hip Hop" series (2003–), which features ordinary Chinese citizens, young and old, performing hiphop routines, round out an oeuvre that has shaped a generation of artists across Asia and established Fei as a leading thinker on art, media, technology and what comes next. I greatly enjoyed the exhibition and wish I’d had a few hours more to see more of each video installation. It is definitely one of the must-see shows of the year. The exhibition is accompanied by an artist’s book, which includes a text by the Chinese science fiction writer Regina Kanyu Wang and illustrations by Chinese artist Yu Fei as well as, of course, a selection of film stills and photographs by Cao Fei herself. **Cao Fei. Testimonies to the Near Future** is at the Kunstmuseum Basel until 11 October 2026. ### Related Posts [Helen Frankenthaler](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/08/01/helen-frankenthaler-kunstmuseum-basel/) at the Kunstmuseum Basel. ### Pierre Huyghe at the Fondation Beyeler URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/08/08/pierre-huyghe-fondation-beyeler/ Last updated: 2026-08-14T09:02:15.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/pierre-huyghe-fondation-beyeler-2.jpg) With [Liminal](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/27/pierre-huyghe-liminal-at-the-punta-della-dogana/), Pierre Huyghe’s solo exhibition at the Punta della Dogana during the 2024 Venice Biennale, still fresh on my mind I was eager to see the exhibition he had conceived for the Fondation Beyeler. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a let down. Some rooms had been deliberately left empty, another room contained little more than a small robotic worm. A key difference between the exhibition at the Punta della Dogana and the one at the Fondation Beyeler is that the former was shrouded in darkness, creating a sense of mystery. With the lights on you immediately notice that there is nothing to see and move on to the next room. At the heart of the exhibition sits “Apnea” (2026), a newly commissioned work conceived especially for the Fondation Beyeler. It consists of a liquid-filled vitrine containing a robotically animated silicone form that swells and subsides in a human cadence as if it were breathing. Its respiration saturates the exhibition rooms. Air sighs from small perforations in the walls, and the glass panes dividing some of the galleries fog opaque or clear to transparency in time with each breath. While this sounds interesting on paper it failed to captivate me. Having said that, I greatly enjoyed seeing “Human Mask” (2014) and “Camata” (2024) again. “Human Mask” (2014) was filmed in a derelict Japanese café that was shut down following the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear disaster. A figure in a white Noh-like girl's mask and long black wig drifts through the café while a tinny female voice broadcasts warnings across the exclusion zone. Fur betrays the illusion: the figure is Fuku-chan, a monkey once employed serving customers in a Tokyo sake bar, and his actions and gestures make the scenery look all the more desolate. This marked the third time that I saw “Camata” and I was once again mesmerized. It shows robotic arms conducting an inscrutable ritual around a human skeleton in an immense desert. The remains are those of a young man Huyghe found in Chile's Atacama Desert. Sensors in the gallery continuously re-edit the footage, cutting between close-ups of the skeleton, a sinking desert sun and the night sky. The wall-sized film has neither opening nor close, which turns it into a literally timeless meditation on death and impermanence. The exhibition comes with a catalogue in the form of an artist’s book, which is paradoxically more interesting than the exhibition it accompanies. It includes preparatory sketches, diagrams, photos and source material for some of the works in the show and for some other works by Huyghe, including the amazing “Variants” (2022), created for the [Kistefos Museum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/07/22/kistefos-museum/) in Norway. I was reminded once again that reversion to the mean is a universal concept that also applies to the arts. **Pierre Huyghe** is at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel until 13 September 2026. ### Related Posts [Pierre Huyghe: Liminal at the Punta della Dogana](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/27/pierre-huyghe-liminal-at-the-punta-della-dogana/). A selection of photos of the [Kistefos Museum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/07/22/kistefos-museum/) in Norway. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/08/07/further-reading-116/ Last updated: 2026-08-14T15:19:30.000Z Why is Europe [burning](https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/why-is-europe-burning?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? Fires in Europe are breaking records: [here’s what the future holds](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02361-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Countries such as Spain and France can expect fire regimes more like those of California as climate change favours hot, dry conditions, scientists suggest. [Europe’s record heatwave](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02046-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): does the continent have a new climate? The [Fields and Abacus medals 2026](https://www.quantamagazine.org/series/fields-and-abacus-medals-2026/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Why I love the work of Pierre Boulez](https://claude.ai/share/4eda800d-def2-4f2b-9805-08922e67cb95?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The world’s greatest ice cream stores](https://www.ft.com/content/11a41f13-8f1e-412f-8168-3c17b5a6c2ae?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? I would add Gelateria Gianni and Cremeria Cavour both in Bologna, Frigidarium in Rome and Angiolo, Artigelato and [Jade Genin](https://www.jadegenin.fr/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in Paris. The latter creates delicious ice-creams inspired by Japanese kakigori, which taste like flavoured snow. T.J. Clark on [the Chauvet cave paintings](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n14/t.j.-clark/night-visitors?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Einstein’s miracle year](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n13/ray-monk/einstein-s-miracle-year?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Joyce’s politics](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n13/terry-eagleton/starveling-rabblement?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). How [a steady drip-drip](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02360-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) can erode the hardest stone. [Cao Fei](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/08/09/cao-fei-kunstmuseum-basel/) has [lunch with the Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/04e505db-c0de-4549-aaea-a8517b6fa195?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Is [the bread in Europe](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/well/eat/health-effects-bread-europe-united-states.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) better for you? The bread in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark definitely tastes better. The evolution of the human brain may owe as much to fruit and honey as to meat, according to [a new study](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aed8437?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Song of our cells](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/07/23/song-of-our-cells-beyond-inheritance-roxanne-khamsi/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Rencontre avec Park Chan-wook](https://numero.com/art/numero-art/park-chan-wook-interview/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) qui présente ses fascinantes photos pour la première fois à Arles. The [one thing](https://cooking.nytimes.com/article/how-to-pick-a-watermelon?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) watermelon experts do to pick sweet ones. As I like to say, you need a PhD to select the perfect watermelon. What would it mean to see [a new color](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/03/what-would-it-mean-to-see-a-new-color?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? Forensic analysis of the [OpenAI-HuggingFace incident](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87DyyMV0kCY&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Mettelhorn URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/mettelhorn/ Last updated: 2026-08-05T18:45:12.000Z In July 2026 I finally made it to the summit of the Mettelhorn (yes, Mettelhorn, not Matterhorn). The hike had lingered on my bucket list for years. In 2024, two weeks before my trip, a flash flood tore away sections of the trail along the Trift gorge and wreaked considerable havoc in Zermatt itself. In 2025, the day I had set aside for the hike it dawned grey and drizzling. This year the weather obliged — almost too generously. I had arrived in the middle of summer's third heatwave: 36°C in Zürich, 28°C in Zermatt, and even high in the mountains the temperature refused to fall below 24°C. It felt less like the Alps than like hiking [Canyonlands](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/canyonlands-national-park/) in Utah in late spring. To compound matters, I had entirely forgotten that I could have bought a 1.5-litre bottle of water at the Hotel Trift, about one third into the hike, sparing my shoulders that much weight on the way up. The Mettelhorn — or Platthorn — ranks among the most spectacular hikes in Switzerland, and among the most demanding. From Zermatt, at an elevation of 1,620 metres, the route grinds upward through some 1,800 metres of ascent to a summit at 3,406 metres. It is roughly 11.5 km to the top, making for a round trip of about 24 km, depending on where your hotel sits. No cable cars scar this side of Zermatt, and no ski pistes either, which is precisely why it is my favourite flank of the valley. I tackled it as a day hike, setting off at 8:30 and returning at 18:30\. An earlier start would have been preferable, but breakfast at my hotel wasn't served until 7:30, and I wasn't willing to forgo it, knowing what lay in store. The wiser plan is probably to break the walk with a night at the Hotel Trift, which also lets you fold the Edelweissweg into the descent. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-1.jpg) Close-up of the Trift gorge Close-up of one of many waterfalls in the Trift gorge on the way to Hotel Trift, which sits at the foot of the trail to the Rothorn hut, the trail to Mettelhorn and Platthorn and the trail to Höhbalmen and as such makes for a perfect spot for coffee, tea or lunch. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-2.jpg) This is about 30 minutes climbing from Hotel Trift, near a plateau. If you're planning to hike the Edelweissweg I highly recommend adding a short detour for these views. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-3.jpg) The views get better and better the higher you climb... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-4.jpg) ..and better and better until... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-5.jpg) ... you finally reach the saddle, which opens up entirely different views. Time for a short break and a slice of apricot pie. ![Close-up of the Weisshorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-6.jpg) Close-up of the Weisshorn ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-7.jpg) I took out my camera to take some photos while crossing the glacier. Two other hikers had told me that it was possible to cross the glacier without crampons, otherwise I would have climbed Platthorn, but that at some sections I would sink knee deep into the snow. If I hadn't known this in advance I might have been a little worried. ![Mettelhorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-8.jpg) The final ascent to the top of Mettelhorn It looks so easy, but the last 200 meters were a bit of a struggle. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-9.jpg) One more photo before embarking on the final stretch... ![View from the summit of Mettelhorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-10.jpg) The view from the summit of Mettelhorn The views from the top of Mettelhorn are breathtaking especially on a day like this. ![View from the summit of Mettelhorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-12.jpg) The view to the other side of the valley: in the foreground to the right Rothorn, in the middle [Oberrothorn](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oberrothorn/), which I climbed the next day. ![View from the summit of Mettelhorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-11.jpg) Did I already mention that the views from Mettelhorn are nothing short of spectacular? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-13.jpg) Close-up of the Weisshorn ![View from the summit of Mettelhorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-14.jpg) The view from Mettelhorn. In the foreground Platthorn. I didn't climb to the top of Platthorn, seen here in the foreground of the picture, because I wanted to be absolutely sure that I had enough energy left for the way down. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-16.jpg) On the way down I made another brief stop on the snow covered glacier. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-17.jpg) It's a long, long way back to Zermatt. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-18.jpg) On the way up or down from the saddle: just follow the blue-white signs. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-19.jpg) Looking back with an immense sense of satisfaction. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/mettelhorn-20.jpg) The Triftbach at the bottom of the gorge near the edge of town. Back in Zermatt I bought a well-deserved ice cream at the gelateria opposite the church. After a quick shower I finished the day with dinner at one my favorite restaurants in Zermatt, Bazaar at the Cervo Mountain Resort. ### Helen Frankenthaler at the Kunstmuseum Basel URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/08/01/helen-frankenthaler-kunstmuseum-basel/ Last updated: 2026-08-16T20:40:37.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/frankenthaler-kunstmuseum-basel-5.jpg) I didn’t have time to visit the Helen Frankenthaler retrospective at the Palazzo Strozzi when I was in Florence, in October 2024\. I had scheduled one day to visit the [Uffizi Gallery](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/16/uffizi-gallery/) and the afternoon on the day of my arrival and the morning on the day of my departure for strolling around [Florence](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/florence/) and visiting some of the churches that I hadn’t had time for when I first visited Florence. With only a couple of hours to spare I had to choose between the Helen Frankenthaler retrospective and an exhibition about [utopias in architecture and urbanism](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/14/utopias-and-reality-at-the-villa-bardini/) at the Villa Bardini. This time around I once again faced a difficult decision. I really wanted to see the [Emil Ferris exhibition](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/08/16/emil-ferris-between-selves-cartoonmuseum-basel/) at the Cartoonmuseum Basel and "Testimonies to the Near Future", the [Cao Fei retrospective](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/08/09/cao-fei-kunstmuseum-basel/) at the Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart. But with only four hours before my train would depart I had to choose between the Helen Frankenthaler exhibition and “The First Homosexuals. The Birth of New Identities 1869–1939” at the Kunstmuseum Basel. Having missed Helen Frankenthaler in Florence I opted for the former, despite the rave reviews for the First Homosexuals exhibition. Compared with her compatriots Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, not to mention Andy Warhol, Helen Frankenthaler is relatively unknown, especially in Europe. And yet she too revolutionized painting. In 1952, the then twenty-three-year-old Helen Frankenthaler unrolled a broad expanse of canvas, thinned her oil paint with turpentine until it ran like ink, and worked it from every side — pouring straight from the bucket, coaxing the pigment outward with sponges, brushes, and other tools that were not part of the standard painter’s kit. The paint sank into the canvas, fusing with the weave into a single substance, a method that came to be called soak stain painting. Frankenthaler titled the result "Mountains and Sea". Six months on, Kenneth Noland and Morris Louis saw the canvas in her studio and grasped at once that a new chapter had opened. They took up the technique and were duly hailed as the inventors of color field painting — yet the invention was Frankenthaler’s, and she continued experimenting with it until her death in 2011. Raised in an upper-middle-class household in New York that nurtured her artistic gift at an early age, Helen Frankenthaler attended the finest art schools and, at a graduation exhibition, met the much older critic Clement Greenberg, who became her partner and her passage into the New York art world. Friendship with Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner soon followed. While both she and Pollock painted on the floor Frankenthaler’s approach to painting was less methodical and more experimental, she sometimes even flipped the canvas and continued on its back. Within years of her first gallery shows Helen Frankenthaler was recognized as one of the central figures of postwar American art and one can only admire her for holding her ground in the male-dominated New York art scene. It is therefore all the more striking that her work is relatively unknown, forgotten perhaps, in Europe. At least, I don’t recall seeing her work in any of the museums that I regularly visit, but that may be my fault. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/frankenthaler-kunstmuseum-basel-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/08/frankenthaler-kunstmuseum-basel-3.jpg) Édouard Manet (left) and Helen Frankenthaler (right) Having missed the retrospective at the Palazzo Strozzi in 2024, I was delighted to now see a generous selection of her work at the Kunstmuseum Basel. The exhibition is an explosion of colour and a feast for the eyes. The exhibition is organized chronologically. Inevitably in a career as long as Frankenthaler’s there are highs and lows. Frankenthaler painted her best works in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. In the 1980s she began creating “history” paintings, inspired by works by artists such as Titian, Courbet, Manet and Mondrian. The Kunstmuseum Basel has gone out of its way to pair these paintings with the works that served as inspiration. However, in most cases the original is by far the more interesting painting, a notable exception is Frankenthaler's rendition of a still life by Manet (pictured above). Towards the end of her life Frankenthaler redeemed herself with some large-scale stand-alone canvases, such as the magnificent “Star Gazing” (1989). One of my favourite paintings in the show, “Salome” (1981), is actually not included in the exhibition galleries, but is installed at the entrance to the Kunstmuseum Basel’s collection of American art. The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue available in both German and English. **Helen Frankenthaler** is at the Kunstmuseum Basel until 23 August 2026. ### Oberrothorn URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oberrothorn/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T11:37:53.000Z I finally hiked to the top of the Oberrothorn. It's definitely worth the effort, because the 360 views from the top are amazing. The hike itself is pretty straightforward, you only have to cope with the elevation but after one or two days of acclimatization in Zermatt that shouldn't be an issue if you're otherwise in good shape. I took the cable car up to Rothorn, climbed to Oberrothorn and then walked all the way down to Zermatt taking in some sections of the five lakes hike. Perhaps I should add that during summer the trail from Rothorn to Fluhalp is probably the ugliest part of the area around Zermatt. From Fluhalp down to Zermatt is very nice though. ![The view from Rothorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/rothorn-1.jpg) The view from Rothorn If you know where to look you can see Hotel Trift and the Rothornhütte, which is not on the Rothorn, but at the foot of the Zinalrothorn. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/rothorn-2.jpg) In the middle of the picture the Mettelhorn, which I climbed the previous day. ![Oberrothorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/oberrothorn-1.jpg) Almost there ![The view from Oberrothorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/oberrothorn-2.jpg) The view from Oberrothorn ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/oberrothorn-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/oberrothorn-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/oberrothorn-5.jpg) The view from Oberrothorn ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/oberrothorn-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/oberrothorn-6.jpg) The Findel glacier as seen from Oberrothorn ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/oberrothorn-8.jpg) The Monte Rosa as seen from Oberrothorn ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/findelgletscher-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/findelgletscher-2.jpg) The rapidly receding Findelgletscher as seen from Fluhalp Clouds rolling in. Time to head back to Zermatt. ### Lauteraarhütte URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lauteraarhutte/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T08:56:12.000Z The hike to the Lauteraarhütte had been on my bucket list for a long time. From Grimsel Hospiz it leads along the Grimselsee, over narrow paths carved into the rockface, to the foot of the Unteraargletscher and then up to the hut at an elevation of 2,393 meter. The hike is not particularly difficult, it's just long: including photo stops it's about 4.5 hours to the hut and 4-4.5 hours back. The starting point of the hike is at the Grimsel Hospiz. Unfortunately it is often fully booked months in advance, which is why I hadn't done the hike yet. About a year ago I discovered that it is possible to do the hike as a day trip from Meiringen. That does require some planning though, especially if you're traveling by public transport. I took the 7.45 train from Meiringen to Innertkirchen, where I switched to bus 161, which departs at 7:58 and arrives at Grimsel Hospiz at 8:33\. During summer the last bus from Grimsel Hospiz back to Meiringen departs at 17:42, which gives you about 9 hours for the hike. It's doable, but there's not much margin for error. Of course, if you travel by car you would still need to start early, but you don't need to worry about catching a bus. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-1.jpg) On the way to the Lauteraarhütte The hike to the Lauteraarhütte was not as popular as I had expected, perhaps because it was early summer. I only met a handful of other hikers. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-2.jpg) The trail to the Lauteraarhütte is well maintained, like all hut trails in Switzerland. It was still early in the season and I encountered some workers who were cutting overgrown grass and clearing the trail. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-3.jpg) In the distance the Unteraargletscher The Lauteraar hut is at the top of the plateau in the right corner of the photo above (not the peak in the far right corner, but a bit lower to the left). To get there all you have to do is to keep walking. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-5.jpg) The glacier tongue at the foot of the climb to the Lauteraarhütte ![Lauteraarhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-6.jpg) Lauteraarhütte After a short but strenuous climb the Lauteraarhütte comes into view. ![The view from the Lauteraarhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-7.jpg) The view from the Lauteraarhütte ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-8.jpg) The mountain ridge on the other side of the glacier ![View from the Lauteraarhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-9.jpg) The view from the Lauteraarhütte The views from the Lauteraar hut are amazing, especially on a day like this. I had planned my trip at the start of summer in the hope that the mountains and the glaciers would still be covered in snow. Because of the heatwave all snow had already melted, even at high elevations. ![View from the Lauteraarhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-10.jpg) The view from the Lauteraarhütte ![Lauteraarhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-11.jpg) One more look at the Lauteraarhütte ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-12.jpg) Looking back from the Lauteraarhütte Time to leave. It's about four hours back to the Grimsel Hospiz and I had a bus to catch. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-13.jpg) It was dry and warm and the wind blew up dust from the edge of the Grimselsee. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/lauteraarhuette-14.jpg) The Staumauer Spitallamm and the Grimsel Hospiz come into view. Time to relax. From here it's about half an hour to the Grimsel Hospiz and the bus stop. ### Aareschlucht URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aareschlucht/ Last updated: 2026-07-19T18:40:45.000Z I had put off visiting the Aareschlucht until the morning of my departure, not saving the best till last, but because I feared that it might be a bit touristy. It is indeed one of the most popular sights in the area around Meiringen, but it is so for a reason. I had so much fun taking photos that I lost track of time, which is always a good sign, and ended up taking a train later. The Aare Gorge (Aareschlucht in German) was formed over tens of thousands of years by the Aare Glacier. The Aare Gorge is located in the Hasli Valley, between Meiringen and Innertkirchen, in Berner Oberland, Switzerland, at the foot of the Grimsel pass and the Susten pass. You can either enter the gorge via the West entrance and exit via the East entrance (or vice versa) and then take the train or a bus back or walk back through the gorge, like I did. It takes around 45-60 minutes to walk through the gorge, depending on how many photo stops you make. Like I said it is a bit touristy: when I arrived early in the morning there were only a handful of visitors; by the time I left the parking space at the West entrance was almost full. If you happen to be in the area I hope that my photos convince you to visit the Aareschlucht. ![Aareschlucht](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/aareschlucht-1.jpg) The amazing Aareschlucht near Meiringen ![Aareschlucht](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/aareschlucht-2.jpg) ![Close-up of the wall of the Aareschlucht](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/aareschlucht-3.jpg) Close-up of the wall of the Aareschlucht ![Aare Gorge](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/aareschlucht-4.jpg) It is difficult to capture the size of the Aareschlucht. At its deepest the walls are 200 meter high. ![Close-up of the wall of the Aareschlucht](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/aareschlucht-6.jpg) Another close-up of the wall of the Aareschlucht ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/aareschlucht-7.jpg) A narrow section of the Aareschlucht ![Aareschlucht](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/aareschlucht-8.jpg) ![Aareschlucht](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/aareschlucht-9.jpg) One of the wider sections of the Aareschlucht ### Kerry James Marshall at the Kunsthaus Zürich URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/07/19/kerry-james-marshall-kunsthaus-zurich/ Last updated: 2026-07-19T17:33:50.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/kerry-james-marshall-zurich-1.jpg) The Kerry James Marshall retrospective “The Histories” received rave reviews when it was on show at the Royal Academy in London last year so I had been keen to see it now that it has landed in Zürich. It is indeed an excellent exhibition and I might go and see it again when it travels to Paris this autumn. Kerry James Marshall (1955) is regarded as one of the most important painters working today. His large-scale, multi-layered works consistently place Black figures at their centre. Since the early 1980s, he has critically engaged with the Western tradition of history painting, exposing its omissions and mechanisms of exclusion. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/kerry-james-marshall-zurich-2.jpg) In his work Marshall often merges references to the Western art historical canon, from Manet's picnickers to Hockney's shimmering pools, with motifs drawn from popular culture, political history and everyday African American life, creating complex paintings of great narrative density. "De Style” (1993), a vibrant group portrait and Marshall’s first museum sale, is at once a reference to the Dutch art movement "De Stijl" and to the cultural significance of barbershops in Black communal life. The monumental “School of Beauty. School of Culture” (2012) features a reference to Hans Holbein’s “The Ambassadors” in the form of an anamorphic distortion of Disney's Sleeping Beauty, which can be read as a symbol of the suppression of Black beauty ideals by the American mainstream. I love the two toddlers who are puzzled by the floating structure. Each of Marshall’s canvases stars Black figures who are poised, forceful, and, more often than not, simply enjoying themselves. Yet beneath the pleasure lurk darker themes: from the Middle Passage and slave rebellions to the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, which formed a backdrop to Marshall's childhood. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/07/kerry-james-marshall-zurich-3.jpg) "Africa Revisited" is a series of new paintings that challenge popular narratives of African history, from the complicity of Black traders in the slave trade to the murder of Shaka Zulu by his half-brothers. These brightly colored, sharply outlined canvases place Marshall fully into the genre he has long coveted, history painting. Art, he insists, cannot alter politics; it can only direct our attention. This exhibition does exactly that, and does it on a scale that few living painters could sustain. **Kerry James Marshall: The Histories** is at the Kunsthaus Zürich until 16 August 2026\. It will be on show at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris from 18 September 2026 to 24 January 2027. ### Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior at the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/06/26/azzedine-alaia-and-christian-dior-fondation-azzedine-alaia/ Last updated: 2026-06-30T06:36:09.000Z ![Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior at the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/alaia-dior-1.jpg) Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior at the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa The Fondation Azzedine Alaïa is a hidden gem in Paris’s Le Marais, near the Hôtel de Ville and BHV Rivoli. It is easy to miss and over the years I must have walked past countless times without ever venturing inside. The Foundation is housed in a group of buildings surrounding a wonderful tranquil interior courtyard that doubles as a café. At the end of the courtyard lies the exhibition gallery, an amazing space with a glass and ironwork roof. On the first floor visitors can peek inside Azzedine Alaïa’s workshop, which has been preserved for posterity as it was left when he passed away. There is also a bookshop dedicated to fashion, art, design, and literature. When young Azzedine Alaïa left Tunisia for Paris in 1956, he carried a single ambition: to become the next Christian Dior, the visionary designer who had reinvented women's fashion. Fate intervened. A friend of a friend found him an internship at the ateliers of Parisian couture's reigning king. He stayed only a handful of days. Yet that brief encounter kindled a boundless reverence. Dior's gowns never loosened their grip on Alaïa's imagination, and the first cocktail dresses he crafted for early clients drew him toward the riddles of tailoring he would chase for a lifetime, ultimately making him one the most virtuoso couturiers of his era. His work became a silent testament to those formative impressions: defined waists, sculpted shoulders, shapely hips, billowing skirts, and a passion for refined fabrics and the countless shades of black and gray that turned dresses into timeless declarations of love. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/alaia-dior-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/alaia-dior-3.jpg) Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior at the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa Azzedine Alaïa was also an ardent fashion collector. He ended up amassing more than 500 Dior designs to shield them from loss. The exhibition "Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior: Two Masters of Haute Couture" brings together nearly 70 creations by both designers. Curated by the foundation's director, Olivier Saillard, the exhibition stages an elegant dialogue between the two designers. I loved the poetic, almost reverential scenography with gowns seemingly floating in mid-air against a backdrop of panels of embroidered blossoms, all wrapped in a hushed, near-sacred silence. The exhibition shows how Alaïa deconstructed Dior's iconic cuts and infused them with his own sensibility. What binds both designers is a shared devotion to volume, texture, and meticulous detail. I’ve added the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa to my ever growing list of favorite places in Paris and I look forward to the autumn exhibition, which will focus on Alaïa’s North African roots. **Azzedine Alaïa et Christian Dior. Deux maîtres de la Haute Couture** is at the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa in Paris until 24 June 2026. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/alaia-dior-4.jpg) The atelier at the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa ### Related Posts [Dolce & Gabbana at the Grand Palais](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/29/dolce-gabbana-at-the-grand-palais/). [Rick Owens. Temple of Love at the Palais Galliera](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/10/19/rick-owens-temple-of-love-at-the-palais-galliera/). [Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/28/iris-van-herpen-sculpting-the-senses/) at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. ### Alexander Calder at the Fondation Louis Vuitton URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/06/21/alexander-calder-fondation-louis-vuitton/ Last updated: 2026-06-22T18:20:33.000Z ![Alexander Calder at the Fondation Louis Vuitton](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/calder-fondation-louis-vuitton-1.jpg) Alexander Calder at the Fondation Louis Vuitton The Fondation Louis Vuitton has handed Paris a gift. The exhibition “Calder. Rêver en Équilibre” (Calder. Dreaming in Balance) marks a twin anniversary — the sculptor's arrival in the city in 1926 and his death fifty years later — and it claims every floor of Frank Gehry's building as well as the rear lawns, where two late sculptures, the jagged "Black Flag" (1974) and the curving crimson "Five Swords" (1976) have been installed. More than 300 works trace a roughly chronological arc. From the lobby, where a large mobile, "Triumphant Red" (1963), is suspended in mid-air, Gehry's architecture seems almost to have been built for Calder: both share a lightness and a sense of movement. Back in 2021 I visited an Alexander Calder exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, [*Minimal/Maximal*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/09/17/alexander-calder-minimal-maximal/), which concentrated on the works for which Calder is best known. With that show still fresh in my mind, the Fondation Louis Vuitton exhibition had not ranked high on my agenda. How wrong I was! Calder's mobiles are always a delight to behold, and if you think you know his work, you may be in for a surprise — I certainly was. The story begins where Alexander Calder's did. Born in Philadelphia in 1898 into a family of sculptors and a Sorbonne-trained painter mother, he trained first as a mechanical engineer, then turned to painting in the socially conscious style of the Ashcan School. That Calder originally trained as a painter didn’t come as a surprise to me — many artists do — that he would return to painting throughout his career was new to me. In 1926 Calder moved to Paris where he would remain until 1933\. While an art student he had become fascinated by the circus. Out of that fascination grew the "Cirque Calder" (1926–1931), a miniature world of wire performers that eventually filled five suitcases — sword swallowers, acrobats, a lassoing cowboy — which the artist animated himself in performances lasting up to two hours. On loan from the Whitney Museum in New York, this fragile marvel, which makes up about half of the downstairs gallery of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, was a joy to behold and one of the exhibition's biggest surprises. Then came the leap. Calder's wire portraits of Montparnasse luminaries like Josephine Baker introduced something new: drawing in space, with cast shadows doubling each figure on the wall behind it. A 1930 visit to Piet Mondrian's Paris studio, its walls papered with planes of primary color, came as a shock to Calder. For two weeks he returned to painting, creating some abstract canvases, which are not at all bad, but he soon realized that what he really wanted to do was to create the same kind of abstraction with wires and metal. Out of this came the suspended forms, which Marcel Duchamp later named "mobiles", and the fixed sculptures, which Jean Arp subsequently dubbed “stabiles". The curators have brought together an amazing collection of mobiles in different sizes, which made me wonder whether there are any left in other museums. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/calder-fondation-louis-vuitton-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/calder-fondation-louis-vuitton-4.jpg) Alexander Calder was a master craftsman and for years he designed and crafted jewelry for his wife and friends and family. I’m not really into jewelry, but some of these pieces are pretty stunning and would put many jewelry designers to shame and then to know that he created them as a mere pastime. The upper floors gather his astonishing range — fish scaled in colored glass and the wartime "Constellation" series fashioned from painted wood when steel grew scarce — before the monumental and final pieces crown the top floor. Some mobiles rest on the floor, others are suspended from the ceiling, stirred to life by the currents of air caused by visitors walking by. ![Alexander Calder at the Fondation Louis Vuitton](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/calder-fondation-louis-vuitton-2.jpg) Alexander Calder at the Fondation Louis Vuitton “Calder. Rêver en Équilibre” is a glorious celebration of an artist who never stopped creating. It is also one of those exhibitions that only the Fondation Louis Vuitton could mount. To set Calder's work in context, the curators have assembled a selection of masterpieces by Kandinsky, Mondrian, Miró, Léger and Picasso, which by itself would make for an excellent exhibition. I normally visit the Fondation Louis Vuitton on a Saturday morning, making sure to be the first in line, which usually means arriving half an hour in advance. This time I visited on a Friday evening. To my surprise it was relatively quiet and the last hour or so before the museum closed I had the galleries almost all to myself. The perfectly air-conditioned spaces also served as a refuge from the sweltering heat outside. **Calder. Rêver en Équilibre** is at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris until 16 August 2026. ### Related Posts [Alexander Calder. Minimal/Maximal](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/09/17/alexander-calder-minimal-maximal/) at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. [Gerhard Richter](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/31/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton/) at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. ### Baroque Splendors at the Musée Jacquemart-André URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/06/20/baroque-splendors-musee-jacquemart-andre/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T14:05:03.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/baroque-splendors-jacquemart-andre-1.jpg) The Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris has organized an exhibition, "Baroque Splendors. From El Greco to Velázquez", with some forty paintings on loan from the Hispanic Society of America in New York. The Society's headquarters, a museum and research library devoted to Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American art, is currently undergoing renovations. So its treasures—canvases by Velázquez, El Greco, and Zurbarán among others—could travel abroad. Upon reading about the exhibition I added the Hispanic Society of America to my list for my next trip to New York. But since I don’t know when that will be and because there is no harm in seeing the same paintings twice I paid another visit to the Musée Jacquemart-André. It was surprisingly quiet when I visited, or at least much more quiet than during my previous visits. Of course, I was happy that I had the exhibition almost to myself, but it’s also a shame, because there are some real gems on show (and the air-conditioned rooms provided some reprieve from the oppressive heat outside). The Hispanic Society Museum & Library was founded by Archer Milton Huntington (1870–1955), one of America’s greatest philanthropists, who nurtured an abiding passion for Hispanic civilization. He learned Spanish and Arabic, journeyed repeatedly to Spain, and established the Society in 1904\. His fortune, however, traced back to his father-in-law Collis Potter Huntington, a Connecticut farm boy turned railroad magnate who amassed staggering wealth. Over the course of fifty years, Huntington dedicated his life and family resources to forming one of the world’s great collections of Hispanic art and literature. He didn’t want to compete with Spanish and Latin American institutions, so he only acquired works that were already on the market. The exhibition centers on the seventeenth century, a period of artistic, literary, and intellectual flourishing in Spain. It opens with a room with some wonderful stately portraits by Diego Velázquez, Antonio Moro and Jooris van der Straeten, a Flemish painter known as Jorge de la Rúa in Spain. Next is a room with works by Luis de Morales and El Greco. The latter's austere "Head of Saint Francis", glimpsed in tight profile within an oval frame, proves the most arresting of the lot—though whether it is whole or merely a fragment, is unknown. The real surprise comes in the next room, which brings together three so called enconchados—oil paintings on wood inlaid with shimmering mother-of-pearl, by Mexican and Peruvian painters. Nicolás de Correa's “Wedding Feast at Cana” (1696) is a dazzling painting and a wonderful example of cross-cultural synthesis. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/baroque-splendors-jacquemart-andre-2.jpg) Nicolás de Correa, “Wedding Feast at Cana” (1696) The final two rooms include a beautiful, enigmatic portrait of a young girl by Velázquez, a copy of his “Buffon with a Dog” by John Singer-Sargent, two glorious canvases by Zurbarán and an intimate virgin with child by Bartolomé Estéban Murillo, among others. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/baroque-splendors-jacquemart-andre-3.jpg) The forty or so works on show at the Musée Jacquemart-André are but a modest sampling, drawn from a sprawling collection of more than eighteen thousand pieces. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I had never heard of the Hispanic Society of America and was unaware of its world-renowned art collection, otherwise I would have visited it on one of my trips to New York. It is now high on my list for my next trip and when the renovation is completed. **Splendeurs du baroque. De Greco à Velazquez** is at the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris until 2 August 2026. ### Related Posts [Artemisia Gentileschi](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/04/04/artemisia-gentileschi-at-the-musee-jacquemart-andre/) at the Musée Jacquemart-André. [Masterpieces from the Galleria Borghese](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/01/masterpieces-from-the-galleria-borghese-at-the-musee-jacquemart-andre/) at the Musée Jacquemart-André. [Georges de la Tour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/14/georges-de-la-tour-at-the-musee-jacquemart-andre/) at the Musée Jacquemart-André. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/06/19/further-reading-115/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T08:08:24.000Z Tired of being left off maps of the US, [Alaska and Hawaii begin producing maps with other states missing](https://xkcd.com/2394/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), too. The best way to start your day? [The science](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01822-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) backs naked cartwheels in the sun. The life and work of [Agnès Varda](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n10/lili-owen-rowlands/againstness?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). How the brain builds sentences, [neuron by neuron](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01922-w?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Inside [the ludicrous, deadly serious plan](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/06/22/inside-the-ludicrous-deadly-serious-plan-to-take-over-greenland?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to take over Greenland. [How does academic age influence creativity](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ady8732?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? The authors find that "novelty—the linking of previously unconnected ideas—increases with academic age, whereas disruption—the replacement of established ideas with new ones—declines." [Anticipating the future in an algorithmic age](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aee0976?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Misleading predictions shape outcomes and facilitate abuses of power, but resistance is not futile. A dose of [Duchamp](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n10/hal-foster/at-moma?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I was tempted to travel to New York to see the exhibition, but it will travel to the Grand Palais in Spring 2027. The hole in the ice [at the end of the Earth](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/climate/antarctica-expedition-thwaites-glacier.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A [human history of the Sahara](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n10/rahmane-idrissa/ak-47-and-guitar?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Portraits of Marilyn](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n11/andrew-o-hagan/at-the-npg?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Scientists keep detecting [new forms of ice](https://www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-discover-the-most-complex-forms-of-ice-yet-20260427/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Yes, you read that correctly. According to simulations, there could be many more left to find. If it were an industry, [money laundering](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n09/john-lanchester/squillions?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) would be the third biggest business in the world, behind commercial property and ahead of pensions. The human body’s [hidden pathways](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/05/11/magazine/interstitium-anatomy-acupuncture-medicine.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). In writing *The Magic Mountain*, Thomas Mann [struggled](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/06/25/the-siren-song-of-illness-master-of-contradictions-jensen/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to free himself from his artistic preoccupation with sickness and death. A [481-meter-high landslide-tsunami](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec3187?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in a cruise ship–frequented Alaska fjord. [Animation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCRM4ETPHkQ&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The dream of reason. On [Jürgen Habermas](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/06/22/jurgen-habermas-desperate-fight-for-democracy?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [What Russians want](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n10/greg-afinogenov/slavdom?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Slavery in the Islamic world](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n09/youssef-ben-ismail/his-favourite-camel?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Humans outperform AI at [this highly rigorous mathematics test](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01888-9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Is AI ruining our skills?](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01947-1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Early results are in — and they’re not good. [Think for yourself](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/06/25/think-for-yourself-ai-dan-chiasson/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). One of the most dehumanizing effects of AI is the short cuts it offers through the gaps and impasses intrinsic to the act of writing. An OpenAI model has disproved [a central conjecture in discrete geometry](https://openai.com/index/model-disproves-discrete-geometry-conjecture/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Knowledge is a commodity now. Curiosity is the new edge. [Ken Ono on the future of math](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGZOi-7haCw&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Comics Speak Cash at the Monnaie de Paris URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/06/17/comics-speak-cash-monnaie-de-paris/ Last updated: 2026-07-02T09:15:17.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/comics-monnaie-paris-1.jpg) Back in 2024, I stumbled into a wonderful exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, “[Bande dessinée, 1964 - 2024](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/17/bande-dessinee-1964-2024-at-the-centre-pompidou/)”, put on to celebrate six decades of comics—and it proved nothing short of a revelation. As a child, I had devoured Tintin, Lucky Luke, Astérix, and the beloved Dutch classic Olivier B. Bommel; yet once I reached adulthood, I tended to reach only for the titles that had earned headlines, such as Marjane Satrapi's *Persepolis* and Chris Ware's *Building Stories*. Since visiting “Bande dessinée, 1964 - 2024”, however, I worked my way through a string of award-winning comics and graphic novels, each one enriching my life in ways I hadn't anticipated. These days, I also keep an eye out for other shows about comics and the artists who make them. The Monnaie de Paris has organized an exhibition, "Cling! La bande dessinée parle cash", which explores a popular theme in many comic books: money, whether in the form of a treasure hunt, a gang of thieves or a plutocrat. Two hundred works by eighty artists, drawn from generations of comic book artists and loaned by both private and public collectors, examine wealth as comics have always rendered it — in bulging sacks, glittering hoards, and towering piles of coins. Why money? Because, as the curators argue, money is never merely metal or paper for that matter; it is a symbol and a vehicle of socialization. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/comics-monnaie-paris-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/comics-monnaie-paris-3.jpg) Many quests end with an empty chest, a vanished treasure The exhibition opens with a forgotten 1933 science-fiction comic, *A Trip to the Coin*, in which characters shrink to atomic scale and venture inside a penny, then unfurls across eight thematic rooms peopled by adventurers, thieves, gamblers, savers, billionaires, outcasts, counterfeiters and alchemists. The familiar faces are all here. Scrooge McDuck and the Daltons hounding Lucky Luke, Tintin's scheming Rastapopoulos — each takes a place beside other money-obsessed figures. Gaston wages his creator Franquin's war on parking meters; Two-Face flips his fateful coin in Gotham and the dapper thief Lupin III enriches himself with unmistakable flair. In both Westerns and pirate adventures, many quests end with an empty chest, a vanished treasure. Yet this doesn't stop the adventurer from setting sail again, nor the reader from wanting to be swept away. Whether in Tintin, Redbeard or Lucky Luke, the disappointment of a missing treasure is a recurring theme. Jacques Lacan famously defined desire as a relation of being to lack. This motif is found as much in Jean-Michel Charlier and Victor Hubinon's *L'île de l'homme mort* (The Island of the Dead Man) as in Robert Louis Stevenson's *Treasure Island*. In each of these stories the journey itself constitutes the true treasure. The empty chest, like Pandora's box, symbolizes the identity that each individual must construct. “Comics Speak Cash” is a dense exhibition and if you want to read each and every panel you should definitely allocate sufficient time for your visit or buy the richly illustrated catalogue. For the occasion the museum shop has been transformed into a well-stocked comic book store. Unfortunately, it was already near closing time when I left so I didn’t have time to browse the shelves. If you've never been to the Monnaie de Paris, the building at the quai de Conti, near the Pont Neuf, is worth visiting in itself. **Cling! La bande dessinée parle cash** is at the Monnaie de Paris until 6 September 2026. ### Related Posts [Bande dessinée 1964 - 2024 at the Centre Pompidou](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/17/bande-dessinee-1964-2024-at-the-centre-pompidou/). [Manga at the Musée Guimet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/19/manga-at-the-musee-guimet/). [Richard McGuire. Then and There. Here and Now](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/07/28/richard-mcguire-then-and-there-here-and-now/) at the Cartoonmuseum Basel. [Joost Swarte Overal/Everywhere](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/10/25/joost-swarte-overal-everywhere/) at the Kunsthal Rotterdam. ### Daido Moriyama at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/06/15/daido-moriyama-fondation-henri-cartier-bresson/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T20:51:52.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/moriyama-paris-1.jpg) Daido Moriyama has long been one of my favorite photographers. I somehow missed the Daido Moriyama / Shomei Tomatsu exhibition at Paris’s Maison Européenne de la Photographie in 2021, so I was keen to see the exhibition currently at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, which I hadn’t visited for a long time. Rather than a conventional chronological retrospective, the exhibition at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson turns its gaze inward, probing Moriyama's lifelong obsession with the medium of photography itself. The opening room is devoted to his landmark book “Farewell to Photography”, first published in 1972, in which he defiantly abandoned the conventions of "good" photography. The staging, however, remains decidedly traditional: a selection of framed prints from the book lines one wall, a vitrine gathers its various editions, and a slideshow cycles through every page in turn. At the heart of the exhibition lie the photographs Moriyama made on a twofold pilgrimage: first to the place where Nicéphore Niépce (1765–1833) captured what is widely regarded as the earliest photograph, "View from the Window at Le Gras", and then to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, the institution that now safeguards the original plate. The final room shows a selection of photographs that are directly or indirectly related to the medium of photography: film rolls hanging from a laundry line, a close-up of an eye, a photo of a camera. In Japan, Daido Moriyama is superstar. One of his most famous photos, “Stray Dog, Misawa” (1971) has even been made into a toy sized stuffed dog. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue, which, in addition to numerous photographs, also includes a selection of essays (in French translation) that Moriyama has written for Japanese photography magazines since the 1960s. **Daido Moriyama. Lettres d’amour à la photographie** is at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris until 4 October 2026. ### Related Posts [Wolfgang Tillmans at the Centre Pompidou](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/08/17/wolfgang-tillmans-at-the-centre-pompidou/). [Irving Penn at the Grand Palais](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/10/26/irving-penn-at-the-grand-palais/). [Juergen Teller: i need to live](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/06/juergen-teller-i-need-to-live/). [Anton Corbijn: Favourite Darkness](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/10/anton-corbijn-favourite-darkness-at-the-kunstforum-wien/) at the Kunstforum Wien. [Daido Moriyama at FOAM](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2006/07/16/daido-moriyama-retrospective/). ### Jill Lepore: These Truths URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/06/13/jill-lepore-these-truths/ Last updated: 2026-06-15T18:17:53.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/06/rue-franklin-2.jpg) Rue Franklin, Paris I had been looking to fill some gaps in my knowledge of U.S. history so I recently picked up “These Truths. A History of the United States” by Jill Lepore. The title is, of course, a reference to the famous opening line of the second paragraph of the United States Declaration of Independence. “These Truths” is a social-political history of the United States, not an economic history, there is very little about the industrialists and bankers whose names now adorn buildings and universities across the United States, nor a cultural history, Melville and Faulkner both get name-checked once, but there is no mention of Louis Armstrong, Hollywood, Jackson Pollock, the Beat generation, West Side Story, Superman, Woodstock or any other artist or cultural event that shaped the collective unconsciousness and the nation’s cultural identity. With those limitations in mind, Jill Lepore's “These Truths” is probably the best single-volume history of the United States currently available. But don't take my word for it, because I’ve only read one. Across 789 highly readable pages, Lepore, a professor of history at Harvard University and a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine, weaves together political philosophy, social movements, historical characters, and the long-silenced voices of women, African-Americans, Native Americans, and others pushed to the margins. The history of the United States, in Lepore’s telling, is no triumphant march of progress. It is darker, stranger, more honest than that. From the outset, the United States emerges as a tangle of contradictions: a magnet for European fortune seekers and free thinkers that was also a gulag for those forcefully moved from Africa or born into slavery; a secular experiment that curdled into religious fervor; and a people fanatical about both slavery and freedom. That last contradiction nearly destroyed everything. The Civil War, Lepore argues, exposed two countries grappling for one continent: one built on the [First Amendment](https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), the other an antidemocratic, pro-slavery state willing to punish dissent with death. I had been unaware how brutal the Civil War was: more than 750,000 Americans died, with 24,000 casualties in a single battle. The Union emerged victorious, the Confederacy was dissolved, yet liberation proved tragically incomplete. Lincoln fell to an assassin, Reconstruction was bartered away in a grubby political bargain, and Jim Crow rose as the losing side's venomous revenge. Lepore definitely has a way with words and despite its length “These Truths” is an easy read. It brims with vivid anecdote and arresting detail: who would have thought that George Washington's dentures were fashioned from his slaves' teeth? Benjamin Franklin emerges as one of the book’s unsung heroes. They should name a street after him in every U.S. city 😊. If only Congress had gone along with his call for abolition. As a European I continue to be puzzled by the American obsession with guns, periodic mass shootings with multiple casualties notwithstanding. I’m equally puzzled that abortion remains such a divisive issue. As Lepore writes: “In the waning decades of the twentieth century, liberals and conservatives alike cast the lingering divisions of the 1960s less as matters of law and order than as matters of life and death. Either abortion was murder and guns meant freedom or guns meant murder and abortion was freedom.” “These Truths” was first published in 2018, two years into the first Trump presidency, when many observers still considered his ascent to power an aberration. Yet here we are. One can only hope that a century from now Trump and MAGA only warrant a short paragraph in a future single-volume history of the United States. As “These Truths” makes abundantly clear the present moment is not the only dark page in U.S. history. In February 1942, shortly after Pearl Harbor, some 112,000 Japanese living in the United States, including 79,000 U.S. citizens, were ordered from their homes and imprisoned in camps in Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington. There is, sadly, nothing new about ICE and today’s detention facilities. If you’ve always wondered who the founding fathers were that U.S. politicians and media like to refer to or if you think that Abraham Lincoln was one of them, I highly recommend Jill Lepore's “These Truths”. \* There is a statue of Benjamin Franklin at the Square de Yorktown in Paris, but I got there at the wrong time of day to make a decent photo. I'll go back another time. ### Related Posts [American Photography at the Rijksmuseum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/31/american-photography-at-the-rijksmuseum/). ### Bellezza e Bruttezza at BOZAR URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/05/24/bellezza-e-bruttezza-bozar/ Last updated: 2026-05-25T14:01:03.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/05/bellezza-bruttezza--2.jpg) The exhibition "Bellezza e Bruttezza" (Beauty and Ugliness) at BOZAR in Brussels explores the aesthetic ideals that guided Renaissance artists, bringing together well-known works from the likes of Titian, Botticelli, Dürer and Lucas Cranach the Elder, while combining them with lesser-known, and therefore all the more interesting, artworks. The exhibition focuses on the period when the classical ideal of beauty was refined, stretched, and at times deliberately broken. Beauty and ugliness are often considered opposites, yet the curators reveal a more tangled truth. Many artists, it turns out, were magnetized by deviation itself: sublime beauty on one hand, the deformed and grotesque on the other. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/05/bellezza-bruttezza--3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/05/bellezza-bruttezza--4.jpg) The prologue opens in antiquity. A marble Venus shields her modesty; the Three Graces pirouette in stone; harmony and proportion reign, with realism reserved for a portrait of a furrowed old man. Renaissance masters inherited this lexicon, particularly when depicting heavenly beauty — Venus, the Virgin Mary — to whom they granted the golden ratio as a birthright. Ordinary mortals, however, could remain ordinary, because God had fashioned them so. Feminine beauty then takes center stage through Titian, Veronese, Bordone, Van Cleve, and others, where flawless anatomy mattered less than the surrounding apparatus of grace: embroidered velvet, intricate lace, gold chains, pearl earrings denoting purity, an ermine cradled as emblem of virtue. Then the register shifts. Painting, the exhibition reminds us, is a deceptive art form. Two portraits of Giulia Gonzaga sit side by side: Titian's flattering invention versus Sebastiano del Piombo's sober likeness. Decades later Gonzaga herself conceded that Titian's version never resembled her. From here, the show pivots toward physical particularity: from dwarfism to the ravages of age and disease. Leonardo da Vinci’s distorted profiles inaugurate an entire school, and his followers mine the morbid picturesque for endless variation. Ugliness, once incidental, hardens into a genre with its own recurring cast: drunkards, faded courtesans, staggering musicians and leering jesters whose folly unmasks pretension. In the exhibition’s final rooms disfigurement has become shorthand for moral failing, with allegories of greed and envy embodied in sagging, wrinkled bodies and peasants and petty officials drafted into the role of the grotesque. The exhibition ends with a fascinating painting by Frans Floris de Vriendt, at once a portrait and a still life, which shows Pomona accompanied by Pan amidst a wealth of fruits and vegetables. In Ovid’s [Metamorphoses](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/02/22/metamorphoses-rijksmuseum/) Pomona, the goddess of fruit trees, vegetable gardens and orchards, is being chased by Vertumnus, the god of the seasons, who eventually seduces her after disguising himself as an old woman so as to gain entrance to her walled garden. Concurrently with Bellezza e Bruttezza, Picture Perfect explores contemporary definitions of physical beauty through photographs and videos from the 1960s to today. **Bellezza e Bruttezza** is at BOZAR in Brussels until 14 June 2026. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/05/01/further-reading-114/ Last updated: 2026-05-03T19:22:19.000Z Across the social sciences, [half of research doesn’t replicate](https://www.science.org/content/article/across-social-sciences-half-research-doesn-t-replicate?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). And nobody cares. The [exotic particles](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01387-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that could finally break the Standard Model. [In defense of algebra](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/04/09/in-defense-of-algebra-paul-lockhart/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Are strings still our best hope for [a theory of everything](https://www.quantamagazine.org/are-strings-still-our-best-hope-for-a-theory-of-everything-20260323/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? [Manet and Morisot](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/05/14/manet-and-morisot-game-on-tallman/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). T.J. Clark on [Willem de Kooning](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n08/t.j.-clark/v-is-for-vagina?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Analysis of gravitational waves supports theory that [some stars explode without leaving behind black holes](https://www.science.org/content/article/some-black-holes-are-forbidden-ripples-spacetime-reveal?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Human cooperation](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01048-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) undergoes constant breakdown and repair. Ken Ono feared AI. [Now he trains it](https://physicstoday.aip.org/news/q-a-ken-ono-feared-ai-now-he-trains-it?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A [new type of neuroplasticity](https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-type-of-neuroplasticity-rewires-the-brain-after-a-single-experience-20260424/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) rewires the brain after a single experience. [Bumble bees](https://www.science.org/content/article/bumble-bees-show-surprising-knack-rhythm?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) show a surprising knack for rhythm. And they can stay alive for up to a week in flooded nests, [thanks to several tricks](https://www.science.org/content/article/how-bumblebees-survive-days-underwater-without-drowning?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Charting the [human brain's lifelong functional organization](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00637-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). 50 artists from all over the world were chosen to shoot shorts in the Azores, [guided by Werner Herzog](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/style/werner-herzog-workshop-filmmakers.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). There has never been a moral and historical reckoning with the horrors inflicted by [the Allied firebombing of Japan during World War II](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/04/09/a-man-made-disaster-firebombing-japan-world-war-ii/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [History after climate change](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n08/oliver-cussen/no-one-can-live-on-iron?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [La vérité est dans les poireaux](https://legrandcontinent.eu/fr/dimanches/adam-curtis-la-verite-est-dans-les-poireaux/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Adam Curtis. Ben Lerner on [John Berger’s *G*](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/04/09/crowds-and-lovers-g-john-berger/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Gerd Falting awarded the [Abel Prize](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/science/abel-prize-mathematics.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard share this year’s $1 million [A.M. Turing Award](https://www.science.org/content/article/computer-science-s-nobel-prize-goes-quantum?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) for work on quantum information. ### Matisse at the Grand Palais URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/04/26/matisse-grand-palais/ Last updated: 2026-04-30T17:56:36.000Z ![Matisse. 1941 - 1954 at the Grand Palais](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/matisse-grand-palais-1.jpg) Matisse. 1941 - 1954 at the Grand Palais The Grand Palais, in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou, has organized a magnificent exhibition devoted to Matisse's final years — the period between 1941 and 1954\. Curated by Claudine Grammont, the former director of the Musée Matisse in Nice, the show gathers more than 300 works borrowed from collections around the world, several displayed publicly for the first time. In recent years I have visited several Matisse exhibitions, at the [Musée de l'Orangerie](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/matisse-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/), the [Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/08/04/matisse-and-marguerite-at-the-musee-d-art-moderne-de-paris/) and the [Fondation Louis Vuittion](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/02/matisse-the-red-studio-at-the-fondation-louis-vuitton/), and yet this show feels revelatory, because it dismantles a stubborn cliché: the notion that an artist's creative fire slowly dims in his or her final years. In the case of Matisse, what unfolds instead is a flowering — a restless and audacious reinvention. The story begins with catastrophe. In January 1941, at the age of seventy-one, Matisse underwent grueling surgery for intestinal cancer and emerged, against his own expectation, alive. He called what followed his "second life". Confined largely to a wheelchair, often working from bed, he refused convalescence as an excuse for retreat. He drew prodigiously, painted when his body would allow it, and devised ingenious workarounds — brushes lashed to long poles so he could paint directly on the walls of his Hôtel Regina apartment in Nice. Wartime France pressed in around him: the Gestapo seized his wife and [daughter](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/08/04/matisse-and-marguerite-at-the-musee-d-art-moderne-de-paris/) for resistance activities, the Nazis branded him "degenerate", yet he refused to flee or to exhibit under occupation. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/matisse-grand-palais-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/matisse-grand-palais-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/matisse-grand-palais-3.jpg) A persistent misconception holds that only the paper cutouts captivated the aging Matisse. The exhibition decisively rebuts this. Twenty-seven paintings — including the luminous Vence Interiors of 1947-48, eleven of them reunited here — prove that he never abandoned painting. These canvases pulse with the same chromatic ferocity as the cutouts; they quote his earlier work, summoning the “[Red Studio](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/02/matisse-the-red-studio-at-the-fondation-louis-vuitton/)” (1911) and absorbing memories of past loves and travels. Painting and collage, far from succeeding one another, fed each other in a continuous exchange. The cutouts themselves constitute a quiet revolution. By slicing into already-painted gouache sheets, Matisse drew within color rather than around it — collapsing the ancient quarrel between line and hue. Seventy-nine of these paper cutouts have been assembled, an unprecedented gathering: “The Snail” (1953) from Tate Modern, “Memory of Oceania” (1953) from MoMA, “The Sheaf” (1953) from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, “Acanthus” (1953) from the Fondation Beyeler, “Creole Dancer” (1950) from the Musée Matisse in Nice, and the amazing four “Blue Nudes” (1952), never before hung side by side, and which I only knew from reproductions. Rare film footage shows the artist wielding dressmaking scissors with startling fluency, his motions extending the gesture of pencil and brush. Throughout the upper galleries, organic forms — corals, stars, twisting nudes — proliferate into something close to enchantment. What astonishes is not the simplicity itself but the labor it concealed: the decades of training, the daily struggle against a failing body, the discipline that made spontaneity possible. “I hope that, however old we live to be, we die young”, Matisse said in 1950, four years before his death. The exhibition makes the wish look fulfilled. As I contemplated the works in the final room, a group of French school children aged six or seven who had been given a guided tour of the exhibition walked past, their hands locked, and as they were leaving one little girl shouted “Merci Monsieur Matisse!”. Thank you Mr. Matisse indeed. **Matisse. 1941 - 1954** is at the Grand Palais in Paris until 26 July 2026. ### Related Posts [Matisse at the Musée de l'Orangerie](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/matisse-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/). [Matisse. The Red Studio](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/02/matisse-the-red-studio-at-the-fondation-louis-vuitton/) at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. [Matisse and Marguerite](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/08/04/matisse-and-marguerite-at-the-musee-d-art-moderne-de-paris/) at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris. [Matisse, Derain and Friends](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/10/14/matisse-derain-and-friends-at-the-kunstmuseum-basel/) at the Kunstmuseum Basel. ### Renoir and Love at the Musée d’Orsay URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/04/19/renoir-and-love-musee-d-orsay/ Last updated: 2026-04-28T06:15:31.000Z ![Renoir and Love at the Musée d'Orsay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/renoir-musee-orsay-1.jpg) Pierre-Auguste Renoir, “La Grenouillère” (left) and "La Promenade" (right) It took me years to warm to the work of Renoir — I always found his work too gentle, too lovely — but now that is precisely the quality that I appreciate. What is not to like about a colorful painting of a field of flowers in full bloom? The Musée d'Orsay, staging its first-ever Renoir retrospective, has organized what amounts to a revisionist exhibition of the painter. Two complementary displays — roughly sixty canvases from his first two decades and a hundred drawings spanning his entire career — recast Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) as the great chronicler of modern life and leisure. His humble origins matter here: the son of a tailor and a seamstress, apprenticed at thirteen to paint porcelain, he trained at the École des Arts Décoratifs before entering the École des Beaux-Arts in 1861. That biography inflects his subjects in revealing ways. Where Degas scrutinized laboring bodies — laundresses, weary café dwellers — Renoir turned toward Paris’s many parks and its open-air cafés where Parisians went to eat, drink and dance whenever the weather allowed. The sun always shines in his work and his subjects appear at ease. Does this make him frivolous? Hardly. As Paul Perrin, co-curator of the exhibition, explains, Renoir stands firmly in the tradition of Courbet, Caillebotte and Manet, the great 19th century painters of modern life, but his is a joyful, more outgoing and exuberant modernity: couples, gatherings, meals, outings, dances. Love, broadly construed — romance, friendship, the very fabric of sociability — becomes his enduring subject. Renoir's painting, in this reading, asks how a society coheres through shared pleasure. Renoir was well aware of the prejudice he courted: a joyful painting, he admitted, struggles to be taken as a great one. Still, he insisted, the world produces enough sorrow without an artist manufacturing more. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/renoir-musee-orsay-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/renoir-musee-orsay-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/renoir-musee-orsay-7.jpg) Renoir and Love at the Musée d'Orsay. What's not to like? Like the [Henri Rousseau exhibition](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/04/19/henri-rousseau-musee-de-l-orangerie/) currently at the Musée de l’Orangerie, the organizers of the exhibition were able to secure some exceptional loans, including the monumental “Le Déjeuner des canotiers” (1881) from the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., “La Promenade” (1870) from the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the wonderful “La Grenouillère” (1869) from Stockholm's Nationalmuseum, “La Fin du dejeuner” (1879) from the Städel Museum in Frankfurt and “La danse à Bougival” (1883) from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which is hung alongside the Musée d’Orsay’s own “Danse à la campagne” (1883) and “Danse dans la Ville” (1883). This is quite possibly the largest Renoir exhibition of the decade and you may have to wait ten or fifteen years for the next major retrospective. **Renoir et l'amour. La modernité heureuse** (Renoir and Love. A Joyful Modernity) is at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris until 19 July 2026\. The exhibition will travel on to the National Gallery in London, where it will be on view from 3 October 2026 until 31 January 2027 and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/renoir-musee-orsay-5.jpg) ### Related Posts [Paris 1874\. Inventer l'Impressionisme](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/16/paris-1874-inventer-l-impressionisme-at-the-musee-d-orsay/) at the Musée d'Orsay. [Manet/Degas](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/29/manet-degas-at-the-musee-dorsay/) at the Musée d'Orsay. [John Sargent Singer](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/19/john-singer-sargent-at-the-musee-dorsay/) at the Musée d'Orsay. [L'art est dans la rue](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/04/21/l-art-est-dans-la-rue-at-the-musee-d-orsay/) at the Musée d'Orsay. ### Henri Rousseau at the Musée de l’Orangerie URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/04/19/henri-rousseau-musee-de-l-orangerie/ Last updated: 2026-04-28T06:17:44.000Z ![Henri Rousseau at the Musée de l’Orangerie ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/henri-rousseau-musee-orangerie-1.jpg) Henri Rousseau at the Musée de l’Orangerie Henri Rousseau couldn’t paint, his human and animal figures look awkward and his exotic jungle scenes are completely over the top, but that is precisely what makes his work so charming. As a large retrospective at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, “Henri Rousseau: The Ambition of Painting”, makes clear, Rousseau was not the naïve painter that he is often made out to be. He worked rigorously and constantly sought to perfect his distinctive style. His early admirers already knew this, Guillaume Apollinaire, Pablo Picasso, and Robert Delaunay championed him during his lifetime, and after his death the Dadaists and Surrealists, Tristan Tzara and André Breton among them, carried his reputation forward. I had been eager to see the exhibition. I am, of course, familiar with the work of Henri Rousseau, which hangs in every major museum of modern art, but this was my first chance to see an overview of his entire body of work. The Musée de l’Orangerie houses the collection of Paul Guillaume, Rousseau's chief interwar dealer, and was able to secure a number of exceptional loans from other institutions, most notably the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, whose founder Albert Barnes once owned some fifty works by Henri Rousseau. There are also loans from MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Beyeler Foundation. The result is an exhibition of unprecedented scope bringing together the "Sleeping Gypsy" (1897), the "Snake Charmer" (1907), “The War” (1894), “Child with Puppet” (1892) and several of his jungle paintings. Henri Rousseau didn't have any formal training in art. For years he worked as a toll collector on the outskirts of Paris, earning him the nickname "le Douanier". He only took up painting when he was in his early forties. At the age of 49, he retired from his job to fully dedicate himself to art. Rousseau's output falls into two registers. The first comprises modest landscapes, still lifes, and portraits—intimate canvases he sold cheaply to neighbors and which were later reclaimed by critics and dealers as his fame grew. Resistant to the prevailing current of Impressionism, he devised what he called a realist style, though it was far removed from anything that was considered realist at the time. In a style reminiscent of early renaissance paintings he carefully drew every single leaf. Continuous outlines bound every form; foliage, waves, and clouds acquire an unreal sharpness that paradoxically intensifies their presence. The perspective is flattened, which, presumably is what caught the eye of Matisse and Picasso. ![Henri Rousseau at the Musée de l’Orangerie ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/henri-rousseau-musee-orangerie-2.jpg) Two of Henri Rousseau's "jungle" scenes at the Musée de l’Orangerie His second register—the monumental jungle scenes and allegories he submitted to the Salon des Indépendants and in vain offered to official institutions—reveals the fullest scope of his ambition. Here the same precise drawing and flat color give way to chromatic invention, particularly in greens that he modulates inexhaustibly, sharpened by sudden pinks and reds. Botanical fidelity hardly matters. His contemporaries believed that he had traveled to Mexico as part of his military service, but as he confessed in the only interview he gave during his life, he never left France and his jungle paintings were all inspired by his visits to the Jardin des Plantes, Paris’s botanical gardens, and the nearby Natural History Museum. Canvases such as "The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope" (1905) and "Fight Between a Tiger and a Buffalo" (1908) display this palette at its richest. Needless to say that I enjoyed the exhibition much more than I had expected. My personal favorites are "A Carnival Evening" (1886), "Rendezvous in the Forest" (1889), “Child with Puppet” (1892) and "The Merry Jesters" (1906). **Henri Rousseau. L’ambition de la peinture** is at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris until 20 July 2026. ### Links [Dans le flou at the Musée de l’Orangerie](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/08/10/dans-le-flou-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/). [Robert Ryman. The Act of Looking at the Musée de l’Orangerie](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/05/26/robert-ryman-the-act-of-looking-at-the-musee-de-lorangerie/). [Matisse at the Musée de l’Orangerie](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/matisse-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/). [Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/02/masterpieces-from-the-museum-berggruen-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/) at the Musée de l’Orangerie. ### Clair-obscur at the Bourse de Commerce URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/04/12/clair-obscur-bourse-de-commerce/ Last updated: 2026-04-22T18:10:27.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/claire-obscur-bourse-commerce-1.jpg) Pierre Huyghe, Camata at the Bourse de Commerce The Pinault Collection's latest exhibition, Clair-obscur, assembles roughly one hundred works by 27 artists that meditate on the darkness of our present time. The exhibition takes its cue from an essay by the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben in which he seeks to define the contemporary. “The contemporary”, according to Agamben and with a nod to Nietzsche’s *Untimely Meditations*, “is he who firmly holds his gaze on his own time so as to perceive not its light, but rather its darkness. All eras, for those who experience contemporariness, are obscure. The contemporary is precisely the person who knows how to see this obscurity, who is able to write by dipping his pen in the obscurity of the present.” The show tackles this somber subject with admirable breadth, and its reach back into the interwar period lends the reflections a darker historical weight, especially resonant in our present age of ruin. I greatly enjoyed seeing Pierre Huyghe's monumental film "Camata" again, which was one of the highlights of [Liminal](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/27/pierre-huyghe-liminal-at-the-punta-della-dogana/), his solo show at the Punta della Dogana during the 2024 Venice Biennale and which now occupies the heart of the Bourse de Commerce's rotunda. Shot in Chile's Atacama Desert, it shows a couple of robot arms slowly probing a human skeleton. It is a contemporary vanitas suspended between archaic ritual and science fiction. I was once again completely mesmerized. I stayed past closing time until the guards kindly requested me to leave. I got the impression that it is a different edit, but I could be mistaken. My sole criticism is that it doesn’t use the architecture of the rotunda, like some previous installations. From this striking overture, the exhibition unfolds with unusual historical depth, unveiling pieces long kept from public view. Yves Tanguy receives a welcome tribute through desolate dreamscapes from the late 1920s that feel like precursors to Huyghe's film. A subsequent gallery braids together Jean Dubuffet's awkwardly painted grotesque figures, Alberto Giacometti's attenuated sculptures and Germaine Richier's tortured bronzes, with Maria Martins' skeletal bird "Black Fog" presiding at the center. Nearby, black ink paintings by Louis Soutter converse with Carol Rama's "bricolages" and Bruce Conner's debris assemblages, while Bruce Nauman's severed-head fountain deepens the register of unease. What unites these disparate works is economy of means—a spare directness that drives straight to expression. Not every piece earns that intensity. Danh Vo’s antique-and-modern designer assemblages look cool but lack substance. In "Fire Woman" Bill Viola once again tried too hard to reach for the sublime and the result is as bombastic as ever. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/claire-obscur-bourse-commerce-2.jpg) Laura Lamiel, "they make a noise like wings, like leaves, like sand" at the Bourse de Commerce The true marriage of thought and form surfaces in Sigmar Polke. His reimagining of a Dürer drawing for Emperor Maximilian I’s prayer book trembles on the edge of erasure, while the nine vast semi-translucent canvases of "Axial Age", which were last exhibited at [Anne Imhof’s Natures Mortes](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/24/anne-imhof-natures-mortes/) at the Palais de Tokyo, remind us that even masterpieces are fragile and bound, like all else, to vanish. "Axial Age" and "Camata" alone make this show well worth a visit. I also greatly enjoyed the installations by Laura Lamiel that occupy the display cases that surround the rotunda and which many visitors walked by without looking. **Clair-obscur** is at the Bourse de commerce-Collection Pinault, in Paris until 31 August 2026. ### Related Posts [Dans le flou at the Musée de l’Orangerie](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/08/10/dans-le-flou-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/). [Minimal](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/27/minimal-at-the-bourse-de-commerce/) at the Bourse de Commerce. [Arte Povera](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/10/arte-povera-at-the-bourse-de-commerce/) at the Bourse de Commerce. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/claire-obscur-bourse-commerce-4.jpg) ### Martin Parr at the Jeu de Paume URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/04/08/martin-parr-jeu-de-paume/ Last updated: 2026-04-28T06:20:37.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/martin-parr-jeu-de-paume-1.jpg) It doesn't happen often that I spontaneously burst out laughing in a museum, but it happened twice during my visit to the Martin Parr exhibition at the Jeu de Paume. Martin Parr has developed a truly unique style and some of his photographs are totally hilarious. I’ve been a fan of his work for years and I had been looking forward to his retrospective at the Jeu de Paume. Curated by director Quentin Bajac in close collaboration with Parr himself until his death in December 2025, the show distills five decades into 180 densely hung images. Parr sensed the exhibition would be his last, and its title, Global Warning, carries the weight of a final verdict. The exhibition unfolds in five chapters, each tightening the screws on a civilization addicted to excess. "Leisure and Wastelands” shows crowded swimming pools and beaches, people baking in the sun and a deflating planet-shaped beach ball on a Benidorm beach. “Last Chance to Buy” inventories our consumerist gluttony, from Britons hauling cheap beer across the Channel to rows of overloaded shopping carts. Then comes a series of close-ups of nail polish, sausages, cakes, sweets, fries and souvenirs. Has any photographer skewered late-capitalist kitsch with such gleeful precision? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/martin-parr-jeu-de-paume-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/martin-parr-jeu-de-paume-3.jpg) What makes Parr devastating is his refusal to moralize. He mocks his own tribe without arrogance, waging what he called a "visual guerrilla warfare" from a Dubai art fair to a casino resort in Las Vegas and Royal Ascot. His own carbon footprint, he conceded, was the cost of bearing witness. The third section shrinks the globe under the boot of overtourism: tourists are shown propping up the tower of Pisa, asleep at an airport, photographing the pyramids at Giza, and joining the crowds in Venice. Parr lamented that compulsive documentation had eroded genuine observation and his framing keeps puncturing the postcard to expose what lies beneath. Lightness flickers briefly in a room devoted to animals — gulls thieving chips, a dog with sunglasses and a camel standing next to some wooden souvenir camels and an inflatable camel — but the exhibition ends on a sobering note with a section dedicated to “Technology Addiction”. Here, our addiction to oil and technology reign supreme. Gasoline pumps run endlessly, people are glued to their screens and their phones, conquering the world with their selfie sticks. I won't disclose which photos made me laugh out loud — suffice it to say that it was in the "Animal Kingdom" section — because your sense of humor might be different than mine. I can assure you that many more people were giggling at some of the photos. The exhibition is accompanied by a book published by Phaidon, so if you cannot make it to the exhibition, you can buy it from your favorite local bookstore. **Martin Parr: Global Warning** is at the Jeu de Paume in Paris until 24 May 2026. ### Leonora Carrington at the Musée du Luxembourg URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/04/07/leonora-carrington-musee-du-luxembourg/ Last updated: 2026-05-05T15:29:36.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/carrington-musee-luxembourg-1.jpg) Leonora Carrington: He Wanted to Be a Bird (1960) (left), Levitasium (1950) (middle), Under the Compass Rose (1955) (right) I first discovered the work of Leonora Carrington in 2024 at the [Surrealism exhibition at the Centre Pompidou](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/17/surrealism-at-the-centre-pompidou/). I was delighted when I learned that the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris would organize a solo exhibition dedicated to her work. I was lucky to get in without a reservation. To my surprise, by the time I left a long queue had formed outside the entrance, and deservedly so: it is a small but wonderful exhibition. Leonora Carrington (1917–2011) was long reduced to a footnote in Surrealism's history: the British artist who met Max Ernst in 1937 and followed him to France until war tore them apart. Yet such a sketch barely scratches the surface. She painted, drew, and wrote for more than half a century beyond that romance, and recognition has finally caught up with her — the 2022 Venice Biennale borrowed its title from one of her books, auction prices have soared, and her work has been included in multiple group shows. The Musée du Luxembourg's current exhibition, the first of its scale devoted to Carrington in France, gathers over a hundred works in a lucid presentation. Unfortunately, the organizers of the exhibition were unable to obtain “Les Distractions de Dagobert” (1945), Carrington’s [magnum opus](https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/leonora-carringtons-magnum-opus-to-highlight-sothebys-modern-evening-auction?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), which sold for USD 28.5 million at an auction in 2024 and which I would have loved to have seen in real life. The exhibition unfolds in three sections and overturns persistent assumptions. The first revelation is the "Sisters of the Moon" watercolors, made when Carrington was only fifteen: a bestiary of witches, dragons, and demonic creatures that betrays an astonishing technical poise, a deep immersion in Symbolism and a profound familiarity with the work of Lewis Carroll, Jonathan Swift and Edgar Allan Poe. These images predate her formal encounter with Surrealism by several years, suggesting she was already a Surrealist without knowing it — a reminder that the movement grew as much from Symbolism and Expressionism as from Dada. The central section revisits her years with Max Ernst, including the Ardèche house they transformed together, before war shattered the idyll: Ernst was interned as a German national, while Carrington fled to Spain, where she suffered an emotional breakdown, was committed to a psychiatric hospital by her family, and eventually managed to escape via marriage to the Mexican diplomat Renato Leduc. ![Leonora Carrington The Temptation of St. Anthony](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/05/carrington-musee-luxembourg-3.jpg) Leonora Carrington, The Temptation of St. Anthony (1945) The exhibition's longest and most revisionist section follows her to Mexico City, where Carrington settled after separating from Leduc and marrying the photographer Chiki Weisz. There, alongside Remedios Varo, Alice Rahon, and Luis Buñuel, a second Surrealist enclave flourished — a chapter too often eclipsed by the New York exile. Did Surrealism really wither after the war? Carrington's output answers emphatically: no. Her early Mexican canvases conjure dreamlike, eroticized landscapes haunted by horses and women; from 1945 onward, her draftsmanship sharpened into a Mannerist precision reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch, her palettes darkened, and her spaces filled with hybrid beasts whose meanings require fluency in occultism, astrology, and comparative religion. These works demand a patient, attentive gaze to unlock their secrets and are open to multiple interpretations. The Musée du Luxembourg is housed in the former orangery of the Palais du Luxembourg, to the north of the Jardin du Luxembourg, near the Église Saint-Sulpice. In recent years I have seen some wonderful exhibitions at the Musée du Luxembourg. If you’re visiting Paris I highly recommend adding it to your itinerary. **Leonora Carrington** is at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris until 19 July 2026. ### Related Posts [Pierre Soulages: Works on Paper](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/11/30/pierre-soulages-works-on-paper-at-the-musee-du-luxembourg/) at the Musée du Luxembourg. [Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/18/gertrude-stein-and-pablo-picasso-at-the-musee-du-luxembourg/) at the Musée du Luxembourg. ### Nan Goldin at the Grand Palais URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/04/06/nan-goldin-grand-palais/ Last updated: 2026-04-06T21:29:24.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/nan-goldin-grand-palais-2.jpg) “This Will Not End Well”, the touring Nan Goldin retrospective that was previously on show in Stockholm, Berlin and Milan and which is currently at the Grand Palais in Paris is not a conventional photography exhibition with prints mounted on a wall, but comprises five slideshows inside purpose-made, velvet-draped projection rooms. As a consequence, depending on what day and time you visit, you may have to queue three or more times: first to get into the Grand Palais and then to enter each of the installations. The slideshow format also enforces a set sequence and a rhythm. While I would have preferred browsing the photographs at my own leisure — lingering a bit longer here and skipping a few there — I enjoyed watching the slideshows while listening to the accompanying soundtracks, with songs by The Velvet Underground, The Communards, Charles Aznavour and Marianne Faithful among others. I should add that “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency" was originally created as a slideshow and only later published as book. The exhibition channels half a century of creation into a sustained elegy and lament for the lost. Faces of lovers, friends, and strangers resurface across works, growing familiar, almost intimate, with each reappearance. The landmark “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency" (1981-2022) — 700 photographs scored to everything from Bellini's Casta Diva to The Velvet Underground and James Brown — still captivates, its rough edits and abrupt sequencing now radiating the handmade charm of a mixtape. Alongside it, "The Other Side" (1992-2021) celebrates transgender friends in portraits of defiant beauty, while “Memory Lost" (2019-2021) chronicles Goldin’s battle against the opioid crisis. In the more recent "Stendhal Syndrome" (2024) Goldin reframes her own work with references to Ovid's [Metamorphoses](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/02/22/metamorphoses-rijksmuseum/) and images of paintings and sculptures taken at the Louvre, the Prado, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Galleria Borghese. I skipped "Sirens" (2019-2020), a collage of short clips from films including *White Nights* by Luchino Visconti, *Satyricon* by Federico Fellini and *Screen Test* by Andy Warhol, which is intended to render the experience of a drug trip, but which I found rather boring. If you’re planning on visiting the exhibition I recommend starting with “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency”, then move on to “The Other Side” and then visit either “Stendhal Syndrome” or “Memory Lost”, wherever the queue is shortest. **Nan Goldin: This Will Not End Well** is at the Grand Palais in Paris until 21 June 2026. ### Turner and Constable at Tate Britain URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/03/30/turner-constable-tate-britain/ Last updated: 2026-04-28T06:27:21.000Z The Turner and Constable exhibition at Tate Britain, which marks the 250th year of both artists’ birth, received rave reviews in the British press. I realized too late that it might be immensely popular and by the time I tried to book a ticket on the days I would be in London it had completely sold out. The only way to enter the exhibition was to become a member of Tate at the last minute. J.M.W. Turner, born in 1775 and known by his initials, and John Constable, born a year later, are both towering figures in British art. The show traces their parallel yet strikingly divergent careers chronologically, from early self-portraits and local scenes to their charged encounters at the Royal Academy's annual exhibitions, where reputations were forged or shattered. Their backgrounds could hardly have differed more: Turner, the son of a Covent Garden barber, entered formal training at fourteen, while Constable, raised among Suffolk corn merchants wary of artistic ambitions, only began his studies at twenty-three. Yet both men defied convention by elevating landscape painting from a marginal genre to the vanguard of English Romanticism. Turner's genius lay in dissolving the visible world into light, vapor, and elemental fury. His earliest exhibited works already announced his obsession with atmosphere, which decades later would culminate in luminous masterpieces like "The Blue Rigi, Sunrise” (1842) and “Norham Castle, Sunrise” (1842). Over time, his canvases grew ever more diffuse: blazing suns consumed classical ruins, spinning vortexes dwarfed human figures, and translucent veils of fog blurred form into shimmering abstraction. "Atmosphere is my style, indistinctness my fault," Turner famously proclaimed — yet that indistinctness carried paintings to the very threshold of modernity. Constable pursued a radically different path, rooting himself in the area around Dedham Vale, on the border between Suffolk and Essex, where he would paint idyllic scenes of the English countryside for much of his life. He never ventured outside England and he never travelled further than the Lake District, the solitude of which he is said to have found oppressive. Turner did travel to France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Italy. Perhaps that is why his work is more adventurous. I find it hard to believe that at the same time as John Constable (1776-1837) was painting his pastoral scenes of cottages and villages and wheat fields with a cow here and a horse there, Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) was exploring the sublime in nature. Ironically, in a small painting that is totally unrepresentative of everything else he painted, Constable surpassed the German master of the sublime. “Rainstorm over the Sea” (1824-28) is a magnificent painting, bordering on abstraction. For once Constable let go of convention and he instantly created a masterpiece, except that he didn’t think of it that way himself, putting it aside as a mere study. The fierce brush strokes perfectly capture the physical force of the storm. Perhaps because our current sensibility is closer to that of the romantic sublime, it was singled out as publicity material and reproduced as a postcard and a poster. In one of his most daring compositions, “Snow Storm. Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth” (1842), Turner, too, perfectly rendered a storm at sea. Indeed, Turner painted various amazing seascapes and elsewhere at Tate Britain there are some fine examples of his late style, strikingly all of which unfinished. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/turner-constable-tate-britain-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/turner-constable-tate-britain-3.jpg) Constable (left) and Turner (right) The exhibition thrives on juxtaposition, bringing both painters head-to-head in galleries that dramatize their competing visions, Turner's blazing sunlight against Constable's cloudy skies, poetry against truth, as one critic remarked in 1829\. Who ultimately triumphs? For me, Turner is the clear winner here, although I will concede that there is something to be said for Constable's naturalism and attentiveness to detail. In the end both of their work is an invitation to look more carefully at the world around us. **Turner and Constable. Rivals and Originals** is at Tate Britain in London until 12 April 2026. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/turner-tate-britain-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/turner-tate-britain-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/turner-tate-britain-6.jpg) Late Turner elsewhere at Tate Britain ### Tracey Emin at Tate Modern URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/03/26/tracey-emin-at-tate-modern/ Last updated: 2026-04-06T15:27:16.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/tracey-emin-tate-modern-1.jpg) Tracey Emin first rose to fame as a fixture among the Young British Artists of the 1990s. Her 1999 Turner Prize-nominated installation "My Bed" ignited fury and fascination in equal measure. Critics and columnists reduced her to spectacle: a narcissistic, exhibitionist “Art It girl". Yet this sensationalist clamor obscured the genuine force driving her artistic practice, dismissing as mere shock what was, in reality, a deliberate strategy for making private suffering legible. Born in 1963 to a British mother and a Turkish Cypriot father, Tracey Emin endured racist abuse, sexual violence as a teenager in Margate, and later, abortion and cancer. She has refused to bury any of it. Instead, she transmuted each wound into raw material — through paintings, drawings, installations, embroidery, video, neon text, and sculpture — constructing a body of work that is at once unflinching autobiography and broader meditation on womanhood and vulnerability. The retrospective currently at Tate Modern, titled "Second Life" in a nod to her outliving a grim medical prognosis, gathers this vast output into a single survey. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/tracey-emin-tate-modern-2.jpg) I guess I’m the only person who considers “My Bed” (1998) her best work. Like other avant-garde artists before her she proclaimed that this too is art. Why would a painting of her unmade bed be art and not the unmade bed itself? While I find her artistic output as a whole interesting, most of her individual works leave me indifferent. Her paintings, which vaguely reminded me of Willem de Kooning, look rather interchangeable to me. I usually schedule between one and two hours for an exhibition, but for once I left after less than half an hour. Having said that, Emin’s work is a testimony to the cathartic power of art. She fearlessly displays her own fears and obsessions. Instead of succumbing to victimhood or self-pity she confronts life with defiance. Whenever life knocks her down she gets up and creates another work of art. And so, even though her work doesn’t appeal to me, it does inspire me and that, too, is a form of praise. **Tracey Emin. A Second Life** is at Tate Modern, London until 31 August 2026. ### Chiharu Shiota at the Hayward Gallery URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/03/25/chiharu-shiota-hayward-gallery/ Last updated: 2026-04-28T06:29:01.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/chiharu-shiota-hayward-gallery-2.jpg) Chiharu Shiota, “Letters of Thanks” (2026) at the Hayward Gallery Chiharu Shiota has made a name for herself with immersive installations of interlacing wool yarn. She has also created set designs for the likes of Sasha Waltz and Sidi Larbi Cherkaou. I had somehow missed her large retrospective, which was on show at Paris's Grand Palais in Spring 2025\. With an hour to spare I thought I’d make a quick detour to visit the exhibition currently at London’s Hayward Gallery, which is a downsized remix of the touring exhibition that was previously shown in Paris, Turin, Montreal, Shenzhen and other locations around the world. The first room, “Threads of Life” (2026), features a dense web of scarlet threads with hundreds of vintage keys dangling from the threads. In the middle of the room an open wooden door makes for a perfect photo-op if you’re visiting with a friend. It certainly looks great and I admire the work that goes into creating the installation, but the symbolism of the door and the keys is a bit too obvious for me. The same goes for the other two room-filling installations. “Letters of Thanks” (2026) consists of a forest of red threads suspended from ceiling to floor, with letters of gratitude attached. The final room, “During Sleep” (2026), consists of several vintage unmade white metal hospital beds complete with pillow and blanket overgrown by a web of black threads. It is straight out of a fairy tale. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/04/chiharu-shiota-hayward-gallery-3.jpg) If you happen to come across an exhibition by Chiharu Shiota and have never seen her work before you should definitely check it out. She has developed a unique aesthetic and that in itself is high praise in today's crowded art world. **Chiharu Shiota: Threads of Life** is at the Hayward Gallery in London until 3 May 2026. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/03/15/further-reading-113/ Last updated: 2026-04-27T18:01:04.000Z Jürgen Habermas [has passed away](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/14/books/jurgen-habermas-dead.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Der Mann einder Epoche](https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/buecher/autoren/juergen-habermas-gestorben-der-mann-einer-ganzen-epoche-accg-200633151.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Ein leidenschaftlicher Aufklärer](https://www.zeit.de/feuilleton/2026-03/juergen-habermas-tod-philosoph-frankfurter-schule?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), bis zuletzt. [Avec le décès de Jürgen Habermas](https://www.lemonde.fr/disparitions/article/2026/03/14/jurgen-habermas-philosophe-allemand-intellectuel-combatif-et-esprit-encyclopedique-est-mort-a-l-age-de-96-ans%5F6671207%5F3382.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) disparaît un des rares contemporains que l’on pouvait, sans hésiter ni galvauder le terme, qualifier de philosophe. Some people thrive on [a couple of hours of sleep](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/why-some-people-thrive-on-four-hours-of-sleep?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I'm not one of them. Solvej Balle’s [time loop](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n05/joanna-biggs/bleeding-in-the-dishes?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Chantal Akerman’s [predicament](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n05/daniella-shreir/my-mother-s-prison?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Schubert’s [imagination](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n05/nicholas-spice/butter-wouldn-t-melt?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Emerging evidence](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00781-9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) suggests that LLM outputs can shape the text and thoughts of human users. "A growing number of papers report that people tend to pick up writing patterns, reasoning methods and even opinions from the large language models (LLMs) they use. Some researchers say that this influence threatens to create a sameness in human writing and warn that the effect could even extend to text written by humans who aren’t first-hand AI users." Maison Margiela ouvre [les coulisses de sa création](https://numero.com/mode/maisonmargiela-folders-les-maison-margiela-archives-sur-dropbox/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) au public. [György Kurtág at 100](https://www.zeit.de/feuilleton/musik/2026-02/gyoergy-kurtag-komponist-ungarn-100-geburtstag?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). László Krasznahorkai [Nobel Prize lecture](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2025/krasznahorkai/lecture/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Art and dress](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n04/erin-maglaque/never-known-heaven?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in the time of Caravaggio. Why [rivers in the far north](https://www.ft.com/content/2ffab7c1-07a7-4fbb-812a-3d69dc0c2aea?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) are turning orange. Seal and sea lion brains have evolved to support [volitional control of vocal behavior and learning](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx9367?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The irresistible myth of [the Brontë sisters](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1995/09/18/the-three-sisters?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). For Archimedes, [the mathematical and physical worlds](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n03/claire-hall/maths-is-second-best?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) were as real as each other and mutually reinforcing. [Coding after coders](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/magazine/ai-coding-programming-jobs-claude-chatgpt.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): The end of computer programming as we know it. [Inside the ‘kill zone’](https://ig.ft.com/ukraine-kill-zone/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Drones are reshaping Ukraine’s frontline — and the future of warfare. [Call of Duty, Epic Fury](https://legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2026/03/07/guerre-gamification-trump/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): pourquoi la Maison-Blanche montre la guerre d’Iran comme un jeu vidéo (in French). For most of history, parents couldn’t buy their kids dolls, action figures, or the like. Then playtime became [big business](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/02/16/playmakers-the-jewish-entrepreneurs-who-created-the-toy-industry-in-america-michael-kimmel-book-review?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The age of diagnosis](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n04/paul-taylor/a-way-to-be-a-person%20I%E2%80%99m%20allergic%20to%20medicalization?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Financial Times profile of [Michael Sandel](https://www.ft.com/content/7804e304-2604-4376-9d3f-2310386c20e7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). U.S. rail service is optimized for [freight](https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2026/02/why-are-american-passenger-trains-slow/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), not passengers. ### Birds at the Mauritshuis URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/03/01/birds-at-the-mauritshuis/ Last updated: 2026-03-02T07:09:23.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/03/mauritshuis-birds-2.jpg) The Mauritshuis in The Hague has given the British writer, critic and art historian Simon Schama, an expert on the Dutch Golden Age, carte blanche to curate an exhibition drawing on its own collection and that of other museums in the Netherlands. The result is a small but dense exhibition in the form of a Wunderkammer, bringing together paintings, sculptures, drawings, videos and various ethnographic and historical objects exploring humanity’s fraught relationship with birds. The exhibition is organized around seven thematic strands, from hunting and adornment to spiritual symbolism. At its philosophical core lies a provocative claim: humans covet what birds possess — flight, wings, freedom — and this envy has driven us to cage, kill, and consume them for millennia. Carel Fabritius's exquisite "The Goldfinch" (1654), a small trompe-l'oeil masterpiece, and one of several gems in the collection of the Mauritshuis, crystallizes this tension. The bird is rendered with breathtaking lifelikeness, yet a silver chain binds its leg — a pet prized for its song, stripped of its ability to take flight. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/03/mauritshuis-birds-4.jpg) The range of works on show is impressive, from a cave-carved owl dating to 40,000–23,000 BC and an Egyptian falcon mummy to an ethereal feathered dress by Iris van Herpen from 2021\. Rembrandt's unsettling "Still Life with Peacocks" (1639), with blood pooling vivid red beneath a slaughtered bird, defied the decorative conventions of its era. Nearby, Tamara Kostianovsky's "Big Vulture" (2016) made from discarded clothing dangles upside down from the ceiling, warning of collapsing vulture populations, due to poisoning by veterinary drugs used to treat livestock. These juxtapositions between old and new, beauty and brutality, give the exhibition a distinctive critical edge. Critique threads through the show without ever hardening into didacticism. An excerpt from Nikolaus Geyrhalter's documentary [*Our Daily Bread*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2007/01/18/nikolaus-geyrhalter-our-daily-bread/) shows hundreds of day-old chicks tumbling along industrial conveyor belts, while a drawing of a flamingo by famed naturalist John James Audubon underscores deeper contradictions in how we destroy what we rever. Unbeknownst to me Audubon observed the birds in their natural habitat and then killed one in order to be able to perfectly render it in drawing. Yet Schama resists moralizing, preferring to let visitors draw their own conclusions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/03/mauritshuis-birds-3.jpg) Despite the exhibition’s small size there is much to enjoy, from an impressive feather costume from Angola to Picasso's wonderful lithograph "La colombe" (1949) and two drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. Elsewhere, sexuality and symbolism intertwine: Godfried Schalcken's "The Useless Morals" (c. 1690) deploys a bird escaping its box as a thinly veiled metaphor, while an Egyptian Ba bird statuette and Christian doves testify to avian creatures as spiritual intermediaries across cultures. The exhibition's architecture mirrors its argument. At one end, a "Madonna and Child", with the child holding a bird on a rope, by Dirk Bouts and Fabritius's "The Goldfinch" are shown against a projection of Jan Van IJken's video "The Art of Flying" (2015) capturing a mesmerizing murmuration of starlings. At the other stands Constantin [Brancusi](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/09/brancusi-at-the-centre-pompidou/)'s "Bird in Space" (1932–1940), a polished brass sculpture distilling flight into pure abstraction, offering a counterpoint to Fabritius's chained songbird. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that I love Wunderkammers and I greatly enjoyed the exhibition. My sole criticism, and this is becoming something of a running theme whenever I write about [art exhibitions](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/02/22/metamorphoses-rijksmuseum/) in the Netherlands, is that it is too small. The same exhibition organized by the [Louvre](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/11/06/les-choses-une-histoire-de-la-nature-morte/) or the [Petit Palais](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/19/le-paris-de-la-modernite/) in Paris would have been at least four times as large, but unfortunately the Mauritshuis has only one room for temporary exhibitions. Even so, if you read all the texts and carefully study each artwork or artifact you can easily spend an hour or so at the exhibition. Of course, the permanent collection of the Mauritshuis is always worth visiting and if you look carefully you can find many more birds, caged, slaughtered or suspended in the air. The exhibition is accompanied by an excellent catalogue, with essays by Simon Schama and Laura Cumming among others and reproductions of many works that didn’t make it into the show, and also includes an anthology of literary fragments about birds, selected by Schama, including Edgar Allan Poe’s *The Raven* and Bob Marley’s *Three Little Birds*. **BIRDS - Curated by The Goldfinch & Simon Schama** is at the Mauritshuis in The Hague until 7 June 2026. ### Metamorphoses at the Rijksmuseum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/02/22/metamorphoses-rijksmuseum/ Last updated: 2026-02-22T19:07:30.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/02/rijksmuseum-metamorphoses-4.jpg) Still from the mesmerizing video installation "Spawn" (2019) by Juul Kraijer The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has organized an ambitious exhibition devoted to Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, assembling roughly eighty exceptional works from fifty institutions worldwide. Partnering with Rome's Galleria Borghese — where the show will travel in late June — the exhibition presents an extraordinary roster of artists: Caravaggio, Bernini, Titian, Michelangelo, Rubens, Poussin, Rodin, Magritte, and Louise Bourgeois, among many others. Across ten thematic rooms, the exhibition traces the unrelenting influence of Ovid's ancient poem on two millennia of visual culture. The curatorial selection foregrounds the myths most fervently revisited across centuries — the creation, Danaë's golden rain, Leda's entanglement with the swan, Arachne and Narcissus's fatal self-regard. What elevates the presentation beyond a conventional survey is its insistence on juxtaposition: Correggio's languorous Danaë hangs in dialogue with Titian's stormier rendition; a medieval Flemish tapestry depicting a velvet-cloaked Narcissus, his name emblazoned on his thigh like a modern brand logo, competes with Caravaggio's chiaroscuro close-up. Pygmalion and Galatea likewise command attention: Jean-Léon Gérôme's classic rendition, on loan from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Rodin's nonfinito liberation of the beloved from marble are presented next to Paul Delvaux's 1939 inversion of the myth, in which a nude woman falls for a stone boy. Such pairings reveal not only the malleability of each myth but also demonstrate how each era reshapes Ovid's raw material to suit its own obsessions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/02/rijksmuseum-metamorphoses-3.jpg) Several rooms foreground the poem's darker currents — divine caprice, punishment, and sexual violence. Tintoretto's Arachne, condemned by Athena to spin as a spider for the audacity of weaving better than a goddess, stands alongside Bourgeois's colossal bronze arachnids. Medusa, that paradigmatic victim-turned-monster, receives treatments ranging from Gaetano Guidi's empathetic bronze to Juul Kraijer's hypnotic video triptych of live serpents gliding across a woman’s serene face. The curators acknowledge the uncomfortable truth embedded in these narratives: Ovid's world teems with coercion, and centuries of artists frequently aestheticized sexual violence into sumptuous idylls, reinforcing a pervasive male gaze. The curators might be faulted for the near-total omission of medieval works — the story now leaps rather abruptly from antiquity to the Renaissance — with only two objects representing the thousand years between 500 and 1500\. Yet those rare inclusions, a thousand-year-old elk antler carved into an ornamental shield at Metz Cathedral and a wormy linden trunk sprouting wooden spoons, prove how deeply Ovid’s myths permeated pre-Renaissance consciousness. Toward the end the exhibition loses some of its momentum. A series of self-portraits taken at different stages of his life by Roman Opalka shows his face gradually aging, which is only tangentially related to Ovid’s *Metamorphoses* (Ovid’s "Ages of Mankind" refers to an altogether different notion). Apart from that the concept is by now all too familiar with dozens of YouTube videos based on the same idea. And while I enjoyed seeing several works by Arcimboldo their inclusion only bears a passing relation to the theme of Ovid’s *Metamorphoses*. In the exhibition’s final room Luca Giordano's gruesome painting of Apollo flaying the skin of the satyr Marsyas, after the latter lost a musical contest with the leader of the Muses, is paired with Magritte's "Le modèle rouge III", in which leather boots imperceptibly transmute into living flesh, the leather of course once having been living flesh as well. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/02/rijksmuseum-metamorphoses-2.jpg) Metamorphoses is one of the best exhibitions at the Rijksmuseum in years on par with 2019's [Dutch and Spanish masters](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/11/17/rembrandt-velazquez-dutch-and-spanish-masters/) exhibition. I thoroughly enjoyed last year’s [American Photography](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/31/american-photography-at-the-rijksmuseum/) exhibition, but I was a bit puzzled why it was on show at the Rijksmuseum. My sole criticism is that the exhibition could have been larger still, its size constrained by the two wings reserved for temporary exhibitions at the Rijksmuseum. Ovid's conviction that all matter transforms yet nothing perishes finds its most persuasive proof not in philosophical argument but in the sheer accumulative evidence of this exhibition: centuries of artists transmuting pigment, stone, bronze, and bone into vessels for human passion, terror, and wonder. Ovid's epic poem was never merely a compendium of myths but an inexhaustible engine of artistic empowerment — a catalyst compelling each generation to wrestle anew with chaos, desire, brutality, and transcendence. **Metamorphoses** is at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam until 25 May 2026\. It will travel on to the Galleria Borghese in Rome where it will be on show from 22 June to 20 September 2026. ### Children in Art at the Bucerius Kunst Forum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/02/15/children-in-art-bucerius-kunst-forum/ Last updated: 2026-02-15T21:29:50.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/02/kinder-bucerius-1.jpg) My ICE train to Hamburg was delayed by almost two hours, which is not uncommon these days in Germany. That’s what happens when you don’t invest in railway infrastructure for decades. It derailed my plans for the day of my arrival, but luckily the Bucerius Kunst Forum is open until 19:00 (and 21:00 on Thursday). I had originally planned to go to the Deichtorhallen, which is open until 18:00, but the Bucerius Kunst Forum was closer to my hotel. It so happened that the Bucerius Kunst Forum is currently presenting an exhibition, which I would have added to my to do list had I known about it in advance. “Kids! Between Representation and Reality" is an ambitious exhibition spanning five centuries of children's portraiture — from Nicolas Maes and Gerrit van Honthorst to Désiree Dolron and Rineke Dijkstra (just me pitching Dutch artists). Curated by Katrin Dyballa, the show assembles some 150 works by over 100 artists, encompassing painting, photography, sculpture, and printmaking. Rather than adopting a chronological framework, Dyballa has orchestrated thematic dialogues across eras, juxtaposing, for instance, an early nineteenth-century girl in a ruffled collar with a contemporary upper-class teenager photographed by Tina Barney. The exhibition's central premise is compelling: the way societies depict their children reveals deep-seated values, aspirations, and anxieties about the human condition. The journey begins with religious iconography, tracing how the Madonna and Child served as the wellspring for Western representations of childhood. From Antonio Solario's preternaturally wise Christ Child to Oskar Kokoschka's vision of childhood as an Edenic state, these sacred images established enduring visual conventions. In 17th century Protestant Netherlands, images of the Virgin Mary fell out of favor, with genre paintings of virtuous mothers taking their place, embedding bourgeois ideals of chastity and diligence. Meanwhile, dynastic portraiture — pioneered by the Habsburgs — transformed children into political instruments, depicting sons as miniature adults ready to follow in their father’s footsteps and daughters as bejeweled prospects for advantageous marriages (but to see Vélazquez's famous portraits of the Infanta Margarita Teresa you would have to travel to Vienna). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/02/kinder-bucerius-2.jpg) The exhibition also illuminates the lives of children from humbler circumstances including "The Young Beggar" (1645–1650) by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo on loan from the Louvre and a photograph of a child scavenging wood amid wartime rubble by Herbert List. One room is dedicated to paintings of deceased children, including a wonderful symbolic painting by Nicolas Maes, "Group Portrait with Four Children as Mythological Figures" (1674). Ostensibly showing four children playing it isn't until you notice that one of the children is sitting on the back of a large bird that you realize that the painting is an allusion to one of the myths in Ovid's *Metamorphoses* (Zeus descending in the shape of an eagle to carry off Ganymede to serve as his cup-bearer). Alongside these sobering depictions, the show traces the intellectual revolution that reshaped attitudes toward childhood. Thinkers such as Comenius, Locke, and Rousseau progressively championed the notion that children were neither diminutive adults nor mere extensions of parental ambition, but autonomous beings deserving of education tailored to their nature. This philosophical shift elevated play, imagination, and the child's inner world to subjects worthy of artistic attention. Hobbyhorses, dolls, and puppets began appearing as defining attributes of childhood, from Tischbein's portrait of little Cornelia Amsinck clutching her doll to Floris Arntzenius delightful “Liesje Paints” (1906), which shows a young girl messing around with paint and which reminded me of my own endeavors in that direction which I recently rediscovered in an old box. The exhibition ends, appropriately, with Rineke Dijkstra's 2022 photograph of her daughter Julia, transfixed by a smartphone — an image that encapsulates our own era's values as eloquently as any aristocratic portrait once did. **Kinder, Kinder! Zwischen Repräsentation und Wirklichkeit** (Kids! Between Representation and Reality) is at the Bucerius Kunst Forum until 6 April 2026. ### Monster’s Paradise URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/02/15/monsters-paradise/ Last updated: 2026-02-15T15:43:21.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/02/mnstrs-prds-1.jpeg) Opera as an art form is perennially derided as obsolete — a rarefied indulgence catering exclusively to the cultural and intellectual elite. Its detractors are equally quick to point out that the genre could scarcely survive without subsidies and corporate patronage, conveniently overlooking that the same could be said of major sporting spectacles such as the Olympics and the World Cup. At the very least, opera houses tend to outlast most Olympic venues. Perhaps in response to this persistent scepticism, directors such as Peter Sellars, Calixto Bieito, and Frank Castorf have each, in their distinctive idioms, gone to considerable lengths to demonstrate opera's enduring vitality as an art form. Certain composers, too, have turned their attention to contemporary subject matter — John Adams's *Nixon in China* and *The Death of Klinghoffer* being among the most prominent examples. *Monster's Paradise*, the latest collaboration between composer Olga Neuwirth and Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek, directed by Tobias Kratzer and premiered at the Staatsoper Hamburg in February, satisfies both imperatives. Jelinek's libretto casts a wide and unsparing net, encompassing everything from Trump to the climate crisis and the pathologies of social media addiction. It is worth noting that Neuwirth began composing the opera several years ago, during the Biden administration; Kratzer, by contrast, enjoyed considerably more latitude to orient the production toward the present moment. The work reminded me of [*Kein Licht*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/10/27/kein-licht/) by Philippe Manoury, directed by Nicolas Stemann — and perhaps not coincidentally also based on texts by Jelinek — which served as a commentary on the first Trump presidency, social media bubbles, the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and climate change. *Monster's Paradise* is billed as a Grand Guignol opera, and it is indeed highly entertaining. When the doors open the audience is greeted by cheerleaders who are also happy to pose for a selfie. It features a narcissistic president who crowns himself king, his supporters rendered as a mob of zombies, who also venture into the foyer during the interval. He presides over an oval office outfitted with a Coca-Cola machine and a seat that doubles as a toilet. The president-king's ego literally inflates until it occupies half the stage. At one point the oval office is besieged by Kermit and Miss Piggy, though the assault is handily repelled. Eventually, the president is vanquished by Gorgonzilla, a sea monster who presents himself as mankind's saviour. Two vampires, Vampi and Bampi — in whom one readily recognizes Neuwirth and Jelinek themselves — provide a sardonic running commentary throughout. Neuwirth's score is calibrated to the Grand Guignol concept, laced with allusions to musicals, Schubert, and film music. The singers and actors transition fluently between speech and song, with baritone Georg Nigl, in the role of the President-King, particularly impressive for his surprising vocal range. That said, apart from a haunting, electronically amplified piano finale, the music of *Monster's Paradise* did not resonate with me on a visceral level — unlike the work of composers such as Chaya Czernowin or Enno Poppe, whose pieces I have, upon first encounter, immediately wanted to seek out on recording. I'm glad I travelled to Hamburg to attend a performance of *Monster's Paradise* though. It made for a nice day in combination with a visit to the Hamburger Kunsthalle. For future dates check out the website of the [Hamburgische Staatsoper](https://www.die-hamburgische-staatsoper.de/de/programm/oper/1906-monster-s-paradise?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/02/08/further-reading-112/ Last updated: 2026-02-08T14:01:36.000Z [Visions of America](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n02/adam-shatz/another-country?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A [definitive history](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/books/review/mike-pitts-island-at-the-edge-of-the-world.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of the mysteries of Easter Island. I've added it to my reading list. [Derrida on hospitality](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n19/jonathan-ree/no-foreigners?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Was, [wenn der Vernunft nicht siegt](https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2026-01/groenland-usa-trump?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? Hal Foster on [a new biography of Barnett Newman](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n02/hal-foster/zip-it?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Morton Feldman at 100](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/02/02/morton-feldman-at-100-music-review?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Quantum computers could be here [in a decade](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00312-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Astronomers announced the discovery of [a starless cloud of hydrogen gas](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/science/cloud-9-starless-dark-galaxy.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), a pristine relic of the cosmos that is almost as old as time itself. String theory can now describe [a universe that has dark energy](https://www.quantamagazine.org/string-theory-can-now-describe-a-universe-that-has-dark-energy-20260114/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The cult of Charvet](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/style/the-cult-of-charvet.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Is particle physics [dead, dying, or just hard](https://www.quantamagazine.org/is-particle-physics-dead-dying-or-just-hard-20260126/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? Or neither and both? Donald MacKenzie on [AI’s scale](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n02/donald-mackenzie/ai-s-scale?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A [new Gertrude Stein biography](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/02/12/epic-ambitions-gertrude-stein-an-afterlife/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Kojève vs Hegel](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n02/jonathan-ree/we-are-all-layabouts-now?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [New experiments](https://www.quantamagazine.org/once-thought-to-support-neurons-astrocytes-turn-out-to-be-in-charge-20260130/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) reveal how astrocytes tune neuronal activity to modulate our mental and emotional states. The results suggest that neuron-only brain models, such as connectomes, leave out a crucial layer of regulation. [Alexander Calder](https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/alexander-calder-gardens-fondation-louis-vuitton-paris?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) takes flight—again. One year after the [Los Angeles Eaton Fire](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/eaton-fire-altadena-house-rebuilding-insurance-damages/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Der Schwindel der Kunstfreiheit](https://www.merkur-zeitschrift.de/artikel/der-schwindel-der-kunstfreiheit-a-mr-80-2-62/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Slavoj Zizek on [Trump and Europe](https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2026-01/donald-trump-europa-neudefinition-slavoj-zizek?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Donald Trump hat recht: Die alte Idee von Europa ist an ihre Grenzen gestoßen. Jetzt müssen wir sie überwinden. Und stehen deshalb vor einer schwierigen Wahl." ### John Baldessari at BOZAR URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/02/01/john-baldessari-bozar/ Last updated: 2026-02-08T17:35:19.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/02/baldessari-bozar-1.jpg) At the last minute and just before it closed I visited the John Baldessari exhibition "Parables, Fables and Other Stories" at BOZAR in Brussels. I’m glad I did, because it was a fun show. I had missed the Baldessari retrospective at Tate Modern in 2009, which subsequently travelled to LACMA in Los Angeles and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, so I had been keen to visit the exhibition at BOZAR. John Baldessari (1931–2020) was a pioneering American conceptual artist whose restless intellect and irreverent wit reshaped the boundaries of contemporary art. Born in National City, California, to a Danish mother and Austrian father, Baldessari trained as a painter before growing disillusioned with the medium's perceived exhaustion. In a now-legendary act of artistic reinvention, he incinerated the paintings he had accumulated between 1953 and 1966, delivering the canvases to a crematorium and preserving their ashes in a bronze urn — even baking cookies from the remains and sending them to fellow artists. Though the mythology surrounding this "cremation" has grown over the decades, the truth is somewhat more pragmatic: he was relocating to teach at CalArts and simply destroyed the works he chose not to carry forward. Nevertheless, the gesture crystallized his metamorphosis into a conceptual artist who privileged ideas, language, and narrative over painterly tradition. The exhibition "Parables, Fables and Other Stories" at Bozar illuminates Baldessari's gift for storytelling and his conviction that language could serve as paint. From his early work “Ingres and Other Parables” (1972), in which black-and-white photographs are paired with multilingual fables, to the video “I Will Not Make Any More Boring Art” (1971) — a half-hour loop of the artist inscribing the same sentence — the show traces his lifelong fascination with the interplay of word and image. Baldessari drew deep inspiration from Goya's satirical “Los Caprichos” etchings, adopting both their fusion of visual and verbal registers and their mordant humor. He channeled this sensibility into works that subvert expectation, such as in a photograph of a dead plant captioned "That Always Happens" and a photograph of a bouquet of flowers captioned “There Isn’t Time”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/02/baldessari-bozar-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/02/baldessari-bozar-4.jpg) John Baldessari, “A Movie. Directional Piece Where People Are Walking” (left) and “Throwing Three Balls in the Air to Get a Straight Line” (right) Whereas other conceptual artists, such as Joseph Kosuth and Lawrence Weiner, were dead serious, John Baldessari had a great sense of humor. I loved the photo series in which he is seen waving at boats sailing by. Photography became Baldessari's primary medium after 1970, yielding iconic series such as “Throwing Three Balls in the Air to Get a Straight Line”, a sequence of twelve images capturing geometric chance against a luminous California sky. By the mid-1970s, he had largely abandoned the camera in favor of found imagery — scavenging Los Angeles for discarded newspapers, film stills, and advertising photographs, which he meticulously catalogued and recombined to generate fresh narratives. He manipulated these appropriated images with a Xerox copier, obscured figures with colored dots, and shattered conventional rectangular formats in favor of triangles and polygons. Baldessari's artistic hero was not Warhol or Johns but filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, whose dictum that a story needs a beginning, middle, and end — though not necessarily in that order — became a guiding principle for Baldessari's non-linear, open-ended compositions. The Bozar exhibition honors this philosophy by eschewing strict chronology, with the first and final room serving as either entrance or exit depending on which way you enter. The installation is visually sumptuous, with specially designed Baldessari wallpaper pairing whimsical shape analogies — an ear and a pretzel, a clock and a pizza — and metal chairs positioned to encourage prolonged contemplation. It is a fitting tribute to an artist who championed boredom as a gateway to intellectual freedom and who insisted that the true essence of art resides not in the object itself but in the exchange between work and viewer. More than fifty years after Baldessari vowed never to make boring art again, this playful and intellectually stimulating retrospective confirms that he kept his promise. **John Baldessari: Parables, Fables and Other Stories** was at BOZAR in Brussels until 1 February 2026. ### Links [A Brief History of John Baldessari](https://vimeo.com/50493471?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), narrated by Tom Waits, is an excellent introduction to the work of John Baldessari. By the time you read this the exhibition at BOZAR will be closed, but autumn 2026 the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing will organize the first John Baldessari retrospective in China. ### Escher at the Monnaie de Paris URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/01/25/escher-monnaie-de-paris/ Last updated: 2026-01-25T21:49:28.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/01/escher-monnaie-de-paris-2.jpg) I was thrilled to see the M.C. Escher exhibition at the Monnaie de Paris. I am, of course, no stranger to the work of Escher—I discovered his engravings as a child and was instantly enthralled. I must have been fifteen or sixteen when I read Douglas Hofstadter's *Gödel, Escher, Bach*—too young to fully grasp all of its contents—which deepened my appreciation for his oeuvre. My aesthetic interests have since migrated in different directions, but Escher's work has always held a special place in my heart. Some years ago, on a trip to [Andalusia](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/andalucia/), I became fascinated by the graphic patterns of the white villages cascading down the hillsides and, of course, by the mesmerizing mosaics at the Alhambra in Granada and the intriguing structure of the Mezquita de Cordoba. As I later realized, Escher had been similarly captivated by these villages and tilings. Indeed, some of his earliest prints depict hillside villages in Italy, their cubic, terraced architecture foreshadowing his later geometric explorations. I was surprised to learn that the exhibition at the Monnaie de Paris is in fact the first major exhibition in France dedicated to the work of Escher. It took curator Jean-Hubert Martin fifteen years to convince a French institution to host the retrospective, facing systematic rejections along the way. According to Jean-Hubert Martin, the art establishment's resistance stemmed partly from Escher's status as an engraver working in a "minor genre," and partly from his unfashionable commitment to perspective in an era that prized flatness. I would add that in modern and contemporary art technical mastery has become suspect to the point where it is looked down upon with disdain. Escher's artistic journey began inauspiciously; a sickly child who struggled at school, he excelled only in drawing and eventually mastered the art of engraving under Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita in Haarlem. He settled in Rome from 1923 to 1935, where Italian architecture and landscapes inspired his first compositions. His early work bore traces of Art Nouveau and symbolism, while already displaying an unusual approach to perspective: the Tower of Babel viewed from above, a cathedral half-submerged by waves, a recumbent statue mounted by an enormous praying mantis. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/01/escher-monnaie-de-paris-3.jpg) A crucial turning point in Escher's artistic development was his second trip to southern Spain in 1936\. He became fascinated by the tessellations that decorate the Alhambra and the Real Alcazar de Sevilla: geometric patterns based on triangles, squares, or hexagons that are repeated like tiles to cover a plane without leaving gaps. Upon his return he approached his half-brother Bernd, a crystallography professor, who introduced him to the mathematical work of Evgraf Fedorov and György Polya who demonstrated that only seventeen symmetries can tile a plane. Escher went on to produce a large number of ever more intricate tessellations of interlocking horsemen, salamanders, and birds that shift between positive and negative space with mesmerizing precision. Though marginalized by the art world, Escher has long captivated scientists and mathematicians who recognized the profound geometric principles underlying his work. A small exhibition during the 1954 International Congress of Mathematicians in Amsterdam caught the attention of the mathematician H.S.M. Coxeter, who specialized in geometry and who asked him if he could use two of his drawings to illustrate one of his research papers. Coxeter subsequently sent Escher a copy of his paper, which introduced him to the world of non-Euclidean geometry. Though he never grasped the theoretical underpinnings, Escher taught himself to render these concepts visually, producing works like "Circle Limit" that represent infinity within a bounded disk. The exhibition brings together over 170 original works including classics such as “Ascending and Descending” (1960) and “Waterfall” (1961) as well as various works that I didn’t recall having seen before. “Liberation” (1955) is a new favorite of mine. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2026/01/escher-monnaie-de-paris-4.jpg) M.C. Escher, Liberation (1955) Escher's influence has rippled far beyond science and mathematics into popular culture, inspiring album covers, comic books, and animated television shows including an episode of The Simpsons. The Monnaie de Paris retrospective vindicates an artist who, by refusing to follow modernism's dictates, created a singular body of work that deserves a wide audience. **M.C. Escher** is at the Monnaie de Paris until 1 March 2026. ### Gerhard Richter at the Fondation Louis Vuitton URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/31/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton/ Last updated: 2026-01-03T22:12:56.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton-1.jpg) In 1993, while I was still at university, I visited a solo show of Gerhard Richter at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, as it was then called, which at the time was the largest retrospective of Richter's work. It had a profound influence on me. To this day Gerhard Richter remains one of my favorite visual artists. Two years later, in 1995, the Anthony d'Offay Gallery in London organized a show with new work by Gerhard Richter. At the time I was enrolled as a graduate student at University College London, but I somehow found the time to go to the opening. Richter was there as well. He just stood there, together with Anthony d’Offay and another person, holding a glass of wine. Everybody recognized him, but no one dared approach him. So I gathered all my courage and told him that I greatly admired his work. He was most forthcoming and gestured a waitress to offer me a glass of wine. In the years since I've seen his work in various museums—his work is, of course, particularly well represented in Germany—and I own several monographs of his work, but I’d been looking forward to another large retrospective. Unfortunately I missed the retrospective at the Tate Modern and the Centre Pompidou in 2011-12 and due to the COVID-19 pandemic I was unable to go to the 2020 retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. My wish has finally been fulfilled, because the Fondation Louis Vuitton is currently presenting the largest retrospective ever dedicated to Gerhard Richter, featuring 271 works spanning six decades. The exhibition, curated by Sir Nicholas Serota and Dieter Schwarz, brings together exceptional loans from museums across Europe, the United States, and Asia, including the "Birkenau" series, on loan from the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, and the entire “October 18, 1977” series, on loan from New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Arranged chronologically across the Foundation's four floors, the retrospective traces Richter's evolution from his self-designated "first" painting to his declared "last" in 2017, when he laid down his brush at age 85. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton-2.jpg) Born in Dresden in 1932, Richter has won both the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale and the Praemium Imperiale in 1997, cementing his reputation as one of the most significant painters of our time. Richter's artistic journey began in earnest after he fled communist East Germany for Düsseldorf in 1961, deliberately destroying all his earlier work and starting afresh. His breakthrough came with photo-paintings rendered in distinctive grisaille tones, blurred images derived from family snapshots, press photographs, and magazine clippings. These works carry profound historical weight: portraits of his uncle Rudi in Wehrmacht uniform, his aunt Marianne who was murdered in the Nazi euthanasia program, and his father-in-law who participated in forced sterilizations confront Germany's collective silence about its Nazi past. The trademark blur that defines these paintings serves multiple purposes—evoking the fallibility of memory, the fleetingness of perception, and the artist's own ambivalent attitude towards art, representation and reality at large. The exhibition includes several cycles that demonstrate Richter's unflinching engagement with history's darkest chapters. "October 18, 1977" (1988) comprises fifteen blurred paintings in the form of diptychs, triptychs and single canvases based on press photographs of the Baader-Meinhof Gruppe, the four founding members of the far-left Rote Armee Fraktion (RAF), which in the early 1970s had carried out numerous terrorist attacks and kidnappings across Germany. They were eventually arrested and sentenced. But on October 18, 1977 they were found dead in their prison in Stammheim, Germany. Did they simultaneously commit suicide or were they killed? When it was first exhibited the series met with considerable criticism, especially in Germany, but today it is widely regarded as one of the darkest and most disconcerting works of modern times. It used to hang in Frankfurt’s Museum für Moderne Kunst, where I saw it whenever I travelled to Frankfurt to see a performance by the Ballett Frankfurt. Inexplicably, at least to me, Richter sold the series to the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1995\. I was delighted to finally see the entire cycle again. One of the final rooms in the exhibition is dedicated to the "Birkenau" series, four monumental canvases begun as reproductions of clandestine photographs taken at Auschwitz, which are also included in the exhibition, but ultimately overpainted into abstraction—an erasure of an erasure, rendering the unthinkable unpaintable. Installed opposite towering mirrors, these works implicate viewers as witnesses, forcing them to confront history reflected against this abstraction of terror. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton-3.jpg) What distinguishes Richter from virtually all his contemporaries is his stubborn refusal to choose between abstraction and figuration, those supposedly irreconcilable antagonists in postwar art. This too is what I’ve always admired in Gerhard Richter, perhaps because it reflects my own inability to choose between, or to reconcile, my drive towards abstraction and my love for dirty realism on the one hand and the sublime in nature on the other. While critics and movements demanded allegiance to one camp or the other, Richter practiced both simultaneously, sometimes within the same canvas. Some of his paintings question the notion of abstraction and figuration, as in "Seestück" (1968). The title makes it a figurative painting. Ignore the title and it could pass for an abstract work. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton-5.jpg) Richter's abstract vocabulary encompasses three distinct approaches: geometric grids culminating in the 11,500-square stained-glass windows for Cologne Cathedral, monochrome paintings that make "nothing" visible, and gestural works created by dragging squeegees across wet paint to produce iridescent, beguiling surfaces. This systematic experimentation, conducted with almost scientific rigor, as can be seen in the documentary “Gerhard Richter: Painting” (2011), has made him arguably the most complete abstract painter of his generation. I’ve loved the “squeegee” paintings ever since I first saw them and fortunately the exhibition includes a generous selection from various periods. (By the way, the 1995 show at the Anthony d'Offay gallery was accompanied by a catalogue, which, in an appendix, documented the various stages of one of Richter's "squeegee" paintings. Unfortunately it was never published, because it didn't meet Richter's exacting standards. I remember going back to the gallery several times to inquire about the date of publication, without ever receiving the longed for positive response. So I only saw the pre-print that was on display during the opening. I still remember it and I so wanted to own a copy, because to me every intermediate stage looked great and so it raised the question: when does an artist, in this case Gerhard Richter, consider a work finished? At some point in "Gerhard Richter: Painting" the interviewer asks a similar question, which of course Richter is unable to answer.) Throughout his career, Richter has maintained a dialogue with art history. His "Toilet Paper" (1965) responds to Andy Warhol, while "Ema (Nude on a Staircase)" (1992) refers to Marcel Duchamp, and five increasingly abstracted renderings of Titian's "Annunciation" explore the perfection that contemporary painting can no longer achieve. Yet alongside this conceptual rigor exists unexpected tenderness: portraits of his wives and children glow with Vermeer-like grace, their soft focus conveying intimacy rather than historical distance. A postcard of “Lesende” (1994), a contemporary “Girl with a Pearl Earring”, has been on my bookshelf for years — I just have to turn my head to see it — and it was a joy to see it in reality again. The exhibition also reveals how differing works illuminate one another, as when "Betty" (1988) depicting his daughter turning toward one of his grey monochromes, crystallizes the relationship between figuration and abstraction that defines his oeuvre. The final room offers six abstract paintings from 2016-17, some radiant rainbow harmonies, others meditations on single hues of deep crimson and luminous yellow. These final works astonish with their almost elegiac beauty, providing hope after the darkness of the ”Birkenau" series in the previous room and suggesting an artist who, having spent decades questioning what images can do, ultimately surrendered to their capacity for pure bliss. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton-8.jpg) Gerhard Richter, "Abstraktes Bild" (2017) (left), details (middle and right) In 2017, Gerhard Richter declared his painted oeuvre complete and quit painting. He continues drawing though and the exhibition includes a number of his recent intricate drawings, which I found surprisingly inspiring. The lines look the way I imagine my thoughts look: chaotic yet somehow structured. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton-10.jpg) Two recent drawings by Gerhard Richter The exhibition is accompanied by various publications, including a lushly illustrated catalogue published by the French independent publisher of [beautiful but hugely expensive art books](https://citadelles-mazenod.com/collections/les-phares/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Citadelles & Mazenod. The Gerhard Richter catalogue is reasonably priced though. **Gerhard Richter** is at the Fondation Louis Vuitton until 2 March 2026. ### Related Posts More blurred images: [Dans le flou at the Musée de l'Orangerie.](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/08/10/dans-le-flou-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/) ### Minimal at the Bourse de Commerce URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/27/minimal-at-the-bourse-de-commerce/ Last updated: 2026-01-01T10:47:13.000Z ![Meg Webster at the Bourse de Commerce](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/minimal-bourse-commerce-3.jpg) Meg Webster at the Bourse de Commerce The Bourse de Commerce in Paris has unveiled an intriguing exhibition that reimagines minimalist art, bathing the galleries in natural light and allowing unprecedented freedom of movement between the art works. Eschewing the typical museum conventions of barriers and partition walls, the curators have created an atmosphere of openness that honors the original spirit of these 1960s artists who sought to defy institutional constraints. Visitors encounter sculptures placed directly on the floor, canvases that merge with the walls, and an overall sense of 空間 that feels simultaneously empty and charged with presence. From the outset, the exhibition challenges preconceptions about minimalism as cold or inaccessible. Felix Gonzalez-Torres's memorial to his father in the form of a carpet of white candies—which visitors may actually consume—serves as a poignant meditation on grief and impermanence, while Anne Truitt's seemingly simple blue column reveals itself gradually as a luminous study in chromatic subtlety. Unfortunately the basement galleries were closed during my visit, so I missed the display of Dan Flavin's and Robert Irwin's light sculptures. ![Minimal at the Bourse de Commerce](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/minimal-bourse-commerce-1.jpg) A central argument of the exhibition concerns minimalism's deep entanglement with the natural world and physical experience. Meg Webster's wonderful installations in the rotunda are made out of beeswax, compacted clay and salt, while Dorothea Rockburne's sun-scorched drawings and Michelle Stuart's earth-rubbed works bear the literal imprint of nature. The Japanese mono-ha movement receives particular attention, with artists like Lee Ufan and Nobuo Sekine exploring the inherent properties of stone, wood, and metal to probe the fundamental nature of reality itself. The exhibition also shows how various artists have taken the language of minimalism into new territories. Senga Nengudi's biomorphic water sculptures, Meg Webster's organic abstractions, and numerous other works demonstrate how these artists engaged with minimalism's formal vocabulary while infusing it with new political meanings. Perhaps most significantly, the exhibition rectifies decades of historical oversight by centering artists previously marginalized in the minimalist canon. Curated by Jessica Morgan of the Dia Art Foundation, the show draws extensively from François Pinault's collection to construct a more capacious narrative of the movement. Artists from Japan, South America, and Europe who grappled with economy of form, material presence, and spatial interaction now occupy center stage alongside their American contemporaries. My own attitude towards minimalism has always been somewhat ambivalent, which is perfectly illustrated by the current exhibition. Many of the works on show make for amazing set designs and I instantly felt inspired to create another dance work, and yet I would be hard put to single out a particular work that resonated with me the way some works by, say, [Gerhard Richter](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/31/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton/), [Berlinde de Bruyckere](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/25/berlinde-de-bruyckere-city-of-refuge-iii/) and [Julie Mehretu](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/27/julie-mehretu-ensemble-at-the-palazzo-grassi/) do. **Minimal** is at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris until 19 January 2026. ### Links [Arte Povera at the Bourse de Commerce](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/10/arte-povera-at-the-bourse-de-commerce/). ### The Empire of Sleep at the Musée Marmottan Monet URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/26/the-empire-of-sleep-at-the-musee-marmottan-monet/ Last updated: 2025-12-26T09:00:25.000Z ![L'Empire du Sommeil at the Musée Marmottan Monet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/empire-of-sleep-2.jpg) The Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris has organized another fascinating thematic exhibition, this time exploring the rich iconography of sleep and dreams across centuries of art history. Co-curated by neurologist and science historian Laura Bossi alongside collections director Sylvie Carlier, the show assembles 130 works spanning paintings, sculptures, drawings, and scientific documents from institutions including the Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre, and the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid. The exhibition concentrates primarily on the period between the Enlightenment and the First World War, an era when sleep became the subject of artistic, philosophical, and scientific inquiry. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/empire-of-sleep-3.jpg) Unfolding across eight thematic sections, the exhibition guides visitors through sleep's multifaceted dimensions—a realm suspended between tranquility and disquiet, knowledge and mystery. The journey commences with serene depictions of repose as blissful escape, exemplified by Michael Ancher's "La Sieste", portraying a young woman taking a nap on a garden bench and John Everett Millais’s painting of a young girl dozing off during a sermon, “Mon deuxième sermon” (My Second Sermon) (1864). From there, the narrative delves into deeper symbolic territory where sleep intertwines with dreams, desire, mortality, and anxiety. Arturo Martini's sculpture "La Pisana”, a nude figure captured mid-dream, commands the gallery's center, embodying the sensual and serene dimensions of unconsciousness. One of the joys of exhibitions like this is discovering works by artists which would otherwise remain hidden inside museum archives, such as "Le cauchemar" (1846) by Ditlev Blunck and "Jeune fille endormie" (1878) by Federico Zandomeneghi and seeing works that are rarely shown together, such as Jupiter and Antiope as depicted by Rembrandt, Ingres and Picasso. The exhibition illuminates how the scientific understanding of dreams evolved during the nineteenth century through the pioneering work of Alfred Maury and the Marquis d'Hervey de Saint Denys, whose work influenced Freud’s *The Interpretation of Dreams*, originally published in 1899\. These practitioners reframed dreams as revelations of the past rather than prophecies of the future—windows into the buried depths of the unconsciousness. The exhibition spans life's entirety, from the peaceful sleep of newborns to the haunting specter of mortality. Contemporary works punctuate the historical narrative, including Paula Rego's illustration for Jean Rhys's "Wide Sargasso Sea”, which hangs in the introductory room, and Kiki Smith's "Sleep Walker" (2001) bearing the inscription: "she thought if she just could keep her mind moving through her stillness she could awaken." The show culminates in a recreation of the bedroom itself—that intimate sanctuary of birth, love, illness, and death. Delacroix's graphite-and-watercolor study of an unmade bed, also deployed as the catalogue cover, evokes both elegant drapery and a certain troubling restlessness. Throughout, the exhibition argues that our unwaking lives possess value equal to our waking ones, being morally as well as biologically essential. I am reminded here of *Tombe de sommeil*, by the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy, who thought of sleep as a resource for beginnings, for new beginnings; a vigil for a tomorrow to which we ask nothing more than its arrival. We spend nearly a third of our existence asleep, yet this fundamental human experience has long been overlooked; "L'Empire du Sommeil" finally grants it the spotlight it deserves. **L'Empire du Sommeil** is at the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris until 1 March 2026. ### Links [Le Théatre des Émotions at the Musée Marmottan Monet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/28/le-theatre-des-emotions/). [Trompe-l'oeil at the Musée Marmottan Monet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/03/trompe-l-oeil-at-the-musee-marmottan-monet/). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/24/further-reading-111/ Last updated: 2026-01-17T13:09:57.000Z [Viewing original works of art](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/oct/28/picture-of-health-going-to-art-galleries-can-improve-wellbeing-study-reveals?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) can relieve stress, cut heart disease risk and boost immune system, first study of its kind finds. [Schopenhauer](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n22/terry-eagleton/pregnant-with-monsters?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) makes a stir. [Listening](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec6091?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to the languages of nature. [Interview](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/is-there-anything-artificial-about-artificial-intelligence/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Blaise Agüera y Arcas, author of *What Is Intelligence? Lessons from AI About Evolution, Computing, and Minds*. The MIT Press, 2025. A century of [modern cosmology](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec1402?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Is cognitive dissonance [actually](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-lede/is-cognitive-dissonance-actually-a-thing?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) a thing? [Will the AI bubble burst?](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n23/john-lanchester/king-of-cannibal-island?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The bubble will burst but LLMs are here to stay. [The idea of "The West"](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/12/18/why-the-west-georgios-varouxakis/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Review of *The West: The History of an Idea* by Georgios Varouxakis, which I'm looking forward to reading. 100 years on, [quantum mechanics is redefining reality](https://www.science.org/content/article/100-years-quantum-mechanics-redefining-reality-us-center?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)—with us at the center. Increasingly popular theories hold that experimental outcomes really do depend on the observer. (But popularity doesn't make something true and the observer doesn't have to be "us"). [The return of the unconsciousness](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n23/amia-srinivasan/the-impossible-patient?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [How the web was lost](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/12/04/how-the-web-was-lost-internet-this-is-for-everyone/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The future of search](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n21/donald-mackenzie/the-future-of-search?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Shortly after Google launched it became my default search engine, replacing Alta Vista. In recent years the quality of search results has gone down considerably, but it remains my go to search engine. But for how much longer? The [late prints of Anni Albers](https://www.nybooks.com/online/2025/11/12/annis-orchestra-anni-albers-black-mountain/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Waste](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n21/brett-christophers/assume-the-worst?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Review](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n23/michael-wood/spellbound-gloaming?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of a new biography of French philosopher Gaston Bachelard. *The Poetics of Space* remains an interesting read. When Dragon Bravo ignited, in Grand Canyon National Park, officials made an ecological decision to let it burn. [Then the blaze spread out of control](https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/what-america-can-learn-from-its-largest-wildfire-of-the-year?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [What makes Goethe so special?](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/12/08/goethe-a-life-in-ideas-matthew-bell-book-review?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Ehh, his writing? How [international experiences](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/03/for-a-more-creative-brain-travel/388135/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) can open the mind to new ways of thinking. I couldn't agree more. The year in [Physics](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-physics-20251217/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), [Mathematics](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-mathematics-20251218/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), [Computer Science](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-computer-science-20251216/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and [Biology](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-biology-20251215/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Echo Delay Reverb at the Palais de Tokyo URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/20/echo-delay-reverb-at-the-palais-de-tokyo/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T09:00:17.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/echo-delay-reverb-5.jpg) The Palais de Tokyo has organized an ambitious exhibition, "Echo Delay Reverb: American Art, Francophone Thought," which explores how, from the 1960s to the present, American artists absorbed the ideas of French (and francophone) thinkers and how these ideas were reshaped in the process. It is hard to imagine an institution outside France staging such an intellectual exhibition. The sprawling exhibition, comprising more than fifty artists across seven rooms, is curated by the Chicago-born art historian Naomi Beckwith—currently deputy director and chief curator of the Guggenheim Museum in New York and recently appointed artistic director of the next Documenta in 2027. I rejoiced when I read the announcement for the exhibition, because my education in philosophy was heavy on Derrida, Deleuze, Foucault and Lyotard. Beckwith's curatorial framework deliberately expands the constellation of what constitutes "French theory" beyond the canonical thinkers—Foucault, Derrida, Barthes, Lacan, Deleuze and Guattari, Baudrillard, and Kristeva—to encompass decolonial thinkers whose work emerged from France's former Caribbean and North African colonies, including Aimé Césaire and Frantz Fanon. The exhibition traces how French theory circulated through American academia before being reinterpreted, transformed, and re-exported by artists, emphasizing intellectual exchange as a dynamic and rhizomatic process rather than a unidirectional transmission. By way of introduction, each thematic section—"Dispersion, Dissemination," "The Critique of Institutions," "Geometries of the Non-Human," "Desiring Machines," and "Abjection in America"—opens with a wall-covering collage featuring quotations, portraits of authors, and glass displays with first editions of key texts in English translation. In some of the works on show the influence of French theory is instantly recognizable. For example, Bourdieu's ideas on cultural capital are reflected in the work of Hans Haacke and Andrea Fraser, and I would not be surprised if they had read Bourdieu. A series of untitled watercolors by Paul Chan show costume designs for “The History of Sexuality Volume One: An Opera”, a direct reference to Foucault. In other cases, the influence is more oblique, manifesting through form, affect, or metaphor, such as in the works that respond to the writings of Kristeva and Barthes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/echo-delay-reverb-2.jpg) Char Jeré, Zone of Nonbeing (2025) Inevitably, in an exhibition of this scale, not all works are equally strong. I could not care much for the works in the section on "Desiring Machines," but that probably says something about my own interests. This was more than made up for by a fascinating room-filling installation by Char Jeré. (Site-specific installations are always one of the Palais de Tokyo's greatest strengths). As is to be expected in an exhibition dedicated to French theory, several works take text and language as their subject, such as the wonderful installation by Kameelah Janan Rasheed conceived especially for the exhibition. It takes as its starting point the story of the British-Caribbean twin sisters June and Jennifer Gibbons who grew up in a small village in Wales in the 1960s and who developed a private language only they could understand to protect themselves against a hostile outside world. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/echo-delay-reverb-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/echo-delay-reverb-4.jpg) Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Out of Bounds (2025) At times, the philosopher in me, steeped in post-structuralism, objected to the ways the work of certain thinkers had been appropriated. But there is something to be said for Beckwith's framing of intellectual influence as a space of poetic distortion and creative reinvention rather than fidelity. My one other reservation is that the exhibition focuses almost exclusively on the visual arts and completely ignores the tremendous impact of both Derrida and Deleuze on American architecture—a missed opportunity, I think, even though it would have made a large exhibition even larger. (Across town, at the Parc de la Villette you can still see the impact of French thought on American architecture. The theoretical principles behind the park's design by Bernhard Tschumi were informed by the work of Derrida. Originally, the scheme also included a garden jointly designed by the American architect Peter Eisenman and Derrida). While its formidable scale and conceptual breadth at times strain the curatorial framework, "Echo Delay Reverb" affirms the transformative potential of ideas as they move across disciplines, geographies, and historical contexts. The exhibition stands as a forceful argument for intellectual openness and self-directed meaning-making at a moment when cultural discourse is increasingly constrained. **ECHO DELAY REVERB : Art américain, pensées francophones** is at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris until 15 February 2026. ### Manga at the Musée Guimet URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/19/manga-at-the-musee-guimet/ Last updated: 2026-01-01T10:52:11.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/manga-musee-guimet-2.jpg) Two pages from Chapter 2 of "Fairy Tale" (2006) by Mashima Hiro Since visiting [Bande Dessinée 1964-2024](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/17/bande-dessinee-1964-2024-at-the-centre-pompidou/), last year’s amazing comic book exhibition at the Centre Pompidou, I’ve become increasingly interested in graphic novels and comics. I bought some of the most critically acclaimed graphic novels of the past few years, including the wonderful “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters” by Emil Ferris, which have greatly enriched my life. Eager to learn more about the art of comics I also read Scott McCloud’s “Understanding Comics”, an analytical treatise in the form of a comic book. I particularly enjoyed McCloud’s comparison between the American and European comic book tradition on the one hand and the Japanese manga tradition on the other. As it turns out there are some striking visual differences between both styles. Upon reading this I instantly realized that (some) manga would appeal to me because of its distinctive visual structure. I have since read two superb one-shot manga, “Goodbye, Eri” and “Look Back” by Tatsuki Fujimoto and I’m currently reading the awesome “Goodnight Punpun” series by Inio Asano. I have also bought three books about Manga, Taschen’s “100 Manga Artists”, “One Thousand Years of Manga” by Brigitte Koyama-Richard, which I highly recommend if you’re into manga, and the catalogue for a manga exhibition at the British Museum. I rejoiced when I read that the Musée Guimet in Paris has mounted an ambitious exhibition dedicated to manga. The exhibition spans approximately 1,000 square metres across three distinct spaces. The ground floor traces the medium's trajectory from its nineteenth-century origins in satirical press to the golden age of manga, precipitated by the innovative work of Osamu Tezuka, and ending with a room dedicated to manga’s influence on fashion. Approximately one hundred original pages from distinguished manga artists are on display, including works by Osamu Tezuka, Hajime Isayama, Shigeru Mizuki, Riyoko Ikeda, and Sanpei Shirato. Where securing original pages from popular titles such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, or Naruto proved impossible, the curators have supplemented the collection with prints and facsimiles—substitutions that, while potentially captivating to casual visitors like myself, may disappoint those looking for authentic comic art. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/manga-musee-guimet-3.jpg) Shunshodo Tamakuni, La pérégrination vers l'ouest illustré et le cortège des 100 démons (1823-34) The upper floor offers a more scholarly exploration of Japanese graphic traditions predating modern manga, featuring the museum's exceptional holdings of illustrated scrolls and, notably, previously unexhibited drawings by Kawanabe Kyosai. Adjacent galleries examine the kinship between contemporary manga publishing and the illustrated book industry of the Edo period, while also elucidating the very etymology of the term manga, popularized by Katsushika Hokusai in his celebrated sketchbooks. The exhibition concludes—provided that you started on the ground floor and not on the second floor, like I did—with Hokusai's iconic “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”, displayed alongside Franco-Belgian comic strips to illuminate the reciprocal artistic influences between Western and Japanese traditions. This juxtaposition offers a fitting meditation on the transnational exchanges that have shaped both graphic traditions. While I enjoyed visiting the exhibition it was not exactly what I had expected or hoped for. It is neither a comprehensive history of manga nor an exhaustive survey. Regrettably, the exhibition design also eschews explicit visual parallels between heritage works and their contemporary counterparts—a scholarly restraint which, while understandable, means that the exhibition is less lively than it could have been. **Manga. Tout un art!** is at the Musée Guimet in Paris until 9 March 2026. ### Related Posts [Bande Dessinée 1964-2024 at the Centre Pompidou](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/17/bande-dessinee-1964-2024-at-the-centre-pompidou/). ### John Singer Sargent at the Musée d’Orsay URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/19/john-singer-sargent-at-the-musee-dorsay/ Last updated: 2025-12-19T11:39:27.000Z The American artist John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was somewhat of an anachronism. At a time when the art world was in thrall to impressionism, post-impressionism, fauvism, and cubism, he produced paintings in the grand tradition of Diego Vélazquez, Frans Hals and Anthony van Dyck. This may be why I couldn’t recall any of his paintings. During his life he enjoyed considerable success as a society artist, but after his death his work fell into oblivion. From the 1980s onwards there has been a revival of interest in his work and today Sargent is celebrated as one of the greatest American artists of the late 19th and early 20th century alongside James McNeill Whistler. Born in Florence in 1856 to wealthy American expatriates who divided their time between France, Italy and Switzerland, Sargent received a peripatetic upbringing steeped in art, music, theatre and cosmopolitan culture. Though he would eventually settle in London and maintain enduring connections to Boston and New York, it was Paris that served as the crucible for his artistic formation. The Musée d'Orsay’s exhibition “John Singer Sargent. Éblouir Paris” (Sargent. Dazzling Paris) developed in collaboration with New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, traces the decisive decade during which an eighteen-year-old prodigy arrived in the French capital and emerged as one of the most celebrated portraitists of his generation. It marks the first French retrospective dedicated to an artist who remains virtually unknown in the country where he achieved his initial triumphs. Sargent's Parisian apprenticeship began in 1874 under the tutelage of Carolus-Duran, a realist portraitist so impressed by the young American's virtuosity that he immediately admitted him to his studio. Simultaneously enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts, Sargent demonstrated precocious talent and strategic acumen. His 1879 portrait of Carolus-Duran—at once homage and declaration of independence—garnered considerable acclaim at the Salon, launching the twenty-three-year-old into the orbit of Parisian high society. Thereafter, he pursued a calculated exhibition strategy, presenting two canvases annually at the Salon, invariably including a portrait that would advance his reputation and attract commissions. The exhibition reveals Sargent as far more than a successful society portraitist. His Parisian years constituted a period of restless experimentation across genres and formats. Travels to Spain, Morocco, and Italy expanded his visual vocabulary while satisfying the Salon's appetite for exotic subjects. I must admit that his painting of a young woman leaning against the sinewy trunk of an olive tree, while not exactly my style, is pleasing to the eye, as is his largely monochromatic portrait of a Berber woman capturing the smoke of ambergris from an incense burner. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/sargent-musee-orsay-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/sargent-musee-orsay-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/sargent-musee-orsay-4.jpg) John Singer Sargent, “Rehearsal of the Pasdeloup Orchestra at the Cirque d’Hiver” (left), “Atlantic Storm” (middle), “The Birthday Party” (right) It’s something of a shame that Sargent’s ambition was to become a successful portraitist and to be part of high society. His autonomous works show that he had a fine eye for composition. A talented pianist himself, his painting of a “Rehearsal of the Pasdeloup Orchestra at the Cirque d’Hiver” (1879-80) still looks fresh due to its unusual viewing angle. With its brilliant off-center composition “Atlantic Storm” (1876), presumably painted on the return journey from his first trip to the United States, challenged the conventions of maritime painting. This is what it’s like to be on a ship during a storm. “The Birthday Party” (1885) similarly has a highly unconventional composition giving the viewer a sense of being at the table. Sargent's portraits are highly accomplished and demonstrate his capacity to capture both individual character and broader cultural types. His rendering of Madame Subercaseaux at the piano, with its cascading black-and-white ruffles, secured him a Salon award that exempted him from future jury scrutiny. Throughout, Sargent cultivated an extensive network of supporters, many of them formidable creative women whose informal, sketchlike portraits reveal a more intimate dimension of his practice. His artistic milieu intersected with those of Rodin, Monet, and Manet, whose influence permeated his work as he forged a distinctive synthesis of academic tradition and modern techniques, as can be seen in, for example, “The Birthday Party” (1885). The trajectory of Sargent's Parisian career reached its apex and its crisis with his infamous portrait of the American-born socialite Virginie Gautreau, a painting that would go down into history as “Madame X" (1883–84). Both artist and subject sought a sensational moment, and they achieved it—though not as either had anticipated. When the painting appeared at the 1884 Salon, critics excoriated its audacious composition: the fallen shoulder strap, the heavy cosmetics, the subject's refusal of eye contact with the viewer. The work's classical allusions went unacknowledged; instead, commentators denounced it for its vulgarity. The scandal effectively terminated Sargent's French ambitions, though he retained the painting until selling it to the Metropolitan Museum in 1916, declaring it "the best thing I've done." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/sargent-musee-orsay-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/sargent-musee-orsay-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/sargent-musee-orsay-7.jpg) John Singer Sargent, Madame X: sketches (left), first exhibition photo (middle), final version (right) It’s interesting to note that Sargent later adjusted the shoulder strap as can be seen when comparing reproductions of the painting when it was first exhibited and the version that is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I much prefer the version with the fallen shoulder strap, which looks both more sensual and more natural, and I wish Sargent had had the same guts as Manet, whose Olympia dates back to 1863. I quite enjoyed the exhibition, not enough to buy the catalogue, but enough to buy the “carnet d’expo”. Afterwards, I took the escalator to the fifth floor to visit the Musée d’Orsay’s permanent collection, like I always do whenever I’m there. I once again realized how dazzling, wonderful and amazing the work of Manet, Renoir, Monet, Degas, Morisot, Van Gogh and Cézanne is. **John Singer Sargent. Eblouir Paris** is at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris until 11 January 2026. ### Georges de La Tour at the Musée Jacquemart-André URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/14/georges-de-la-tour-at-the-musee-jacquemart-andre/ Last updated: 2025-12-14T20:47:52.000Z Hot on the heels of this Spring’s [Artemisia Gentileschi retrospective](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/04/04/artemisia-gentileschi-at-the-musee-jacquemart-andre/) the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris has organized another major exhibition, this one dedicated to Georges de La Tour (1593-1652), a painter who languished in obscurity for nearly three centuries before achieving widespread renown. The exhibition comprises approximately thirty works either by the artist or derived from his compositions. Although some celebrated canvases—notably “The Fortune Teller” (1630s) from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and “The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds” (1635-38) from the Louvre—could not be secured for loan, the assembled paintings nonetheless provide ample opportunity to explore La Tour's distinctive artistic vision. Biographical information about La Tour remains frustratingly sparse, rendering him even more enigmatic than Vermeer. Born in Vic-sur-Seille to a family of grain merchants, he married into minor nobility and fathered ten children, seven of whom perished before reaching adulthood. Court records reveal him as a greedy and quarrelsome individual, which stands in sharp contrast with the contemplative nature of his canvases. Little is known about La Tour's artistic formation. Art scholars have hypothesized journeys to Italy, Spain, or Flanders to account for his evident affinities with Caravaggio, yet no documentary evidence substantiates such journeys. What is certain is that he mastered the dramatic effects of chiaroscuro—the interplay of torchlight and shadow, glowing embers against enveloping darkness—and deployed these techniques with consummate skill. These paintings form the heart of the exhibition. In the absence of reliable chronological markers, La Tour's oeuvre must be approached through careful visual analysis of individual compositions. His secular subjects—beggars, musicians, peasants—present numerous interpretive puzzles, while his religious paintings demonstrate a revolutionary departure from the elaborate altarpiece tradition. Eschewing halos, angelic hosts, and symbolic clutter, La Tour reduced sacred imagery to its essential elements: solitary figures rendered with geometric clarity, their forms emerging from darkness into pools of candlelight. This austere approach evidently captivated contemporary patrons, generating demand for numerous copies and workshop replicas. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/georges-de-la-tour-jacquemart-andre-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/georges-de-la-tour-jacquemart-andre-3.jpg) Georges de la Tour, "L’argent versé" (left) and "The Dice Players" (right) Georges de la Tour excelled in creating carefully choreographed group portraits in which the eyes speak volumes, as in the Louvre’s “The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds” (1635-38) and “L’argent versé” (1621-34). Speaking of carefully choreographed scenes, the exhibition also includes an amazing painting by an anonymous Caravaggist painter known as Pensionnaire de Saraceni, “Le Reniement de saint Pierre” (c. 1610). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/georges-de-la-tour-jacquemart-andre-4.jpg) Pensionnaire de Saraceni, “Le Reniement de saint Pierre” (c. 1610) The Musée Jacquemart-André is a wonderful museum with a special atmosphere. Unfortunately, even though the number of visitors is restricted the rooms still feel cramped. To enjoy the works on show you really have to visit early morning on a less popular day and time and not on Friday evening, like I did. **Georges de La Tour** is at the Musée Jacquemart-André until 25 January 2026. ### Links [Artemisia Gentileschi at the Musée Jacquemart-André](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/04/04/artemisia-gentileschi-at-the-musee-jacquemart-andre/). [Masterpieces from the Galleria Borghese at the Musée Jacquemart-André](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/01/masterpieces-from-the-galleria-borghese-at-the-musee-jacquemart-andre/). ### One Hundred Years of Art Deco at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/12/one-hundred-years-of-art-deco-at-the-musee-des-arts-decoratifs/ Last updated: 2026-01-01T10:49:06.000Z ![One Hundred Years of Art Deco at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/art-deco-mad-paris-1.jpg) The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris celebrates the centennial of Art Deco through an extensive exhibition, assembling over 1,200 objects across three floors, encompassing furniture, jewelry, fashion, posters, and drawings that collectively document the creative vitality of the Jazz Age. The exhibition takes its name from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, a watershed event that attracted approximately 15 million visitors and established Art Deco as a globally recognized aesthetic movement. More than 200 pavilions were constructed around the Trocadéro and along the Seine, showcasing innovations in modern decorative and industrial arts while providing evening entertainment enhanced by electric illumination. Contemporary understanding of Art Deco has been shaped significantly by its representation in popular culture, such as movie adaptations of [The Great Gatsby](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2012/06/25/the-great-gatsby-trailer/), rather than direct engagement with historical artifacts. The exhibition seeks to rectify this superficial familiarity by demonstrating how designers pursued a shared objective despite aesthetic diversity. The emergence of Art Deco represented an aesthetic evolution rather than a sudden rupture with preceding styles. According to curator Anne Monier Vanryb, the transition from Art Nouveau began around 1910, marked by a shift from ornamental excess toward more restrained decoration characterized by symmetry and geometric rigor. Within the 1925 exhibition's French Embassy pavilion, diverse artistic approaches coexisted, ranging from exuberant luxurious designs to austere modernist designs. This heterogeneity included Sonia Delaunay's geometric abstractions, Robert Mallet-Stevens' architectural innovations, and the decorative elegance of interior designers such as Clément Mère and Armand-Albert Rateau. Art Deco's visual grammar drew upon multiple sources while maintaining distinctive characteristics. The style incorporated antique and exotic motifs, including woven wicker designs borrowed from eighteenth-century France, alongside geometric patterns that married modernity with preciousness. Elongated human figures featured prominently in the aesthetic vocabulary, as did animal subjects such as does, antelopes, and peacocks. This formal language permeated all creative disciplines, manifesting in Madeleine Vionnet's neoclassical dresses and Maurice Couët's jade and diamond timepieces for Cartier. ![One Hundred Years of Art Deco at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/art-deco-mad-paris-2.jpg) Three designers featured prominently in the exhibition exemplify distinct aspects of Art Deco's multifaceted character. Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann brought together the best designers of the time to create set pieces for his luxury Hôtel du Collectionneur. Jean-Michel Frank championed what Jean Cocteau termed an "aesthetics of simplicity," rehabilitating materials previously considered poor or unfashionable, including mica, parchment, and straw marquetry. Eileen Gray, though absent from the 1925 exposition, has become recognized as an Art Deco icon through works like the lacquered Mermaid chair and sleek metal furnishings that demonstrated her avant-garde sensibility. Art Deco remained largely inaccessible to the general population despite attempts at democratization by Parisian department stores. While tableware and decorative objects achieved some commercial distribution, most furniture pieces remained prohibitively expensive. The movement's clientele consisted primarily of a newly affluent class of banking millionaires emerging after World War I who could commission luxury items crafted from ebony, ivory, and gemstones. The primary vehicle for Art Deco's popular dissemination was graphic art rather than decorative objects. Magazines, advertisements, and cinema posters propagated the aesthetic through bold colors and sharp lines that evoked contemporary fascination with speed and modern forms of transportation. The style's international expansion was facilitated by mobile showcases of French taste, particularly the Orient Express and transatlantic ocean liners, which served as rolling ambassadors for what became the first truly global design movement. The exhibition includes both a 1926 train cabin from the museum's collection and life-size interior models of architect Maxime d'Angeac's designs for a new Orient Express scheduled to commence service in 2027. I'll readily admit that Art Deco is not my favorite style, - I’m more inclined to a Modernist aesthetic -, but I enjoyed strolling through the exhibition. Beware that, like its 1925 predecessor, the exhibition is hugely popular, so choose an unpopular time and book in advance. Don’t go on a Thursday evening like I did. **1925-2025\. Cents Ans d’Art Déco** is at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris until 26 April 2026. ### Related Posts 4[ Museums 1 Modernism](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/25/4-museums-1-modernism/) at the Pinakothek der Moderne. [The 80s. Fashion, Design and Graphic Design in France](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/01/13/the-80s-fashion-design-and-graphic-design-in-france/). ### Robert Darnton: The Revolutionary Temper URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/07/robert-darnton-the-revolutionary-temper/ Last updated: 2025-12-07T22:32:02.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/jacques-louis-david-louvre-8.jpg) I recently read the wonderful *Paris in Ruins: Love, War, and the Birth of Impressionism* by Sebastian Smee, which filled a major gap in my knowledge. I didn’t know that Manet, Monet, Degas, Morisot, Renoir, Pissarro and the other impressionists created their groundbreaking work during a period of great political turmoil. I had seen references to the “Paris Commune”, but I had glossed over the term without looking into its meaning. On the occasion of the excellent [Jacques-Louis David retrospective at the Louvre](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/07/jacques-louis-david-at-the-louvre/) I thought I’d fill another gap in my knowledge by reading *The Revolutionary Temper: Paris, 1748-1789* by Robert Darnton, which examines the cultural and informational landscape that preceded the French Revolution. Darnton, a Harvard historian specializing in eighteenth-century French print culture, argues that the French revolution resulted from four decades of political scandals and media-driven polemics that cultivated what he terms a "revolutionary temper" among Parisians: a collective consciousness shaped by repeated exposure to contentious events and alternative visions of political order. Darnton's methodology focuses on tracing public opinion through diverse media sources including pamphlets, songs, engravings, gazettes, police reports, and coffeehouse discourse. He organizes his analysis around specific scandals and affaires that captured public attention, such as the Calas Affair, the Diamond Necklace Affair, the suppression of the Jesuits, and Jacques Necker's unprecedented public accounting of state finances. Rather than emphasizing elite philosophical texts, Darnton highlights accessible popular media that ordinary Parisians could comprehend, arguing that these materials proved more influential in shaping public sentiment than highbrow Enlightenment treatises, though he acknowledges the latter's contributions. Through publication scandals surrounding works like Diderot's *Encyclopédie* the public learned that new intellectual forces challenged traditional authority, while Enlightenment ideas about social contracts, national sovereignty, and press freedom made alternatives to absolute monarchy conceivable, first among educated classes and reform-minded officials, later among the general public. The book demonstrates how information circulated through both print and oral channels in pre-revolutionary Paris, where official censorship paradoxically intensified demand for illicit writings. Darnton shows how publishers circumvented restrictions through foreign printing, smuggling operations, and tacit permissions from sympathetic officials like Malesherbes. Police surveillance of cafés and public spaces revealed governmental anxiety about rumor and criticism, yet repressive measures proved ineffective at containing seditious discourse. Songs, poems, and pamphlets attacking royal ministers, the court, and eventually Marie-Antoinette herself proliferated despite official efforts at suppression. Darnton also highlights the role of the “nouvellistes de bouche” or oral newsmongers who would gather in the Jardin du Luxembourg, the gardens of the Tuilleries and other public spaces to exchange the latest news and gossip by word of mouth. Darnton lists a number of elements that contributed to the “revolutionary temper”: a hatred of despotism, a love of liberty, a commitment to the nation, indignation at aristocratic depravity, a belief in the power of reason, and a loss of faith in monarchy and church. He argues that the accessibility and emotional resonance of popular media, combined with Parisians' familiarity with violence, created the conditions for revolutionary action in 1789\. I enjoyed reading *The Revolutionary Temper*. The short chapters and the great variety of juicy scandals make for a lively book. I’m not a historian, so I’ll leave it to others to judge the accuracy of Darnton’s claims. In the decades leading up to the revolution public opinion gained importance as competing power-holders learned to mobilize it for their purposes. Darnton contends that the revolution erupted, because of the uncontrollable dynamics this created. He also highlights popular anger over the price of grain and bread, at the time one of the main food staples. Darnton refrains from drawing parallels with the present, but it’s worth noting that a rise in wheat prices was also a catalyst for the Arab Spring protests in Tunisia and Egypt. And whereas in 18th century Paris news travelled via pamphlets, gazettes and “nouvellistes“, during the Arab Spring social media platforms served as tools for spreading information and organizing protests against the region’s authoritarian regimes. *Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose*. ### Jacques-Louis David at the Louvre URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/07/jacques-louis-david-at-the-louvre/ Last updated: 2025-12-07T22:32:26.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/jacques-louis-david-louvre-2.jpg) The Louvre is currently hosting a major retrospective of Jacques-Louis David to mark the bicentenary of his death, bringing together approximately one hundred paintings and drawings. The exhibition includes significant loans from Brussels, where David lived in exile after the Restoration. In France, Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825) is considered a national treasure, having painted two of the nation's most iconic works: “Death of Marat” (1793) and “Napoleon Crossing the Alps” (1801). These are also the only two paintings by David that I know, although I must have seen more of his work on previous visits to the Louvre. The exhibition frames David as a "committed artist" whose political convictions shaped both his life and work—and that's an understatement. David was an active supporter of the French Revolution and a friend of Robespierre. In 1793, as a deputy for Paris, he voted for the execution of Louis XVI. Following Robespierre's fall from power, he was briefly imprisoned, narrowly escaping the guillotine. Upon his release, he aligned himself with Napoleon Bonaparte, becoming the regime's official court painter after the proclamation of the Empire in 1804\. After Napoleon's fall from power and the Bourbon Restoration, David went into exile in Brussels despite being granted amnesty by Louis XVIII. He would continue to work and paint there until his death in 1825. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/jacques-louis-david-louvre-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/jacques-louis-david-louvre-4.jpg) Jacques-Louis David, "The Loves of Paris and Helen" (1788). Amazingly, both versions are near identical, which testifies to David's craftsmanship. David struggled for years to establish his artistic identity. He is even said to have considered suicide after four successive failures to win the Royal Academy's Prix de Rome. In 1774, having finally won the Prix de Rome, he moved to Rome for a residency at the French Academy. In 1779, he suffered an artistic crisis, which eventually led him to move beyond the neoclassicism of Poussin and the realism and chiaroscuro of Caravaggio. In 1783, at the age of 35, he became an official member of the Royal Academy. Two years later, he exhibited his first masterpiece, “The Oath of the Horatii” (1785). During this period, David painted mainly large canvases depicting scenes from antiquity, such as “The Death of Socrates” (1787) and “The Loves of Paris and Helen” (1788), of which he created two nearly identical versions for different clients. A painting like “The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Body of His Sons” (1789) takes on a different meaning once you consider the [revolutionary temper](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/07/robert-darnton-the-revolutionary-temper/) spreading through Paris and France at the time. The organizers of the exhibition have brought together all three versions of “The Death of Marat” (1793). I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't know the version in the Louvre, featuring the famous line "N'ayant pu me corrompre ils m'ont assassiné" (Unable to corrupt me, they murdered me), is in fact a replica created by the artist's studio. It is an astonishing painting that transforms a murdered journalist into a Christ-like martyr, complete with a wound echoing the Passion and a drooping arm borrowed from Michelangelo's Pietà. What makes David particularly fascinating is the tension between his severe history paintings and his remarkably modern portraits. The backgrounds of works like Madame Récamier and Marie Louise Josèphe Trudaine (1791–92) abandon polished surfaces for something more experimental: confetti-like marks and swirling rose petals applied with the tip of the brush. Whether unfinished or deliberately innovative, these canvases reveal David as a subtle colorist rather than the cold technician he sometimes appears to be. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/jacques-louis-david-louvre-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/jacques-louis-david-louvre-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/12/jacques-louis-david-louvre-6.jpg) Jacques-Louis David, "Le serment des Horaces" (1785) detail (middle) and preparatory sketch (left). Sketch for "Brutus et ses fils" (1789) (right) As always, I particularly enjoyed seeing the preparatory sketches David made for his paintings. He used a grid system to get the proportions right and to transfer figures to larger canvases. The exhibition portrays Jacques-Louis David as an artist whose work anticipated history as often as it responded to it. His first painting to be shown to critical acclaim at the Paris Salon “Belisarius Begging for Alms” (1782) was interpreted as a critique of royal tyranny before the Revolution had even begun, while “The Tennis Court Oath” (1792) was abandoned mid-painting, having been overtaken by historical events as its heroes were either disgraced or sent to the guillotine. The Louvre's retrospective captures this paradox: a classical painter giving shape to revolutionary chaos and a committed artist who was also a consummate survivor. **Jacques-Louis David** is at the Louvre until 26 January 2026. ### Pierre Soulages: Works on Paper at the Musée du Luxembourg URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/11/30/pierre-soulages-works-on-paper-at-the-musee-du-luxembourg/ Last updated: 2025-12-02T21:12:12.000Z ![Pierre Soulages: Works on Paper at the Musée du Luxembourg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/11/soulages-musee-du-luxembourg-1.jpg) Pierre Soulages: Works on Paper at the Musée du Luxembourg I arrived at the Musée du Luxembourg in a mildly agitated state, having hurried through the late afternoon streets of Paris’ 6th arrondissement to ensure I had enough time to take in the exhibition before the museum closed. That lingering sense of urgency may well have coloured my initial impression of the first two galleries in the "Pierre Soulages: Works on Paper" exhibition, which felt somewhat inaccessible to me at first encounter; I was too tense to meet their subtleties with any real openness. Yet as I progressed deeper into the show, the contemplative, almost zen-like serenity of Soulages’s later works gradually exerted its influence, tempering my restlessness and allowing me to settle into a more receptive frame of mind. What had begun as a rushed obligation to tick off an exhibition transformed into an unexpectedly meditative experience, as Soulages' mature compositions, with their nuanced interplay of density and light, steadily dissolved my tension and recalibrated my capacity for attention. Pierre Soulages' works on paper, created from the mid-1940s onwards using unconventional materials like walnut stain, India ink, charcoal, and gouache, remained largely hidden from public view until recently. Despite his renown, the focus on his oil paintings and his "outrenoir" works meant that only a handful of works on paper are regularly exhibited. The exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg therefore marks a significant shift, dedicating its entire focus to this overlooked aspect of his practice while including some thirty works that are here exhibited for the first time. The so-called walnut stain drawings from 1946 to the early 1950s represent Soulages' earliest experiments with materials outside traditional art conventions. Walnut stain, typically used by cabinetmakers, is a brown liquid made from ground nuts diluted in hot water. Soulages applied this material with wide brushes on modestly sized drawing paper, creating abstract compositions of intersecting lines that varied in width and density and look like some kind of abstract calligraphy. The exhibition reveals the experimental and serial nature of Soulages' approach during this period. His compositions varied dramatically: some featured numerous intersecting strokes while others contained only one or two marks. He worked with white paper or brown-soaked surfaces, sometimes removing wet stain to create lines of light. Once he mastered walnut stain's possibilities, he expanded his experiments to include charcoal, pencil, and various inks, both separately and in combination. This exploratory work, which had no clear precedent in interwar abstract art or Asian calligraphy, initially puzzled viewers but ultimately propelled Soulages to prominence. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/11/soulages-musee-du-luxembourg-2.jpg) Pierre Soulages, Encre sur papier marouflé sur toile (1963) Though Soulages transitioned to oil on canvas in the 1950s to access larger formats, he periodically returned to paper throughout his career. His later paper works from the 2000s show continued experimentation, using ink in layered rectangular surfaces rather than linear traces, and creating compositions with black gouache patches overlaid with pencil lines. These late explorations demonstrate that even as an octogenarian, Soulages remained committed to discovering new artistic possibilities through his chosen medium. I’m the first to admit that this kind of work isn’t for everyone. But if you give it some time it might grow on you. I prefer the work from the mid-1950s through the 1970s, in which the lines are orthogonal and the black more prominent. I ended up buying the carnet d’expo and one of the three reproductions on sale. I now regret not buying all three. I may have to hurry back to the Musée du Luxembourg before they sell out. **Soulages, une autre lumière. Peintures sur papier** is at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris until 11 January 2026. ### Kandinsky. The Music of Colours at the Philharmonie de Paris URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/11/30/kandinsky-the-music-of-colours-at-the-philharmonie-de-paris/ Last updated: 2025-12-02T21:18:33.000Z ![Kandinsky. The Music of Colours at the Philharmonie de Paris](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/11/kandinsky-philharmonie-paris-1.jpg) The exhibition “Kandinsky. The Music of Colours” at the Philharmonie de Paris examines the profound, life-long connection between Vassily Kandinsky’s art and music. In 1896, a 30-year-old Kandinsky, then an aspiring law professor, attended a performance of Wagner's "Lohengrin" at Moscow's Bolshoi Theater. It proved to be a transformative experience, which inspired him to move to Munich and pursue a career as a painter, believing painting could achieve the same expressive power as music. Drawing primarily from the Centre Pompidou's extensive Kandinsky collection while that institution undergoes renovation, the exhibition features nearly 200 artworks and objects. At the entrance of the exhibition you receive a set of geolocated headphones that shift seamlessly between musical excerpts and artist quotations as you move through the exhibition galleries. This immersive approach reflects Kandinsky’s habit of drawing analogies between auditory and visual experiences. His personal archive provides a major source of the exhibition: nearly a hundred shellac records, along with manuscripts, annotated scores, and books, reveal the eclectic musical tastes that influenced his thinking, from Bach to Stravinsky to Russian Orthodox chants. A series of thematic sections traces Kandinsky’s evolution from his early Munich years with Der Blaue Reiter through his time at the Bauhaus. The exhibition emphasizes that his experimentation with bold chromatic harmonies, rhythmic pictorial structures, and synesthetic correspondences was both spiritually motivated and analytically rigorous. In 1911 Kandinsky attended a concert featuring Schoenberg’s “String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10” (1907-8), which proved to be as big a shock as Wagner’s “Lohengrin” and inspired him to create “Impression III (Concert)” (1911). It was a joy to hear the music on the headset as you enter the gallery and look at the painting. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/11/kandinsky-philharmonie-paris-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/11/kandinsky-philharmonie-paris-3.jpg) Sketches for the music room created for the German Architecture Exhibition in Berlin (1931) The exhibition situates Kandinsky within broader currents of early 20th-century art and also includes works by other artists. His collaborations with musicians such as Thomas von Hartmann, his theoretical writings, including *Concerning the Spiritual in Art* and *Point and Line to Plane*, and his experiments with stage design, notably the 1928 production of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”, illustrate Kandinsky’s pursuit of a “total artwork.” His attraction to abstraction, the curators argue, stemmed in part from music’s status as an art form in which meaning is conveyed without reliance on the visible world. While the exhibition ranges across decades, it highlights Kandinsky’s enduring connection to Russia, which he once called his “pictorial tuning fork.” Orthodox chants, reminiscences of Moscow’s architecture, and the emotional timbre of his homeland permeate several early works. Even as he worked in Germany and France, he remained attuned to what he described as the “inner sound” of the places and cultures that shaped him. His synesthetic understanding of colour also reflects his sense that visual forms could carry both musical and metaphysical resonance. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/11/kandinsky-philharmonie-paris-6.jpg) Vassily Kandinsky, "Composition No. VIII" (1923) The exhibition culminates in the rare reunion of Kandinsky’s final three Compositions: No. VIII (1923) from the Guggenheim Museum in New York, No. IX (1936) from the Centre Pompidou and No. X (1939) from the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf. These monumental paintings, each a kind of symphonic statement, demonstrate how thoroughly Kandinsky had internalized musical logic as a structural model. Displayed together, they form a wonderful trilogy that mirrors musical form, moving from jubilant complexity to contemplative calm and finally toward a grand cosmic finale. In presenting these masterpieces alongside sound, archival material, and set designs, the exhibition argues that music did not merely inspire Kandinsky; it provided the conceptual blueprint for his lifelong quest to reinvent painting as a fully abstract art. **Kandinsky, la musique des couleurs** is at the Musée de la Musique at the Philharmonie de Paris until 1 February 2026. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/11/09/further-reading-110/ Last updated: 2025-11-10T18:47:59.000Z The New York Times [profiles](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/03/books/emil-ferris-monsters-horror-comics.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Emil Ferris's "My Favorite Thing Is Monsters". How to get the best night’s sleep: [what the science says](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03148-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [AI is not just another research tool](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03572-w?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com); it is redefining what research is, how it is done and what counts as an original contribution. [Creative experiences and brain clocks](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-64173-9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The case that AI is thinking](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/11/10/the-case-that-ai-is-thinking?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Of course, the question is what is meant by "thinking". [Mrs Dalloway’s demons](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n19/david-trotter/unconditional-looking?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Large language models appear to possess [metalinguistic capabilities](https://www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-ai-models-analyze-language-as-well-as-a-human-expert-20251031/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Thomas S. Kaplan plans to [securitize](https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/09/22/leiden-largest-private-collection-rembrandt-thomas-kaplan-fractionalisation?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) the [Leiden Collection](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/04/07/rembrandt-and-his-contemporaries-history-paintings-from-the-leiden-collection/) of Dutch Golden Age painting with the shares to be listed on a public stock exchange. [The West is lost](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/opinion/west-europe-america-lost.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) at least according to German sociologist Andreas Reckwitz. Nature surveyed scientists about their [favourite cinematic moments](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03440-7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. Financial Times [interview](https://www.ft.com/content/c959d09a-bebe-4243-845d-da40772286e5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Rick Owens. [How manga was translated for America](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/14/books/manga-comic-books.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Inside the [data centers](https://t.co/w6X8XYsf0j?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that train A.I. and drain the electrical grid. When athletes devote large amounts of energy to running or cycling, [they unconsciously cut back on energy output elsewhere](https://go.nature.com/4nqUnc4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Lorraine Daston [reviews](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n19/lorraine-daston/kaboom?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *Vanished: An Unnatural History of Extinction* by Sadiah Qureshi. Natural selection has repeatedly led to the evolution of [two alternative antipredator color strategies](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adr7368?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)—camouflage to avoid detection and aposematism to advertise unprofitability. "Medina et al. found that camouflage was more beneficial when it was rarely used by prey and in low-light environments, whereas warning coloration was less beneficial in high-predation environments, where competition between predators may motivate them to sample aposematic insects." [Foraging ants as liquid brains](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2506930122?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Georg Friedrich Haas’s 11,000 Strings](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/arts/music/11000-strings-park-avenue-armory.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) at the Armory in New York. ### Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely at the Grand Palais URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/11/02/niki-de-saint-phalle-and-jean-tinguely-at-the-grand-palais/ Last updated: 2025-11-02T18:18:10.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/11/tinguely-grand-palais-2.jpg) Jean Tinguely, "Méta-matic No. 1" (1959). When set into motion it actually produces drawings, some of which are hung on a nearby wall. While the Centre Pompidou undergoes an extensive renovation, the recently re-opened Grand Palais has mounted an extraordinary exhibition featuring works by Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002) and Jean Tinguely (1925–1991). Drawing primarily from the Centre Pompidou's collection and enriched by loans from French and international museums, the exhibition explores the creative triangle between these two groundbreaking artists and Pontus Hultén, the visionary former director of Stockholm's Moderna Museet and founding director of the Centre Pompidou. An early champion of both artists, Hultén promoted their work throughout his long career, acquiring works, curating landmark exhibitions, and commissioning ambitious site-specific installations. ![Jean Tinguely: "L'Enfer, un petit début" at the Grand Palais](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/11/tinguely-grand-palais-1.jpg) Jean Tinguely, "L'Enfer, un petit début" (1984) The exhibition presents solo works by each artist alongside their collaborative pieces. Among the highlights is Tinguely's "L'Enfer, un petit début" (1984), a monumental installation constructed from tires, cog wheels, engine belts, buckets, stuffed animals, and a drum set, a chaotic assemblage that erupts into a cacophony of sounds when activated. One can only imagine the painstaking effort required to reconstruct such a complex work. I've long admired Tinguely's playful kinetic sculptures, and seeing this extensive selection, many pieces new to me, was a genuine pleasure. Remarkably, all of Tinguely's machines remain functional, springing to life every ten or twenty minutes in brief, exuberant thirty-second performances. If you’re planning on visiting the exhibition it is definitely worth waiting to see at least some sculptures in motion, especially “Méta n° 3” (1970-71) and “Le ballet des pauvres” (1961). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/11/tinguely-grand-palais-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/11/saint-phalle-grand-palais-1.jpg) Jean Tinguely, "Meta-matic No. 17" (1959) (left) and Niki de Saint Phalle, "L'Accouchement rose" (1964) (right) While Niki de Saint Phalle is best known for her Nanas, exuberant, large-scale sculptures of women in motion, running, leaping, and dancing, her earlier work carries a darker psychological weight. Having suffered sexual abuse by her father as a child and a severe depressive episode in her early twenties that led to psychiatric hospitalization, Saint Phalle would later credit art with saving her life. In the early 1960s, she commanded attention with her "Tirs" or Shooting Paintings, assemblages mounted on wooden boards incorporating fabric scraps, children's toys, and paint-filled plastic bags, which she then fired upon with a rifle. You don’t have to be a psychoanalyst to understand the psychological dimension of these works. The exhibition is a tribute to two remarkable artists, but also to the life-long friendship between Tinguely, Saint Phalle and Hulten. I enjoyed seeing the illustrated letters and postcards that Tinguely and Saint Phalle sent Hultén over the years. Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hulten at the beautifully renovated Grand Palais is one of many unmissable shows this autumn in Paris. **Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hulten** is at the Grand Palais in Paris until 4 January 2026. ### Rick Owens: Temple of Love at the Palais Galliera URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/10/19/rick-owens-temple-of-love-at-the-palais-galliera/ Last updated: 2025-10-19T12:08:38.000Z ![Rick Owens Temple of Love at the Palais Galliera](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/10/rick-owens-palais-galliera-1.jpg) The Rick Owens retrospective at the Palais Galliera in Paris is one of the most anticipated exhibitions of autumn 2025\. As always when I visit a fashion exhibition I greatly enjoyed seeing designs that I only know from photos and videos. Rick Owens’s creative journey began in California, where a strict Catholic education and an early fascination with art, literature, and cinema shaped the foundation of his aesthetic identity. Through his engagement with 19th-century French literature and the glamour of early Hollywood cinema Owens cultivated a dual sensitivity to beauty and transgression that would later define his work. When he arrived in Los Angeles in 1980, he immersed himself in the city’s nightlife and countercultural scene, experiences that deeply marked his early fashion experiments of the 1990s. His raw, distressed designs, inspired by the fashion of the 1930s, reflected both the decadence and disillusionment of his generation. By the early 2000s, Owens’s work began to attract international attention. His first show in New York in 2002 signaled his emergence as a distinctive voice in fashion, one unafraid to merge technical mastery with a dark romanticism. Relocating to Paris in 2003, he refined his vision into monumental, sculptural garments often likened to Brutalist architecture: severe yet sublime. The performative dimension of his fashion shows, presented at the Palais de Tokyo, which also happens to be one of my favourite art venues in Paris, further underscores the theatrical and philosophical ambition underpinning his oeuvre. By uniting aggression and grace, Owens established himself as one of the most uncompromising and visionary designers of his time. ![Rick Owens Temple of Love at the Palais Galliera](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/10/rick-owens-palais-galliera-2.jpg) From 2013 onward, Owens’s collections assumed an explicitly ethical and political dimension. His work interrogated issues of racial inequality, gender representation, and collective solidarity through choreographed performances that transcended conventional runway norms. Collections such as “Vicious” (2014), “Sphinx” (2015–16), and “Cyclops” (2016) functioned as visual essays on the body’s capacity for resilience and protest. In recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, Owens’s creations have taken on a contemplative tone. Presenting his shows in Italy, he reflected on mortality, time, and human humility. His later works introduced tenderness and introspection into his dark aesthetic, a meditation on love and tolerance as ultimate forms of rebellion. Even the natural fading of his textiles, displayed in daylight in one of the rooms at the Palais Galliera, becomes part of his artistic statement: a metaphor for decay, endurance, and the beauty found in imperfection. ![Rick Owens Temple of Love at the Palais Galliera](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/10/rick-owens-palais-galliera-3.jpg) "Temple of Love" offers an unprecedented insight into the world of Rick Owens. Curated and designed by Owens himself, the exhibition offers a full immersion into his world, a blend of the sacred, the brutal, and the intimate. Divided between shadow and light, it presents over a hundred creations, personal artifacts, and architectural installations that reveal both his creative evolution and private life, including an installation of his bedroom. The exhibition traces his evolution from Los Angeles to Paris, from rebellion to reflection. More than a retrospective, "Temple of Love" is an invitation to see fashion as autobiography, and beauty as an act of devotion and defiance. As Owens writes in the exhibition flyer: “I’ve done my best to offer an alternative to the standard cultural aesthetics within which not all of us feel reflected… I don’t reject or condemn anything. I just propose another option. I hope you can all find your own reflections somewhere in here.” **Rick Owens: Temple of Love** is at the Palais Galliera in Paris until 4 January 2026. ### Links [Dolce & Gabbana at the Grand Palais](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/29/dolce-gabbana-at-the-grand-palais/). [Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/28/iris-van-herpen-sculpting-the-senses/). [Thierry Mugler Couturissime](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/10/26/thierry-mugler-couturissime/). [1997 Fashion Big Bang](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/1997-fashion-big-bang/) at the Palais Galliera. ### Breithorn URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/breithorn/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:55:05.000Z I had been to [Zermatt](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/zermatt/) several times, but I'd never come around to climbing the Breithorn, largely because the last couple of times I had been unlucky with the weather. This time around the weather forecast had been good, but unfortunately the Breithorn was shrouded in clouds during my ascent to the top. During the descent clouds kept rolling in. One moment it looked like it was clearing and the next moment we were surrounded by fog again. It was not what I been hoping for, but I did make it to the top. I was able to make some nice atmospheric photos from the viewing platform at Klein Matterhorn. From Trockener Steg I hiked to the Gandegghütte, which offers amazing views of the Breithorn and the Theodul glacier. I'm planning to give it another shot next time I'm in Zermatt. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/breithorn-1.jpg) The trail to the top of the Breithorn This was actually on the way down. But clouds kept rolling in. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/breithorn-2-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/breithorn-3.jpg) On the Breithorn... In the clouds... This was just moments after the photo above. ![Breithorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/breithorn-4.jpg) The Breithorn as seen from the viewing platform at Klein Matterhorn ![Breithorn in the clouds](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/breithorn-5.jpg) The Breithorn in the clouds The Breithorn in the clouds. I must say that I quite like this photos and the one below. It's just that climbing to the top in these conditions was not what I had hoped for. ![The Breithorn in the clouds](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/breithorn-6.jpg) The Breithorn in the clouds ![Breithorn and Theodulgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/breithorn-7.jpg) The Breithorn, Klein Matterhorn and Theodulgletscher as seen from the Gandegghütte Late in the afternoon it finally cleared. I was so consumed by the scenery that I almost missed the last cable car down to Zermatt. I know you should always check the departure time of the last cable car, but I had forgotten to do so and I didn't expect the last cable car to descend so early in the afternoon in the middle of the summer season. ![Breithorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/breithorn-8.jpg) Breithorn as seen from the Gandegghütte ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), the hike to [Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/), the hike to the [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/), the hike from [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the hike to the [Plans de Bertol](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/plans-de-bertol/), the hike to the [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna da Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/) and the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the spectacular [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/09/20/further-reading-109/ Last updated: 2025-11-16T17:10:26.000Z Adam Phillips [on resistance](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n14/adam-phillips/on-resistance?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The Paris of Agnès Varda](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n14/jeremy-harding/at-the-musee-carnavalet?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Sadly I missed the exhibition. Some of her films have been digitally restored and are back in (art house) cinemas. [Alien planet glimpsed](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02549-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in star’s “habitable zone”. [The Gentleman of Verona](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/08/21/the-gentleman-of-verona-paolo-veronese/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The majesty, serenity, and opulence of Paolo Veronese’s paintings bolstered the myth of Venice’s vibrancy at a time of social, political, and religious decline. Dry mouth, hot throat, feeling of malaise. The familiar experience of [thirst](https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-does-it-mean-to-be-thirsty-20250811/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is a motivational state constructed by your brain to induce a behavior: drink water. [Lithium deficiency](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09335-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. One of the most talked about papers of the year so far. [Illusions of AI consciousness](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adn4935?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). New method reveals perhaps [the most massive black hole yet spotted](https://www.science.org/content/article/new-method-reveals-perhaps-most-massive-black-hole-yet-spotted?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). It’s 5 billion light-years from Earth and 36 billion times as massive as the Sun. [Why chocolate tastes so good](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02659-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): microbes that fine-tune its flavour. Manipulating the microbial communities involved in cocoa bean fermentation could make chocolate even more delicious. The James Webb Space Telescope has found [a lonely black hole in the early universe](https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-single-naked-black-hole-rewrites-the-history-of-the-universe-20250912/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that’s as heavy as 50 million suns. A major discovery, the object confounds theories of the young cosmos. Protests are infectious: [mapping rural unrest in Revolutionary France](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02526-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Researchers have used epidemiological models to determine whether the wave of riots in 1789 known as the Great Fear spread through irrational panic or rational protest. [Review](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n16/ruby-hamilton/things-go-kerflooey?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *David Lynch’s American Dreamscape: Music, Literature, Cinema* by Mike Miley. [Ant queens produce sons of two distinct species](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02524-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The discovery of an unusual reproductive system for one ant species solves a long-standing puzzle about a missing population of another ant species. I had to read the title twice and of course I clicked the link to read the article. In cellular automata, simple rules create elaborate structures. Now researchers can start with the structures and [reverse-engineer the rules](https://www.quantamagazine.org/self-assembly-gets-automated-in-reverse-of-game-of-life-20250910/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Review](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n14/richard-seymour/baseline-communism?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of the collected essays of David Graeber. Paris braces for [a future of possibly paralyzing heat](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/world/europe/france-heat-wave-paris-climate-change-planning.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The article considers a scenario with temperatures as high as 50 Celsius, but already some museums partially close because of the summer heat. The life and death of the suburban novel. [Why isn’t there a twenty-first-century Cheever](https://www.nybooks.com/online/2025/08/28/the-life-and-death-of-the-suburban-novel/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? [Damaged bridges flex and twist to prevent collapse](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02529-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Bridges made from connected steel frameworks can sometimes survive unexpected damage by activating hidden structural responses. [Scientific theories about the origin of the universe](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/08/21/a-first-time-for-everything-big-bang-theory/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) often involve a vigorous give-and-take between speculation and discovery. [Gone with the wind](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02949-1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): deciphering how dandelions drive seed dispersal. Analysis of seed attachment and the forces needed for detachment reveal how dandelion plants have evolved to spread in the same direction that the wind blows. ### Cabane du Grand Mountet URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:43:06.000Z The Cabane du Grand Mountet lies at the base of a magnificent amphitheater with glaciers and snow capped peaks all around. The hike to the Cabane du Grand Mountet is long and strenuous: it's about 24 km round trip with an elevation gain of more than 1,200 meters. This was my third attempt and I'm glad I finally made it to the hut. I wish I had started just a little bit earlier so that I would have had more time to explore the area around the hut. The Val d'Anniviers is often overlooked, but it is really beautiful. I stayed in Zinal, which lies at the end of the valley. It's a lot less touristy than Zermatt or Saas-Fee. The hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/) in Grimentz, overlooking the Moiry Glacier, is really cool and relatively easy. The hike to the [Cabane d'Arpitettaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-d-arpitettaz/) is also quite nice. It partially overlaps with the [Roc de la Vache trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/roc-de-la-vache/), but if you're up to it and get an early start, you can combine both. The crown jewel is of course the hike to the Cabane du Grand Mountet, which is one of the best hikes in the Swiss Alps, and the hike to the Cabane du Tracuit, which is still on my list. ![On the way to the Cabane du Grand Mountet in Zinal, Switzerland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-1.jpg) The hike to the Cabane du Grand Mountet starts in Zinal but the proper starting point is at the bridge which crosses the La Navisence river. ![Hike to the Cabane du Grand Mountet in Zinal, Switzerland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-2.jpg) For much of the trail the views stay more or less the same as you climb higher and higher along the slope underneath the west face of the Besso. ![Along the hike to the Cabane du Grand Mountet in Zinal, Switzerland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-3.jpg) There are some exposed sections secured with ropes or chains with very steep drops. This is NOT one of them. It was safe to stop and take out my camera here. ![On the way to the Cabane du Grand Mountet in Zinal, Switzerland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-4.jpg) ![Rock field on the hike to the Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-5.jpg) The first of two large boulder fields. At this point I thought I was almost there and that the hut was around the corner. Not so. It took me another hour or so to reach the hut. ![Hike to the Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-6.jpg) But the views get better and better ![The view from the Cabane du Grand Mountet in Switzerland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-9.jpg) Looking up (left) and looking down (right) from the same spot ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-10.jpg) And another boulder field to cross... But I really wanted to see what's around the corner. ![View from the Cabane du Grand Mountet in Zinal, Switzerland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-12.jpg) This... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-11.jpg) ![View from the Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-13.jpg) It doesn't get any better than this. Or does it? There's a trail that leads from the hut... ![View from the Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-14.jpg) ... to this view of the Wellenkuppe and the Ober Gabelhorn ![View from the Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-15.jpg) It all looks so easy when I look back at these photos. Why didn't I walk further down? There's a trail that leads towards the glacier. Yes, but in this case what goes down must come up again... ![View from the Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-17.jpg) Once more the view from the Cabane du Grand Mountet ![View from the Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-18.jpg) One more view from the Cabane du Grand Mountet ![View from the Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/cabane-du-grand-mountet-19.jpg) One more photo before I turn the corner and make my way down to Zinal again where I enjoyed a delicious dinner at restaurant La Ferme. ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/), the hike from [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/), the hike to the [Schönbielhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schonbielhutte/), the hike to the [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/), the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Roc de la Vache URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/roc-de-la-vache/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:43:34.000Z The Roc de la Vache is a popular viewpoint above Zinal, which offers terrific panoramic views of the Besso, Dent Blanche, Grand Cornier, Zinalrothorn and the Pointe de Zinal. It's a rewarding hike and not too demanding. I even encountered some people with a dog. I did the hike counter clockwise. From the Roc de la Vache I could see the Cabane de Tracuit in the distance, but I had a bit of a late start and didn't have the time and energy to make it to the hut and back following the previous day's hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/). I now want to climb to the Cabane de Tracuit, stay the night, and then climb to the top of the Bishorn. I can highly recommend the Roc de la Vache hike as a warming up hike if you've just arrived and need to acclimate to higher elevation. The Val d'Anniviers is often overlooked, but it is really beautiful. The hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/) in Grimentz, overlooking the Moiry Glacier, is really cool and relatively easy. The hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/) is long and demanding, but one of the top hikes in the Swiss Alps. The hike to the [Cabane d'Arpitettaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-d-arpitettaz/) is also quite nice. It partially overlaps with the Roc de la Vache trail, but if you're up to it and get an early start, you can combine both. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/roc-de-la-vache-1.jpg) The starting point of the hike. This is where the fun starts. The actual starting point is in Zinal. Unfortunately it takes about 45-60 minutes to get from Zinal to this point. You first have to walk to the end of the valley past some farm land. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/roc-de-la-vache-2.jpg) A wooden bench... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/roc-de-la-vache-3.jpg) The view from the bench above ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/roc-de-la-vache-4.jpg) ![View along the Roc de la Vache hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/roc-de-la-vache-5.jpg) View along the Roc de la Vache hike Ascending above the treeline... ![View along the Roc de la Vache hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/roc-de-la-vache-6.jpg) View along the Roc de la Vache hike As you climb higher the views get better and better. At the bottom you can see the bridge, which is sort of the trail head. ![The view from Roc de la Vache](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/roc-de-la-vache-7.jpg) The view from Roc de la Vache ![The view from Roc de la Vache](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/roc-de-la-vache-8.jpg) The view from Roc de la Vache The view towards the east. The Cabane de Tracuit is on the saddle between the mountain to the left and the one in the middle. It looks so close, you can even see the trail, which doesn't look all that difficult. But according to a sign post where the trail splits it takes between 1.5 and 2 hours! I hike relatively fast, but because I always make multiple photo stops I've found that the time on the sign posts is a good indication of how long it takes me to get to the destination. If I must I can hike very fast, whether up or down, but only if I force myself not to take any photos. ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/), the hike from [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/), the hike to the [Schönbielhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schonbielhutte/), the hike to the [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/). ### UNESCO Höhenweg Bettmerhorn Eggishorn URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:44:06.000Z I first visited the [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher/) in 2014\. Back then I hiked from Bettmerhorn via Roti Chumme to Märjelensee and from there to Fiescheralp. In 2022 I did a day [guided tour across the Aletsch glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/), which was absolutely marvelous. I still plan to one day hike from Jungfraujoch to the Konkordiahütte, stay overnight and then continue from there to Märjelensee. This time I hiked from Bettmerhorn via the UNESCO Höhenweg to Eggishorn. The trail is classified as T4, marked by blue and white signs, meaning that it is an alpine trail with some exposed and potentially precarious sections that may require some scrambling. I mention this because I encountered some people on trainers who seemed unprepared for what awaited them. Having said that, if you're up to it, it's an amazing hike which offers awesome views of the Aletsch glacier. ![Aletsch glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/UNESCO-hohenweg-1.jpg) The Aletsch glacier as seen from Bettmerhorn ![The Aletsch glacier as seen from the UNESCO Höhenweg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/UNESCO-hohenweg-2.jpg) Looking straight down towards the Aletsch glacier, which has retreated considerably since my first visit in 2014 ![Aletschgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/UNESCO-hohenweg-3.jpg) Starting from Bettmerhorn, as you proceed along the trail you get to see what's around the corner. ![UNESCO Höhenweg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/UNESCO-hohenweg-4.jpg) The UNESCO Höhenweg. Yes, this is the actual trail. The UNESCO Höhenweg follows a narrow ridge. It's basically a pile of rocks. There are some sections with chains and ladders. Just so that you know if you feel inspired to do the same hike after seeing my photos. ![Aletsch glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/UNESCO-hohenweg-5.jpg) View of the Aletsch glacier from the UNESCO Höhenweg ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/UNESCO-hohenweg-7.jpg) ![View of the Aletsch glacier from the UNESCO Höhenweg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/UNESCO-hohenweg-6.jpg) On a clear day like this the views from the UNESCO Höhenweg are amazing ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/UNESCO-hohenweg-13.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/UNESCO-hohenweg-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/UNESCO-hohenweg-9.jpg) Some close-ups of the Aletsch glacier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/UNESCO-hohenweg-11.jpg) ![Aletsch glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/09/UNESCO-hohenweg-12.jpg) View of the Aletsch glacier from Eggishorn The top of the Eggishorn offers amazing views. Even if you take the cable car up to the Eggishorn cable car station it is worth climbing to the top of Eggishorn. As you can see in the photo above those bands, which are actually piles of rocks, originate on the edge of one of the mountains. ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/), [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/), [Schönbielhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schonbielhutte/). **More glaciers!** [Gornergletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher-revisited/) in Switzerland, [Russell Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/) in Greenland, [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/) in Greenland, [Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) in Norway, [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) in Norway, [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) in Iceland, [Glacier du Tour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/) in France and the [Vallée Blanche](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vallee-blanche/) in France. ### Wolfgang Tillmans at the Centre Pompidou URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/08/17/wolfgang-tillmans-at-the-centre-pompidou/ Last updated: 2025-08-17T15:23:37.000Z ![Wolfgang Tillmans at the Centre Pompidou](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/wolfgang-tillmans-centre-pompidou-1.jpg) Wolfgang Tillmans’ exhibition “Rien ne nous y préparait – Tout nous y préparait” (Nothing could have prepared us – Everything could have prepared us) at the Centre Pompidou is definitely one of the best exhibitions I’ve seen this year so far. Indeed it ranks among the best exhibitions I’ve seen in the past five years. Like [Anne Imhof’s Natures Mortes](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/24/anne-imhof-natures-mortes/) at the Palais de Tokyo it is one of those rare occasions where everything falls into place: concept, content, execution, venue and timing. Tillmans jumped on the occasion when he was invited to create an exhibition for the Centre Pompidou just before it closes for a five-year restoration. The exhibition occupies the entire 6,000-square-metre floor of the former public library on the second floor of the Centre Pompidou, transforming it into a site-specific installation. Traces of the library remain, — computer terminals, book shelves, scattered furniture, and dangling category signs —, creating a ghostly backdrop against which Tillmans' works are presented. Mirrored tables transform the Pompidou’s open ceiling with its characteristic blue piping into a work of art in itself. Tillmans also kept the library’s photocopying room where visitors can now make photocopies of some of Tillmans’ works to take home. ![Wolfgang Tillmans at the Centre Pompidou](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/wolfgang-tillmans-centre-pompidou-2.jpg) The installation reflects Tillmans’ curatorial style, which prioritizes spatial narratives over conventional retrospectives. As in all of his exhibitions he has arranged his photographs with intentional looseness, hanging monumental enlargements alongside postcard size prints, displaying contact sheets, magazines, and photocopies on tables, and integrating video works showing library users filmed in the months before the library closed into leftover computer booths. This approach resonates with his longstanding method of presenting high and low, casual and formal, intimate and political on equal footing. The setting of a public library, traditionally a democratic space for shared knowledge, reinforces his emphasis on accessibility and participation, inviting viewers to linger as they might in a reading room rather than a museum. Across the exhibition, Tillmans juxtaposes a wide array of subjects — portraits, still lifes, urban scenes, abstractions — to create a kaleidoscopic view of contemporary life. These combinations are never random, even if they appear so (Tillmans always creates immaculate models for every exhibition); rather, they highlight connections between intimacy and power, freedom and control, individuality and surveillance. His images of friends, parties, and domestic life converse with depictions of borders, military parades, and media static, underscoring global tensions and cultural shifts. Many works reinforce Tillmans’ political commitment to openness and connection. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/wolfgang-tillmans-centre-pompidou-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/wolfgang-tillmans-centre-pompidou-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/wolfgang-tillmans-centre-pompidou-4.jpg) The exhibition also reflects on Tillmans’ career trajectory and the changing cultural landscape. Emerging in the 1990s, his photographs captured the optimism of post-Cold War Europe, the rise of queer visibility, and a youthful freedom of expression. His casual, snapshot aesthetic, presented in galleries and magazines alike, anticipated today’s image-saturated digital culture. As I wandered around the exhibition I couldn’t help feeling a sense of nostalgia as freedoms once taken for granted are now under threat. Tillmans’ nightclub images, once celebrations of queer collectivity, now read as elegiac reminders of fleeting utopias. The empty library amplifies this mood, its desolation underscoring the precariousness of both culture and memory. ![Wolfgang Tillmans at the Centre Pompidou](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/wolfgang-tillmans-centre-pompidou-5.jpg) The exhibition is both personal and political, intimate and monumental. The title itself, “Nothing could have prepared us – Everything could have prepared us,” encapsulates this duality: a reflection on individual experience and collective memory, chance and inevitability. By filling an empty library with fragments of his visual archive, Tillmans has created an installation that is as much about the passage of time and the fragility of freedom as it is about photography. His work resists clarity and order, instead offering a living archive of connection, vulnerability, and the ongoing struggle to see — and to remember — in an age of overload. Go see it if and while you can. **Wolfgang Tillmans. Rien ne nous y préparait – Tout nous y préparait** is at the Centre Pompidou in Paris until 22 September 2025. ### Links [Wolfgang Tillmans: Neue Welt](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2012/10/16/wolfgang-tillmans-neue-welt/) ### Dans le Flou at the Musée de l’Orangerie URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/08/10/dans-le-flou-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/ Last updated: 2025-08-12T18:35:22.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/dans-le-flou-1.jpg) This is the fourth time in as many years that I have visited the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, which is why I was initially a bit hesitant to visit the latest temporary exhibition, *Out of Focus. Another Vision of Art from 1945 to the Present Day*. I’m glad I did, because it turned out to be a lot more interesting than I’d expected, not in the least because the organizers brought together a number of high quality works by the likes of Hans Hartung, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Mark Rothko, Christian Boltanski, Francis Bacon and Bill Viola, to name but a few. I was also happy to discover that part of the permanent collection had recently been rehung. The exhibition “Dans le Flou” reframes Claude Monet’s "Water Lilies" and the broader modern and contemporary art canon through the lens of blurriness, or *le flou* in French. Originally defined as a “loss of distinctness,” blurriness has become a preferred means of expression in a world marked by instability and uncertainty. Following the devastation of the Second World War, traditional ideals of clarity and precision in art appeared inadequate. Artists turned instead to the indeterminate, embracing disorder, incompleteness, and blurriness. In the opening section the curators connect the blurry aesthetic to Renaissance *sfumato*, the atmospheric dissolves of William Turner, and the Symbolists’ explorations of inner states. Early photography’s embrace of soft focus is presented as a means of asserting artistic subjectivity over mechanical precision. These examples show that the out-of-focus aesthetic has long been a tool for expanding the emotional and conceptual range of representation. The exhibition consists of four thematic sections: “At the Frontier of the Visible”, which investigates the perceptual boundaries of sight; “Erosion of Certainties”, which situates blurriness in historical and political contexts; “In Praise of the Indistinct”, which links blurred imagery to questions of identity; and “Uncertain Futures”, which explores blurriness as a response to contemporary uncertainties and which is perhaps best exemplified by Mircea Cantor’s photograph of the words “Unpredictable Future” written on a fogged-up window. Following World War II, faced with the horrors of the Holocaust, artists such as Christian Boltanski and Zoran Mušič resorted to blurriness to evoke the unrepresentable, forcing viewers to linger and confront unsettling truths. This strategy has carried forward into depictions of more recent crises, as in Gerhard Richter’s and Thomas Ruff’s response to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/dans-le-flou-2.jpg) In contemporary practice, some artists use blurriness to address issues related to identity and self-representation. For others, like Hiroshi Sugimoto, blurred imagery serves as a meditative gateway. Photography manuals used to offer guidelines on how to prevent blurry, out-of-focus photographs. But as demonstrated by a large collage of amateur photographs they may also capture a moment of authenticity. Or as Wittgenstein remarked in *Philosophical Investigations* (71): “Is an indistinct photograph a picture of a person at all? Is it even always an advantage to replace an indistinct picture by a sharp one? Isn’t the indistinct one often exactly what we need?” Ultimately, “Dans le Flou” presents blurriness as both a mirror and a counterpoint to the instability of the modern world. In rejecting rigid clarity, artists create works that require active interpretation, foregrounding the viewer’s role in meaning-making. This is not blurriness as deficiency but as a deliberate artistic strategy capable of political critique, emotional resonance, and philosophical depth. By bringing together historical, theoretical, and contemporary perspectives, the exhibition reclaims the blurry as a distinct and potent form in its own right, one that both reflects and reshapes our vision of reality. **Dans le Flou, une autre vision de l’art de 1945 à nos jours** is at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris until 18 August 2025. ### Links [Robert Ryman. The Act of Looking at the Musée de l’Orangerie](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/05/26/robert-ryman-the-act-of-looking-at-the-musee-de-lorangerie/). [Matisse at the Musée de l’Orangerie](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/matisse-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/). [Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/02/masterpieces-from-the-museum-berggruen-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/) at the Musée de l’Orangerie. ### David Hockney 25 at the Fondation Louis Vuitton URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/08/05/david-hockney-25-at-the-fondation-louis-vuitton/ Last updated: 2025-08-14T17:59:06.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/hockney-fondation-louis-vuitton-1.jpg) David Hockney, "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" (left) and "Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy" (right) David Hockney is the latest artist to receive the honour of a solo exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. My own history with Hockney’s work has been ambivalent: I found the [2017 retrospective at Tate Britain](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/04/03/david-hockney-retrospective-tate-britain/) rather underwhelming, yet I greatly enjoyed [*Hockney's Eye*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/10/16/hockneys-eye/), an exhibition at the Teylers Museum in Haarlem in 2022, which explored his reflections on art history and his intriguing but controversial theory that, for centuries, artists employed optical devices to translate three-dimensional reality onto a flat plane. Regrettably, the current exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton confirmed my earlier reservations. I remain deeply enamoured of the works Hockney produced shortly after moving to Los Angeles in 1964\. "A Bigger Splash" (1967) is, to my mind, a modernist masterpiece, as is "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" (1972). I also admire "A Lawn Being Sprinkled" (1967) and "Savings and Loan Building" (1967), both of which balance figurative clarity with a flirtation toward abstraction. The double portraits from that era, such as "Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy" (1968) and "Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy" (1970–71), are equally captivating and retain a psychological acuity that still feels fresh. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/hockney-fondation-louis-vuitton-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/hockney-fondation-louis-vuitton-3.jpg) Room upon room of this... But from the mid-1970s onwards, something shifted. Hockney’s exuberant landscapes, with their candy-coloured trees and ceaselessly cheerful gardens, leave me unmoved. One can admire the craftsmanship, particularly in his portraits, while feeling no compulsion to linger. Of course, taste is inherently subjective; if you like everything there is something wrong with your critical faculties. So don’t take my word for it and judge for yourself. I had been hoping for a generous selection of Hockney’s cubist-inspired photographic collages, which I consider among his best and most inventive works. Instead, the exhibition offers only a reproduction of "Pearblossom Hwy., 11–18th April 1986, #2", the original of which resides in the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. This is because Hockney, who has been personally involved in every aspect of the exhibition, had chosen to focus particularly on the past 25 years. If only I had read the announcement more carefully before booking a ticket. I might have skipped the show altogether. **David Hockney 25** is at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris until 31 August 2025. ### Links [Hockney's Eye](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/10/16/hockneys-eye/) at the Teylers Museum. ### Matisse and Marguerite at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/08/04/matisse-and-marguerite-at-the-musee-d-art-moderne-de-paris/ Last updated: 2025-08-10T14:09:23.000Z The Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris is hosting an exhibition dedicated to Henri Matisse’s portraits of his daughter, Marguerite, who was both a constant muse and a pivotal yet discreet figure in his life. Bringing together over 110 works, many never before shown in France, the exhibition spans paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints, and ceramics, tracing Marguerite’s presence in Matisse’s art from her childhood until after the Second World War. It also incorporates archival materials, photographs, and works by Marguerite herself, revealing her as both an artistic subject and an influential force in her father’s career. Matisse saw her as a mirror of himself, and their portraits together capture a deep mutual trust, affection, and artistic complicity. Born in 1894 to Matisse and his model Caroline Joblaud, Marguerite grew up within the close-knit Matisse family after his marriage to Amélie Parayre. Illness shaped her early years: after a tracheotomy at age seven, she often concealed her scar with the black ribbon that became a distinctive feature of her portraits. Denied regular schooling, she became a “studio child,” constantly present as her father worked. From the mid-1900s onward, Matisse painted her in various moods: first as a quiet child, then as a self-assured teenager. These early portraits, including the wonderful “Marguerite Reading” (1906) and the equally delightful “Marguerite with a Black Cat” (1910), reveal both tender intimacy and bold experimentation in form and color. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/matisse-marguerite-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/08/matisse-marguerite-3.jpg) Henri Matisse, "Marguerite Reading" (1906) (left) and “Marguerite with a Black Cat" (1910) (right) Throughout the 1910s and into the early 1920s, Marguerite remained a central figure in Matisse’s evolving style, from the geometric austerity of “White and Pink Head” (1914-15) during World War I to the atmospheric balcony portraits of Nice. After a final surgery in 1920 freed her from wearing the ribbon, Matisse captured her convalescence in tender works such as the intimate “Marguerite Asleep” (1920). Yet by the early 1920s, her appearances shifted. She was often paired with professional model Henriette Darricarrère, and by 1923, following her marriage to writer Georges Duthuit, she disappeared entirely from Matisse’s painted work. Marguerite instead became a crucial behind-the-scenes figure, managing Matisse’s dealings with dealers, curators, and collectors, overseeing print production, and organizing exhibitions. Marguerite’s own artistic pursuits were varied: she painted still lifes, landscapes, and self-portraits, exhibiting alongside her father and other contemporaries. She later experimented with fashion design, presenting a clothing collection in England in 1935, though she eventually abandoned the project. Her dedication to managing her father’s artistic legacy became paramount, including her work toward a catalogue raisonné of his oeuvre. Known for her rigor and high standards, she acted as Matisse’s trusted representative and guardian of his artistic vision. The Second World War marked a dramatic turn in her life. Marguerite joined the French Resistance in 1944, serving as a liaison for the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans. She was betrayed, arrested by the Gestapo, tortured, and imprisoned, narrowly escaping deportation when Rennes was liberated. For months, Matisse was unaware of her peril. Their reunion in January 1945 was deeply emotional, inspiring the last portraits he ever made of her: drawings and lithographs suffused with tenderness and admiration for her courage. In the end, Marguerite’s enduring presence in Matisse’s work—over one hundred portraits spanning decades—stands as a testament to their extraordinary bond. She was more than a model: she was a collaborator, critic, caretaker of his legacy, and a resilient figure whose life bridged art and history. This exhibition not only celebrates Matisse’s artistry but also brings to light the story of a remarkable woman whose face and spirit profoundly shaped one of the twentieth century’s greatest painters. **Matisse et Marguerite. Le regard d’un père** is at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris until 24 August 2025. ### Links [Matisse at the Musée de l'Orangerie](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/matisse-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/). [Matisse. The Red Studio at the Fondation Louis Vuitton](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/02/matisse-the-red-studio-at-the-fondation-louis-vuitton/). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/07/27/further-reading-108/ Last updated: 2025-07-29T07:37:03.000Z [Writing is thinking](https://www.nature.com/articles/s44222-025-00323-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). On the value of human-generated scientific writing in the age of large-language models. Editorial in *Nature Reviews Bioengineering*. I couldn't agree more. The reason that I write those mini reviews is that it forces me to think in a structured manner. [The future of reviews writing](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41570-025-00738-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in the AI era. That's from *Nature Reviews Chemistry*. Relatedly: James Gleick on [the parrot in the machine](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/07/24/the-parrot-in-the-machine-the-ai-con-bender-hanna/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [How the brain wakes up from sleep](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02225-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) — and produces that morning feeling. A foundation model to predict and capture [human cognition](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09215-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Image generators are designed to mimic their training data, so where does their apparent creativity come from? [A recent study](https://www.quantamagazine.org/researchers-uncover-hidden-ingredients-behind-ai-creativity-20250630/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) suggests that it’s an inevitable by-product of their architecture. How [smell](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-smell-guides-our-inner-world-20250703/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) guides our inner world. [Millions of tonnes of nanoplastics are polluting the ocean](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02162-0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). These plastic particles smaller than a human hair can pass through cell walls and enter the food web. By mathematically proving how individual molecules create the complex motion of fluids, three mathematicians have illuminated [why time can’t flow in reverse](https://www.quantamagazine.org/epic-effort-to-ground-physics-in-math-opens-up-the-secrets-of-time-20250611/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Patricia Lockwood on [the collected prose of Sylvia Plath](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n12/patricia-lockwood/arrayed-in-shining-scales?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Yuja Wang](https://www.ft.com/content/e5bdeb04-d782-4be1-83e6-ddc2ddd99e0c?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in the Financial Times. Is mathematics [mostly chaos or mostly order](https://www.quantamagazine.org/is-mathematics-mostly-chaos-or-mostly-order-20250620/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? The surprising [power of placebos](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/06/26/what-do-you-expect-the-power-of-placebos/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) demonstrates how the mind influences both the experience of ill health and the evolution of illness. The optimistic brain: scans reveal [thought patterns shared by positive thinkers](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02302-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I tend to be skeptical of these kinds of findings. [How to avoid nuclear war](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09215-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in an era of AI and misinformation. Two books look closely at both the [limitations and the possibilities of the art of literary translation](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/06/26/translations-drift-speaking-in-tongues-coetzee-dimopulos/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [How you breathe is like a fingerprint that can identify you](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01835-0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Your inhalation and exhalation pattern is not only unique to you, it can be a marker of your physical and mental state, a recent study suggests. Is this [fascism](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n10/daniel-trilling/is-this-fascism?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? Viet Thanh Nguyen on [the struggle for Los Angeles](https://www.ft.com/content/259880c8-b246-4a4a-bbfc-a155f8ac85a3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), the “migrant invasion” that wasn’t and the real meaning of America”s second-biggest city. ### Ilulissat Icefjord URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-2/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:44:32.000Z Upon returning from my trip to the [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/), the light in Ilulissat was magical. Inspired by the ethereal atmosphere, I eagerly booked a midnight cruise through the Icefjord. Fortunately, I was able to arrange the tour with the same company that had organized my excursion to the Eqi Glacier and Glacier Lodge Eqi. I spent the entire trip on the observation deck taking photos and admiring the amazing views. It was well past midnight when I finally returned to my hotel. Strangely, after only a brief sleep, I awoke to find that the weather had shifted dramatically—the fjord was now shrouded in a thick blanket of fog. Upon my arrival in Ilulissat I made a series of photos of the [Ilulissat Icefjord](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-1/) from the shore. I had originally planned to spend three days in Ilulissat, but unfortunately my flight was cancelled on two consecutive days due to fog in both Nuuk and Ilulissat. ![Ilulissat Icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-21.jpg) ![Ilulissat Icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-22.jpg) I was told that if an iceberg has a smooth surface that means it has already flipped. ![Ilulissat Icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-23.jpg) Mighty icebergs in the Ilulissat icefjord Notice the two small boats in the distance in the photo above. I was on one of those as well. ![Ilulissat Icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-24.jpg) Close-up of an iceberg in the Ilulissat Icefjord ![Ilulissat Icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-25.jpg) Zoom in to see another tour boat sailing between the icebergs ![Ilulissat Icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-26.jpg) The black shape to the right of the iceberg is a tour boat... ![Ilulissat Icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-27.jpg) The scenery was so quiet and tranquil. Otherworldly. ![Ilulissat Icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-28.jpg) A huge iceberg in the Ilulissat Icefjord ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-29.jpg) Close-up of the iceberg pictured above ![Ilulissat Icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-30.jpg) The other boat provides a sense of scale. The boat I was on was slightly larger. ![Ilulissat Icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-31.jpg) The Ilulissat Icefjord during a midsummer night cruise ![Ilulissat Icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-32.jpg) Another iceberg as big as a small island. This one had already drifted further out into open water ### Related Posts **More Greenland!** The mighty [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/), the equally mighty [Russell Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/), the [Disko Bay](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/disko-bay/), the [Greenland Ice Sheet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/greenland-ice-sheet/) and some colorful photos of fishing equipment lying around at a warehouse in [Nuuk harbour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nuuk-harbour/). ### Ilulissat Icefjord URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-1/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:44:53.000Z Visiting the Ilulissat Icefjord was one of the most breathtaking experiences of my life. It had held a top spot on my bucket list for years, and I’m deeply grateful I finally made it there, though it almost didn’t happen. Originally, I’d planned to spend three full days in Ilulissat. But the weather had other ideas. Two consecutive flight cancellations meant my trip was cut short, leaving me with just two evenings to witness the magic of the icefjord. What’s more, as we approached Ilulissat, the pilot had to abort the first two landing attempts due to poor visibility. He informed us that we had enough fuel to circle the airport for about 30 more minutes, after which we’d have to divert to Kangerlussuaq. A tense silence gripped the cabin. Then, on the third try, the wheels touched down. A collective sigh of relief swept through the plane. We had made it. And what awaited beyond that runway—towering icebergs and an otherworldly scenery—made every moment of uncertainty worth it. The photos in this gallery were all taken from the shore. The photos in [the other gallery](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-2/) were taken during a midnight cruise. ![Ilulissat icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-1.jpg) My first glimpse of the Ilulissat icefjord ![Ilulissat icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-2.jpg) A local was so kind to direct me to one of the best photo spots in town ![Ilulissat icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-3.jpg) I so wish I'd had the time to rent a canoe to slowly paddle around the icebergs. ![Ilulissat icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-4.jpg) Icebergs big and small. The Ilulissat icefjord as seen from the shore. ![Ilulissat icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-5.jpg) Icebergs big and bigger in the Ilulissat icefjord The photo above and the photos below were taken along the yellow trail. ![Ilulissat icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-6.jpg) Icebergs big and bigger still in the Ilulissat icefjord ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-7.jpg) ![Ilulissat icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-8.jpg) Icebergs of all sizes in the Ilulissat icefjord ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-9.jpg) ![Ilulissat icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-10.jpg) Icebergs of all sizes in the Ilulissat icefjord ![Ilulissat icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-11.jpg) The amazing Ilulissat icefjord as seen from the shore I so wish I'd had the three days I'd originally scheduled but I used the little time I had well. I hope to one day be able to return. ![Ilulissat icefjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/ilulissat-icefjord-12.jpg) The amazing Ilulissat icefjord as seen from the shore ### Related Posts **More Greenland!** The mighty [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/), the equally mighty [Russell Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/), the [Disko Bay](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/disko-bay/), the [Greenland Ice Sheet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/greenland-ice-sheet/) and some colorful photos of fishing equipment lying around at a warehouse in [Nuuk harbour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nuuk-harbour/). ### Disko Bay URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/disko-bay/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:45:16.000Z The journey by boat from [Ilulissat](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-1/) to the [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/) is nothing short of spectacular. It takes about three and a half hours and along the way there are hundreds of icebergs one more beautiful than the other. On both the outbound and the inbound journey we saw some whales. I even saw a jumping whale, but it happened too quickly to capture on camera. ![Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-1.jpg) It was cloudy and foggy on the morning we left Ilulissat, but this actually made for some moody photographs. ![Iceberg in the Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-2.jpg) ![Icebergs in the Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-3.jpg) Icebergs big and small in the Disko Bay ![Iceberg in the Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-4.jpg) ![Iceberg in the Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-5.jpg) An iceberg as big as a small island in the Disko Bay ![Iceberg in the Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-6.jpg) Another iceberg as big as a small island in the Disko Bay ![A whale in the Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-7.jpg) The captain spotted some whales so we hung around for a while. I was told that if you spot a tail, the whale is taking a deep dive and will be under water for the next 10-15 minutes. So we continued our journey shortly after I took this photograph. ![An iceberg in the Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-8.jpg) Another nicely shaped iceberg As we approached the Eqi Glacier the sky began to clear casting the icebergs in a beautiful light. The glacier and the ice sheet creates its own micro climate and I was told that the sky is usually clear above the glacier. ![Icebergs in the Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-9.jpg) The following day, when we left the Glacier Lodge Eqi, the sky had cleared. Overnight some large icebergs must have drifted from another nearby glacier, because I did not capture them the previous day. ![Icebergs in the Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-10.jpg) In some areas the water was perfectly still turning the surface into a mirror. ![Icebergs in the Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-11.jpg) Icebergs reflected in the water in the Disko Bay More amazing reflections. Pro-tip: stand at the front of the boat otherwise the waves will destroy the reflection. ![Iceberg in the Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-12.jpg) This iceberg was pretty huge and totally awesome. ![Iceberg in the Disko Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/disko-bay-13.jpg) The same iceberg but from another angle. ### Related Posts **More Greenland!** The [Ilulissat Icefjord](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-1/) as seen from the shore and as seen during a [midsummer night cruise](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-2/). The mighty [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/), the equally mighty [Russell Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/), the [Greenland Ice Sheet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/greenland-ice-sheet/) and some colorful photos of fishing equipment lying around at a warehouse in [Nuuk harbour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nuuk-harbour/). ### Eqi Glacier URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:45:46.000Z I was incredibly fortunate to experience the awe-inspiring Eqi Glacier in Greenland up close—and even more so to spend a night immersed in the stark beauty of the Arctic wilderness at the nearby Glacier Lodge Eqi. It almost didn't happen, because my flights to Ilulissat were cancelled on two consecutive days because of bad weather in Nuuk and Ilulissat. Fortunately I was able to reschedule my trip to the Eqi Camp. I was not the only person whose travel schedule had been thrown into disarray. ![Eqi Glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-1.jpg) The magnificent Eqi Glacier. Our boat had to stay at a safe distance of about 1 km. It's hard to believe but the glacier is 180 meter high. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-2.jpg) Every few minutes a small section breaks off with a loud bang. ![Eqi Glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-3.jpg) I had been waiting for this section to break off... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-4.jpg) ... but while I was focusing on the above section another major calving occurred to my right. It caused a huge wave and our boat had to speed away and turn around to face the incoming waves. ![Eqi Glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-5.jpg) I wish there had been another tour boat in front of ours to get a sense of scale. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-6.jpg) ![Eqi Glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-7.jpg) The Eqi Glacier as seen from the moraine. The hike to the moraine is included in the overnight stay at the Eqi Camp. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-9.jpg) Some close-ups of the Eqi Glacier. I made dozens of these. ![Eqi Glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-10.jpg) When our boat was lying in front of the glacier I didn't even notice those curves. It just looked like a huge wall of ice. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-11.jpg) Yes, the ice really is bluish. ![Eqi Glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-12.jpg) The Eqi Glacier from up close ![Eqi Glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-13.jpg) The Eqi Glacier from a distance The Eqi Glacier is about 4 km wide and 180 meter high with another 100 meter or so below sea level. The above close-ups were taken from the top of the curved ridge on the right of the photo above. ![Eqi Camp, Greenland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-14.jpg) The Eqi Camp with the Eqi Glacier in the distance. Imagine going to bed and waking up with this view! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/eqi-glacier-15.jpg) Saying goodbye to the Eqi Camp and the Eqi Glacier. Perhaps one day I'll return. ### Related Posts **More glaciers!** [Gornergletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher-revisited/) in Switzerland, [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/) in Switzerland, [Russell Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/) in Greenland, [](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/)[Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) in Norway, [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) in Norway, [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) in Iceland, [Glacier du Tour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/) in France and the [Vallée Blanche](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vallee-blanche/) in France. ### Nuuk Harbour URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nuuk-harbour/ Last updated: 2026-08-02T16:02:28.000Z I had originally planned to do some hiking in the mountains around Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, but due to heavy fog there was no point in doing so. The fog also severely derailed my travel plans, but that's another story. The morning of my departure the sky cleared and I spent some time taking photos around the small port and harbour of Nuuk. As a matter of fact I had a great time photographing the fishing equipment that was lying around in heaps at one of the warehouses. ![The harbour of Nuuk, Greenland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/nuuk-harbour-1.jpg) The quaint harbour of Nuuk, Greenland ![The harbour of Nuuk, Greenland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/nuuk-harbour-2.jpg) The quaint harbour of Nuuk, Greenland ![close-up of fishing equipment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/fishing-gear-1.jpg) ![close-up of fishing equipment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/fishing-gear-2.jpg) ![close-up of fishing equipment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/fishing-gear-3.jpg) The colours made for some nice compositions. ![close-up of fishing equipment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/fishing-gear-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/fishing-gear-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/fishing-gear-6.jpg) ![close-up of fishing equipment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/fishing-gear-7.jpg) ![close-up of fishing equipment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/fishing-gear-8.jpg) ![close-up of fishing equipment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/fishing-gear-10.jpg) ![close-up of fishing equipment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/fishing-gear-12.jpg) ### Related Posts **More Greenland!** The [Ilulissat Icefjord](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-1/) (taken from the shore), the mighty [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/), the equally mighty [Russell Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/), the [Disko Bay](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/disko-bay/), the [Greenland Ice Sheet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/greenland-ice-sheet/) and some more photos of the [Ilulissat Icefjord](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-2/) (taken during a cruise of the icefjord). ### Russell Glacier URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:47:15.000Z The Russell Glacier is a magnificent glacier near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. I'd booked an organized tour, which is the easiest way to visit the glacier. It's about an hour's drive from the airport and then another 45 minutes or so of hiking. The tour guide had brought refreshments, but I spent all my time taking photos. I wish I'd had more time to just sit down and enjoy the view and wait for some ice calvings, but I had such a great time taking photos that I completely lost track of time. Incidentally, the area around Kangerlussuaq is what is called an arctic desert. Believe it or not, but it's actually dry and sunny for most of the year in this area of Greenland, which is why it was originally chosen as the location for the main international airport. ![Russell Glacier, Greenland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/russell-glacier-1.jpg) Russell Glacier, Greenland The Russell Glacier is huge reaching up to 60 meters (200 feet) at some points. ![Russell Glacier, Greenland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/russell-glacier-2.jpg) ![Russell Glacier, Greenland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/russell-glacier-3.jpg) ![Russell Glacier, Greenland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/russell-glacier-4.jpg) The Russell Glacier is HUGE and it's difficult to get a sense of scale. We were all advised to keep a safe distance lest any ice would break off. Standing near the edge of the river might seem safe, but you cannot outrun flying ice blocks or a tsunami. ![Russell Glacier, Greenland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/russell-glacier-5.jpg) I just couldn't get enough... ![Russell Glacier, Greenland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/russell-glacier-6.jpg) ![Russell Glacier, Greenland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/russell-glacier-7.jpg) The Russell Glacier from a distance As you turn a corner the Russell Glacier comes into view. To provide a sense of scale: From here it's still about 30 minutes to the wooden bench that serves as a viewing platform. ![Arctic desert around Kangerlussuaq, Greenland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/arctic-desert-1.jpg) The parking lot was actually highly photogenic! I was only able to snap a few photos. ### Related Posts **More glaciers!** [Gornergletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher-revisited/) in Switzerland, [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/) in Switzerland, [](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/)[Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/) in Greenland, [Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) in Norway, [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) in Norway, [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) in Iceland, [Glacier du Tour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/) in France and the [Vallée Blanche](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vallee-blanche/) in France. ### Greenland Ice Sheet URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/greenland-ice-sheet/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:47:35.000Z For years Greenland has been at the top of my bucket list. It's a privilege to finally have been able to visit Greenland, or rather a couple of destinations, because of course Greenland is huge. I had booked a guided tour from Kangerlussuaq with an overnight stay on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Unfortunately after we had set up camp we discovered fresh tracks of a polar bear. After consultation with local guides whom our own guide had alerted we had to break up camp and leave as soon as possible. And so the adventure became a little more adventurous. The next day local authorities sent out a helicopter to try and find the polar bear. Since polar bears are not native to the area around Kangerlussuaq it must have been lost and hungry and therefore potentially dangerous. The edge of the ice sheet is a fascinating landscape of ice with mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and deep abysses. One day I hope to return to spend a night on the ice and venture deeper onto the ice sheet. ![Greenland Ice Sheet near Point 660](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/greenland-ice-sheet-1.jpg) Greenland Ice Sheet a few kilometers from Point 660 near Kangerlussuaq ![Greenland Ice Sheet near Point 660](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/greenland-ice-sheet-2.jpg) Greenland Ice Sheet a few kilometers from Point 660 near Kangerlussuaq ![Greenland Ice Sheet near Point 660](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/greenland-ice-sheet-3.jpg) ![Greenland Ice Sheet near Point 660](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/greenland-ice-sheet-4.jpg) Greenland Ice Sheet a few kilometers from Point 660 near Kangerlussuaq ![Greenland Ice Sheet near Point 660](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/greenland-ice-sheet-5.jpg) Make no mistake: these mountains of ice can be up to hundred meter high ![Greenland Ice Sheet near Point 660](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/greenland-ice-sheet-6.jpg) Ice as far as the eye can see ![Greenland Ice Sheet near Point 660](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/07/greenland-ice-sheet-7.jpg) Greenland Ice Sheet near Point 660 ### Related Posts **More Greenland!** The [Ilulissat Icefjord](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-1/) (taken from the shore), the mighty [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/), the equally mighty [Russell Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/), the [Disko Bay](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/disko-bay/) and some more photos of the [Ilulissat Icefjord](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-2/) (taken during a cruise of the icefjord). ### Five Friends at the Museum Brandhorst URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/06/15/five-friends-at-the-museum-brandhorst/ Last updated: 2025-10-10T18:39:05.000Z ![Five Friends at the Museum Brandhorst](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/five-friends-1.jpg) The Museum Brandhorst in Munich, in collaboration with the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, has organized an excellent exhibition exploring the profound artistic and personal relationships between five pioneering American artists who shaped postwar art: visual artists Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Cy Twombly, composer John Cage, and choreographer Merce Cunningham. Over the years these artists developed a shared aesthetic sensibility that influenced movements from Pop Art to Minimalism. Their collaboration began in the early 1950s at the legendary Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where they encountered former Bauhaus teachers and developed an interdisciplinary approach to art-making that would define their careers. The group's collaborative spirit found its clearest expression through the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, founded in 1953, where each artist contributed their expertise—Cage as musical director, Rauschenberg as artistic advisor designing sets and costumes, and Johns assisting with various productions. The exhibition includes the musical scores, stage props and costumes of several performances as well as video excerpts allowing one to see how it all comes together. Their artistic approach was revolutionary, with Cage and Cunningham using chance operations to combine images, sounds, and movements. Personal relationships were equally intertwined with their artistic practice: Cage and Cunningham maintained a lifelong professional and romantic partnership, while Rauschenberg and Twombly were romantically involved in the early 1950s, and Rauschenberg and Johns later became a couple, working side by side until 1961. ![Five Friends Museum Brandhorst](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/five-friends-2.jpg) The political climate of the Cold War era profoundly influenced their work, as they created art during the McCarthy-era persecution of both suspected communists and queer individuals, a reality that directly affected several members of the group. Their works engaged with American power symbols, military imagery, and the technological advancement of the space age, with Rauschenberg creating works incorporating American symbols of power and Johns producing his iconic flags and targets of which the exhibition includes some superb examples. The space race particularly captivated Twombly and Rauschenberg, leading to works like Twombly's "Orion III" (1968) and Rauschenberg's NASA-commissioned "Stoned Moon" project (1969-70), which captured both the wonder and apprehension of the technological sublime. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/five-friends-3.jpg) In the 1970s, the friends underwent a significant shift, withdrawing from urban art centers and pursuing more individual paths while occasionally rekindling collaborations. They moved to quieter locations, Rauschenberg to Captiva Island, Twombly to Italy, and the others to Upstate New York, yet continued to influence each other's work and occasionally collaborate. The exhibition emphasizes the formative decades when their collaborative relationships were most intense. Their legacy lies not only in their individual achievements but in their demonstration that artistic innovation could emerge from deep personal connections and interdisciplinary collaboration. As Rauschenberg later reflected on their time together, they "worked totally committed, shared every intense emotion and, I think, performed miracles, for love only," encapsulating the spirit that made their artistic circle so transformative for postwar American art. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/five-friends-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/five-friends-6.jpg) Cy Twombly, "Natural History, Part 1, Mushrooms" (1974) Fünf Freunde / Five Friends is an amazing exhibition. Most exhibitions focus on the work of either Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns or their place within Pop Art. I was delighted to see their work brought together in a single show. I particularly enjoyed seeing a generous selection of works by Cy Twombly, of whom the Museum Brandhorst has a large collection. This is a must-see exhibition, especially if you're interested in dance. **Fünf Freunde / Five Friends** is at the Museum Brandhorst in München until 17 August 2025 and will travel on to the Museum Ludwig in Köln, where it will be on view from 3 October 2025 until 11 January 2026. ### Anselm Kiefer: Sag mir wo die Blumen sind URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/06/07/anselm-kiefer-sag-mir-wo-die-blumen-sind/ Last updated: 2025-06-08T18:38:27.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/kiefer-van-gogh-2.jpg) At the last moment I visited the blockbuster Anselm Kiefer exhibition “Sag mir wo die Blumen sind” at the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, a vast, haunting meditation on memory, war, and the dialogue between art and history. It is not as bad as I feared. The sublime and the bombastic were in perfect balance. The show spans over 40 works by Kiefer alongside eight paintings by Van Gogh, exploring an intergenerational dialogue between two artists obsessed with mortality and meaning. Kiefer’s engagement with Van Gogh goes back to his teenage years, including a pilgrimage across Europe tracing the Dutch artist’s life. That influence manifests in sweeping, scarred landscapes and dense surfaces made of straw, soil, and lead, echoing Van Gogh’s compositions but loaded, and at times overloaded, with history and meaning. The Van Gogh Museum’s side of the exhibition creates rich juxtapositions: Van Gogh’s expressive but intimate works sit beside Kiefer’s grand, apocalyptic canvases. Where Van Gogh explored the spiritual resonance of nature and light, Kiefer overlays similar landscapes with scars of war, death, and ideology. “Die Krähen” (2019) and especially “Nevermore” (2014) are clearly inspired by Van Gogh’s haunting “Wheat Field with Crows” (1890), which has a special meaning for Kiefer. The wheat field is reminiscent of a verse by Paul Celan, whom Kiefer frequently refers to in his work: “From hearts and brains / sprout the stalks of night, / and a word, spoken by scythes, / bends them into life, (..) / o stalks, you stalks, / You stalks of night”. These and other canvases, such as “Das letzte Fuder” (2019) and “Schierlingsbecher” (2019) are pretty awesome, but in several other works Kiefer can’t help himself and the symbolism is overdone, such as when he attaches scythes to a canvas. The exhibition’s title piece also falls into that category. Dominating the Stedelijk Museum’s grand staircase is a monumental new installation by Kiefer: paintings of oxidized copper and gold leaf, stiffened army uniforms, dried petals, and a self-portrait with a tree sprouting from the chest. Visually and thematically it references the cycle of destruction and rebirth. The title, “Sag mir wo die Blumen sind”, is taken from a German version of Pete Seeger’s protest anthem. It signals Kiefer’s central themes of loss, mourning, and the persistence of trauma, especially rooted in Germany’s Nazi past and the artist’s own lifelong reckoning with it. But it is all too much. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/van-gogh-shoes-1.jpg) Over at the Van Gogh Museum the exhibition includes Van Gogh’s “Shoes” (1886), arguably the most famous shoes in the history of art and philosophy. Martin Heidegger saw the painting at an exhibition in Amsterdam in 1930\. He went on to write about the painting in a key passage in *The Origin of the Work of Art* (1935). In The Still Life as a Personal Object (1968), the art historian Meyer Schapiro criticized Heidegger for wrongly referring to the shoes as those of a peasant woman. In *Restitutions of the Truth in Pointing \[‘Pointure’\]* (1978) Jacques Derrida playfully questions both Heidegger’s and Schapiro’s interpretation, while giving a masterclass in close reading in the process. The work of Anselm Kiefer doesn’t lend itself to multiple interpretations, let alone playful ones. At its best it inspires awe through its sheer physical presence. At its worst it lapses into mere grandiloquence. But as with all my writings, don’t take my word for it, go look for yourself if you have a chance and make up your own mind. **Anselm Kiefer: Sag mir wo die Blumen sind** is at the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam until 9 June 2025\. In a modified version the exhibition will be on show at the Royal Academy of Arts in London from 28 June until 26 October 2025. ### Links [Anselm Kiefer at Museum Voorlinden](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/02/11/anselm-kiefer-at-museum-voorlinden/). My review of [Anselm](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/02/11/anselm/), the film by Wim Wenders. ### Clive Oppenheimer: Mountains of Fire URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/06/06/clive-oppenheimer-mountains-of-fire/ Last updated: 2025-08-17T07:42:07.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/leirhnj--kur-lava-field-10.jpg) The Leirhnjúkur Lava Field near Myvatn, Iceland Like many children, I went through both a dinosaur phase and a volcano phase. I collected gemstones and fossils, and my parents took me to some quarries in Germany where I searched for specimens with my geologist's hammer. For a while I even aspired to become a geologist, until I realized that the profession would also require field expeditions in harsh weather conditions. Several years ago, on a trip to [Iceland](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/iceland/) I was delighted to finally visit some [lava fields](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/leirhnjukur-lava-field/) and observe a volcanic crater up close. When Fagradalsfjall first erupted, I considered flying to Iceland immediately, but I worried that the eruption might end before I could arrive. My concerns proved justified: the eruption had indeed ceased by the time I could have made the trip. Earlier this year, while browsing new popular science books at Foyles, I noticed a book about volcanoes, which piqued my interest. *Mountains of Fire. The Secret Lives of Volcanoes* by Clive Oppenheimer is a captivating blend of memoir, scientific exploration, and historical narrative that delves into the power, mystery, and human connection to volcanoes. The author, a volcanologist at the University of Cambridge, reflects on the sublime beauty and danger of volcanoes, illustrating how they dwarf human concerns and inspire both fear and fascination. His firsthand experiences are the foundation of the book’s rich narrative, as he recounts his journeys to some of the most remote and hostile volcanic sites on Earth, from Antarctica’s Mount Erebus to North Korea’s sacred Mount Paektu. Oppenheimer's research, particularly his analysis of volcanic gases, often placed him in extreme and hazardous situations, such as working dangerously close to active craters. These perilous ventures, especially in the early days of his career, are recounted with both humility and an awareness of their recklessness. I was reminded of some of my own attempts to find a vantage point for an even better photo. Yet these risky endeavors also allowed Oppenheimer to contribute significantly to the science of volcanology, even if some early data proved fruitless. He uses these experiences not only to reflect on his development as a scientist but also to emphasize the critical role of fieldwork and direct observation in understanding natural phenomena. What elevates *Mountains of Fire* is its dual structure: while chronicling Oppenheimer’s personal journey, it also traces the historical arc of volcanology itself. He introduces readers to early thinkers like Athanasius Kircher and Lazzaro Spallanzani, who sought to explain volcanic activity through the lenses of their time, often mixing science with myth. These stories are skillfully interwoven with modern-day accounts, including Oppenheimer’s collaborations with filmmaker Werner Herzog and his role in projects like the documentary *Into the Inferno*. Beyond the science and history, the book makes a compelling case for volcanoes as central to human civilization. Oppenheimer explores how volcanoes have shaped not just the landscape but human culture, history, and even evolution. From the obsidian tools of early hominins to the role of eruptions in shaping political and religious shifts, such as the Icelandic conversion to Christianity, he draws a powerful link between geology and society. He also touches on contemporary issues, such as the urgent need for disaster preparedness. I enjoyed reading *Mountains of Fire*. It reminded me of the childhood wonder I felt when I first learned about volcanoes. It celebrates scientific curiosity, embraces the unpredictability of discovery, and reveals how studying Earth’s most volatile phenomena can lead to profound insights about our world and ourselves. Oppenheimer’s writing, rich with personal detail and philosophical musing, invites readers to see volcanoes not merely as destructive forces but as vital, even life-sustaining elements of the planet. Through this lens, the book becomes not just a chronicle of one scientist’s adventures but a call to appreciate the dynamic, interconnected nature of Earth’s geology and humanity’s place within it. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/06/06/further-reading-107/ Last updated: 2025-07-30T17:13:04.000Z Geometrically frustrated [rose petals](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt0672?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [AI is nothing like a brain](https://www.quantamagazine.org/ai-is-nothing-like-a-brain-and-thats-ok-20250430/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), and that’s OK. [How does ChatGPT ‘think’?](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01314-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Psychology and neuroscience crack open AI large language models. Why do [hailstones](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01618-7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) get so big? [The unpleasantness of thinking](https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-bul0000443.pdf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): A meta-analytic review of the association between mental effort and negative affect. [Two new books](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/04/24/lunar-myths-and-mysteries-our-moon-rebecca-boyle/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) explore our growing scientific understanding of the moon as well as its powerful appeal to the imagination. At home with [William Kentridge](https://www.ft.com/content/bae7304c-b7bf-4d15-ad10-795968705717?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Answers](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01164-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to a 160-year-old riddle about the genetics of Mendel’s pea traits. How to be a [great thinker](https://www.ft.com/content/c42cb640-a03c-441b-868f-d1a92d78bcb7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Read more books. Be multidisciplinary. Assume you might be wrong. Keep learning. How much [energy](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-much-energy-does-it-take-to-think-20250604/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) does it take to think? Lotions and perfume can weaken a ‘[human oxidation field](https://www.science.org/content/article/lotions-and-perfume-can-weaken-human-oxidation-field-made-your-skin?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)’ made by your skin. Personal care products may chemically alter the air around us. Whether that’s good or bad remains unclear. Early barred galaxy raises [questions about cosmic evolution](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01444-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Michiko Kakutani on why Silicon Valley’s most powerful people are so obsessed with [hobbits](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/books/tolkien-musk-thiel-silicon-valley.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The observation of [bonding behaviors in wild chimpanzees](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01557-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) suggests that some aspects of human attachments have a deep evolutionary origin. Some (good) [remarks on AI](https://nealstephenson.substack.com/p/remarks-on-ai-from-nz) by Neal Stephenson. Chris Ware [reviews](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/05/29/pure-thought-on-paper-sunday-olivier-schrauwen/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Olivier Schrauwen’s graphic novel *Sunday*. [Shrunken heads](https://www.science.org/content/article/shrunken-heads-long-charged-ritual-meaning-finally-get-scientific-attention?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), long charged with ritual meaning, finally get scientific attention. [Why even try if you have AI?](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/open-questions/why-even-try-if-you-have-ai?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [New drone technology](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/06/12/arms-race-in-ukraine-tim-judah/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is transforming the battlefield in Ukraine - and demonstrating the obsolescence of much Western weaponry. Exactly. Jed Perl on [a century of surrealism](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/05/15/a-century-of-surrealism-andre-breton/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Google DeepMind has used chatbot models to come up with [solutions to major problems](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01523-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in mathematics and computer science. Thousands buried in 17th century Italian crypt reveal [lives of working poor](https://www.science.org/content/article/thousands-buried-17th-century-italian-crypt-reveal-lives-working-poor?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A prediction of the gravitational waves produced by interacting black holes achieves high precision and demonstrates the [link between general relativity and geometry](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01339-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Fairy Pools by Patricia Lockwood. [Excerpt](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/05/26/fairy-pools-fiction-patricia-lockwood?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from her forthcoming novel *Will There Ever Be Another You*. ### American Photography at the Rijksmuseum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/31/american-photography-at-the-rijksmuseum/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T09:09:39.000Z I was a bit puzzled when I read that the Rijksmuseum had organized an exhibition of American Photography. It is in fact the first major European survey of American photography and spans the period from the invention of photography to the present day. The exhibition opens with Ming Smith's 1976 portrait "America Seen Through Stars and Stripes", which also serves as a billboard for the exhibition: a powerful image of a Black man in reflective sunglasses against an American flag that sets the tone for this comprehensive exploration of American identity. Drawing from the museum's collection of 7,000 American photographs plus targeted loans, the exhibition examines how photography has captured the complex reality of American life, from its aspirations to its contradictions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/american-photography-rijksmuseum-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/american-photography-rijksmuseum-3.jpg) The exhibition is organized thematically into sections like "Face to Face”, "At Home”, "On the Road”, "Selling Points" and "Death and Disaster”, presenting photography not as fine art but as a democratic medium that shaped American identity. The show deliberately mixes anonymous snapshots, commercial work, propaganda and iconic photographs, including works by Robert Mapplethorp and Nan Goldin, without hierarchy, creating a kaleidoscopic panorama. Throughout, the American flag serves as a recurring motif of both hope and despair, appearing on cigarette packets promoting Eisenhower or billowing gloomily in Robert Frank's critique of American parades. This approach reveals photography's role as both documentary tool and mythmaker in American society. The exhibition traces photography's evolution from its earliest days, beginning with Henry Fitz's experimental 1840 self-portrait daguerreotype and Thomas Easterly's dignified 1847 portrait of Chief Keokuk. These early images already hint at the racial and cultural tensions that would define American photography. The medium quickly became inseparable from social issues, as seen in the circulation of "The Scourged Back" (1863), taken in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a powerful abolitionist image of an enslaved person's whip-scarred back, and later in Jack Jenkins' 1957 photograph of Elizabeth Eckford facing a hostile white mob at Little Rock Central High School. These images demonstrate photography's power to both expose injustice and advocate for change. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/american-photography-rijksmuseum-5.jpg) The commercial imperative that drove American photography's innovation is a dominant theme throughout the exhibition. Competition in America's consumer-driven society forced photographers to be inventive and original, creating avant-garde work that was seldom recognized as art. Examples include a 1911 cubist-influenced advertisement for Kahn Brothers tailors and Schadde Brothers' 1915 modernist grid of sweets that anticipated Andy Warhol's pop art by half a century. This entrepreneurial spirit extended even to landscape photography, where Carleton Watkins created both sublime images of Yosemite's Cathedral Rock and equally beautiful documentation of destructive hydraulic mining operations to attract investors. The exhibition reveals the persistent tension between America's idealized self-image and its harsh realities. This duality is powerfully illustrated by contrasting Robert Frank's moody, critical photographs from "The Americans" (1960) with contemporaneous glossy magazine covers promising material happiness. The show includes poignant examples of both American dreams and their destruction: a proud Black family posing beside their Cadillac in 1962, representing aspirational mobility, displayed near images of segregation and violence. Later photographs chronicle ongoing struggles, from Nina Berman's devastating portrait of Iraq War veteran Tyler Ziegel's wedding to his childhood sweetheart, a marriage that would end in divorce within a year, with Ziegel dying of an overdose at 30. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/american-photography-rijksmuseum-4.jpg) The exhibition succeeds in presenting photography as the perfect medium for documenting American life and society: fast, accessible, and innovative. It highlights lesser-known photographers and anonymous images alongside famous works, creating a comprehensive portrait of the nation's complexity. The show includes fascinating collections like Peter J. Cohen's amateur snapshots sorted by category ("Views from the car," "Ladies by televisions") and mysterious 1930s cyanotypes of human torsos discovered at a Manhattan flea market, later revealed to be from medical studies using the bodies of Black Chicagoans. By presenting this vast array of images without traditional hierarchies, the Rijksmuseum's exhibition demonstrates how photography created American identity while simultaneously revealing the contradictions, fragility, and ongoing struggles within that identity. **American Photography** is at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam until 9 June 2025. ### Related Posts [Jill Lepore: These Truths](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/06/13/jill-lepore-these-truths/) ### Annie Jacobsen: Nuclear War. A Scenario URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/30/annie-jacobsen-nuclear-war-a-scenario/ Last updated: 2025-06-01T11:06:40.000Z "Nuclear War: A Scenario" by Annie Jacobsen ranks among the most terrifying and unsettling books I've ever read. Based on interviews with dozens of military and academic experts and countless declassified documents, Jacobsen provides a minute-by-minute account of the events following a nuclear missile attack. The scenario Jacobsen explores involves a bolt-out-of-the-blue decapitation strike on Washington DC by North Korea using a single intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Additionally, in this scenario North Korea launches a short-range ballistic missile targeting a nuclear power station in California and detonates a high-altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) device above the U.S., creating an electromagnetic shockwave that destroys all electricity-powered devices. As a worst-case scenario, I found this combination a bit excessive: a single nuclear missile strike would have been sufficient to demonstrate the devastating consequences of nuclear war. What struck me most is that complete devastation could unfold in less than an hour. The North Korean ICBM would reach Washington DC in little more than 30 minutes. Within this narrow timeframe, the U.S. government would need to decide upon a military response while evacuating the President, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and others in the presidential line of succession to safety. There would be no time to evacuate Washington DC itself. While it's reassuring to know that the U.S. military maintains constant high alert status, it's equally disconcerting that all nuclear powers can launch attacks within minutes. I find it particularly troubling that nuclear-powered submarines continuously patrol the oceans, capable of launching nuclear strikes at any moment. Other scenarios exist, of course. India could launch a nuclear strike against Karachi, prompting Pakistan to retaliate against Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. However, these alternatives don't alter the book's central message: the devastation would be enormous, and the resulting fallout would essentially end civilization in the Northern Hemisphere. "Nuclear War: A Scenario" reinforces the critical importance of nuclear deterrence. Yet as Jacobsen soberly notes, deterrence only works until it doesn’t, a chilling reminder of our precarious global situation. ### Links [The Atomic Age at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/04/the-atomic-age-at-the-musee-d-art-moderne-de-paris/). ### Arcimboldo, Bassano, Bruegel: Nature’s Time at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/29/arcimboldo-bassano-bruegel-natures-time-at-the-kunsthistorisches-museum-vienna/ Last updated: 2025-05-29T19:05:19.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/arcimboldo-wien-1.jpg) Arcimboldo at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna and its art museums had been on my bucket list for a long time. I’m glad I finally traveled to Vienna, because the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Belvedere, the Albertina and the Leopold Museum are marvelous. Best of all there are far fewer visitors than in Paris or London. I spent more than five hours at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. I’ll include some of my personal highlights in a separate post. While I was at the Kunsthistorisches Museum there was an exhibition, “Arcimboldo – Bassano – Bruegel: Nature's Time”, which focused on Renaissance representations of the four seasons and their symbolic, scientific, and cultural significance. Central to the show is Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s whimsical, nature-based portraiture, particularly "The Four Seasons in One Head". Arcimboldo’s imaginative allegorical portraits, made of fruits, blossoms, sea creatures, and more, offer a vibrant celebration of nature’s cycles and the classical elements. I greatly enjoyed seeing several paintings by Arcimboldo in one exhibition, because I only recall having seen two or three of his paintings on previous occasions. Alongside Arcimboldo’s work, the exhibition features the famous seasonal cycle of Pieter Bruegel, who portrayed rural life and changing landscapes through scenes like “The Hunters in the Snow” and “The Return of the Herd”. His work captures the atmospheric shifts of the seasons with remarkable narrative detail. The exhibition’s emphasis, both in terms of space and representation, lies with the lesser-known Bassano family, and includes a full twelve-month cycle by Leandro Bassano, merging biblical stories with scenes of agricultural life. This imbalance reflects the museum’s extensive Bassano holdings. Unfortunately, this is also the weakest section of the exhibition. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/duerer-wien-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/duerer-wien-2.jpg) Albrecht Dürer, Maps of the Northern and Southern Sky (1515) Still, the exhibition is thoughtfully supplemented by scientific instruments, tapestries, and works from other Renaissance masters, offering visitors a multifaceted view of nature’s role in 16th-century art. I particularly enjoyed seeing Albrecht Dürer’s meticulously detailed star charts and Gerhard Mercator’s groundbreaking globes. Even though the work of Bassano is overrepresented, the exhibition succeeds as a deep and enriching exploration of how nature shaped artistic expression during the Renaissance. **Arcimboldo, Bassano, Bruegel. Die Zeiten der Natur** is at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna until 29\. June 2025. ### 4 Museums 1 Modernism at the Pinakothek der Moderne URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/25/4-museums-1-modernism/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T17:22:46.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/neue-sammlung-1.jpg) To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the foundation of “Die Neue Sammlung”, Germany’s first state design museum, the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich has organized an exhibition showcasing highlights from the collections of the four museums that make up the Pinakothek der Moderne. The exhibition focuses on the years from the 1910s to the 1930s and is divided into four sections: New Aesthetics, New Materials and Technologies, New Institutions and New Society. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/neue-sammlung-2.jpg) ### New Aesthetics Modernism brought a break from traditional aesthetics, emphasizing abstraction, minimalism, and geometry. The movement favored basic forms, squares, triangles, rectangles, and a restricted color palette of black, white, gray, and primary colors. These elements were evident in both visual arts and architecture, such as in Constructivist-influenced designs. In architecture, this translated into cube-like, white buildings with functional features like flat roofs and large windows that enhanced light and air flow. Mobility and speed also inspired design, as seen in streamlined forms like the White Mars motorcycle, while photography transformed ordinary subjects into sculptural abstractions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/neue-sammlung-3.jpg) ### New Materials and Technologies Modernism was grounded in optimism about industrialization and technology. Architects and designers embraced new materials like iron, reinforced concrete, tubular steel, and glass to create structures and furniture that were functional and hygienic. Innovations extended into art as well: photography developed new techniques, and art forms like photomontage and collage gained prominence. These changes reflected a broader cultural shift towards mass production, electrification, and standardization, representing a departure from artisanal craftsmanship. Technology was not only a tool but a core ideal of modernist progress. ### New Institutions Educational and cultural institutions were central to the spread of Modernism. The Bauhaus, founded in 1919, became a key hub for experimentation in art, design, and architecture, though architecture was not formally taught there until 1927\. Other important centers included the Kunstgewerbeschule in Halle, which predated the Bauhaus in establishing a photography program. Municipal building offices and private firms also contributed to the New Building movement. Museums, such as the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum with its Department of Applied Arts, played a vital role in bringing modernist works to the public. ### New Society Modernism’s social vision was shaped by the trauma of World War I and a belief in the potential to reshape humanity and society. Artists oscillated between idealized and realistic depictions of people, often highlighting social struggles and aspirations for autonomy. The Weimar Republic supported housing reforms through public projects and affordable furniture programs. However, broader societal instability—marked by war, economic depression, and political extremism—challenged these ideals. Eventually, the Nazi regime exploited modernist aesthetics for propaganda when it served their purposes, highlighting the complex legacy of Modernism’s social ambitions. "4 Museums - 1 Modernism" is a wonderful exhibition, I just wish it had been four times as large. By the way, the Pinakothek der Moderne is huge and the permanent collection is amazing. I’ll post some photos and a brief review if I can find the time. **4 Museen - 1 Moderne / 4 Museums - 1 Modernism** is at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich until 28 September 2025. ### Paula Scher: Type Is Image at the Pinakothek der Moderne URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/18/paula-scher-type-is-image-at-the-pinakothek-der-moderne/ Last updated: 2025-10-10T18:36:42.000Z ![Paula Scher Type Is Image Pinakothek der Moderne](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/paula-scher-pinakothek-2.jpg) Type Is Image, a comprehensive Paula Scher retrospective at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, is a spectacular celebration of typography in the form of an amazing immersive installation. Paula Scher stands as one of the most influential and successful graphic designers of the past fifty years, serving as a partner in Pentagram's New York office since 1991\. The exhibition showcases commissioned works spanning Scher's five-decade career, including record covers from the 1970s, posters and branding for the New York Public Theater, Bloomberg, Microsoft, the Museum of Modern Art, the New York City Ballet, the New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park, and numerous other iconic projects that demonstrate her distinctive typographic style. ![Paula Scher Type Is Image Pinakothek der Moderne](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/paula-scher-pinakothek-1.jpg) The exhibition space itself becomes part of the experience, with walls and columns entirely covered in posters of various sizes, while the floor has been carpeted with a hand-painted map of Munich. Additional posters hang from the ceiling and rotate slowly through two massive glass display cases. Even the custom-designed tables and display cases rest on typographic elements, with letters forming their bases. This kind of visual abundance is what I’ve always loved. It is also why I find myself drawn to cities such as [Hong Kong](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hong-kong/) and [Tokyo](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tokyo/). I should add that I’m equally drawn to the other extreme of the spectrum: zen-like minimalist spaces featuring a single powerful artwork. **Paula Scher: Type Is Image** is at the Pinakothek der Moderne in München until 31 March 2026. ### Trees, Time, Architecture at the Pinakothek der Moderne URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/16/trees-time-architecture-at-the-pinakothek-der-moderne/ Last updated: 2025-05-18T19:10:36.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/wood-1.jpg) It always makes me sad whenever I see piles of felled trees in the forest near where I live. I’m fully aware that wood is needed as a construction material and for making furniture, tools and musical instruments. The problem is that, in my perception at least, at the moment more trees are being felled than are being planted. If you know how much wood is needed in the future, you should plant sufficient trees now, taking into account that some trees might not survive due to natural causes. The exhibition “Trees, Time, Architecture!” at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich explores the complex relationship between trees and architecture, emphasizing how trees, as some of the oldest and slowest-growing organisms, contrast sharply with the rapid pace of modern social, technological, and ecological change. Trees are crucial for adapting to and combating climate change, but their slow growth presents a challenge for immediate solutions. The exhibition highlights how trees, both living and dead, are utilized as functional and aesthetic elements in architecture, showing their role as living, ever-changing organisms and as materials shaped by their growth processes. By showcasing projects from diverse cultural and geographic contexts, the exhibition calls for a shift from designing static objects to designing dynamic processes that integrate trees into architecture. This approach requires interdisciplinary collaboration, blending scientific knowledge, indigenous practices, and advanced technologies. The concept of "Baubotanik", using living plants as construction material, is presented as a model for sustainable, adaptable architecture. One of the best examples of this type of living architecture are the living root bridges made the Khasi people in the Jaintia and Khasi Hills in the state of Meghalaya in India. Closer to home a growing number of architecture firms are incorporating trees into their designs, such as the famous Vertical Forest in Milan by Stefano Boeri Architects. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/trees-time-architecture-1.jpg) I was surprised to learn that trees can be considered illegal, for example when they grow in places where regulations prohibit tree planting. It makes sense that trees should be at a certain distance from technical infrastructure. But in Germany there is also a law which states that the distance from a building should be half the diameter of the mature tree crown, so that it can develop unhindered. The argument that tree crowns should develop as symmetrically as possible ignores the natural adaptability of trees. Taking inspiration from these regulations the "Tree Façades" research project develops innovative forms of incorporating trees into architecture by planting broad-canopied trees so close to a building that their crowns form a spatial and aesthetic unit with the structure serving as a natural heat shield during warm days. The Pinakothek der Moderne is huge and I didn't have time to see everything in one afternoon. I'm glad I returned the next morning to also visit “Trees, Time, Architecture!” **Trees, Time, Architecture!** is at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich until 14 September 2025. ### Civilization: The Way We Live Now at the Kunsthalle München URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/16/civilization-the-way-we-live-now-at-the-kunsthalle-muenchen/ Last updated: 2025-08-10T18:57:29.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/civilization-kunsthalle-munich-1.jpg) The exhibition "Civilization: The Way We Live Now" presents a sweeping photographic exploration of contemporary global society. Showcasing the work of over 100 photographers from around the world, it investigates the complexities and interconnections of modern life. It uses powerful photographic storytelling to highlight how humanity now functions as a globally interconnected “hive”. Drawing on the idea of photography as both a “mirror” and a “window”, the exhibition leans toward the latter by documenting a wide spectrum of societal themes, both functional and dysfunctional, ranging from domestic life and leisure to pollution and social alienation. The photographers included in the exhibition critique and reflect on our highly technologized and urbanized civilization, using imagery to interrogate both its marvels and contradictions. While rooted in documentary practice, the exhibition avoids didacticism, allowing the photos themselves to form the narrative and provoke thought. The exhibition is organized into eight thematic sections: Hive, Alone Together, Flow, Persuasion, Escape, Control, Rupture, and Next. Each chapter captures a different aspect of collective existence. In Hive, viewers confront chaotic urban expansion through images like Philippe Chancel’s aerial view of Dubai’s disjointed skyline and photos of urban sprawl. Alone Together explores urban isolation, highlighted by Benny Lam’s haunting portraits of Hong Kong’s subdivided flats. Flow reflects on mobility and infrastructure, from Jeffrey Milstein’s airport shots and Alex MacLean's near-abstract photo of shipping containers to Alejandro Cartagena's photos of laborers hitching a ride in the back of a pick-up truck. Other chapters continue this thematic exploration. Persuasion dissects the power of media and advertising, exemplified by photos of New York’s Times Square and shopping malls in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Escape examines leisure as a collective ritual, often tinged with irony, as seen in Massimo Vitali’s crowded beach scenes. Control shows the invisible yet powerful infrastructures that enforce order, with Luca Zanier’s eerily vacant shots of political institutions. Rupture exposes environmental and social breakdowns. Finally, Next turns toward the future, focusing on technological advancements and the unpredictable direction of civilization. From autonomous machines to space travel, the images capture our fascination with innovation and the anxieties it brings. Throughout all eight chapters, the exhibition offers a diverse, global perspective on 21st-century life, encouraging reflection on how photography can serve as both witness and critic of human progress. With over 200 photographs from every continent, the show underscores the paradox of a homogenized global culture shaped by collective forces, celebrating humanity’s achievements while cautioning against their consequences. The exhibition "Civilization: The Way We Live Now" was previously shown in Seoul, Beijing, Melbourne, Auckland, Marseille, London and Taipei and will continue its journey at the Museum für Gestaltung in Zürich from 26 Fabruary until 26 July 2026\. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published by Thames & Hudson. The Munich installment is also accompanied by a catalogue in the form of a magazine. **Civilization: The Way We Live Now** is at the Kunsthalle Munich until 24 August 2025. ### Links [Edward Burtynsky Extraction/Abstraction](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/13/edward-burtynsky-extraction-abstraction/) at the M9 Museum of the Twentieth Century in Venice Mestre. ### Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/16/velvet-terrorism-pussy-riots-russia/ Last updated: 2025-05-17T12:31:52.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/pussy-riot-haus-der-kunst-1.jpg) Upon entering the Pussy Riot retrospective, currently on view in the LSK-Galerie, the former air raid shelter at the Haus der Kunst in München, you are greeted by a wall of noise emanating from the rooms. It feels like a physical assault on your body. "Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia," curated by founding member Maria Alyokhina, explores twelve years of Pussy Riot’s performances and interventions. In Western media Pussy Riot is usually referred to as a “band”, but its members have always seen themselves more as a feminist artist collective. The exhibition, which was first shown in Reykjavik and from there traveled to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen, is a colorful, chaotic mix of photographs, videos, handwritten texts, and drawings that capture the group’s confrontational and anarchic spirit. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/pussy-riot-haus-der-kunst-2.jpg) Pussy Riot gained worldwide prominence in 2012, when five members staged their "Punk Prayer" performance inside Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, calling on the Virgin Mary to "banish Putin." Their distinctive look, neon balaclavas, vibrant tights, and short-sleeved dresses, have since become iconic. The performance, which lasted less than a minute, led to severe legal consequences for Maria Alyokhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova, who were sentenced to two years in prison for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred." The trial became an international sensation, with Russian authorities labeling the women "demons”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/pussy-riot-haus-der-kunst-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/pussy-riot-haus-der-kunst-3.jpg) Many more prison sentences would follow as documented in a room called “Arrest Carousel”. Despite the arrests, the beatings and the harassments its members continued their actions until 2022, when founding members Maria Alyokhina, Lucy Shtein and Nadya Tolokonnikova were forced to flee Russia. Lucy Shtein, who had been under house arrest, managed to escape dressed in the bright green costume of a food delivery courier, which has been included in the exhibition. It proved to be the perfect disguise: simultaneously visible from everywhere and invisible to all. The exhibition doubles as a documentation of Russia’s descent into an ever more oppressive authoritarian state. I greatly admire Pussy Riot’s courage. I was reminded of Edwidge Danticat’s wonderful essay “Create Dangerously”. As Danticat writes: “Create dangerously, for people who read dangerously. This is what I've always thought it meant to be a writer. Writing, knowing in part that no matter how trivial your words may seem, someday, somewhere, someone may risk his or her life to read them.” **Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia** is at the Haus der Kunst, München until 29 June 2025. ### Gemäldegalerie of the Akademie der bildenden Künste Vienna URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/11/gemaeldegalerie-of-the-akademie-der-bildenden-kunste-vienna/ Last updated: 2025-05-17T19:04:36.000Z The Gemäldegalerie (Paintings Gallery) of the Academy of Fine Arts is one of Vienna’s best kept secrets. As I walked along the Schillerplatz I noticed a banner and some posters for an exhibition with works by Bosch, Van Dyck, Botticelli, Cranach, Rubens and Rembrandt. I had some time to spare so I entered the building. I was a bit skeptical at first and as I climbed the stairs to the second floor I became ever more doubtful. It wasn’t until I had paid the entrance fee and entered the gallery that my doubts vanished. The collection consists of a bequest by Anton Paula Graf Lamberg-Sprinzenstein from 1822 who stipulated that the paintings should be on public view. The gallery is still housed in the same building where the art students have their studios. The current collection presentation concentrates on the late Renaissance and the Baroque period with works by Botticelli, Joos van Cleve, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Anthonie van Dyck, Pieter de Hooch, Jacob Jordaens, Nicolaes Maes, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens and Jacob van Ruisdael. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/gemaeldegalerie-akademie-wien-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/gemaeldegalerie-akademie-wien-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/gemaeldegalerie-akademie-wien-3.jpg) Hieronymus Bosch, “The Last Judgment” The absolute highlight of the collection is “The Last Judgment” (c. 1482) by Hieronymus Bosch. It is a stunning painting and what a joy to be able to closely watch it for more than five minutes unperturbed by other visitors. To be sure, to see all the details it's best to take a snapshot and then zoom in on your screen. Even though the Akademie der bildenden Künste is right in the centre of Vienna, not far from the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Albertina and the MuseumsQuartier, there were hardly any other visitors when I was there. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/gemaeldegalerie-akademie-wien-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/gemaeldegalerie-akademie-wien-5.jpg) Rembrandt (left), Pieter Codde (middle), Pieter de Hooch (right) Rembrandt’s “Portait of a Young Woman” (1632) is by no means a “minor” Rembrandt, just look at the expressivity of her hands. It would be on permanent view if it were part of the collection of the Rijksmuseum or London’s National Gallery. It hangs next to a group portrait by Pieter de Hooch, “Family Group in a Courtyard in Delft” (c. 1658), which showcases his mastery of perspective and spatial composition. The open door in the wall reveals two neighboring courtyards. The man seen from behind in the distance provides a sense of scale. So, if you're planning a trip to Vienna be sure to add the [Gemäldegalerie](https://www.kunstsammlungenakademie.at/de/home/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of the Akademie der bildenden Künste to your list. **Considering the Collection** is at the Paintings Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna until 25 May 2025\. The next collection presentation may consist of a different selection of works. ### Links No secret to the residents of Vienna but well worth knowing if you’re visiting, [Öfferl](https://www.oefferl.bio/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is one of the best bakeries in Vienna. ### Anton Corbijn: Favourite Darkness at the Kunstforum Wien URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/10/anton-corbijn-favourite-darkness-at-the-kunstforum-wien/ Last updated: 2025-05-18T15:03:27.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/corbijn-favourite-darkness-wien-1.jpg) Most museums in Vienna close at 18:00 except on Thursday or Friday when some are open until 21:00\. As it was a Saturday I decided to visit the Anton Corbijn exhibition at the Kunstforum Wien, which is open until 19:00\. I’m glad I did, because more than half of the works on show were unfamiliar to me. It had somehow escaped me that in the early 1980s Corbijn made a series of photographs of sculptures found in cemeteries in France, Austria and Italy. In the past I, too, have found myself drawn to cemeteries such as Père Lachaise in Paris and the Certosa di Bologna in [Bologna](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/bologna/), one of the oldest monumental cemeteries in Europe. But whereas I was drawn to the architecture and the atmosphere, Corbijn focused on the facial expressions of the sculptures. Since this is the first Anton Corbijn retrospective in Austria the exhibition also includes some of Corbijn’s iconic portraits of Miles Davis, Joy Division, David Bowie dressed as The Elephant Man and John Martyn dressed as a hobbit. Somehow Corbijn always manages to bring out a person’s psychological complexities. He photographs the famously publicity shy Gerhard Richter from behind, he shows Jody Foster pensively sitting in a chair and he photographs Philip Seymour Hoffman standing behind a sign post with both “One Way” signs pointing in the same direction. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/corbijn-favourite-darkness-wien-2.jpg) The rooms with portraits of female artists and rockstars also contains various photographs that I hadn’t seen before as does the room dedicated to the work Corbijn has created over the decades for Depeche Mode. Another room shows a selection of music videos that Anton Corbijn has directed for the likes of Joy Division, U2, Depeche Mode and Arcade Fire. The music can be heard in the other rooms as well. It draws you in and adds to the lively atmosphere. Favourite Darkness is a great exhibition, I just wish it had been larger, but of course then I wouldn’t have been able to see everything in little more than an hour. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue that you can buy from your favourite bookstore. **Anton Corbijn: Favourite Darkness** is at the Kunstforum Wien until 29 June 2025. ### Links [Anton Corbijn](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/04/12/anton-corbijn-at-the-gemeentemuseum-and-the-fotomuseum-den-haag/) at the Gemeentemuseum and the Fotomuseum Den Haag. ### Egon Schiele's Last Years at the Leopold Museum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/10/egon-schiele-last-years-at-the-leopold-museum/ Last updated: 2025-06-15T08:59:35.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/schiele-letzte-jahre-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/schiele-letzte-jahre-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/schiele-letzte-jahre-4.jpg) Egon Schiele: Kniende in orange-rotem Kleid (1910) (left), Liegendes Mädchen mit Harmasche (1918) (middle), Sitzende Frau mit hochgezogenen Knie (1917) (right) The exhibition “Changing Times: Egon Schiele’s Last Years, 1914–1918” delves into a transformative period in Schiele’s career that has often been overshadowed by his earlier, more provocative work. During these final years, Schiele moved away from the radical, contorted forms of his early Expressionist period and embraced a more realistic and empathetic style. His linework softened, his figures became more physically present, and his focus shifted toward emotional depth rather than sensual provocation. The exhibition, featuring around 130 artworks and supplemented with historical materials like the previously unpublished diary of Edith Schiele, offers a nuanced portrayal of the artist’s personal and creative evolution during a time of global and personal upheaval. Organized into nine thematic sections, the exhibition tracks Schiele’s artistic and emotional journey through topics such as self-exploration, relationships, family life, and his experience in the army. Standout pieces include his final oil painting, a portrait of fellow artist Albert Paris von Gütersloh, and newly discovered works on paper being shown publicly for the first time. These works suggest that Schiele had achieved a new level of maturity and technical finesse. His later portraits reveal a deepening concern for the inner lives of his subjects, characterized by a growing psychological sophistication and a more expressive use of color and texture in his paintings. The exhibition also explores Schiele’s turbulent personal life, including his separation from his teenage muse Wally Neuzil and his subsequent marriage to Edith Harms. Edith’s diary provides an intimate window into their largely unhappy relationship, marked by emotional strain and physical separation, especially during Schiele’s military service. Though Schiele detested army life, a transfer arranged by a friend allowed him more freedom to continue his artistic work. Despite personal challenges, this period marked Schiele’s rise to prominence, culminating in a sold-out exhibition at the Vienna Secession in 1918. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/schiele-letzte-jahre-5.jpg) Egon Schiele, Herbstbaum in bewegter Luft (Winterbaum) (1912) I only knew Egon Schiele from his raw expressive nudes with their twisted body shapes and his intense self-portraits. I was happily surprised to learn that he also painted some amazing landscapes and cityscapes. Perhaps because they were unfamiliar to me I actually found them more interesting than the nudes and wish he had produced more of them. “Herbstbaum in bewegter Luft (Winterbaum)” (1912) borders on abstraction. “Berg am Fluss” (1910), which is part of the permanent collection of the Leopold Museum reminded me of the work of [Anna Eva Bergman](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/06/18/anna-eva-bergman-voyage-vers-l-interieur/), who went one step further in blurring the boundary between landscape and abstraction. Ultimately, "Changing Times" sheds light on an often-overlooked phase of Schiele’s career, one marked by technical refinement, emotional resonance, and thematic complexity. It challenges the common perception of Schiele as solely a provocateur, instead presenting him as an artist grappling with love, loss, and legacy in the final years of his short life. Through a carefully curated combination of art, personal documents, and historical context, the exhibition offers a deeply human portrait of Schiele as he matured into one of Austria’s most compelling modernist voices, just before his life was cut tragically short at the age of 28. The Leopold Museum is a wonderful museum and I’m glad I finally had a chance to visit. **Zeiten des Umbruchs. Egon Schieles letzte Jahre: 1914-1918** is at the Leopold Museum in Vienna until 13 July 2025. ### L’art est dans la rue at the Musée d’Orsay URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/04/21/l-art-est-dans-la-rue-at-the-musee-d-orsay/ Last updated: 2025-05-05T17:47:40.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/art-dans-la-rue-musee-orsay-1.jpg) “L’art est dans la rue”, a colourful and well documented exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay, explores the rise of the illustrated poster, which came to dominate the streets of Paris during the second half of the 19th century. The exhibition brings together nearly 230 works by pioneering artists such as Jules Chéret, widely regarded as the father of the modern poster, Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre Bonnard and Alphonse Mucha. Surprisingly, this is the first ever comprehensive exhibition dedicated to 19th century poster art. Evidently I didn’t want to miss it. The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Amazingly, the collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France encompasses more than 100,000 illustrated posters. This is because by law a copy of every poster had to be deposited at the national library. The development of a new type of illustrated poster in the second half of the 19th century marked a radical shift in urban visual communication. Paris was at the centre of this transition. Due to advancements in lithographic printing posters could be made larger and, even more importantly, in colour. Once used for official announcements, posters transformed into a dynamic medium that not only promoted commercial products but also came to embody the spirit of modern life. As such the poster became a cornerstone of the Belle Époque, blending art with commerce, and capturing the changing pulse of society during a time of rapid urbanization which also saw the emergence of consumer culture. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/art-dans-la-rue-musee-orsay-3.jpg) Louis-Robert Carrier-Belleuse, **L'Étameur* (1882) This transformation turned posters into both celebrated art forms and contested elements of public space. While the artistic avant-garde embraced posters for their beauty and urban presence, others saw them as a visual intrusion on historic cityscapes. Meanwhile, the profession of the billposter became a cultural icon, reflecting the growing presence and importance of posters in everyday life. The booming popularity of posters reflected their dual function, as vehicles for mass advertising and as tools for shaping public imagination. The rise of illustrated posters as a means of visual communication coincided with the emergence of consumer culture, itself fueled by the industrial revolution. Posters played a major role in commercial advertising and were essential to the rise of department stores, tourism, and popular entertainment. Artists and advertisers began to target specific demographics, from men and women to children, tailoring visual messages to appeal to a growing consumer base. Major retail establishments used posters not only to advertise their products but also to cultivate a brand identity. I enjoyed seeing all those vintage posters advertising chocolate, milk and biscuits. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/art-dans-la-rue-musee-orsay-2.jpg) Artists like Alphonse Mucha and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec pushed the boundaries of poster design, with bold graphics and daring compositions. In the mid-1890s, at the height of her fame, [Sarah Bernhardt](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/28/sarah-bernhardt-et-la-femme-crea-la-star/), arguably the first superstar, commissioned Alphonse Mucha to create a series of posters, which have since become iconic. Théophile Alexandre Steinlen's poster for "Le Chat Noir" has similarly become iconic. During the 1890s posters also began to attract collectors giving rise to what became known as “poster mania”. A specialized market in illustrated posters emerged, with dealers, exhibitions and specially designed collectors items. Towards the end of the 19th century, posters evolved into platforms for political and social expression. Following the 1881 Freedom of the Press Act, the liberalization of public display laws allowed political posters to enter the streets. These posters addressed a wide spectrum of ideologies—from anarchist publications to far-right propaganda—and were designed to visually confront and engage passers-by. Artists such as Théophile Alexandre Steinlen and Jules Grandjouan created powerful compositions meant to stir emotion and political awareness. Posters thus became more than advertisements; they were statements of social commentary and tools of ideological mobilization during a time of growing public activism and political tension. By the turn of the century, the illustrated poster had firmly embedded itself in all facets of urban life, from art and commerce to politics and popular culture. The medium not only mirrored the changes of the industrial age but also helped shape how people experienced and understood the modern world. Posters adorned city walls, captured public attention, and documented shifting cultural values. They connected art with everyday life, turning streets into open-air galleries and public forums. Through both their aesthetic and functional power, posters reflected the optimism, contradictions, and complexities of the Belle Époque and early 20th-century France. **L’art est dans la rue (Art is in the Street)** is at the Musée d’Orsay until 6 July 2025. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/04/19/further-reading-106/ Last updated: 2025-08-18T08:36:20.000Z What are the best AI tools for research? [Nature’s guide](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00437-0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). And [another guide](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01069-0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) for choosing the right tool. How [event scripts](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-event-scripts-structure-our-personal-memories-20250221/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) structure our personal memories. This is what I referred to as schemas in my PhD thesis. A rare [interview with Rei Kawakubo](https://www.ft.com/content/5b62b43e-e4f2-42ca-943a-bfd2b06870c3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of Comme des Garçons. [James Meek in Greenland](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n07/james-meek/everything-is-possible?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I'm going in June/July 2025! The [most-cited papers](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01125-9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of the twenty-first century. [Interview with Chris Ware](https://www.ft.com/content/a968ab7f-fed8-490f-a475-7fda749dec07?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Evaluating animal consciousness](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp4990?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). An emerging field shows how animal feelings can be studied scientifically. [Biggest brain map ever](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01088-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) details huge number of neurons and their activity. On [Nan Goldin](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n03/lucie-elven/screaming-in-the-streets?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The MTA’s [new redesign](https://www.nybooks.com/online/2025/04/18/spaghetti-underground-subway-maps/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of the New York City subway map is the latest of many attempts to capture the sprawling network on paper. [Inside arXiv](https://www.wired.com/story/inside-arxiv-most-transformative-code-science/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)—the most transformative platform in all of science. When pigeons outnumber pigeonholes, some birds must double up. This obvious statement — and its inverse — have [deep connections](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-a-problem-about-pigeons-powers-complexity-theory-20250404/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to many areas of math and computer science. Are we taking AI [seriously enough](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/open-questions/are-we-taking-ai-seriously-enough??ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? How to [survive the AI revolution](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/04/21/how-to-survive-the-ai-revolution?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Same magazine as the article link above! How [fridges and freezers](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n03/bee-wilson/artificial-cryosphere?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) influence what we eat. The behavioral mechanisms governing [collective motion in swarming locusts](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq7832?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Nearly 20 years ago, a study of collective motion in locusts published in *Science* concluded that animals moving collectively do so in a way similar to particles. Sayin et al., including authors of the original study, combined field and laboratory studies and found that locusts, and likely also other animals moving collectively, do not follow a 'self-propelled' particle model." The [people who still use typewriters](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250321-the-people-who-still-use-typewriters?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Intermittent fasting](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00895-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) has gained a following, in part because of tantalizing hints that it can boost cognition, fend off cancer and even slow ageing. I've tried it a couple of years ago after reading a similar article, but I gave up after a few weeks. [Review](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n03/vincent-bevins/operation-product?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Revolusi. Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World* by David van Reybrouck. An excellent book best read in conjunction with *The Act of Killing* and *The Look of Silence* by Joshua Oppenheimer, two superb documentary films about the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-66, which Reybrouck does not cover in his book. [The price of American “safety”](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/03/13/the-price-of-american-safety-afghanistan/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A number of new books recount the horror America created and then left in Afghanistan. Can anyone grasp the realities of occupation and the “war on terror” if they haven’t been on their receiving end? ### Wes Anderson at the Cinémathèque Française URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/04/06/wes-anderson-at-the-cinematheque-francaise/ Last updated: 2026-01-15T18:47:56.000Z Wes Anderson is known for his highly distinctive visual style and his attention to detail. Every scene is carefully composed, every prop purposefully designed. This is what I like about his work. When Anderson wanted to reshoot some scenes for his first feature length film, *Bottle Rocket*, the production company told him that all the film’s props had been sold off. From that moment on Anderson decided to hold on to the props for all of his films. A selection of these items is currently on show at the Cinémathèque française in Paris, from the costumes in *The Royal Tenenbaums* and a map of the island of New Penzance in *Moonrise Kingdom* to the telegrams and the police report from *The Grand Budapest Hotel*. The exhibition is a treasure trove for Wes Anderson fans. I enjoyed seeing the fictional covers for *The French Dispatch* and the equally fictional books and magazines from *The Royal Tenenbaums*, *The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou* and *Moonrise Kingdom*. There are storyboards, preparatory sketches and models. The exhibition is chronologically organized and also includes excerpts from each film. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/wes-anderson-cinematheque-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/wes-anderson-cinematheque-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/wes-anderson-cinematheque-7.jpg) One of the highlights of the exhibition is the model of the Grand Budapest Hotel used in the film’s opening scene. Another highlight is “Boy with Apple” by Johannes van Hoytl the Younger, also from *The Grand Budapest Hotel*, which was painted by British artist Michael Taylor. Also included are Sam’s paintings of Suzy and American landscapes from *Moonrise Kingdom*, which were painted by Ashar Liftin, a student at St. Anne’s middle school in Brooklyn. Ahead of the shoot, a search was conducted to find a 12 year old who could paint Sam’s watercolours. This is what I love about Wes Anderson. ![Wes Anderson Cinémathèque française](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/wes-anderson-cinematheque-2.jpg) Some of the actual puppets from **Fantastic Mr. Fox* I particularly enjoyed seeing the actual puppets that were used in *Fantastic Mr. Fox*, Wes Anderson’s first stop motion animation film. Anderson insisted on using real trees for the set design and real animal fibers for the puppets’ fur and whiskers. The investment paid off and *Fantastic Mr. Fox* is now regarded as one of Anderson’s most accomplished films. It’s a wonderful exhibition and I wish I had lingered longer. With hindsight going on a Saturday afternoon was not such a good idea. I had to queue for almost 40 minutes before I could enter. I therefore recommend arriving 30 minutes before your reserved time slot. When I visited the catalogue was not available yet, but it is due out soon. By the way, in case you have never been there, I highly recommend adding some extra time to visit the permanent collection of the Cinémathèque française. **Wes Anderson** is at the Cinémathèque française in Paris until 27 July 2025\. The exhibition will travel on to the Design Museum in London where it will be on show from 21 November 2025 until 26 July 2026. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/wes-anderson-cinematheque-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/wes-anderson-cinematheque-6.jpg) Sketches for **The Darjeeling Limited* ### Links If you're a Wes Anderson fan and have some money to spare, the Criterion Collection is releasing a boxset: [The Wes Anderson Archive: Ten Films, Twenty-Five Years](https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/8208-the-wes-anderson-archive-ten-films-twenty-five-years?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Au Fil de l’Or at the Musée du Quai Branly URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/04/05/au-fil-de-l-or-at-the-musee-du-quai-branly/ Last updated: 2025-08-10T11:32:18.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/au-fil-or-quai-branly-1.jpg) The exhibition “Au Fil de l’Or” (Golden Thread) at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris explores the historical and cultural significance of gold in fashion. Spanning millennia and continents, from ancient Rome to modern China by way of Algeria and India, it showcases how gold has been integrated into textiles to symbolize power, prestige and artistry. The exhibition includes more than 300 objects, among them the oldest known examples of gold used in fashion: gold appliqués from 5,000 B.C. from the Bulgarian city of Varna and a braid from what is now Syria that dates back to 3,000 B.C. While the exhibition centers on gold itself, it expands the concept of “golden” by including visually similar materials. These include natural golden-colored silk from Cambodia, sea silk derived from Mediterranean clams, and 20th-century synthetic fibers like Lurex. The exhibition thus highlights humanity’s long-standing fascination with gold's glittering quality. Designers and artisans through the ages, from Roman and Byzantine weavers to Chinese and Persian artisans, developed increasingly sophisticated techniques to incorporate gold into fabrics. Gold was not just a decoration but a symbol of luxury and power, reserved for elites and used to create intricate garments. These traditions are echoed in garments from regions including India, Indonesia, the Middle East and Japan, illustrating the global nature of gold's appeal in textile arts. The exhibition also includes some iconic haute couture creations by some of the biggest names in fashion including a 1996 dress by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel and an ensemble from 2004 by John Galliano for Dior. Interspersed throughout the exhibition are 14 spectacular creations by Beijing-based designer Guo Pei. Her designs, including an intricately embroidered Chinese bridal gown and a gold-threaded silk evening dress requiring over 20,000 hours of work, bridge the past and present in dramatic fashion. The final section of the exhibition honors the renowned embroidery house Lesage, showcasing about 50 embroidered pieces created for top fashion houses like Yves Saint-Laurent, Balenciaga and Givenchy. These works not only celebrate French haute couture but also reflect global influences in their techniques and designs. "Au Fil de L’Or" is a fascinating and informative exhibition. Having recently visited the spectacular [Dolce & Gabbana exhibition](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/29/dolce-gabbana-at-the-grand-palais/) at the Grand Palais I enjoyed learning more about the history of gold in fashion and how those gold threads are actually made. **Au Fil de L’Or. L'art de se vêtir de l'Orient au Soleil-Levant** is at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris until 6 July 2025. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/05/au-fil-or-quai-branly-2.jpg) A creation by Guo Pei ### Links [Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/28/iris-van-herpen-sculpting-the-senses/) at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. [Dolce & Gabbana. Du Coeur à la Main ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/29/dolce-gabbana-at-the-grand-palais/)at the Grand Palais in Paris. ### Artemisia Gentileschi at the Musée Jacquemart-André URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/04/04/artemisia-gentileschi-at-the-musee-jacquemart-andre/ Last updated: 2025-04-14T19:46:19.000Z I had missed the large Artemisia Gentileschi retrospective at the National Gallery in London in 2020 because of the pandemic so I rejoiced when I read that the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris would honour her with a solo exhibition. Artemisia Gentileschi (1593- circa 1656) was born in Rome, the daughter of the painter Orazio Gentileschi and his wife Prudenzia Montoni. Her father taught her how to draw and paint and before long she overshadowed her father, as can be seen in her first dated painting, “Susanna and the Elders” (1610), which perfectly captures the feelings of Susanna as she is being encroached upon by the two elderly men. Artemisia’s paintings have far greater emotional depth than her father’s, which look static by comparison. Just look at Artemisia’s rendition of “Judith and her Servant” and the way Judith places a hand on her servant’s shoulder. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/artemisia-jacquemart-andre-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/artemisia-jacquemart-andre-3.jpg) “Judith and her Servant”, Orazio Gentileschi (left) and Artemisia Gentileschi (right) In 1613, Artemisia Gentileschi moved to Florence where she would receive her first commissions from Cosimo di Medici II. It was here, too, that she learned to read and write and befriended Galileo, among others. In 1620, she and her husband moved back to Rome, where she would live until 1626\. After a brief spell in Venice, having separated from her husband, she settled in Naples, where she commanded her own painting workshop and realized several large canvases. In 1638, she travelled to London to rejoin her father who had been commissioned to paint the ceiling for the Queen’s house in Greenwich. While in London Artemisia received various commissions from the Royal family, including the amazing “Allegory of Painting” (1638), which unfortunately is not included in the exhibition. Following the death of her father, in 1639, she returned to Naples. Widely recognized during her lifetime, Artemisia Gentileschi disappeared into oblivion during the 18th and 19th century, with most of her works relegated to the archives. It wasn’t until the 1970s that her work was rediscovered. She was turned into a feminist icon, as one of the first female painters, and in recent years a number of paintings have been newly attributed to her. It is only now that Artemisia Gentileschi is recognized for what she is: a superstar who can hold her own next to Caravaggio, Rubens and Ribera. A few years ago the blood spattered “Judith Slaying Holofernes” (1612-1617) from the collection of the Museo di Capodimonte was one of the highlights of the [Naples in Paris](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/16/naples-in-paris-at-the-louvre/) exhibition at the Louvre. In my brief biographical sketch I deliberately left out one all important event, which also bears upon the interpretation of her work. In 1611, Artemisia Gentileschi was raped by a friend of her father, the painter Agostino Tassi, whom he had hired to teach his daughter perspective. Her father filed a complaint against Tassi, but during the trial it was Artemisia who was tortured by having thumb-screws applied to both of her hands, as was common at the time to make sure that the victim wasn’t lying. Artemisia didn’t relent and Tassi was convicted, but unfortunately he got off lightly. It is difficult, if not impossible, not to interpret Artemisia Gentileschi’s work in light of this event. But it would also do her injustice. For judging by her remarkable career she was able to rise above the abuse and the physical violation that she had had to endure. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/artemisia-jacquemart-andre-4.jpg) Artemisia Gentileschi, “Self-Portrait as a Lute Player” (1614-15) Artemisia Gentileschi painted several self-portraits, which sometimes show her sensual, as in the wonderful “Self-Portrait as a Lute Player” (1614-15), but always self-assured. I cannot help but recognize Artemisia in some of the biblical and mythological scenes that she painted throughout her life. I wouldn’t be surprised if she surreptitiously incorporated some of her own facial features in these portraits. Just look at “Clio. Muse of History (1632). Artemisia subtly signed the painting by including her own name in the open book to Clio’s side. “Artemisia. Heroine of Art” is an excellent exhibition, but the Musée Jacquemart-André is a small, albeit wonderful, museum and I so wish I had been able to visit the retrospective at the National Gallery. **Artemisia. Héroine de l’art** is at the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris until 3 August 2025. ### Links [Masterpieces from the Galleria Borghese](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/01/masterpieces-from-the-galleria-borghese-at-the-musee-jacquemart-andre/) at the Musée Jacquemart-André. ### Dolce & Gabbana at the Grand Palais URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/29/dolce-gabbana-at-the-grand-palais/ Last updated: 2025-08-10T11:27:59.000Z ![Dolce & Gabbana, Grand Palais](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/dolce-gabbana-grand-palais-1.jpg) The wonderful first room at the Dolce & Gabbana exhibition at the Grand Palais I’m not a big fan of Dolce & Gabbana, but the exhibition “Du Coeur à la Main” at the Grand Palais is nothing short of phenomenal and definitely one of the best shows of the year. The exhibition brings together 200 creations from Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda and Alta Sartoria collections and some 300 accessories as well as over 100 artworks that were custom made for the exhibition. The works are displayed in ten immersive rooms spread out over three floors of the Grand Palais. The scenography for each room is spectacular and designed around themes such as Architecture and Artists; Sicilian Traditions; White Baroque; The Leopard and Opera. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/dolce-gabbana-grand-palais-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/dolce-gabbana-grand-palais-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/dolce-gabbana-grand-palais-4.jpg) All of this is opulent, decadent, postmodern, you name it. It succeeds because it is so completely over the top and so exceptionally well executed. The exhibition is also a rare opportunity to see the designs from Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda collections from up close. I LOVED seeing the immaculate craftsmanship that goes into their intricate creations. I can only begin to imagine how many hours go into making any of these dresses. ![Dolce & Gabbana, Grand Palais](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/dolce-gabbana-grand-palais-5.jpg) The workshop at the Dolce & Gabbana exhibition at the Grand Palais One of my favorite rooms was a recreation of one of Dolce & Gabbana’s workshops, complete with drawings, models, fabrics, pins and ironing boards. I also loved the colorful Sicily themed room and the extravagant Architecture and Artists room. The exhibition is a love letter to Italian art and culture. I can’t think of a better country promotion. I now want to visit Sicily and Puglia and immerse myself in Italian culture. **Dolce & Gabbana. Du Coeur à la Main** is at the Grand Palais in Paris until 2 April 2025\. After Milan and Paris the exhibition will continue its global tour, but the next stops are kept secret. **Update**: the exhibition is at the Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome, Italy until 13 August 2025. ### Links [Thierry Mugler Couturissime](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/10/26/thierry-mugler-couturissime/) at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam. [1997 Fashion Big Bang](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/1997-fashion-big-bang/) at the Palais Galliera in Paris. [Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/28/iris-van-herpen-sculpting-the-senses/) at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. ### The Face Magazine at the National Portrait Gallery URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/21/the-face-magazine-at-the-national-portrait-gallery/ Last updated: 2025-08-10T11:34:52.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/the-face-exhibition-1.jpg) The National Portrait Gallery in London has organized an exhibition featuring over 200 photographs from the legendary British culture and style magazine The Face. During the 1980s and 90s the magazine was known for its bold design and typography and its ground breaking fashion editorials. Unlike other magazines The Face gave photographers and stylists considerable freedom of expression, which made it a magnet for talent. Many of today’s leading photographers, from Nick Knight to Juergen Teller, started out at The Face. Some of the magazine’s photo shoots have since become the stuff of legend, such as the work of photographer Corinne Day and stylist Melanie Ward, which launched the career of Kate Moss and a generation of British models. The Face ran between 1980 and 2004, but its heydays were during the late 1980s until the mid 1990s, which coincided with my student years. I would buy an issue whenever it featured some stories that I couldn’t live without. In fact, I still have some lying around somewhere. In the early 1990s London was the place to be and The Face kept track of what was happening in fashion, music, art and design. I wanted to be part of that world, which is why I moved to London in 1994\. The exhibition therefore filled me with a sense of nostalgia. I was never much of a clubber and I’ve never been to a rave, but I did visit countless gallery shows and events at the ICA, the Serpentine Gallery, the Whitechapel Gallery and so on. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/the-face-exhibition-2.jpg) Some time around 1994, while browsing magazines at a bookshop in London, I discovered the work of David Carson and [RAYGUN](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/06/09/raygun-the-bible-of-music-and-style/), which briefly took over the helm as the most innovative magazine of music and style. In the age of Instagram and TikTok influencers it may sound odd that there once was a time when magazines reigned supreme. But if I look at what’s possible with the latest generation of video and image generating algorithms the age of influencers may already be coming to an end and without leaving a record. The Face Magazine: Culture Shift is a must-see exhibition and a trip down memory lane if you grew up in the 80s and 90s. If you can’t make it to the exhibition, it comes with a lushly illustrated catalogue that you can buy from your favorite (local) bookstore. **The Face Magazine: Culture Shift** is at the National Portrait Gallery in London until 18 May 2025. ### Links [The 80s. Fashion, Design and Graphic Design in France](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/01/13/the-80s-fashion-design-and-graphic-design-in-france/). [RAYGUN. The Bible of Music and Style](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/06/09/raygun-the-bible-of-music-and-style/). [1997 Fashion Big Bang](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/1997-fashion-big-bang/) at the Palais Galliera in Paris. ### Goya to Impressionism at the Courtauld Gallery URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/20/goya-to-impressionism-at-the-courtauld-gallery/ Last updated: 2025-03-30T19:23:16.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/03/goya-impressionism-courtauld-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/03/goya-impressionism-courtauld-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/03/goya-impressionism-courtauld-4.jpg) The Oskar Reinhart Collection ‘Am Römerholz’ in Winterthur is closed for renovation and so a selection of works is currently on show at the Courtauld Gallery in London. It’s a small exhibition, occupying only two rooms, but the works nicely complement the Courtauld’s own collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. As a matter of fact I would have preferred if the paintings had been organized into a single exhibition. At [Naples in Paris](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/16/naples-in-paris-at-the-louvre/) masterpieces from the Museo di Capodimonte were hung among works from the Louvre’s own collection, which I thought worked really well. A similar set-up might have worked here as well. Samuel Courtauld and Oskar Reinhart started building their collection at more or less the same time with Courtauld also acquiring works for the National Gallery. The exhibition opens with a wonderful painting by Francisco Goya of three salmon steaks. With its bold reds against a black background it prefigures Manet. It hangs next to a painting of a large wave crashing upon rocks by Gustave Courbet. It reminded me of Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” (1831), which I think is the more iconic of the two. One of the highlights of the exhibition is “La Débâcle” (The Break-up of Ice on the Seine) (1880-81) by Claude Monet. The ice floes and the poplars are painted in almost abstract brushstrokes. It is a beautiful rendition of a tranquil winter’s day in the country. Another highlight is “Au Café” (1878) by Édouard Manet. In 1877, Manet began work on a large painting of the interior of the Café de Reichshoffen in Paris. Dissatisfied with the composition he cut the canvas in two and reworked both halves. The left side became “Au Café” and was eventually purchased by Oskar Reinhart, the right side became “Corner of a Café-Concert” and was acquired by the National Gallery with funds provided by Samuel Courtauld. It would have been nice if the Courtauld Gallery had borrowed it for the occasion so that both paintings could be viewed side by side. It so happened that I had just seen it at the National Gallery and had taken a snapshot and bought the postcard, which was a happy coincidence. I was also delighted to see two paintings by Vincent van Gogh that I only knew from reproductions, “The Courtyard of the Hospital at Arles” (1889) and “The Ward in the Hospital at Arles” (1889). Both were painted when Van Gogh was interned at the hospital in Arles after suffering a mental health crisis. They thus resonate with “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear” (1889) in the Courtauld’s own collection, which Van Gogh painted shortly after leaving the hospital. The exhibition includes several other wonderful paintings, such as “The Clown Cha-U-Kao” (1895) by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and “Girl Reading” (1850-55) by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. I’m only mentioning the ones that stood out to me. The exhibition also includes works by Renoir, Cezanne and Picasso. I also enjoyed visiting the Courtauld Gallery’s permanent collection. August 2024, I slightly panicked when I read that a fire had broken out in the West Wing of Somerset House, which is also home to the Courtauld Gallery, but fortunately a disaster was narrowly avoided. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/03/goya-impressionism-courtauld-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/03/goya-impressionism-courtauld-6.jpg) Claude Monet, Vase of Flowers (left, detail right) One of the highlights is “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère” (1882) by Édouard Manet. I also liked a painting of a bouquet of mallows by Monet, which he actually began in the early 1880s, but having set it aside, only finished around 1920\. I always enjoy seeing how a bouquet of flowers emerges from what look like random brushstrokes from up close. If you haven't visited the Oskar Reinhart collection, like myself, and if you haven't visited the Courtauld Gallery in a while, again like myself, this is an unmissable opportunity to see a large selection of wonderful impressionist and post-impressionist paintings. **Goya to Impressionism. Masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection** is at the Courtauld Gallery in London until 26 May 2025. ### Picasso. Printmaker at the British Museum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/20/picasso-printmaker-at-the-british-museum/ Last updated: 2025-08-10T19:01:07.000Z It’s been years since I last visited the British Museum. In fact, I don’t recall visiting since the opening of the Great Court designed by Foster and Partners in 2000\. I greatly enjoyed seeing the huge collection of archaeological treasures from ancient Egypt and the Middle East. Even on a weekday morning it was crowded with tourists with babies in buggies and numerous school groups. For some reason the British Museum holds the UK's largest and most representative collection of prints by Picasso, a selection of which was on show in one of the rooms on the upper floor during my visit. The museum didn’t collect Picasso while he was alive, because it was thought “undesirable to spend public money purchasing work by living artists”. After his death it began to purchase numerous etchings, lithographs and other prints. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/03/picasso-british-museum-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/03/picasso-british-museum-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/03/picasso-british-museum-4.jpg) Picasso: "Man with Dog" (1915) (left), "Painter and the Model Knitting" (1927) (middle), "Self-portrait transposed and duplicated dreaming of the circus, with Jacqueline as a ball acrobat" (1968) (right) It is always a pleasure to visit a Picasso exhibition: he is such a prolific artist. The exhibition is chronologically organized starting with images from 1904 and ending with a series of variations on the theme of Raphael and La Fornarina from the late 1960s. Picasso experimented with a variety of printmaking techniques, from etchings and lithographs to linocuts and aquatints. Stylistically, Picasso veered from classicism to cubism and surrealism and back. I always find it interesting to see that even at his most cubist, Picasso’s images are never fully abstract, they always contain some recognizable details. And if you look closely you can even begin to recognize the composition. Picasso’s illustrations for an edition of Honoré de Balzac’s *The Unknown Masterpiece* are a perfect showcase for his artistic genius (middle above). The novel tells the story of a painter, who spends 10 years working on a potential masterpiece only to destroy it in a confused mass of lines upon finding the perfect model. Picasso would return to the theme throughout his life. I actually find the prints that Picasso made towards the end of his life more interesting than the paintings from the same period. Whereas the latter show an artist well past his prime, the former show an artist playfully revisiting old themes. **Picasso. Printmaker** is at the British Museum through 30 March 2025. ### Links [Maya Ruiz-Picasso. Daughter of Pablo](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/11/05/maya-ruiz-picasso-daughter-of-pablo/) at the Musée Picasso in Paris. [Picasso and El Greco at the Kunstmuseum Basel](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/08/28/picasso-and-el-greco/). [Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso at the Musée du Luxembourg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/18/gertrude-stein-and-pablo-picasso-at-the-musee-du-luxembourg/) in Paris. ### Siena: The Rise of Painting at the National Gallery URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/19/siena-the-rise-of-painting-at-the-national-gallery/ Last updated: 2025-04-27T09:54:48.000Z I had been looking forward to the National Gallery’s exhibition “Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350” after reading rave reviews when it was on show at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Siena: The Rise of Painting” is a rare celebration of early Italian religious art, offering both visual beauty and profound scholarly achievement. At a time when many museums shy away from displaying overtly Christian art, this exhibition embraces its devotional nature. It reminds visitors that such works were intended to engage viewers in a reciprocal, spiritual relationship, an experience the National Gallery enhances through a powerful, theatrical display of gilded altarpieces against dark backgrounds. Here, Siena steps out from Florence’s long shadow, reclaiming its place in the history of Western art. Siena’s Gothic style, often dismissed as primitive, reveals itself instead as a language rich in complexity and emotion. I am the first to admit that in order to discover this richness you have to look closely and carefully, something for which many visitors, myself included, often don’t take the time. The exhibition opens by contrasting three images of the Virgin and Child, juxtaposing a severe Byzantine Virgin and a delicate French ivory carving with a painting by Duccio di Buoninsegna. Duccio, blending influences from Constantinople, Paris, and Italy, emerges as a major innovator, leading Siena’s artistic golden age until the Black Death’s devastation. His emotional and daring works trace the birth of a uniquely Sienese sensibility. Central to Duccio’s legacy is the Maestà, a monumental altarpiece once installed in the Siena Cathedral, which has been partially reassembled for the exhibition. The restored panels, alive with vivid narrative scenes from Christ’s life, showcase a fusion of Byzantine glitter and early Renaissance naturalism. Duccio’s innovations inspired contemporaries like Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti and Simone Martini, who expanded narrative painting’s emotional and spatial sophistication, each adding their distinctive voice to Siena’s flourishing visual language. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/siena-rise-painting-4.jpg) Ambrogio Lorenzetti, "The Annunciation" (1344). Notice how both Gabriel's and Mary's words emanate from their lips. Among these, Simone Martini stands out with his eye for visual drama, as seen in works like his Annunciation and the Orsini Polyptych, where Mary Magdalene’s grief is almost physically tangible. Yet Martini also reveals a sly humor in paintings like Christ Discovered in the Temple, humanizing biblical scenes with relatable emotion and wit. His nuanced storytelling, moving between sorrow and comedy, shows the remarkable breadth of Sienese artistry at the time. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/siena-rise-painting-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/04/siena-rise-painting-3.jpg) Ambrogio Lorenzetti: Saint Nicholas Gives Dowries to Three Maidens (top left), The Choice and Consecration of Saint Nicholas as Bishop of Myra (bottom left), Saint Nicholas Resusciates a Boy Strangled by the Devil (top right), Saint Nicholas and the Grain Ships (bottom right) (1332-34). I love these comics avant la lettre. My favourite work in the exhibition is a diptych by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. One of panels shows Saint Nicholas intervening in the tale of a child strangled by a clawed devil disguised as a pilgrim. The boy breathes, chokes, lies dead and revives all in one scene as Ambrogio experiments with depicting a narrative arc in a single panel. In this painting Ambrogio rivals many contemporary comic book artists in inventiveness. Through Duccio’s compassionate details, Simone’s theatrical flair, and the Lorenzettis' innovations, “Siena: The Rise of Painting” reveals a brief, golden period when art pulsed with human emotion, divine mystery, and imaginative vigor. Tragically, this flowering was cut short by the Black Death, which decimated Siena’s population and stilled its vibrant streets. What remains, gathered miraculously in this exhibition, is a testament to an era when painting first began to truly capture the fullness of life. **Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350** is at the National Gallery, London until 22 June 2025. ### Links On a road trip through [Tuscany](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tuscany/) and Umbria I also made a brief stop in [Siena](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/siena/) to visit the cathedral and wander the streets and alleys of the old city centre. ### Mickalene Thomas at the Hayward Gallery URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/18/mickalene-thomas-at-the-hayward-gallery/ Last updated: 2025-03-30T16:00:32.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/03/mickalene-thomas-hayward-gallery-2.jpg) I enjoyed seeing Mickalene Thomas’s joyful exuberant paintings at the [Pop Forever. Tom Wesselman & …](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/24/tom-wesselmann-at-the-fondation-louis-vuitton/) exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton and at [When We See Us at the Kunstmuseum Basel](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/07/21/when-we-see-us-at-the-kunstmuseum-basel/). So when I read that she would have a solo show at London’s Hayward Gallery I immediately added it to my list. Mickalene Thomas’s lavish mixed-media paintings are a celebration of joy and Black Identity. Her monumental portraits of black women are painted in bold colours and sometimes adorned with sparkling rhinestones. Her models all look glamorous and self-assured if not outright triumphant. Thomas frequently uses collage as a compositional technique, which makes her work look fresh. Many of her panels have rounded corners, a significant detail that is easily overlooked. Some of Thomas’s works reinterpret iconic scenes from European art history, such as “Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe” (1862) by Édouard Manet and “Le Sommeil” (1866) by Gustave Courbet, as a way of reinserting Black women into art history. I get the point but I have now seen it a bit too often. The exhibition borrows its title from a book by the American academic and social and political activist bell hooks, *all about love. new visions* (1999), in which she emphasizes the importance of experiencing different kinds of love, parental love, romantic love, communal love and so on. This is probably why Thomas has recreated two domestic scenes complete with carpets, furniture and 1970s disco. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/03/mickalene-thomas-hayward-gallery-3.jpg) One of my favorite works in the show is from a recent series of paintings, which explore anger rather than love, centering on Civil Rights activism in the United States from the 1960s to the present. “Guernica Detail (Resist #7) (2021) is an intricate collage of U.S. Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter protests overlaid with fragments from Picasso’s “Guernica” (1937) showing echoes from the past in the present. But perhaps the paintings elsewhere in the show exhibiting pleasure and joy are the most powerful form of protest. Even though there were some rooms that I merely glossed over and even though not all works are as strong, Mickalene Thomas has created a signature style and that itself is a form of praise in today's contemporary art world. **Mickalene Thomas. All About Love** is at the Hayward Gallery in London until 5 May 2025. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/02/14/further-reading-105/ Last updated: 2025-02-14T10:03:13.000Z [Your brain is full of microplastics](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00405-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): are they harming you? [Fragments of the asteroid Bennu](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00264-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), carefully collected and ferried to Earth by a robotic spacecraft, contain the building blocks for life. On [Jean Tinguely](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n02/daniel-soar/on-jean-tinguely?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Cosmologists try a new way to [measure the shape of the universe](https://www.quantamagazine.org/cosmologists-try-a-new-way-to-measure-the-shape-of-the-universe-20250127/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). This is a subject that has long fascinated me. Indeed the question of space was the subject of my Master’s thesis in Philosophy. Recent results show that [large language models struggle with compositional tasks](https://www.quantamagazine.org/chatbot-software-begins-to-face-fundamental-limitations-20250131/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), suggesting a hard limit to their abilities. Crowds suck people into a [vortex](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00373-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). James Gleick [reviews](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/02/27/the-prophet-business-century-of-tomorrows-adamson/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *A Century of Tomorrows: How Imagining the Future Shapes the Present* by Glenn Adamson. This study explains the physics and mathematics of [how and why a hula hoop can be suspended against gravity](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2411588121?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Is Ockham’s razor losing its edge](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2401230121?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? New perspectives on the principle of model parsimony. Are the Internet and AI affecting our memory? [What the science says](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00292-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Ten wisdoms](https://www.ft.com/content/7d3fdb75-f7e0-45fa-b2d9-12c4643739cf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of Yohji Yamamoto. If you had to store something digitally for 100 years, [how would you do it](https://lil.law.harvard.edu/century-scale-storage/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? [Interview](https://www.ft.com/content/1526ce4c-c8f0-48ab-9aa9-b52741902959?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Shigeru Ban. Patricia Lockwood [among the mystics](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n01/patricia-lockwood/that-shape-am-i?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [New book-sorting algorithm](https://www.quantamagazine.org/new-book-sorting-algorithm-almost-reaches-perfection-20250124/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) almost reaches perfection. I have my books sorted in a way that makes perfect sense to me: favourite books, books that I consult frequently, books that I purchased recently, philosophy, mathematics, science, sociology, economics, architecture, design, general non-fiction, British, American and Irish novels, novels in German and French, novels in translation by country. And I can instantly find any book I'm looking for! An [exhibition](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/02/13/urgent-messages-from-eternity-franz-kafka/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of Franz Kafka’s postcards, letters, and manuscript pages rekindles our sense of him as a writer deeply connected to his own time and place. A new proof marks the first progress in decades on important cases of the so-called [kissing problem](https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-discover-new-way-for-spheres-to-kiss-20250115/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). John Banville on [the enduring mystery of "Las Meninas](https://www.ft.com/content/7b6fc0fb-35c7-4af6-9b21-96f1848f4966?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)". For two generations Sienese painters and sculptors engaged in [a nonstop flurry of experimentation and innovation](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/02/13/a-half-century-of-artistic-genius-siena-the-rise-of-painting/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The idea that living beings have no free will might sound scientific today, but [it remains as dogmatic as it has always been](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/02/13/turtles-all-the-way-up-determined-robert-sapolsky/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The return of the (original) [celebrity philosophers](https://www.ft.com/content/7db1137d-a13d-4c35-aaaa-5c5666b3a1e8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Los Angeles has never seen [this level of destruction](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-10/the-destruction-in-pacific-palisades-is-at-a-level-los-angeles-has-never-seen-everything-is-burned-down?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Los Angeles will forever have a special place in my heart so this hurts. ### The Best Classical Music YouTube Channels URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/02/09/the-best-classical-music-youtube-channels/ Last updated: 2026-05-26T20:18:02.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/02/nsmbl-ntrcntmprn-15.jpg) I recently discovered some great classical concert channels on YouTube so I thought I’d share the links here. Of course it helps if you’ve got good desktop speakers — I have the KEF LSX II, which I’m very happy with — or good headphones. All of these are public broadcasting channels, so the concerts are uninterrupted by commercials. If only more orchestras would upload their concerts to YouTube. The Berliner Philharmoniker, the New York, Boston, London etc. Philharmonic only upload short snippets. If an institution is publicly funded, whether an orchestra or a theatre company, its performances should be recorded and made publicly available, for the record and to allow people who cannot make it to the event to see or hear it. So much new music by contemporary composers is only performed a couple of times to then disappear into oblivion. I've seen many amazing dance, theatre and opera productions, which future generations and people in other countries cannot take note of, because they were not recorded and if they were, they're not available online, which is a real shame. Of course, I highly recommend attending a concert if you can, even though I don’t do so myself as often as I wish. If you’ve never been to a concert you don’t know how a grand piano, a violin, a cello, a string quartet or an orchestra really sounds. A grand piano or a violin can fill an entire concert hall. That should tell you something. Anyway, here goes... [**France Musique concerts**](https://www.youtube.com/@francemusiqueconcerts/videos?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Possibly my favourite YouTube channel for classical concerts. A mix of canonical and contemporary works. I was delighted to find this recording of Portulan, a chamber music cycle by Tristan Murail. I own the cd, but this concert actually includes two additional compositions. [**hr-Sinfonieorchester / Frankfurt Radio Symphony**](https://www.youtube.com/@hrSinfonieorchester/videos?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). High quality recordings of popular classics: Beethoven, Schubert, Dvorak, Bach, Bartok, Mozart, Strauss, Sibelius, Brahms and so on. Also included is this awesome integral performance of *Les espaces acoustiques* by Gérard Grisey, one of the masterpieces of the late twentieth century. [**AVROTROS Klassiek**](https://www.youtube.com/@AVROTROSKlassiek/videos?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Wonderful recordings from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam (incl. Brahms, Sibelius, Grieg, Rachmaninoff, Dvorak, Mozart, Beethoven, Elgar and more) as well as a rich selection of recordings from the International Chamber Music Festival in Utrecht including several performances by the amazing Janine Jansen. [**Ensemble Intercontemporain**](https://www.youtube.com/@ensembleinter/videos?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The YouTube channel of my favourite contemporary music ensemble also features some concerts by Stockhausen, Lachenmann, Reich, Varèse, Crumb, Ives, Ligeti and of course Pierre Boulez. [**Ensemble Musikfabrik**](https://www.youtube.com/@EnsembleMusikfabrik/videos?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) also has a YouTube channel with some performances of Cage, Xenakis, Feldman and others including this gem by Enno Poppe. It's also available on cd. [**ARD Klassik**](https://www.youtube.com/@ARDKlassik/videos?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The various German public broadcasting channels, NDR, WDR and SWR, recently merged their classical music YouTube channels. It features superb concerts by all the usual suspects (Mahler, Beethoven, Haydn, Brahms, Bruckner, Stravinsky, Schumann, Ravel etc.), but also American composers such as Gershwin, Copland and Bernstein). Here's a recording of John Adams' "Fearful Symmetries". The YouTube channel of the [**Göteborgs Symfoniker**](https://www.youtube.com/@G%C3%B6teborgs%5FSymfoniker/videos?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) now also includes recordings of full performances (Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Scandinavian composers such as Nielsen and Hillborg). Barbara Hannigan is first guest conductor. Not a YouTube channel, but on the website of the [**Philharmonie de Paris**](https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/live/concerts?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) you can find recordings of hundreds of concerts, — classical, jazz, world and even metal —, including [this wonderful concert](https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/live/concert/1175065-anniversaire-boulez?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by the Ensemble Intercontemporain as part of the Pierre Boulez centenary. And if you have five hours to spare you can listen to a recording of ["Sontag aus Licht" by Karlheinz Stockhausen](https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/live/concert/1178689-karlheinz-stockhausen-sonntag-aus-licht?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). If you subscribe to YouTube Premium, use Brave as your browser or have Adblocker installed I highly recommend [**gɹinblat**](https://www.youtube.com/@g%5Finblat/videos?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and sister channel [**grinblɐt**](https://www.youtube.com/@grinbl%5Ft/videos?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), otherwise the concert will be interrupted by commercials, which is supremely annoying. Both are wonderful channels for discovering new music. ### Assorted Links [Anna Thorvaldsdóttir: Catamorphosis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37uLuacX7Jg&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by the NDR Elbphilharmonie. [Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTlWUOllZsA&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by the London Symphony Orchestra. [Yuja Wang plays Schumann's "The Smuggler"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMxmNm2xnTk&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Yuja Wang plays Philip Glass' "Études: No. 6"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJkeKmtLnDY&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Ludwig Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSvZY3-geaE&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Beatrice Rana and the London Symphony Orchestra. ### The Year in Review: 2024 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/12/31/the-year-in-review-2024/ Last updated: 2025-01-01T15:22:37.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/bourouissa-palais-tokyo-1.jpg) Mohamed Bourouissa at the Palais de Tokyo 2024 was an inspiring year in which I visited a number of fascinating exhibitions. Despite some lengthy books I managed to reach my target of one book per week on average. Below I've listed some of the stand-out books that I read. The full list is [here](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/almost-every-book-i-have-ever-read/): just type 2024 in the search field. ### Best Books: Fiction **Vasily Grossman: Life and Fate**. It had been on my shelf for years and I finally came around to reading it. If you've read it I don't need to tell you that it is amazing. If you haven't read it I highly recommend it. Don't let the 900 pages scare you off. It's a page-turner. **Anton Chekhov: 52 Stories**. I received this as a birthday present. A [wonderful](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/12/01/ranciere-and-chekhov-on-freedom/) collection of short stories that have stood the test of time. **Stefan Zweig: Die Welt von Gestern. Erinnerungen eines Europäers**. Another classic and a wonderful novel full of nostalgia for pre-war Europe. **Martin MacInnes: In Ascension**. A flawed masterpiece that I upgraded because I still think about it from time to time. ### Best Books: Non-Fiction **Rick Rubin: The Creative Act. A Way of Being**. An excellent book and one that I have recommended to friends and students. [**Lorraine Daston: Rules. A Short History of What We Live By**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/03/lorraine-daston-rules-a-short-history-of-what-we-live-by/). **T.J. Clark: Picasso and Truth**. **John Darwin: After Tamerlane. The Rise and Fall of Global Empires 1400-2000**. Another book that had been on my shelf for years. A superb revisionist history of the world and a must read if you want to understand today's world. **Steven Nadler: Spinoza. A Life**. **Jonathan Israel: Radical Enlightenment. Philosophy and the Making of Modernity 1650-1750**. I plan to read the sequels, if I can find the time, because that's another 3,000+ pages. **John Vaillant: Fire Weather. A True Story from a Hotter World**. An account of the colossal wildfire that engulfed Fort McMurray, Canada in 2016\. In the years since there have been many more equally devastating wildfires in Australia, California, Canada, Greece, Portugal, the list goes on and on. A sobering book. ### Best Exhibitions There's not much point in listing the best exhibitions, since most of these have already closed. However, some will travel to another location. [Pierre Huyghe: Liminal](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/27/pierre-huyghe-liminal-at-the-punta-della-dogana/) at the Punta della Dogana [Bande dessinée 1964-2024 at the Centre Pompidou](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/17/bande-dessinee-1964-2024-at-the-centre-pompidou/) [Paris 1874\. Inventer l'Impressionisme at the Musée d'Orsay](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/16/paris-1874-inventer-l-impressionisme-at-the-musee-d-orsay/) [Berlinde de Bruyckere: City of Refuge III](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/25/berlinde-de-bruyckere-city-of-refuge-iii/) [When We See Us at the Kunstmuseum Basel](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/07/21/when-we-see-us-at-the-kunstmuseum-basel/) [Richard McGuire: Then and There. Here and Now](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/07/28/richard-mcguire-then-and-there-here-and-now/) at the Cartoonmuseum Basel ### Best Albums Charli XCX: Brat Fontaines DC: Romance Hilary Hahn: Eugene Ysaye. Six Sonatas For Violin Solo op.27 Felipe Lara: Portals Age Veeros: Outlines of the Night ### Best Films The Zone of Interest Anatomy of a Fall Monster Anora ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/12/22/further-reading-104/ Last updated: 2025-01-31T13:41:34.000Z [Sophie Calle](https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/10/24/sophie-calle-on-oversharing-exploring-death-and-the-rules-that-govern-her-boundary-pushing-practice?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on oversharing, exploring death and the rules that govern her boundary-pushing practice. [No more Mendelism](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n21/lorraine-daston/degrees-of-wrinkledness?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “In the metaphorical language that has always saturated the science of inheritance, the genome may turn out to be less like a computer program and more like an organ of perception. This isn’t so much a nature versus nurture story as a complete rejection of all three parts of the opposition, including the ‘versus’. It’s much, much more complicated.” Mathematical thinking isn’t what you think it is. [Interview](https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematical-thinking-isnt-what-you-think-it-is-20241118/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with mathematician David Bessis, author of *Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosity*. Patricia Lockwood on [encounters with aliens](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n23/patricia-lockwood/diary?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Bauhaus in exile](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n23/hal-foster/world-in-spectacular-light?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Zur Soziologie des Verlusts](https://www.merkur-zeitschrift.de/artikel/zur-soziologie-des-verlusts-a-mr-78-11-61/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Eating the Earth](https://www.science.org/content/article/burgeoning-global-food-trade-lifeline-billions-is-it-breaking-planet?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The burgeoning global food trade is a lifeline for billions, but it is fragile and hard on the planet. Excellent article and amazing photo series. Martha Nussbaum [reports](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/12/19/reports-from-the-slaughterhouse-fear-factories-scully/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from the slaughterhouse. Why do dogs shake themselves dry? [Neuroscience has an answer](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03657-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Because they’re wet? [Francis Williams](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n22/fara-dabhoiwala/a-man-of-parts-and-learning?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) gets his due. Quanta Magazine’s review of the year in [physics](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-physics-20241217/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), [mathematics](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-math-20241216/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), [computer science](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-computer-science-20241219/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and [biology](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-biology-20241218/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Why hasn’t the bird flu pandemic started?](https://www.science.org/content/article/why-hasn-t-bird-flu-pandemic-started?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Some scientists examining mutations found in H5N1 viruses fear a major outbreak is imminent, but others say the pathogen remains unpredictable. One simple answer is that the virus may just need more time to hit the right combination of mutations. Review of [Bruce Nauman’s latest gallery show](https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/12/03/a-cowboy-in-winter-bruce-nauman/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Guns across the border](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n22/rachel-nolan/on-the-iron-river?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Sobering book review annex essay about gun violence in Mexico. “It’s not advisable to drive straight through Mexico any more, even if you don’t stop.” It was once high on my bucket list, but not anymore. The [reference frames](https://www.quantamagazine.org/in-the-quantum-world-even-points-of-view-are-uncertain-20241122/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from which observers view quantum events can themselves have multiple possible locations at once — an insight with potentially major ramifications. [DNA from Pompeii body casts](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03576-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) illuminates who victims were. Flaubert’s *​L’Éducation sentimentale* (1869) is rightly celebrated as [a masterwork of literary realism](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n23/michael-wood/bonnets-and-bayonets?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), but it also, quite consistently, makes us wonder whether we know what realism is, or what else might be caught up in it. Michael Chabon on Glenn Fleishman’s (forthcoming) [history of the comic strip](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/12/19/the-midnight-world-michael-chabon/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *How Comics Are Made: A Visual History from the Drawing Board to the Printed Page*. The AI revolution is [running out of data](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03990-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). What can researchers do? [Across the Indian Ocean](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n21/laleh-khalili/marts-of-all-commerce?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Writers respond](https://www.nybooks.com/topics/the-return-of-trump/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to the reelection of Donald Trump. And more [here](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/dispatches/2024-trump-beats-harris-writers-reflect?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). There’s currently a lot of speculation about what a second Trump term will mean for the U.S. and the world at large. We’ll have to wait and see, but his cabinet appointments don’t bode well. I still think of the U.S. as an amazing country with enormous potential. I deplore the polarization of recent years and the current age of resentment. I mean, Romney and Obama respectfully disagreed on various policy issues. Why is that no longer possible? ### Cindy Sherman at FOMU URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/12/15/cindy-sherman-at-fomu/ Last updated: 2024-12-23T21:48:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/cindy-sherman-fomu-2.jpg) As part of the Ensor year Antwerp’s photography museum (FOMU) has organized a retrospective of the American artist Cindy Sherman. Like Ensor, Sherman frequently employs masks to challenge social and cultural conventions. And like Ensor, Sherman is fascinated by the grotesque and the carnivalesque. The exhibition features more than 100 works from the 1970s to the present and focuses on Cindy Sherman’s engagement with the world of fashion. The exhibition opens with one of Sherman’s first works, “Murder Mystery” (1976) and a selection of her most famous work “Untitled Film Stills” (1977-1980). In a series of black-and-white photographs, Sherman takes on the role of various stereotypical female movie characters, ranging from the lonely housewife to the femme fatale. Each photograph is carefully staged in terms of costume, pose, lighting and camera position. Aesthetically, the photographs reference vintage Hollywood films, film noir and European arthouse cinema of the 1950s and 1960s. What makes “Untitled Film Stills” stand out to this day is that each photograph implies a narrative. What happened? What will happen next? What is going on outside the frame? In his book *Old Masters and Young Geniuses. The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity* (2006) David Galenson distinguishes between conceptual innovators, who make sudden breakthroughs by formulating new ideas and experimental innovators, who work by trial and error. Conceptual innovators typically make their breakthrough work at an early age, whereas experimental innovators create their best works later in life. Cindy Sherman is a typical example of a conceptual innovator in this sense, because almost everything she has done after “Untitled Film Stills” are variations on the same idea: using make-up, wigs and costumes she transforms herself into a different persona, whereby she often exaggerates some characteristics to the point of parody. Cindy Sherman has long been one of the darlings of critical theorists. Her work is said to be subversive and to interrogate established notions of beauty and femininity. I often have the impression that these texts merely rehash previous texts. For how subversive is her work, really? In the early 1980s, when Sherman was an up and coming artist, the commissions she received from fashion magazines were occasionally rejected. But by the 1990s fashion houses and magazines had moved away from the glossy images of the 80s. Photographers such as Wolfgang Tillmans, Juergen Teller and Corinne Day shot to fame with photographs that embraced a more authentic realism. Sherman suddenly found herself being co-opted by the system she had once set out to disrupt as fashion houses seeking to project an edgy image gave her carte blanche. And in a botoxed world the grotesque is everywhere. A series of photographs created for Balenciaga (2007-2008) in which Sherman poses as an aging fashion victim is indistinguishable from Tina Barney’s and Lauren Greenfield’s photographs of the ultra rich. The top floor of the chronologically organized exhibition is dedicated to Sherman’s most recent work. In the early 2000s she began to experiment with digital image manipulation. The results are, well, not that good. Indeed, I wish I had skipped these last two rooms, because they made me reconsider her previous work. I still love Cindy Sherman’s older work, especially her history portraits for which she used paintings by Old Masters such as Caravaggio and Raphael as a starting-point. In this series Sherman photographed herself with clearly visible false breasts, bellies and other props. These works have lost none of their critical power and still invite contemplation. By emphasizing the artificiality of her own staged portraits she calls into question the presumed realism of the historical portraits which she references. These too are constructions. There’s a lot more that I could say about this series, but to do so I would have to don my critical theorist cap, which I still have lying around somewhere. **Cindy Sherman** is at FOMU, Antwerp until 2 February 2025. ### James Ensor at KMSKA URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/12/15/james-ensor-at-kmska/ Last updated: 2024-12-27T12:38:22.000Z James Ensor (1860-1949) is one of Belgium’s most prominent artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Today, Ensor is best known for his colourful paintings of masked faces, skulls and skeletons. But there is more to Ensor than a parade of carnivalesque figures, as can be seen at a large retrospective at the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp. He was in fact a highly versatile artist who mastered various styles and painted everything from interiors and still lifes to religious themes and social satires. He is rightly regarded as one of the leading Expressionist artists, alongside Edvard Munch, Emil Nolde and Oskar Kokoschka. James Ensor was born in Ostend, the son of a Belgian mother and an English father. After a brief stint at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels he returned to Ostend, where he would remain the rest of his life. From 1880 until 1917, he occupied a studio in the attic of his parents' house. It should be noted that at the time Ostend was not a total backwater. It was a popular resort town where Belgium’s well-to-do would seek refuge during the summer months. Though not exactly Cannes or St Tropez it boasted a casino and its own small-town bohemia. At the start of his career Ensor produced a series of works portraying the lifestyles of wealthy bourgeois women who lived in Ostend. The setting is typically the living room of his own parental home. Interestingly, twenty years later he revisited some of these early paintings, recreating them in a different, lighter palette to match the style of popular upcoming artists such as Rik Wouters. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/ensor-kmska-1.jpg) James Ensor, **Le salon bourgeois*, 1881 (right) and **Le salon bourgeois (deuxième version)*, 1910 (left) Ensor’s early paintings belong to the tradition of 19th-century realism. They are quite good, though not nearly as distinctive as his later work. In 1882, at the age of 22, he painted his first masterpiece, “[The Oyster Eater](https://kmska.be/en/oyster-eater?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)”. It shows a woman sitting behind a cluttered table eating a sumptuous meal. The Antwerp Salon rejected the work in 1882 and the following year the art society L’Essor in Brussels likewise refused to exhibit it on account of its unconventional composition. The composition is indeed rather unusual and holds the middle between a portrait and a still life. Its use of colour shows the influence of Manet. Indeed, the bright yellow lemon in the foreground could well be a nod to Manet. A couple of years later Ensor came under the influence of Monet and Renoir and by 1886-87 his technique and colour palette bear the stamp of impressionism. From the beginning it is clear that Ensor wants to move beyond impressionism. One painting from this period, “Les Enfants à la Toilette” (1886) could be mistaken for a work by Edvard Munch. The exhibition includes some works by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Redon and Munch, which makes for an interesting comparison. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/ensor-kmska-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/ensor-kmska-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/ensor-kmska-3.jpg) James Ensor, **Skeletons in the Studio*, 1910 (left), **The Intrigue*, 1890 (middle), **Skeletons Trying to Warm Themselves*, 1889 (right) In 1883 Ensor painted his first masked figures, “The Scandalised Masks”, shortly followed by his first skeletons. Over the next twenty years Ensor would keep returning to both figures. Ensor uses masks not to conceal but to expose his subjects. He wants to show people as they really are: foolish and unpleasant. It is with these paintings that Ensor would earn worldwide recognition and for which he is still famous. His work also inspired contemporaries such as Emil Nolde, whose work is also represented in the exhibition. During the late 1880s and 1890s Ensor produced a wide range of highly imaginative works. Around this time he also turned his attention to religious themes, creating one of his greatest works, “The Entry of Christ into Brussels in 1889”, which sums up all of Ensor’s obsessions and anxieties, and which, unfortunately, is not included in the exhibition because it is too fragile to travel. During this period Ensor also painted numerous caricatures, which reveal his great sense of humour. The exhibition includes a rather peculiar small undated abstract watercolour. Ensor signed the painting, which suggests that he either deliberately created an abstract composition or that, at the very least, he considered it a finished painting, and not some spontaneous scribbles and brushstrokes. By 1905 Ensor was an established artist, but his most productive years were behind him. He continued painting, but the creative flame had dimmed and these later works are less interesting than the ones he created in the first two decades of his half-century career. Paradoxically, Ensor rose to fame at the time when he had all but given up painting. In 1929 Ensor was made a baron by King Albert I of Belgium and in 1933 he was awarded the prestigious Legion d’honneur. It's a bit unfortunate that the organizers thought it necessary to add numerous props, - curtains, a magic lantern show, carnival masks, a puppet house version of Ensor's workshop and a ringmaster at the entrance -, to enliven the exhibition. It didn't have much added value and it distracted from the works on show. Ensor's work can perfectly stand on its own. If you cannot make it to the exhibition, in addition to the catalogue there is a choice of richly illustrated books on James Ensor, including a small budget friendly book by Taschen. **Ensors stoutste dromen. Het impression­isme voorbij** (In Your Wildest Dreams. Ensor Beyond Impressionism) is at the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen until 19 January 2025. ### Addendum I had been waiting for an opportunity to visit the KMSKA, which reopened in September 2022 after a decade long renovation. The result is pretty awesome. The architects inserted a modern building into the old building while also retaining some of the old rooms. The result is a fascinating hybrid building. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/KMSKA-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/KMSKA-2.jpg) Jean Fouquet, **Madonna Surrounded by Seraphim and Cherubim*, ca. 1450 One of the highlights of the KMSKA’s collection is this intriguing painting by Jean Fouquet. The Madonna and the seraphim and cherubim almost look like plastic or wooden dolls. It was painted around 1450 but it looks eerily contemporary. Cindy Sherman also references this painting in one of her History Portraits. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/KMSKA-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/KMSKA-4.jpg) ### Rancière and Chekhov on Freedom URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/12/01/ranciere-and-chekhov-on-freedom/ Last updated: 2024-12-30T14:25:09.000Z While browsing the table with newly published books at Les Cahiers de Colette I noticed that Jacques Rancière has a new essay out about Anton Chekhov. It so happened that I had received a collection of Chekhov’s best short stories as a birthday present. I’m ashamed to admit that I only knew Chekhov as the author of *The Cherry Orchard*, *The Seagull*, *Uncle Vanya* and *Three Sisters*. I was unaware that he is also considered to be one of the greatest short story writers of all time. Now that I have finished the short story collection I can confirm that this reputation is well-deserved. The title of the essay by Jacques Rancière, *Au loin la liberté*, which has been translated as *Distant Freedom* in English, couldn’t be better chosen. The main characters in each and every one of his stories all seek to escape. They leave for the city or embark on a journey. His stories suggest that a different life is possible, that the cycle of poverty and the monotony of servitude can be broken. At the time when Chekhov was writing serfdom had been officially abolished, but in practice many people still lived under serfdom. As Rancière observes, Chekhov saw it as the task of the writer to remind the reader that freedom lies on the horizon. His short stories offer a powerful message: the potential for change in our lives. As Rancière writes: “La liberté n’est pas là pour autant mais le temps nouveau est sous le signe de son idée et celle-ci ne se laisse plus oublier. La tâche de l’écrivain est de nous placer dans son horizon, sans mentir sur la distance qui nous sépare ni céder sur l’exigence qu’elle nous adresse. Elle est d’inscrire la déchirure de la liberté lointaine dans le temps de la servitude.” Most of Chekhov’s short stories don’t have a clear beginning or end. They stop at the last sentence, certainly, but they don’t come to a conclusion. The future lies open. Freedom beckons, but the road towards it is long and perilous. *Au loin la liberté* is a wonderful essay and a testament to the power of literature. Jacques Rancière is one of the most interesting philosophers writing today. His short essay about the work of Philippe Descola in the latest edition of [Cahiers de L’Herne](https://www.editionsdelherne.com/publication/cahier-descola/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is also a gem. I hope he has some more books and essays in him. ### Tom Wesselmann at the Fondation Louis Vuitton URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/24/tom-wesselmann-at-the-fondation-louis-vuitton/ Last updated: 2025-05-05T20:26:31.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/wesselmann-flv-1.jpg) I enjoyed the Tom Wesselmann exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton much more than I had expected and not because of all the brightly coloured pin-ups. Tom Wesselmann (1931-2004) was one of the principal exponents of Pop Art. He is best known for his Great American Nude series, which he made between 1961 and 1973, but as the exhibition shows his still life assemblages are just as iconic. I was surprised to learn that Tom Wesselmann never had a retrospective during his lifetime. Sure, he had solo gallery shows, but none of the major art institutions in the U.S. organized a career survey. It’s not that he has been overlooked, from the 1960s onwards his work has been included in numerous group shows and in 1963 MoMA acquired his “Great American Nude #2” (1961), but the exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton is actually the largest ever showcase of his work. Perhaps because of the frank sexuality of his Great American Nudes curators have been at a loss what to do with him. However, “Triptych II (Beach Girl)” (1963) by Marjorie Strider, a painting of a woman in bikini with protruding 3D sculpted breasts, and Evelyne Axell’s painting of a woman licking an ice cream, both of which are included in the exhibition, are just as suggestive if not explicit as any of Wesselmann’s works. Here’s the thing: Tom Wesselmann’s work of the 1960s and 70s has a distinct signature and that is some of the highest praise for an artist. You cannot mistake his work for that of another artist. The exhibition opens with a grand overview of Pop Art with all the usual suspects, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist and Claes Oldenburg. The organizers of the exhibition have done well to also include some woman artists to show that Pop Art was not exclusively a masculine affair. In the second room the work of Tom Wesselmann takes centre stage. In the early 1960s Wesselmann began painting large still lifes, which showcase the abundance of postwar America: huge subs, cola bottles, oranges and ice creams in bright colours. I’m not quite sure whether to consider them as a celebration or a critique of consumer culture. In any case they are a sign of the times. A separate room with some wonderful collages by Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Höch and Tadanori Yokoo puts these works into perspective and shows Pop Art's roots in Dada. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/wesselmann-flv-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/wesselmann-flv-3.jpg) Tom Wesselmann, Great American Nude #44, 1963 (left) and Great American Nude #48, 1963 (right) In the 1960s and early 1970s, Tom Wesselmann began creating large assemblages incorporating radiators, towels, doors, telephones, radios and television sets. Amazingly the latter still work. At around the same time he began his Great American Nudes series of which he would make one hundred in total. These celebrations of the female form stand in a long tradition, dating back from Édouard Manet’s “Olympia” (1863-65) and Francisco de Goya’s “The Naked Maja” (1797-1800) all the way to Titian’s “Venus of Orbino” (1538). But Wesselmann’s main art historical reference was Matisse. The reference is hard to miss, because he even included a reproduction of Matisse’s “The Romanian Blouse” (1940) in “Great American Nude #26” (1962). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/wesselmann-flv-9.jpg) The exhibition continues on the first and second floor with Tom Wesselmann’s Bedroom Paintings, his Mouths and Seascapes and work by contemporary artists, including Jeff Koons and Ai Weiwei, which testify to the enduring influence of Pop Art. [Mickalene Thomas](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/18/mickalene-thomas-at-the-hayward-gallery/) is represented with four wonderfully exuberant collages of black women in a room of her own. The inclusion of her work is fitting. As she explains in an interview, for several years she has been conducting a visual conversation with Wesselmann. In the 1980s Tom Wesselmann began to create works at an ever grander scale. These works, which look more like stage props, are not among his best. At the end of his life he redeemed himself with a series of metal cut outs in homage to Matisse. “Pop Forever. Tom Wesselmann & …” is the kind of exhibition that only the Fondation Louis Vuitton can pull off. I wouldn’t be surprised if the insurance value of the works on show is close to USD 1 billion. Andy Warhol’s “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” was sold at auction in 2022 for USD 195 mln. In 2010 Jasper John’s “Flag” (1958) fetched USD 110 mln. In 2013 one of Jeff Koons’s “Balloon Dogs” sold for USD 58 mln at Christie’s. Still, I would have preferred if it had been either a Tom Wesselmann retrospective or a Pop Art exhibition. In its present form it does make for a fun and impressive exhibition, albeit with a somewhat awkward title. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/wesselmann-flv-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/wesselmann-flv-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/wesselmann-flv-6.jpg) Tom Wesselmann, Studies for "Bedroom Painting #43" and the final painting I particularly liked the room with Wesselmann’s drawings and sketches, because I always enjoy getting a peek inside an artist’s working mind. It might come as a surprise that Wesselmann worked methodically and meticulously. He made numerous preparatory sketches to get the composition and the colours right, before creating one of his large-scale paintings or assemblages. He closely studied a bowl of gold fish before creating “Bedroom Painting #43” (1979) and he made multiple sketches before hitting on the final composition of “Seascape #1” (1965). **Pop Forever. Tom Wesselmann & …** is at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris through 24 February 2025. ### Links [Mickalene Thomas at the Hayward Gallery](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/18/mickalene-thomas-at-the-hayward-gallery/), London. ### Surrealism at the Centre Pompidou URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/17/surrealism-at-the-centre-pompidou/ Last updated: 2024-12-09T17:59:40.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/surrealism-centenary-1.jpg) To celebrate the centenary of the birth of Surrealism the Centre Pompidou, in collaboration with several other museums, has organized a large survey, which shows Surrealism in all its breadth and geographical scope. Surrealism was one of the few art movements, which spread around the world, merging with local traditions in the process. It is also one of the few art movements that is still very much alive. The surrealist movement may have been officially disbanded in 1969, but Surrealism itself lives on in music videos and advertising and now in the output of text to image and video generators such as Dall-e, Midjourney and Sora. The term surrealism was coined by the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire in 1917, but it didn’t catch on until the French poet and critic André Breton published his *Surrealist Manifesto* in October 1924\. As a matter of fact, two weeks earlier another group of poets led by Yvan Goll published a rival surrealist manifesto, in which they claimed to be the true heirs of Apollinaire. But in the end it was Breton who emerged victorious. In his *Surrealist Manifesto* André Breton defined surrealism as “Surrealism: n. Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express - verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner - the actual functioning of thought. Dictated by thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern.” Surrealism was originally a literary movement. The group led by André Breton consisted of several poets including Paul Éluard, Louis Aragon and Robert Desnos, who experimented with automatic writing. But it was in the visual arts that Surrealism would flourish. The exhibition at the Centre Pompidou is organized both chronologically and thematically and has been laid out in the form of a labyrinth, with the original manuscript of André Breton’s *Surrealist Manifesto*, on loan from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, at its centre. It is surrounded by 13 themed sections, such as the trajectory of the dream, chimera, the kingdom of the mothers, the philosopher’s stone, hymns to the night, the tears of eros and cosmos. The exhibition includes all the usual suspects, Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Max Ernst, Man Ray, Yves Tanguy and Joan Miró, but I was delighted to discover a host of (woman) artists, whose work I was unfamiliar with. Indeed, perhaps because of its call to freedom and liberation, there are a large number of women associated with Surrealism, of whom Meret Oppenheim, Dora Maar and Claude Cahun are the most famous. I loved the work of the British-born Mexican artist Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) and the Mexican artist Remedios Varo (1908-1963), whose paintings appear to be straight out of a nightmare. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/surrealism-centenary-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/surrealism-centenary-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/surrealism-centenary-2.jpg) Aube Elléouët-Breton, **Elseneur* (left), Remedios Varo, **Creación de las aves* (middle) and **Ciencia inútil o el alquimista* (right) The Surrealist artists drew inspiration from the work of Sigmund Freud, ancient mythology, as can be seen in their fascination with the figure of the Minotaur, and writers such as Lewis Carroll, - one section of the exhibition is dedicated to *Alice in Wonderland*. Another source of inspiration was a text by a long-forgotten author, who died in 1870 at the age of 24, Isidore Ducasse, alias the Count of Lautréamont. The text defied all logical construction, which appealed to the Surrealists. But one phrase in particular caught the eye of André Breton. For in one of his poems Ducasse/Lautréamont speaks of something as “beautiful (..) as the chance meeting on a dissection table of a sewing machine and an umbrella”, which could serve as both a definition of Surrealism and a principle of its collage aesthetic and which various artists would (literally) visualize. The centenary exhibition is highly enjoyable and informative. I had never realized that the paintings from Giorgio de Chirico’s (1888-1978) metaphysical period pre-date Surrealism by several years and served as an inspiration for René Magritte and Max Ernst. It is, of course, totally obvious if you look at the dates. My favourite sections of the exhibition are the ones dedicated to the Forest and the Cosmos. I didn’t know that forests held such great attraction for the Surrealist artists, but it makes sense once you think of enchanted forests. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/surrealism-centenary-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/surrealism-centenary-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/surrealism-centenary-6.jpg) Joan Miro, **L'Étoile matinale* (left), Max Ernst, **Naissance d'une galaxie* (middle), John Tunnard, **Lunar synthesis* (right) **Surrealism** is at the Centre Pompidou in Paris until 13 January 2025\. The exhibition will travel on to Fundación Mapfre, Madrid from 4 February to 11 May 2025, the Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg from 12 June to 12 October 2025, with final destination the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia from November 2025 to February 2026. ### Bande Dessinée 1964-2024 at the Centre Pompidou URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/17/bande-dessinee-1964-2024-at-the-centre-pompidou/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T08:51:11.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/bande-dessinee-centre-pompidou-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/bande-dessinee-centre-pompidou-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/bande-dessinee-centre-pompidou-3.jpg) Art Spiegelman (left), David B. (middle), Philippe Druillet (right) I wish I had scheduled more time to visit “Bande Dessinée 1964-2024”, the amazing comic art exhibition at the Centre Pompidou. With hindsight it was a bad idea to visit both the [surrealism retrospective](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/17/surrealism-at-the-centre-pompidou/) and the comic art exhibition on the same evening. As I wandered around the exhibition I was totally engrossed and I completely lost track of time. I was overwhelmed by the both the quantity and the quality of the works on show. I am not a complete novice to the world of comic books and graphic novels, but I’m by no means an expert. I own a couple of graphic novels, - *Building Stories* and *Jimmy Corrigan* by Chris Ware, *Here* by Richard McGuire, *La couleur des choses* by Martin Panchaud and *Things from the Flood* and *The Electric State* by Simon Stålenhag -, but I only know a handful of artists by name: Hergé, Joost Swarte, Robert Crumb, Marjane Satrapi and Art Spiegelman are the ones that spring to mind. Of course I’ve read Calvin and Hobbes and Peanuts but I’m ashamed to admit that I’d forgotten the name of their author (Bill Watterson respectively Charles M. Schultz). So for me this exhibition served as an extensive introduction to what the French call the ninth art. The organizers of the exhibition have chosen 1964 as a starting point, because that was the year the comic book came of age as an art form. It was the year that saw the release of Jean-Claude Forest’s *Barbarella* and the first publication of the Japanese avant-garde manga magazine *Garo*. Four years later, in 1968, Robert Crumb published the first issue of *Zap Comix*, which became the model for underground comic books in the U.S.. It came with a notice on the front cover “Fair Warning: For Adult Intellectuals Only”. The exhibition consists of [twelve thematic sections](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEcyXFSWDzY&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): Counterculture, Horror, Dreams, Humour, Colour and Black and White, History and Memory, Personal Stories, The Passage of Time, Literature, Science Fiction, Cities and Geometry. The exhibition opens with a section on counterculture, which includes original artworks by Art Spiegelman and Robert Crumb and several covers of Garo, some works by the French underground collective Bazooka and much more. The next room that I visited was dedicated to humour, with original page spreads from Asterix and Lucky Luke and some Snoopy and Calvin and Hobbes cartoons. I enjoyed seeing the originals, because they are much larger than the published versions. The works have been mounted on the walls and hung from the ceiling, with wires extending from the ceiling to the floor. As is to be expected there is some astounding work on display in the sections on horror and dreams. These works are rich in imagination. I probably spent about an hour in the first four rooms. I soon realized that at the pace at which I was proceeding I would never be able to see the entire exhibition. The thing with comics is that you have to look AND read. So eventually I decided to speed up a little bit and make a mental note of the exhibits I wanted to have a closer look at, should I have some time left once I reached the end of the exhibition. There was just so much to see and discover, so many artists that I had never heard of. I loved the section on Science Fiction, which included some original Marvel covers and some amazing work by Philippe Druillet. Another one of my favourite sections was the one dedicated to Cities. The work of Nicolas de Crécy, Will Eisner, Marc-Antoine Mathieu and François Schouten and Benoit Peeters is simply astounding. I was surprised to learn that Benoit Peeters is the same Benoit Peeters as the author of a Jacques Derrida biography. He has also written an essay for the catalogue. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/bande-dessinee-centre-pompidou-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/bande-dessinee-centre-pompidou-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/bande-dessinee-centre-pompidou-5.jpg) Brecht Evens (left), François Schouten and Benoit Peeters (middle), Will Eisner (right) Many of the works on show are far more interesting than much contemporary art. The page spreads by Brecht Evens are an absolute marvel. So is the work of Moebius, Philippe Druillet and Yoshihiro Tatsumi. Every single one of these frames is an artwork in itself. Of an entirely different order are the wordless page spreads by Keizo Miyanishi and the black and white drawings of Edmond Baudoin. Now that I’m back home I realize that I didn’t take nearly enough pictures, because the catalogue only contains a small fraction of the material on show. Why didn’t I take a picture of the amazing cover by Frank Miller of a Titan Books edition of *The Dark Knight Returns*? Why didn’t I take some pictures of the wonderful work of Hideshi Hino, Susumu Katsumata and Kuniko Tsurita? "Bande Dessinée 1964-2024" is a phenomenal exhibition. It says a lot about the quality of the works on show that the work of Chris Ware and Art Spiegelman doesn’t stand out. The organizers have put a lot of research into the exhibition and have brought together a wealth of material. It made me yearn for more and I’m now eager to seek out full-length albums by Brecht Evens and the *Obscure Cities* series by François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters. I will also be on the lookout for anthologies of some of the Japanese manga artists included in the exhibition. The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue available in both French and English. The English version is published by Thames & Hudson. **Bande Dessinée 1964-2024** was at the Centre Pompidou until 4 November 2024. ### Related Posts My [review](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/07/28/richard-mcguire-then-and-there-here-and-now/) of "Then and There, Here and Now", the Richard McGuire retrospective at the Cartoon Museum in Basel. ### Arte Povera at the Bourse de Commerce URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/10/arte-povera-at-the-bourse-de-commerce/ Last updated: 2026-01-01T10:50:35.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/bourse-commerce-arte-povera-4.jpg) A throwback in time: potatoes at the Bourse de Commerce. Giuseppe Penone, **Patate* (1977) The Bourse de Commerce currently hosts a major exhibition which celebrates Arte Povera in all its diversity and wittiness. The term Arte Povera was famously coined in 1967 by the Italian art critic Germano Celant to describe the work of a number of Italian artists, including Luciano Fabro, Mario Merz, Giovanni Anselmo and Giuseppe Penone, who, independently, created works using raw and industrial materials such as wood, iron, coal, concrete, soil, raw wool, jute, coffee and neon tubes. Although “povera” is commonly translated as “poor” Celant used the term in the sense of pure or humble. Nowadays Arte Povera is mostly remembered for its use of materials, while the ideology behind the works has been largely forgotten. The Arte Povera artists had strong ideas about the nature and politics of art. They were critical of consumer society and the ecological destruction brought about by industrialization and believed in the disruptive power of art to bring about social change. They longed for a more authentic form of art that spoke directly to the people and championed not only inexpensive materials but also artisanal ways of making. The movement may have been called Arte Povera, but the artists did not take a vow of poverty. And while they rejected the commercialized art world they didn’t object to selling their work. From the beginning there was a market for Arte Povera and the artworks found their way into museums and private collections. Two years ago I saw a wonderful installation of Arte Povera works from the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands. I was lucky to visit at an early hour on a quiet day so I had the entire room to myself. I had no such luck when I visited the Arte Povera exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce. Scattered around the floor of the rotunda of the Bourse de Commerce are a number of works which serve as a joyful introduction to Arte Povera: a bed of coal by Jannis Kounellis, a heap of discarded clothes by Michelangelo Pistoletto, a glass iglo by Mario Merz, a machine gun by Pino Pascali, a sculpted tree by Giuseppe Penone and a marble sculpture of a person lying underneath a sheet ("Lo Spirito" by Luciano Fabro). Unfortunately you are not allowed to freely wander around the artworks. A fence keeps visitors at a distance. Elsewhere demarcation lines and security cameras prevent visitors from getting too close to the artworks. While understandable, given the number of visitors, including families with small children, and the market/insurance value of the works on show, it does go against the intention of the artists, who wanted their works to be experienced as directly as possible. The galleries on the ground floor and upstairs are dedicated to individual artists. They show that there is more to Arte Povera than inexpensive raw materials. I particularly liked Giuseppe Penone’s tree sculptures. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/bourse-commerce-arte-povera-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/bourse-commerce-arte-povera-3.jpg) I enjoyed seeing a large selection of Arte Povera works, but I believe these works benefit from a more serene setting, such as at the Kröller-Müller Museum. Apart from that the Kröller-Müller Museum and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam have a better collection of Arte Povera. Pinault was late to start collecting and he is only able to purchase works that come onto the market. Most of the better works were acquired by museums in the 1970s and 80s. Art galleries then and now like to reserve their best works for prestigious museums, because that increases the market value of an artist. If only the Kröller-Müller Museum would organize an exhibition bringing together all Arte Povera works from Dutch collections. That would be a magnificent exhibition. **Arte Povera** is at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris through 20 January 2025. ### Related Posts [Minimal at the Bourse de Commerce](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/27/minimal-at-the-bourse-de-commerce/). ### Figures of the Fool at the Louvre URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/08/figures-of-the-fool-at-the-louvre/ Last updated: 2024-12-02T20:19:30.000Z Every few years the Louvre organizes an ambitious thematic exhibition. I still have fond memories of [Les Choses](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/11/06/les-choses-une-histoire-de-la-nature-morte/), an exhilarating exploration of the still life from antiquity to the present day. This time around the Louvre has dedicated an exhibition to the figure of the fool (French: fou or bouffon; German: Narr; English: jester, joker or fool; Spanish: bufón). The organizers of the exhibition have unearthed a wealth of material, - paintings, sculptures, books, costumes and historical artifacts -, which show the representation of the fool from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. The exhibition opens with a number of fabulously illuminated books of hours. In the medieval world, the fool represented the person who refused to acknowledge the existence of God. For as it says in Psalm 52/53: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’.” In the early Middle Ages, as the practice of decorating a manuscript with elaborate flourishes and illustrations in the margins became more widespread, artists began to depict the fool in illuminations of the initial “D” of Psalm 52/53 “Dixit insipiens in corde suo: non est Deus.” Over time the figure of the fool who rejects God became increasingly codified with torn or parti-coloured clothes and a stick in one hand and a piece of bread or cheese in the other. At some point the fool jumped off the page and entered the church, as illustrated by various sculptures on display. In the Middle Ages love was considered a folly that deprived man of his self-possession. It was a common theme in medieval romances, in which the hero was seized by madness, as in the legend of Tristan and Isolde and the tale of Lancelot. In the late 14th century numerous engravings and sculptures appeared depicting Aristotle acting like a fool as he was blinded by his love for Phyllis, the beautiful mistress of Alexander the Great. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/louvre-figures-fou-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/louvre-figures-fou-9.jpg) Master MZ, **Aristotle and Phyllis* (c. 1500) (left) and Master of the Banderoles, **The Fountain of Youth* (c. 1475-1500) (right). Notice the jester in the top right corner. I still find it odd that these images were popular in the late 15th century. At around the same time the fool appeared as a sassy observer in images heavy with symbolism depicting fortune tellers, brothels and the garden of love, which to a contemporary viewer would have been easy to decipher. The fool was at once a symbol of lust and a commentator denouncing debauchery and depravity. Some engravings from this period are, well, rather curious, to say the least. In medieval times many royal courts across Europe employed professional jesters, some of whom may have been intellectually disabled while others played the fool. Some jesters rose to international fame, much like the comedians of our times, and were immortalized in portraits. The court jester is in fact a universal figure. In some form or another he can be found in China, India, the Americas and Africa (\*). Some royals themselves descended into madness, such as Charles VI (1368-1422) and Joanna the Mad (1479-1555). At the beginning of the Renaissance, the figure of the fool became more common. Fools showed up everywhere: on tapestries, as a chess piece (in French the bishop is called “fou”) and on tarot cards, the earliest of which date back to the 15th century and are displayed in the exhibition. In 1494, the German humanist scholar Sebastian Brant (1457/58-1521) published *The Ship of Fools*, a satirical allegory in which he took aim at the vices of his time. At around the same time the Dutch humanist, theologian and philosopher Erasmus (1466-1536) published *The Praise of Folly* (1509), a satirical essay in which he takes swipes at all aspects of life and society. Both books became huge bestsellers and were translated into multiple languages. The exhibition includes a first edition of both works, which in itself doesn’t add much, - you would have to read them to learn more about the content -, but it was interesting to see a “hybrid” edition of the French translation of *The Praise of Folly* with illustrations of Brant’s *Ship of Fools*, attributed to Albrecht Dürer. “The Ship of Fools” would become a popular metaphor to describe the disorder of the world. The painting by Hieronymus Bosch commonly known as “The Ship of Fools” was not directly inspired by Sebastian Brant’s book. It is part of a triptych of which the centrepiece is missing. It is a marvelous painting and shows a group of people feasting aboard a tiny ship. Clearly visible by their attire are a priest and a nun. A jester can be seen sitting on the branch of a tree set on the ship’s deck. In a world overcome by vice and folly, the jester has no more lessons to give. In the work of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525/30-1569) the fool receded to the background and became a witness of humankind’s follies. It is worth emphasizing that at the time human foolishness was seen first and foremost in moral terms. A fascinating engraving by Pieter van der Heyden (after Pieter Bruegel the Elder) shows a number of human figures dressed in clothes emblazoned with the word “Elck” for everyman, obsessively pursuing material goods. In the background a picture with the legend “No one knows himself” shows a jester looking at himself in a mirror. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/louvre-figures-fou-2.jpg) Pieter van der Heyden (after Pieter Bruegel the Elder), **Elck* (c. 1558) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/louvre-figures-fou-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/louvre-figures-fou-4.jpg) Frans Hogenberg, **The Dance of Fools* (c. 1560-70) This moral dimension is also illustrated by two other intriguing engravings, “The Dance of Fools” and “The Dance of Foolish Women” (c. 1560-70) by Frans Hogenberg (c. 1539/40-1590), which show fifteen figures dressed as jokers (male in one picture, female in the other) dancing around in a circle, with each figure associated with a vice or flaw, as described in the picture’s extensive legend. In the late 17th and early 18th century, reason banished the fool from the world of images and the jester as a court institution vanished from the stage. The figure of the fool lived on in literary figures such as Don Quixote, Yorick, Pulcinella and Rigoletto. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/louvre-figures-fou-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/louvre-figures-fou-7.jpg) Francisco Goya, **Yard with Lunatics* (1794) (left) and Gustave Courbet, **The Mad Man with Fear* (1844) (right) The fool resurfaced in a different guise in the late 18th and early 19th century with the birth of psychiatry and a renewed interest in Medieval and Renaissance art. Francisco Goya’s haunting “Yard with Lunatics” (1794) shows a hospital scene, which he himself witnessed while being treated for an illness that left him deaf. Also included is Johann Heinrich Fussli's (1741-1825) famous painting of "The Sleepwalking Lady Macbeth" (1784). This final part of the exhibition feels a bit like an afterthought (much like this paragraph) and would have warranted an exhibition in itself. The exhibition ends with an amazing self-portrait by Gustave Courbet, “The Mad Man with Fear” (1844), in which he shows himself dressed in what looks like a jester’s costume, grasping his head while balancing on the edge of an abyss. It is a powerful representation of self-doubt and inner torment. “Figures of the Fool” is a fascinating exhibition. I didn’t know that the fool or the joker has such a rich cultural history. To get the most out of the exhibition you really need to read the section introductions and the caption of each work. And of course you should not forget to also closely examine the works on show. **Figures of the Fool. From the Middle Ages to the Romantics** is at the Louvre in Paris until 3 February 2025. (\*) Beatrice K. Otto, *Fools Are Everywhere. The Court Jester around the World*. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2001. ### The Atomic Age at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/04/the-atomic-age-at-the-musee-d-art-moderne-de-paris/ Last updated: 2025-06-01T18:05:33.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/age-atomique-2.jpg) The detonation of the first atomic bomb on 16 July 1945 in the desert of New Mexico marked the beginning of a new era. There is no going back. At that moment, humanity’s increasing power reached a point where we could potentially destroy ourselves and much of life on Earth. The Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris has organized an exhibition, which explores how artists responded to the advent of the atomic age and the invention of the atomic bomb. It’s an interesting theme that at a smaller scale could have made for an excellent exhibition, but unfortunately the organizers have cast their net too wide. There’s a painting by Francis Bacon to illustrate fear and a burnt plastic sheet by Alberto Burri possibly to illustrate damage and wounds. While I enjoyed seeing these and other works by Barnett Newman, Roberto Matta, Marcel Duchamp, Wilfredo Lam and countless others, most are only tangentially related to the theme of the exhibition. I was surprised to find a painting by Jackson Pollock, until I read that in the early 1950s the art critic Peter Blanc hailed his drip paintings as the embodiment of a new age, comparing them to the traces of subatomic particles. The exhibition is at its most interesting where it shows artists who directly engaged with atomic theory, nuclear energy and the atomic bomb. For his “Uranium” series, Sigmar Polke reproduced the experiments of the French physicist Henri Becquerel (1852-1908), by placing radioactive uranium on photographic plates to create blurry abstract images in a variety of colours. Also included is “Uranium and Atomica Melancholica Idyll (1945) by Salvador Dali, who, in 1951, declared himself "the first painter of the atomic age". ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/age-atomique-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/age-atomique-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/age-atomique-5.jpg) Bruce Conner, **Bomb Head* (2002), Herbert Matter, **Atomic Head* (1946) (middle), Robert Brownjohn, Ivan Chermayeff and Thomas Geismar (1957-60) (right) I always find it interesting to see that different artists revert to the same metaphor. For example, various artists and designers created a conceptual analogy by merging the human head, the mushroom cloud of an atomic explosion, a globe and the atom into a single image. Of course, nuclear technology can also be put to peaceful use, whether in the form of nuclear energy or radiation therapy. The promise of the peaceful use of nuclear technology is perhaps best illustrated by the Atomium in Brussels, originally designed as the main pavilion of the 1958 World Expo. It has since become an icon of both Brussels and Belgium. The organizers also included "Poème électronique" by Edgar Varèse, Iannis Xenakis and Le Corbusier, which was exhibited at the Philips Pavilion at the 1958 World Expo and which still looks and sounds futuristic. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/age-atomique-6.jpg) Sketches for the Atomium in Brussels by André and Jean Polak While nuclear energy continues to be one of the main sources of electricity production, its usage remains controversial. The Three Mile Island accident (1979), the Chernobyl disaster (1986) and the Fukushima nuclear accident (2011) brought the inherent risks of nuclear energy to the fore. Artists have responded to these risks with artworks that sometimes border on activism. Paradoxically, the works that directly deal with nuclear threat are less interesting as artworks than the works that only indirectly deal with it. This is because the latter are more open to interpretation. The exhibition opens with “Pagan Void” (1946) by Barnett Newman, which shows a black circle on top of a white puddle against a dark green background with some streaks and drips of blue paint. It could be a reference to a cosmic or physical event or an attempt to represent what is unrepresentable. What makes it an interesting work of art is that it allows for multiple readings. To be sure, Newman had been deeply affected by World War II and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and felt that painting was powerless in the face of such events, which is why this early work was included in the exhibition. The organizers have brought together a lot of documentary material from film footage of atomic tests to photos of the aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, some of which actually overshadows the artworks on show. It is still incredible to see the devastation caused by a nuclear explosion. It’s hard to believe now, but during the late 1940s and early 1950s in Las Vegas, which is approximately 60 miles from the Nevada Test Site, hotels and restaurants with a rooftop bar hosted atomic blast viewing parties. The City of Las Vegas also crowned a “Miss Atomic Bomb” and in April 1953 the ballerina Sally McCloskey performed on top of Mount Charleston, with an atomic mushroom cloud in the background. As an outdoor dance performance this is hard to top. The exhibition ends with the "Atomic Alphabet" (1980) by Chris Burden - A is for atomic, B is for bomb, E is for energy, F is for fallout, N is for nuclear, U is for uranium and X is for ray -, and an evocative image by Gerda Dassing, "The Last Photo" (1983), which shows a radiant planet Earth blurred by cosmic clouds. **L'Âge atomique. Les artistes à l'épreuve de l'histoire** is at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris until 9 February 2025. ### Links My mini-review of [Annie Jacobsen: Nuclear War. A Scenario](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/30/annie-jacobsen-nuclear-war-a-scenario/). ### Chantal Akerman at Jeu de Paume URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/03/chantal-akerman-at-jeu-de-paume/ Last updated: 2024-11-12T22:11:19.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/akerman-d-est.jpg) Jeu de Paume in Paris, together with the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, has organized an exhibition with installations, short films and other material by the Belgian director and screenwriter Chantal Akerman (1950-2015), whose *Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles* was ranked the greatest film of all time in *Sight & Sound* magazine's 2022 "Greatest Films of All Time" critics poll. I didn’t expect that I would have to queue for almost half an hour to enter the exhibition, otherwise I would not have gone on a Saturday afternoon at 4 pm without booking a ticket. But I had some time to spare and it was well worth the wait. I still think of Chantal Akerman as something of a cult figure, but of course in art circles she is well-known, which goes some way towards explaining why the exhibition was so well attended, apart from the fact that Saturday afternoon is always busy. Centerpiece of the exhibition is the installation version of *D’Est* (1993) entitled "D’Est, au bord de la fiction" (1995). In 1992 Chantal Akerman was invited to create a multimedia installation about the reunification of Europe. Akerman accepted the invitation but wanted to make a film first. She made several journeys across Eastern Europe, Hungary, Poland, the former East Germany and Russia, shooting everything that moved her, faces, landscapes, people standing in line, cars driving by, factories, interiors, meals being prepared and so on. *D’Est* (*From the east*) (1993) soon became a cult film. It is a fascinating document of time. What’s interesting about the installation, which consists of twenty four screens placed in pairs of three across the room, is that you can sort of look at different screens at the same time, glance from one screen to another and walk around to another set of screens whereby the static long takes and tracking shots create a sense of travelling. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/akerman-travelling-2.jpg) The exhibition includes various other installations and excerpts from films in installation form. "A Voice in the Desert" is the only work that was conceived as an installation. It is as topical now as when it was first exhibited. It was filmed in the desert of Arizona on the border with Mexico. Chantal Akerman installed a giant screen in the desert onto which *From the Other Side* (2002), a documentary by Akerman about the plight of illegal migrants crossing into the United States, was projected. This was filmed again for the installation. "In the Mirror" (2007) features an excerpt from the film *L’enfant aimé, ou Je joue à être une femme mariée* (1971) and shows a young woman standing in front of a mirror as she comments on different parts of her body. She considers her breasts too small, her belly too round and one of her shoulders is hanging. I actually found the girl quite pretty. Apparently the scene hit a nerve, because I overheard two girls standing next to me saying the exact same thing. Perhaps, unconsciously they compared the actress with their own body. *Saute ma ville* (1968), Chantal Akerman’s first short film, shows a woman frantically cleaning her small kitchen in the process creating an ever greater mess until, at the end, she explodes the kitchen and herself. My first reaction was that this is all very Pina (Bausch). Except that these short films as well as Chantal Akerman’s breakthrough film *Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles* pre-date the dance theatre work for which Pina Bausch would become famous (*Die sieben Todsünden* premiered in 1976, *Blaubart* and *Komm tanz mit mir* in 1977). Could it be that Pina Bausch saw a screening by Chantal Akerman and suddenly realized that she could do that on stage? I’m only speculating here, of course. It is quite common for artists to share the same interests if not obsessions. In any case, if you like the work of Pina Bausch then I highly recommend checking out the work of Chantal Akerman and vice versa. If you’re planning on going to see the exhibition I recommend buying a ticket in advance to skip the queue and to take your time. I spent too much time at the Chantal Akerman show and didn’t have enough time left to properly view the Tina Barney exhibition "Family Ties" on the ground floor. **Chantal Akerman: Travelling** is at Jeu de Paume in Paris until 19 January 2025. ### Trompe-l’oeil at the Musée Marmottan Monet URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/03/trompe-l-oeil-at-the-musee-marmottan-monet/ Last updated: 2024-11-18T21:14:11.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/trompe-l-oeil-marmottan-monet-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/trompe-l-oeil-marmottan-monet-3.jpg) Cristoforo Munari, **Trompe l'oeil aux instruments du peintres-graveuses et aux gravures* (1715) (left) and Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts, **Trompe l'oeil* (1665) (right) In his *Natural History* the Roman author and philosopher Pliny the Elder (23/24-79) recounts the tale of the ancient Greek artists Zeuxis and Parrhasius who once staged a contest to determine who was the greater artist. Zeuxis had painted a bunch of grapes which appeared so realistic that birds descended to try and eat them. Both artists then walked to Parrhasius’s studio where Zeuxis asked Parrhasius to remove the curtain so that he could see his painting, only to discover that the curtain itself was the painting. Zeuxis acknowledged his defeat, for while he had deceived the birds, Parrhasius had deceived him. The legend of Zeuxis and Parrhasius lives on in the tradition of the trompe l’oeil painting. The term trompe l’oeil was coined by the French artist Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761-1845), himself one of the great masters of the genre, but its history can be traced back to the 16th century and all the way to antiquity where it was employed in murals to suggest a window or a door. To celebrate its 90th anniversary the Musée Marmottan Monet has organized an exhibition tracing the history of the trompe l’oeil painting from the 16th century to the present. Jules and Paul Marmottan were fascinated by the trompe l’oeil and the Musée Marmottan Monet holds some fine examples of the genre, which were restored for the occasion. The exhibition is divided into eight sections, which illustrate in a chronological fashion the evolution of the trompe l’oeil genre over time. From the 16th century onwards, the art of trompe l’oeil followed precise rules: the painting had to fit in with the surroundings, the objects represented in the painting had to be shown in their actual size and the artist’s signature had to be hidden so as not to break the illusion. Painters created trompe l’oeil paintings to show off their skills and also just for the fun of it. At least, walking around the exhibition I got the impression that these 17th and 18th century artists must have enjoyed fooling the audience. The exhibition opens with a painting by Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts (1630-c.1675), one of the other grand masters of the genre, and a fascinating panel by Cristoforo Munari (1667-1720). Both paintings illustrate one of the recurring motifs in trompe l’oeil, that of objects, notes and drawings strapped to a faux woodgrain surface. To enhance the illusion Munari even attached a stick to the panel. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/trompe-l-oeil-marmottan-monet-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/trompe-l-oeil-marmottan-monet-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/trompe-l-oeil-marmottan-monet-5.jpg) Gaspard Gresly, **Trompe l'oeil* (left), Detail of a Gaspard Gresly, **Porte de bibliothèque* (1750) (middle), Louis-Léopold Boilly, **Un trompe l'oeil* (c. 1800-1805) (right) Trompe l’oeil painters went to great lengths to simulate wood in all its peculiarities of knots, grain, and splits. During the 18th century painters such as Louis-Léopold Boilly and Étienne Moulineuf added another motif by creating the illusion of a broken glass frame covering the painting. Depending on your angle of view some of these shattered glass paintings work exceptionally well. In the 19th century the practice of trompe l’oeil enjoyed a revival in the United States among painters of the so called Philadelphia School, but they never achieved the mastery of their 17th and 18th century European predecessors. Today, the tradition of trompe l’oeil lives on in the “tableaux pièges” (or snare pictures) of Daniel Spoerri and in the hyper-realist sculptures and installations of artists such as Daniel Firman, whose “Jade” (2015) could be mistaken for a teenage girl leaning against a wall. "Trompe-l’oeil, from 1520 to the present day" is a fun and instructive exhibition. It had never occurred to me that the depiction of [bunches of grapes](https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/still-life-with-four-bunches-of-grapes/549e1626-99f5-463d-b561-b2b6986b7573?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in 16th and 17th century still lifes is an indirect reference to the myth of Zeuxis and Parrhasius. **Trompe-l’oeil, from 1520 to the present day** is at the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris through 2 March 2025. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/trompe-l-oeil-marmottan-monet-6.jpg) ### More trompe l’oeil: [The Eye Deceived. Painted Illusions by Cornelius Gijsbrechts](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2005/04/22/the-eye-deceived-painted-illusions-by-cornelius-gijsbrechts/). ### Links: A few years ago The Metropolitan Museum in New York organized an exhibition exploring the connections between [Cubism and the trompe l’oeil](https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/cubism-trompe-loeil/visiting-guide?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) tradition ### Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen at the Musée de l’Orangerie URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/02/masterpieces-from-the-museum-berggruen-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/ Last updated: 2024-11-16T17:13:32.000Z The Museum Berggruen had been on my list for my next trip to Berlin, but the museum is closed for renovation until 2025\. Masterpieces from the collection are currently on an international exhibition tour and were previously on show in Tokyo, Osaka, Shanghai, Beijing and Venice. The last stop is the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris. Heinz Berggruen (1914-2007) was a German art dealer who, for many years, ran one of the most successful modern art galleries in Paris. Born into a Jewish family in Berlin, Berggruen left Germany for the United States in 1936, where he worked as an art critic for the *San Francisco Chronicle* and at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, before moving to New York. After the second world war he settled in Paris where he opened his gallery specializing in modern art. Berggruen soon became a major player in the post-war Parisian arts scene. Like other gallery owners such as Ernst and Hildy Beyeler, thanks to his commercial success, Berggruen was able to assemble a large private collection of works by the artists he exhibited. Indeed, Berggruen liked to quip that he was his own best customer. In 1996 he returned to Berlin, bringing his private collection with him, which he sold to the German state in 2000. Today, the Museum Berggruen houses one of the greatest private collections of classical modernism. The collection consists of more than 120 works by Picasso, some 60 works by Klee as well as works by Matisse, Braque, Cézanne and Giacometti. Berggruen was fascinated by Cubism and the collection is particularly strong on what is often referred to as analytical and synthetic cubism. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/berggruen-orangerie-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/berggruen-orangerie-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/berggruen-orangerie-3.jpg) Pablo Picasso, **Cartes à jouer, paquet de tabac, bouteille et verre* (left), Pablo Picasso, **Nature morte sur un piano* (middle), Georges Braque, **Nature morte à la pipe (Le Quotidien du Midi)* (right) The exhibition currently at the Musée de l’Orangerie opens with two wonderful still lifes “Cartes à jouer, paquet de tabac, bouteille et verre” (1914) by Picasso and ”Nature morte à la pipe (Le Quotidien du Midi)” (1914) by Braque. Turn around and there are several more amazing still lifes, including “Nature morte sur un piano” (1911-12) and “Guitare et journal” (1916) by Picasso. In these early works you can clearly see how Picasso and Braque deconstructed the image. In later works such as Picasso’s “Seated Woman” (1938) the image, in this case the body, has been completely fragmented to the point where it is unrecognizable. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/berggruen-orangerie-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/berggruen-orangerie-6.jpg) Pablo Picasso, **Dora Maar with Green Fingernails* (left) and **Yellow Sweater* (right) I don’t really care much for the late Picasso, but I love his still lifes and portraits from the 1910s until the 1940s. A postcard of “Dora Maar with Green Fingernails” (1936) now graces my desk. It is unusually beautiful and almost classical, with only hints of Cubism. It is hard to believe, but it is indeed the same woman as in the equally wonderful “Yellow Sweater” (1939). “Large reclining nude” (1942) is also unusual in that it is completely devoid of eroticism. It could be a corpse or a person seeking shelter. Like “Guernica” (1937) it shows how well-suited Cubism as a visual language is to rendering scenes and emotions that are by nature chaotic and agonizing. Berggruen was an early champion of the work of Paul Klee, whom he considered one of the great masters of modern art, alongside Picasso and Matisse. They never met, Klee died in Switzerland in 1940 at the time when Berggruen lived in the United States, but Berggruen’s first purchase was a drawing by Klee and his first exhibition at his Paris gallery was also dedicated to the artist. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/berggruen-orangerie-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/berggruen-orangerie-8.jpg) Paul Klee, **Landscape in Blue* (left) and **Palace in Passing* (right) Klee took a great interest in children’s drawings and many of his paintings, drawings and watercolors exhibit the same joyful spirit. I love works such as “Landscape in Blue” (1917), which borders between abstraction and figuration. “Lieu dans le Nord” (1923) reminded me of “Fugue” (1952-53) by Nicolas de Staël with its composition of colored blocks, except that De Staël used different material and technique. The works from the Museum Berggruen beautifully complement the own collection of the Musée de l’Orangerie making this a perfect time to visit. I now look forward to visiting the Museum Berggruen itself once it reopens. **Heinz Berggruen: A Dealer and his Collection** is at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris through 27 January 2025. ### Masterpieces from the Galleria Borghese at the Musée Jacquemart-André URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/01/masterpieces-from-the-galleria-borghese-at-the-musee-jacquemart-andre/ Last updated: 2024-11-10T18:07:57.000Z To celebrate its re-opening after more than one year of renovation work Paris’s Musée Jacquemart-André has organized an exhibition showcasing around forty masterpieces from the collection of the Galleria Borghese in Rome. I had never actually visited the Musée Jacquemart-André so this was a good occasion. As a matter of fact I haven’t visited the Galleria Borghese either, because I wasn’t able to obtain a ticket on both of my trips to Rome. A maximum of 360 people are admitted to the museum at a time, which is why tickets are hard to get. The Musée Jacquemart-André and the Galleria Borghese have much in common. For one thing, both are housed in a former private mansion. The Musée Jacquemart-André is housed in a building that was constructed towards the end of the 19th century. The interior has been restored to its former glory and I enjoyed seeing the artworks in a residential setting, as opposed to the white walls of a museum. This is also what I like about the Mauritshuis in The Hague. The Villa Borghese, which now houses the Galleria Borghese, was built between 1607 and 1616 by Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1577–1633), a nephew of Pope Paul V (1550–1621). Over the years Scipione Borghese acquired a large collection of works of art, by legal or other means. In 1607 he confiscated the paintings in Cavalier d’Arpino’s studio and in 1608, during the night of 18 and 19 March, he had Raphael’s “Deposition” removed from the convent of San Francesco a Prato in Perugia and brought to his residence. It must be said that Scipione Borghese had excellent taste and a fine eye for talent, for the collection contains masterpieces by Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio and Bellini. Following his death his heirs continued collecting art. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the then Prince Camille Borghese sold (gave is probably the better term) several hundred sculptures to his brother-in-law, Napoleon Bonaparte, most of which are now in the Louvre. In 1902 the Borghese family sold the villa and its museum to the Italian State. The exhibition currently at the Musée Jacquemart-André is exactly what it says: a selection of masterpieces from the Galleria Borghese. In addition to household names like Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio and Rubens, the organizers also included some lesser known artists such as Lorenzo Lotto and Jacopo Bassano. I don’t recall having seen any of these works before, because they rarely leave the Galleria Borghese. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/jacquemart-andre-borghese-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/jacquemart-andre-borghese-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/jacquemart-andre-borghese-3.jpg) Raphael, **Portrait of Young Woman with Unicorn* (c. 1505/06) (left), Giuseppe Cesari aka Cavalier d’Arpino, **The Abduction of Europa* (1603-06) (middle), Michele Tosini aka Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, **Leda* (c. 1560-70) (right) I had expected the exhibition to be popular, but I was unprepared for the rooms to be packed. Had I been aware of this beforehand, I would have adjusted my schedule to visit early in the morning on a weekday, rather than around noon on a Friday. As a result, it was challenging to obtain a clear view of some of the pieces on display. Every time I stepped back to appreciate one of the larger canvases, another visitor would promptly fill the space, obstructing my view. In situations like this I always find myself torn between my ingrained politeness towards others and my own desire to fully experience the artwork. I ended up leaving a bit sooner than I'd wished, because I couldn't find the peace of mind to closely examine and enjoy the works on show. Maybe one day I'll get a chance to visit the Galleria Borghese itself. **Masterpieces from the Borghese Gallery** is at the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris through 5 January 2025. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/musee-jacquemart-andre-1.jpg) The splendid Musée Jacquemart-André ### Pierre Huyghe: Liminal at the Punta della Dogana URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/27/pierre-huyghe-liminal-at-the-punta-della-dogana/ Last updated: 2024-11-25T07:47:17.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/huyghe-liminal-2.jpg) Liminal is one of the most interesting and inspiring exhibitions I’ve seen in recent years. The exhibition was conceived by Pierre Huyghe together with curator Anne Stenne and brings together a selection of Pierre Huyghe’s works from the past ten years as well as several new creations. Much of the exhibition is shrouded in darkness and at the entrance viewers are warned to allow their eyes to adjust. The exhibition opens with "Liminal" (2024), a video which shows a nude woman whose face has been replaced by a black void and who moves around in a seemingly endless space. The human form is in fact a real time simulation, which responds to data captured by sensors in the room. It is connected to an artificial neural network which supplies it with a minimal sensory function. Or so I read in the exhibition flyer. I’d love to know more technical details about the project. Is this real? Or is it a video of a human model? This lingering doubt is what makes it such a fascinating work of art. The next room shows another fascinating video project, “Human Mask” (2014). Set in the no man’s land around the city of Fukushima in Japan it shows a monkey wearing a dress and a young girl’s mask roaming around an empty restaurant. It’s an eerie video, which raises multiple questions about humans as descendants of the apes and about the masks we ourselves wear. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/huyghe-liminal-3.jpg) At the center of the exhibition are what I would call two opposing poles of a pre-human and a post-human world. One room shows four aquariums occupied by different aquatic animal species, from hermit crabs and starfish to blind tetra fish and arrow crabs. Some of these creatures were around millions of years before homo sapiens emerged and they will most likely still be around when humans have gone extinct. The neighbouring room shows "Camata" (2024), another work that was created especially for the exhibition. it shows a couple of robot arms examining the skeleton of a human somewhere in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The video footage is edited in real time in response to data captured by sensors in the exhibition room. I found it absolutely mesmerizing. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/huyghe-liminal-4.jpg) Installation/screenshot from Camata (2024) The exhibition ends with “UUmwelt - Annlee” (2018-2024), a re-iteration of “UUmwelt” (2018) for which Pierre Huyghe had a generative AI system reconstruct the mental images of a person inside an fMRI scanner. For “UUmwelt - Annlee” (2018-2024) the person was asked to imagine Annlee, herself an imaginary anime character, which was acquired by Pierre Huyghe and Philippe Parreno in 1999 from a Japanese animation company. As in some of other works in the exhibition the sequence of images is modified by parameters linked to data gathered from the exhibition space. Also included in this room is a sculpture extracted from “UUmwelt - Annlee”. There’s a lot more to see and I wish I could visit the exhibition again, but for that I would have to travel to Seoul, where the exhibition will go on show in Spring 2025\. There’s also an ongoing performance, but this is the least successful part of the exhibition. Masked performers wander around the exhibition, occasionally emitting sounds in an artificial language. I like the idea of the masks and the artificial language but the performers don’t add anything, they just stand or sit somewhere. They don’t “perform”, at least, not when I was there. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue covering Pierre Huyghe’s entire career. It shows that, for years, he did a lot of different things, before finding his own voice. In 2022 I visited the [Kistefos Museum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/07/22/kistefos-museum/) in Norway, for which Pierre Huyghe created his most ambitious project to date. Incidentally, the Punta della Dogana is a magnificent space and I look forward to visiting again on my next trip to Venice. In a room near the bookshop and café there was a sculpture by Bruce Nauman, “3 Heads Fountain (3 Andrews)" (2005) from the Pinault collection, which I would have missed had I not gone to the bookshop to buy the catalogue and which I only later realized was selected by Huyghe as a counterpoint to Liminal and as a reference to a recent Bruce Nauman exhibition at the Punta della Dogana, which I now regret I missed. **Pierre Huyghe: Liminal** is at the Punta della Dogana in Venice through 24 November 2024. ### Julie Mehretu: Ensemble at the Palazzo Grassi URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/27/julie-mehretu-ensemble-at-the-palazzo-grassi/ Last updated: 2024-12-30T21:02:39.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/mehretu-palazzo-grassi-1.jpg) In 2020 The Whitney Museum of American Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art co-organized a large survey of the work of Julie Mehretu. I’m a huge fan of her early work, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic I was unable to fly to the US. Luckily for me, the Librairie Marian Goodman in Paris was so kind as to get me the catalogue of the exhibition. I rejoiced when, earlier this year, I read that the Palazzo Grassi would organize a large Julie Mehretu exhibition as one of the collateral events of the Venice Biennale 2024. Of course, visiting an exhibition of three of my favourite artists, - [Pierre Huyghe](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/27/pierre-huyghe-liminal-at-the-punta-della-dogana/), [Berlinde de Bruyckere](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/25/berlinde-de-bruyckere-city-of-refuge-iii/) and Julie Mehretu -, on the same day made for a perfect day. In case you're wondering, I topped it off with a delicious poke bowl. The exhibition has been conceived as a non-chronological journey through Mehretu’s work and has been divided into seven chapters. The first three correspond to different stages in Mehretu’s work. The exhibition has been enhanced by works by some of Mehretu’s artist friends, including Nairy Baghramian, David Hammons and Huma Bhabha, which enter into a dialogue with Mehretu’s own work. It makes for an interesting exhibition, because the work of these artists beautifully complements the work of Mehretu. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/mehretu-palazzo-grassi-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/mehretu-palazzo-grassi-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/mehretu-palazzo-grassi-4.jpg) Julie Mehretu, Black City, 2007 I greatly enjoyed finally being able to see the amazing “Black City” (2007) and “Invisible Line (collective)” (2010-11) in real life. These early works are absolutely magnificent. The background consists of highly intricate architectural renderings of buildings and imaginary cityscapes, which have been overlayed by geometric shapes and oblique lines. Because of their incredible information density they are the perfect metaphor for the complexity of our world and the dynamics of global capitalism and information networks. But most of all they are a visual treat. There were only a handful of other visitors when I visited so I was able to sit down in front of both paintings to contemplate them for several minutes. Around 2012 Mehretu changed course. The architectural drawings that formed the underlying framework of her earlier paintings gradually disappeared to be replaced by heavily blurred, digitally manipulated press photographs of world events, such as the Grenfell Tower fire in London, the civil war in Syria, the Hong Kong protests, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The titles of these paintings refer back to the underlying image, as in “Conjured Parts (Syria), Aleppo and Damascus” (2016), except that nothing in the painting itself reminds of these events. Some of these works are quite wonderful, such as “Maahes (Mihos) torch” (2018-19), which is based on a photograph of a fire at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, or so I read in the leaflet, but for the most part these are a generic abstract paintings. I know that these paintings lend themselves to philosophizing about the archeology of the image, how you have to peel away the layers to get to the meaning and so on. But if you care about these events, if you want the viewer to know about them, why relegate the images to the background? Why hide them underneath layers of paint? What’s more, if the images are blurred beyond recognition then any odd image would do. I’m not too sure about attempts in the catalogue and in the catalogue of the LACMA and Whitney exhibition to make Mehretu’s work into political statements. In interviews Mehretu herself also veers into that direction as if you have to apologize for making multi-layered abstract paintings. I yield to no one in my admiration for Julie Mehretu’s early work. As far as I’m concerned works such as “Retopistics: A Renegade Excavation” (2001), “Stadia II” (2004) and “Congress” (2003) are among the greatest works of twenty-first century art. With these works she established herself as a unique voice in contemporary art. I understand that she might have felt that with these paintings she was beginning to repeat herself, that she wanted to venture into different directions. It's just that, unfortunately, I find her recent work not that interesting. **Julie Mehretu. Ensemble** is at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice through 6 January 2025\. A pared down version of the exhibition will go on show at the K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf Spring/Summer 2025\. ### Berlinde De Bruyckere: City of Refuge III URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/25/berlinde-de-bruyckere-city-of-refuge-iii/ Last updated: 2024-11-12T19:36:02.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/de-bruyckere-city-of-refuge-2.jpg) I’ve been a huge fan of Berlinde de Bruyckere ever since I first saw a [retrospective](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2005/01/31/berlinde-de-bruyckere-retrospective/) of her work at museum De Pont in the Netherlands. In the years since I have had the opportunity to attend several other [exhibitions](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/08/07/berlinde-de-bruyckere-engelenkeel/) of her work, and each one left me in awe. I rejoiced when I read that Berlinde de Bruyckere had been invited to create an exhibition for the Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore, a 16th-century, Renaissance-style church located on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, as part of the 2024 Venice Biennale. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/de-bruyckere-city-of-refuge-1.jpg) Berlinde De Bruyckere, **City of Refuge III* at the Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore Inside the Basilica Berlinde de Bruyckere has installed an assembly of her Arcangeli. I had already seen two of her Arcangeli back in 2021 at an exhibition at the Bonnefanten museum in Maastricht but here, in this church, they have found a home. De Bruyckere has created large pedestals so that the Arcangeli seem to hover between heaven and earth, on the verge of ascending and descending. They are placed against the background of a tilted mirrored screen, which multiplies the figure of the archangel and emphasizes their duality between physical presence and virtual appearance. The figure of the archangel entered De Bruyckere’s repertoire during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asked by the Belgian newspaper *De Standaard* which artwork she would like to have with her during quarantine, she named Giorgione’s painting “Cristo morto sorretto da un angelo” (1502-1510), which shows an angel wrapping his arms around a tormented Christ. De Bruyckere’s archangels appear to be weighed down by the burden they carry. The heavy cloth offers protection, but it also prevents the angels from spreading their wings and rising up. In the exhibition’s last room a “fallen” Arcangelo lies on a tomb-like pedestal, its naked legs appearing from underneath a blanket. The idea for the fallen Arcangelo arose from the question De Bruyckere asked herself during the pandemic: “How much of the other’s burden can one person carry, before they themselves collapse?” It is a powerful image, especially now with wars raging in different parts of the world. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/de-bruyckere-city-of-refuge-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/de-bruyckere-city-of-refuge-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/de-bruyckere-city-of-refuge-5.jpg) The exhibition was conceived specifically for the Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore and consists of both new and existing work. In the sacristy De Bruyckere has installed an installation of rusty metal welding tables and dead tree trunks cast in wax. They conjure post-apocalyptic images of a world in ruins. On the walls of the corridor of the Monastery De Bruyckere has mounted a series of vitrines with sculptural arrangements of body parts cast in wax. The sculptures were inspired by the 16th century wood carving’s in the church’s choir area, which portray scenes from the life of Benedict of Nursia. I’ve always liked these vitrines, because they transport me back to my childhood when I liked to visit natural history museums. "City of Refuge III" is one of the highlights of this year’s Venice Biennale. It is well worth the short boat trip to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, which can be reached with Vaporetto 2 from S. Marco-San Zaccaria. Incidentally, the exhibition’s title was taken from a song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It frames the exhibition as secure zone where the visitors can find shelter from the violence outside. **Berlinde De Bruyckere: City of Refuge III** is at the Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice through 24 November 2024. ### More Berlinde De Bruyckere: [Berlinde De Bruyckere retrospective](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2005/01/31/berlinde-de-bruyckere-retrospective/) at Museum De Pont. [Berlinde de Bruyckere: Engelenkeel](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/08/07/berlinde-de-bruyckere-engelenkeel/) at the Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht. [Berlinde De Bruyckere: Sculptures and Drawings 2000-2014](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/04/12/berlinde-de-bruyckere-sculptures-and-drawings-2000-2014/) [Philippe Vandenberg and Berlinde De Bruyckere](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2012/10/27/philippe-vandenberg-and-berlinde-de-bruyckere-at-museum-de-pont/) at Museum De Pont. ### William Kentridge: Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/18/william-kentridge-self-portrait-as-a-coffee-pot-2/ Last updated: 2024-11-09T13:14:58.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/kentridge-coffee-pot-venice-1.jpg) The premiere of William Kentridge’s "Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot" was one of the highlights of this year’s Venice Biennale. It was in fact one of the many collateral events. The Venice Biennale itself was rather disappointing. The South African artist [William Kentridge](https://www.kentridge.studio/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is best known for his charcoal drawings and animated films and his theatre and opera productions. "Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot" consists of nine thirty minutes episodes, which show Kentridge at work in his studio and in conversation with his other self, one playing the optimist, the other the pessimist. The film is shot in seamless double exposure with the two versions of Kentridge arguing and confronting each other. Kentridge talks about his childhood, politics, art, Greek mythology, colonialism and the passage of time, while making drawings in his studio as his alter ego looks on and then provides his version of events. At night mice made of crumpled paper take over the studio. Filming of the series began during the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentridge’s Johannesburg studio and was completed in 2023\. The Venice exhibition partially recreates Kentridge’s studio and includes some of the sketches and props seen in the videos. I was hoping that the entire series would become available at some streaming service, as indeed it has, so I only watched the final half of one episode, one full episode and the first half of the next. "Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot" is delightfully playful and optimistic. It is a celebration of the creative process and a love letter to art and the power of the imagination. At some point Kentridge refers to the studio as "a place of transformation" and "a safe space for stupidity" and that’s exactly what it is. I can’t wait to get back into the studio myself and make things. **William Kentridge: Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot** is at the Arsenal Institute for Politics of Representation in Venice through 24 November 2024\. The series is also available at [Mubi](https://mubi.com/en/us/collections/self-portrait-as-coffee-pot?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/kentridge-coffee-pot-venice-3.jpg) ### Venice Biennale 2024 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/18/venice-biennale-2024/ Last updated: 2024-11-10T11:54:09.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/venice-biennale-2024-1.jpg) I first visited the Venice Biennale in 2005\. It was ridiculously crowded and that is the main reason that I haven’t been back since. I considered going in 2017 to see Damian Hirst’s “Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable” at the Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogana, which was one of that year’s collateral events. In the end I didn’t go, which I now deeply regret. And so, when I read that this year the collateral events would include retrospectives by Pierre Huyghe and Julie Mehretu and an exhibition by Berlinde de Bruyckere inside a church, I didn’t have to think twice about going. The only choice was between Spring and Autumn. I opted for Autumn, but perhaps Spring would have been the better choice, because some collateral events had already ended when I visited and it probably doesn’t make any difference for the crowds. There was a lot to see, but very little that stopped me in my tracks. I never quite understand why biennales need to have a theme. Why not just show great contemporary art from around the world? This year the theme of the main exhibition was “Foreigners Everywhere”. And so there was a lot of bad political art and little interesting abstract or conceptual art. The best country pavilion by a mile was the Australian pavilion. I found it profoundly moving and a welcome reprieve from the silliness at many other pavilions. I had to queue more than 15 minutes to get inside, but it was well worth the wait. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/australian-pavilion-venice-2024.jpg) Archie Moore, kith and kin at the Australian pavilion “kith and kin” by the Australian First Nations artist Archie Moore is a memorial to 65,000 years of Aboriginal Australian history. Archie Moore has covered the black walls of the pavilion with a huge family tree in white chalk lines going back thousands of years, all the way to the dawn of humanity. The chalk lines continue on to the ceiling, where they become like stars in the night sky. Large holes represent wars, epidemics and natural disasters or perhaps simply gaps in the historical record. The center of the pavilion is occupied by a reflective water basin. In the middle of the basin stands a large square table with piles of documents. These are inquests into the deaths of Aboriginals who died in police custody in the years from 1991 to today. The names of the victims have been erased. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/danish-pavilion-venice-2024.jpg) Inuuteq Storch at the Danish pavilion I also liked the Danish pavilion, which had been handed to Inuuteq Storch, a photographer from Greenland, which people often forget is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Many of the photos look like, and may well be, snapshots from a family album. They show life in all its ordinariness. But the ordinary is in fact quite extraordinary. The installation shows photography’s power as a cultural, social and historical document. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/italian-pavilion-venice-2024.jpg) The Italian pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2024 The Italian pavilion was also quite interesting. It consists of three spaces, which can be entered from two sides. One room is almost empty except for a long square tube with a small sculpture of a Buddhist figure on one end. The other room has been filled with a labyrinth of scaffolding. At the center is a pool where a symmetrical wave rises and falls. I didn’t realize at first that the garden is also part of the installation. There was not much to it, except that I liked both rooms. I had completely forgotten that Venice is actually quite nice. The only problem is that there are so many other people who think so too. So perhaps in two years I will go again, because this time around I hadn't scheduled enough time for exploring Venice itself. ### Gallerie dell’Accademia di Venezia URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/17/gallerie-dell-accademia-di-venezia/ Last updated: 2024-10-25T20:55:39.000Z For some reason I must have skipped the Gallerie dell’Accademia when I first visited Venice. Perhaps it was closed, because I did visit the nearby Peggy Guggenheim Collection or perhaps I was short of time, which is more likely. This time around I had to skip the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the Ca’ Pesaro. In recent years I’ve become more interested in art from the 16th and 17th century. That might be another reason why I didn’t visit the Gallerie dell’Accademia on my first trip to Venice. Perhaps it simply wasn’t high on my list. I’m glad this time around I'd included Venice’s Accademia Gallery in my schedule. It has an outstanding collection of paintings from the golden age of the Venetian Renaissance by Tintoretto, Veronese and Titian, as well as some fabulous paintings by Tiepolo. Unfortunately, due to ongoing restoration work, the Cabinet of Prints and Drawings was temporarily closed when I was there. So I guess I have to go back one day to see Leonardo da Vinci's drawings. I did buy the postcards, of course. I recently read Hans Belting’s classic study *Likeness and Presence: A History of the Image before the Era of Art* (1990) so I was delighted to see a large number of icons and altar pieces from the Middle Ages. As Belting argues, it is impossible for us to not see these icons as works of art. However, in Byzantine and medieval European culture these icons were seen as an instantiation of the holy spirit, not as a mere representation let alone a product of the imagination. It wasn’t until the early 16th century that the modern idea of the artist and the work of art emerged. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/accademia-venezia-1.jpg) Jacobello del Fiore, **Madonna della Misericordia with Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist and the Annunciation* (c. 1415) This panel by Jacobello del Fiore caught my eye, because the people surrounding the Madonna are so small that she appears to shelter them underneath her gown. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/accademia-venezia-2.jpg) Jacobello Alberegno, **Polyptych of the Apocalypse* (1390) These are two panels of the "Polyptych of the Apocalypse" (1390) by Jacobello Alberegno. They are part of a much larger complex, five of which are in the collection of Venice’s Accademia Gallery. They depict scenes from the Book of Revelation, or Apocalypse. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/bosch-hermit-saints-triptych.jpg) Hieronymus Bosch, **The Hermit Saints Triptych* (c. 1493) To my surprise Venice’s Accademia Gallery holds three paintings by Hieronymus Bosch, including the amazing "The Hermit Saints Triptych" (1493). The central panel in particular is a masterpiece. It shows Saint Jerome contemplating the cross in what may once have been a small chapel, as shown by the remaining fragments of flooring and a beautifully decorated altar, where the figures of Judith and Holofernes can also be seen. As in all paintings by Hieronymus Bosch there is a lot going on and I wish I could study it in more detail. I bought a wonderful book, *Inside the Artwork. Sixty Masterpieces As You Have Never Seen Them Before*, which has close-ups of a number (sixty to be precise) paintings in the collection of the Gallerie dell'Accademia, but it includes another painting by Bosch. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/capaccio-dream-ursula.jpg) Vittore Carpaccio, **The Dream of Ursula* (1497-98) One of the many treasures of Venice’s Accademia Gallery is a cycle of nine paintings by Vittore Carpaccio, which tell the legend of Saint Ursula. When I was there only "The Dream of Ursula" (1497-98) was on display. It shows Ursula asleep in her bed with an angel standing in the door opening. What I love about these paintings is that they are full of symbols. Thus, for example, Ursula's forthcoming martyrdom is symbolized by the palm leaf, which the angel holds in his hand. The plants on the window sill, a myrtle and a carnation, symbolize faithfulness in marriage. The crown at the foot of the bed, the prayer book, the hourglass, and the statues of Venus Pudica and Hercules above the two doors also allude to the couple's virtues. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/accademia-venezia-4.jpg) Paolo Veronese, **The Feast in the House of Levi* (1573) Another highlight is the stunning "The Feast in the House of Levi" (1573) by Paolo Veronese. When I was there it was presented together with "Convito di Vetro", a monumental installation of over 100 glass designs. It worked particularly well. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/lotto-portrait-young-man.jpg) Lorenzo Lotto, **Portrait of a Gentleman in his Study* (1527) This "Portrait of a Gentleman in his Study" (1527) by Lorenzo Lotto is another painting rich in symbolism. At least, I assume the young man didn't actually have a lizard walking around his study. Then again, you never know. In antiquity it was a symbol of death and rebirth. The lute and the horn in the background and the rose petals, the ring, the letters, and the woman’s shawl in the foreground are all allusions. The book itself could be a family anthology or an accounts ledger. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/accademia-venezia-8.jpg) Giambattista Tiepolo, **The Transport of the Holy House of Loreto* (1742) Venice's Accademia Gallery holds several paintings by Tiepolo, one even more magnificent than the other. Believe it or not, the above "The Transport of the Holy House of Loreto" (1742) was actually a sketch for a fresco for the Santa Maria di Nazareth, which was destroyed in 1915 when it was hit by an Austrian bomb intended for Venice's train station. Fragments of the ceiling are on display at the museum. The Gallerie dell’Accademia di Venezia holds many more treasures, including several paintings by Titian and a spectacular ceiling painted by Giorgio Vasari for the Palazzo Corner Spinelli in Venice. The panels that make up the ceiling were dispersed since the late Eighteenth century, but after years of research they were finally reassembled. August 2024 they were unveiled to the public. ### Uffizi Gallery URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/16/uffizi-gallery/ Last updated: 2024-10-23T20:44:55.000Z I’d been wanting to visit the Uffizi Gallery for years. I still can’t quite believe that I finally did. In 2007 I was invited to give a lecture at the University of Bologna. From Bologna it's only an hour or so to Florence by train so I also made a day trip to Florence. I arrived early in the morning, or so I thought, but even so there was already a long queue at the entrance of the Uffizi Gallery. So I decided to visit the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens instead. Some years later, in 2012, I made a road trip through Tuscany and Umbria. I had scheduled two full days for [Florence](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/florence/), but unfortunately on the day that I had planned to visit the Uffizi Gallery I was too sick to leave my hotel room. The next day I felt much better and I visited the Palazzo Vecchio and the Duomo. I’d been thinking of going to the Venice Biennale again and since it’s only two hours by train to Florence I thought I’d combine the two. I had booked a ticket for 8:15 in the morning on a Wednesday, which is supposedly the day when it is least crowded. October is not exactly high season, but I guess there is no low season in Florence. I didn’t want to leave anything to chance so I made sure to be at the entrance at around 7:45 am. At that time there were about 20 people in front of me. My hotel was near the Santa Maria Novella train station, about 15 minutes walk from the Uffizi Gallery (at my pace). If you book a hotel in the historic centre then, of course, you could be at the entrance within minutes and even have time to have breakfast at your hotel. I skipped breakfast and bought some bread rolls along the way to eat while standing in line. By the time the doors opened the queue extended all the way to the end of the building. Had I arrived at the scheduled time there would have been some 250 people ahead of me. What I sometimes do when visiting a museum or exhibition is to skip the first two or three rooms, to have at least some rooms to myself and to then visit the first rooms before I leave. But as I like to take my time the other visitors usually catch up with me at some point. At the Uffizi I noticed that most visitors were overwhelmed by the splendor of the second floor corridor so I decided to save that till last and just start in the first room with Medieval painting. At 9 o’clock, by which time I had reached the Botticelli room, it was already pretty crowded. This is also because some tour groups head straight for "The Birth of Venus" and then move on to Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. The Uffizi Gallery occupies the first and second floors of a beautiful building designed by Giorgio Vasari and constructed between 1560 and 1580\. With a floor space of almost 13,000 square metres it is one of the largest art museums in the world. I ended up spending almost five hours inside. I would have loved to return the next afternoon to have a closer look at some paintings. Below is a selection of some of my personal highlights. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/uffizi-2.jpg) Botticelli, **The Birth of Venus* (1485) Botticelli’s "The Birth of Venus" is one of the treasures of the Uffizi and for good reason. It is an amazing painting and what a joy to finally see it in real life. "The Birth of Venus" captures the moment when the goddess of love and beauty, born of the sea foam and propelled by the winds, reaches the island of Cyprus. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/uffizi-3.jpg) Botticelli, **The Cestello Annunciation* (1489-90) Of course, what I enjoy about visiting a museum such as the Uffizi Gallery is not only to see works of art that I already know, but also to discover works of art that I didn't know. The "Cestello Annunciation" (1489-90) is another painting by Botticelli. I was fascinated by the landscape in the background. It wasn't until the early 16th century that painters zoomed in on the landscape, making it the subject of the painting. The landscape painting was *invented*, as I think Hans Belting also argues in *Spiegel der Welt. Die Erfindung des Gemäldes in den Niederlanden* (Mirror of the World. The Invention of Painting in the Netherlands). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/uffizi-4.jpg) Botticelli, **The Calumny of Appelles* (1495) "The Calumny of Appelles" (1495) is an amazing allegorical painting by Botticelli. On the right, seated in a chair, we see King Midas, poorly counselled by Suspicion and Ignorance, as he prepares to judge a victim of slander, who is dragged by the hair by Calumny, accompanied by Fraud, Deception and Spite. On the left, Repentance looks at the naked Truth, who raises her gaze to heaven. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/uffizi-5.jpg) Filippo Lippi, **Adoration of the Christ Child* (1455) I was intrigued by the composition of "Adoration of the Christ Child with St. Joseph, St. Jerome, St. Hilarion, St. Mary Magdalen and Angels" (1455) aka "Adoration of the Child with Saints" by Filippo Lippi. It's like a pre-modern collage. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/uffizi-6.jpg) This panel was painted for the altar of St. Ansanus in the Siena cathedral. What I found interesting is that the Archangel Gabriel's greeting to the Virgin is engraved on the gold background, almost in the manner of a cartoon or comic book. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/uffizi-7.jpg) Crucifix with Scenes from the Life of Christ (1180-1200) The contoured cross is typical of central Italy and became widespread in the thirteenth century. In this particular painting the figure of Christ is depicted according to the Byzantine style, alive and victorious over death - "Christus triumphans" - and with a loincloth of fine, gold-trimmed fabric. To the sides, on the apron, are scenes from the Passion and Redemption. Zooming in these almost look like cartoons or comic books. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/uffizi-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/uffizi-9.jpg) Christian Prayer Book (1500-30) This painting by an unknown artist shows a Christian prayer book. The painter did not paint actual words, only signs that look like words, but I love the fact that the painter tried to get the curvature of the pages right. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/uffizi-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/uffizi-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/uffizi-12.jpg) Carlo Dolci, **Self-Portrait* (1674) (left), Camilla Guerrieri, **Self-Portrait With Vittoria della Rovere* (1640) (middle), Johannes Gumpp, **Self-Portrait* (1646) (right) Ever since reading Jacques Derrida’s *Memoirs of the Blind: The Self-Portrait and Other Ruins* I’ve been fascinated by [self-portraits](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2005/11/21/self-portrait-renaissance-to-contemporary/). I actually visited the exhibition at the Louvre and my signed copy of the catalogue is one of my most cherished possessions. The Uffizi also has a large gallery of self-portraits, from the 16th century all the way up to the present, including a self-portrait in sculpture by Berlinde de Bruyckere. Each of the above three paintings invites a close reading. It’s interesting that Johannes Gumpp painted himself from behind, a side of himself that he would not be able to see. It’s also interesting that he included not only the portrait that he is painting, but also his supposed mirror image. And whereas he looks to the side in the mirror, in the painting he looks at himself painting and at the viewer. My guess is that Camilla Guerrieri chose to paint herself painting a portrait of Vittoria delle Rovere in the very early stages. Carlo Dolci painted himself holding another portrait of himself. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/uffizi-13.jpg) Titian, **Venus of Urbino* (1538) The "Venus of Urbino" (1538) is one of Titian's most celebrated works. It shows a young bride waiting to be dressed by her maids, who are busy in the background choosing her clothes for the celebration of a domestic ritual known in Venice as the "toccamano" (touching of hands), whereby the bride gave the groom her consent to wed him. The vase of myrtle on the window ledge and the dog on the bed are also marital symbols. ### Utopias and Reality at the Villa Bardini URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/14/utopias-and-reality-at-the-villa-bardini/ Last updated: 2024-10-20T18:47:22.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/oltrecitta-villa-bardini-1.jpg) While walking through Florence I noticed a poster with a reproduction of a painting by Gerhard Richter for an exhibition at the Villa Bardini with the intriguing title *Utopias and Reality. From Le Corbusier to Gerhard Richter*. Since I had some time to spare I thought I’d include it in my itinerary. I’m glad I did. It’s a fascinating [exhibition](https://www.villabardini.it/en/mostre/oltrecitta/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and I even ended up buying the catalogue. Through painting, sculpture, photography, video and contemporary music, the exhibition showcases how artists have imagined the city in the 20th and 21st century. The exhibition includes more than 120 works by a large number of modern and contemporary artists and architects, from Giorgio de Chirico and Le Corbusier to Daido Moriyama, Wolfgang Tillmans, Christo and Daniel Libeskind. The majority of artists in the exhibition are Italian, which had the added benefit for me that I hadn’t heard of them before. The exhibition is divided into twelve sections, from the desired city and the hostile city to urban signs, utopias and the metropolis. Each room is enhanced by quotes from authors and philosophers such as Walter Benjamin, Italo Calvino, Marguerite Yourcenar and Jorge-Luis Borges. The curators also included a compilation of city scenes from a number of popular films, which reminded me of a course about cinema and the city that the AA School or Architecture once offered. Apart from some works by Soll LeWitt, Rem Koolhaas, Archigram and Paul Citroen, most of the works in the exhibition were new to me. I was delighted to hear Luciano Berio, Bruno Maderna and Roberto Leydi’s audio portrait of Milan, originally created in 1955. Villa Bardini and the surrounding Giardino Bardini, perched on a hill on the left bank of the Arno, offers breathtaking views of Florence. It was a nice touch by the curators to include two windows of the Villa Bardini into the exhibition. This is also how I learned that, while I was inside, it had started pouring with rain. So unfortunately I didn’t get to enjoy the panoramic view from the terrace of the Villa Bardini and to take some pictures of Florence and the Bardini gardens. **OltreCittà. Utopias and Reality. From Le Corbusier to Gerhard Richter** is at the Villa Bardini, Florence through 19 January 2025. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/oltrecitta-villa-bardini-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/oltrecitta-villa-bardini-2.jpg) ### Renaissance Florence Reimagined URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/13/renaissance-florence-reimagined/ Last updated: 2024-12-28T11:25:36.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/binet-perspectives-xl.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/marriage-portrait-xl.jpg) A few weeks before traveling to Venice and Florence I read Laurent Binet’s latest novel *Perspective(s)*. While traveling I read Maggie O’Farrell’s *The Marriage Portrait*, which I had saved for the occasion. Both novels are set in 16th-century Florence and offer a vivid portrait of the city and the era. Laurent Binet’s *Perspective(s)* centers around the murder of the painter Jacopo da Pontormo, a historical figure whose work can still be seen in Florence. His body is found in a church in Florence in front of the frescoes that he had been working on for more than a decade. But who would commit such a crime and why? The inquiry into his death is given a surprising twist when inside the painter’s residence, the investigators discover an obscene painting, a version of “Venus and Cupid”, but with Venus’s face replaced by that of the seventeen-year-old Maria de’ Medici, the oldest daughter of Cosimo de’ Medici, the Duke of Florence. Shortly after the painting mysteriously vanishes. Cosimo de’ Medici asks Giorgio Vasari, the painter and architect best known for his book *Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects* (1550), to take over the investigation, to solve the crime and retrieve the painting. *Perspective(s)* is a joy to read. It is a fast-paced historical thriller with a large cast of historical characters and multiple sub-plots. It is written in the form of letters exchanged between the various protagonists. This, of course, raises the question how these letters, from Vasari to Michelangelo and from Maria de’ Medici to her aunt Catherine de’ Medici, Queen of France, ended up in one place, as the presumed editor of the corpus also acknowledges in the introduction. To be entirely consistent the various letters would also have had to be written in multiple voices and not just one voice. But it’s a literary device which allows Binet to tell the story from different perspectives and to show that each character can only ever know part of the truth. Only we, the readers, get to know the full truth. In *The Marriage Portrait* Maggie O’Farrell recounts the life of Lucrezia, the third daughter of Cosimo de’ Medici, who was married to Alfonso d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, following the death of her older sister Maria. A year into the marriage, aged just 16, she died. It was rumored that she had been murdered. Little is known about her life, giving O’Farrell ample opportunities to fill in the details and to give a voice to a marginal and largely forgotten historical figure. Reading *The Marriage Portrait* is thus a bit like watching *Titanic*, or reading *HHhH* by Laurent Binet for that matter, because the end is already known. But Maggie O’Farrell is a highly imaginative writer, as she showed in her wonderful previous novel *Hamnet*. The novel opens with Lucrezia realizing that her husband, Alfonso d’Este, has abducted her to a remote castle with the intention to kill her. Alternating chapters recount the next 24 hours and the years, from her childhood onwards, leading up to her marriage and her impending murder. O’Farrell has turned Lucrezia into a clever girl, “quite the scholar” one of Alfonso’s sisters remarks at some point, who speaks multiple languages and has a remarkable talent for drawing and painting. Once, when the painter and architect Giorgio Vasari visits her father, he is so impressed by one of her paintings that he asks if he can have it. Both *Perspective(s)* and *The Marriage Portrait* make for a perfect travel companion on a trip to Florence. It was fun to stroll along the city’s cobbled alleyways, to visit the Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi Galleries and the city’s churches with both stories in the back of my mind. Is it just me or does Bronzino’s portrait of Maria de’ Medici (1550-51) in the Uffizi Galleries resemble one of the half-naked women in his "Descent of Christ Into Limbo" (1552) in the Basilica di Santa Croce? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/florence-20.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/10/florence-21.jpg) ### Edward Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/13/edward-burtynsky-extraction-abstraction/ Last updated: 2024-12-28T11:24:09.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/burtynsky-extraction-abstraction-1.jpg) I’d been planning to spend the morning in Venice, but because of a Trenitalia strike there were no trains between Venice Mestre and Venice Santa Lucia and the bus that runs every half hour was of course absolutely packed. So I decided to stay in Mestre and visit the Edward Burtynsky exhibition at the M9 Museum of the 20th Century, which was being advertised all across Mestre. Extraction/Abstraction is the largest survey of Edward Burtynsky’s work so far and features photographs from his entire forty-year career. I first discovered the work of Edward Burtynsky back in 2003 when *Manufactured Landscapes* was published. I loved the aerial photographs, which bring out the abstract patterns that arise as a result of natural forces or human intervention. They reminded me of the abstract landscapes in another one of my treasured photography books, *Taking Measures Across the American Landscape* (1996) by James Corner and Alex S. MacLean. I enjoyed seeing Burtynsky's photographs at billboard size and being able to admire all the details. At this size the photographs acquire a physical presence. Some of the images are absolutely amazing and border on abstract art. But the photo captions provide a reality check, because most of these emergent compositions are the collateral damage of large-scale industrial incursions on the planet. Those circles in the desert are pivot irrigation sites, most of which run dry after a couple of years, and those colourful dots in the landscape are salt ponds. Some photos are downright depressing, such as the ones of palm oil plantations in Borneo and the series of dead or dying olive groves in Puglia, which have been infected with Xylella fastidiosa. I’m glad I visited the exhibition even though I would have preferred spending another morning in the historic centre of Venice. Staying in Mestre across from the train station seemed like a good idea, because hotels are relatively affordable, but next time I’ll be staying in the historic centre again. If you can’t make it to the exhibition, it is accompanied by a book of the same title that you can buy from your favorite local bookstore. **Edward Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction** is at the M9 Museum of the 20th Century in Venice Mestre until 12 January 2025\. It was previously on show at the Saatchi Gallery in London. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/06/further-reading-103/ Last updated: 2024-12-31T15:21:43.000Z The unraveling of space-time. [Special issue](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-unraveling-of-space-time-20240925/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Quanta Magazine* explores the ultimate scientific quest: the search for the fundamental nature of reality. [Pierre Huyghe’s posthumans](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n17/john-paul-stonard/at-the-punta-della-dogana?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Why fiction is no longer interested in [financial complexity](https://www.ft.com/content/df67fb68-5c12-4560-b54c-d59d1b7645be?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Perhaps it's getting too complex? [Depressing news for people suffering from depression](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02857-w?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): the symptoms of depression might come and go, but new evidence suggests that the pattern of brain wiring behind it remains the same for life. [Largest brain map](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03190-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ever reveals fruit fly’s neurons in exquisite detail. Wiring diagram lays out connections between nearly 140,000 neurons and reveals new types of nerve cell. New Yorker profile of [Richard Powers](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/09/16/richard-powers-profile?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I look forward to his new novel. Massive Attack’s [science-led drive to lower music’s carbon footprint](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02835-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Climate scientist Carly McLachlan partners with the UK band to put the environmental impact of concerts centre stage. Michel Houellebecq has [lunch](https://www.ft.com/content/73338e2e-331a-4be3-88d4-a0d9e4216c8a?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with the *Financial Times*. [Death of the department store](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n18/rosemary-hill/at-the-musee-des-arts-decoratifs?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). One of the advantages of department stores is that you can try a piece of clothing without being bothered by a shop assistant, but can ask for assistance if you need it. [Neurons in certain brain areas](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03116-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) integrate ‘what’ and ‘when’ information to discern hidden order in events in real time. Mathematicians discover [new shapes](https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-discover-new-shapes-to-solve-decades-old-geometry-problem-20240920/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to solve decades-old geometry problem. John Lanchester on [what finance is for](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n17/john-lanchester/for-every-winner-a-loser?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The [flow state](https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/jul/20/flow-state-science-creativity-psychology-focus?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). On Freedom. Timothy Snyder’s timely [manifesto for our fearful age](https://www.ft.com/content/634296d0-7335-4bd9-9662-6b0f678940cf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Highlights from the Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/06/highlights-from-the-spring-2025-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2024-11-18T09:29:31.000Z Like every season just some creations that caught my eye. Not something that you might want to wear to the office or when you go to the supermarket. These creations explore what is possible. Some of this may at some point trickle down into something wearable. I've never actually seen any of these more outlandish designs by Comme des Garçons or Noir Kei Ninomiya at Dover Street Market. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/cdg-spring-2025-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/cdg-spring-2025-rtw-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/cdg-spring-2025-rtw-13.jpg) Comme des Garçons ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/nkn-spring-2025-rtw-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/nkn-spring-2025-rtw-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/nkn-spring-2025-rtw-13.jpg) Noir Kei Ninomiya ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/jw-spring-2025-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/jw-spring-2025-rtw-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/jw-spring-2025-rtw-10.jpg) Junya Watanabe ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/yy-spring-2025-rtw-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/yy-spring-2025-rtw-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/yy-spring-2025-rtw-8.jpg) Yohji Yamamoto ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/pd-spring-2025-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/prd-spring-2025-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/prd-spring-2025-rtw-3.jpg) Peter Do (left), Prada (middle and right) ### John Vaillant: Fire Weather. A True Story From a Hotter World URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/09/29/john-vaillant-fire-weather-a-true-story-from-a-hotter-world/ Last updated: 2025-06-16T18:59:24.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/06/yucca-valley-10.jpg) Several years ago, I drove through an area of California that had been ravaged by wildfire—an experience that left me profoundly shaken. Mile after desolate mile stretched before me, revealing nothing but the skeletal remains of once-majestic trees, their blackened husks standing like monuments to nature's destructive power. I understand that wildfires are an intrinsic part of the natural cycle. I also recognize the paradox that our well-intentioned fire suppression efforts often accumulate the very tinder that fuels even more catastrophic fires. Even so, I cannot help but feel a profound melancholy whenever news reaches me of the colossal fires that periodically devastate the wilderness of Canada, Australia and countless other regions across the world and that in recent years have become more frequent. In *Fire Weather. A True Story From a Hotter World* John Vaillant tells the harrowing story of the 2016 wildfire that devastated Fort McMurray, Alberta, a city of 90,000 people built to service Canada's tar sands operations. The book presents this catastrophic event as both a gripping disaster narrative and a profound allegory for climate change. Fort McMurray, which produces about 40% of American oil imports through its massive bitumen extraction operations, represents the paradox of our modern world: a community that both creates and suffers from the forces driving global warming. The fire, initially designated MWF-009 but later dubbed "the Beast," began as a small brush fire on May 1, 2016, but grew exponentially under unprecedented conditions of extreme heat and drought. The book vividly chronicles how climate change created the perfect conditions for this unprecedented wildfire. In May 2016, temperatures soared into the high 80s—almost 30 degrees above normal—while humidity levels dropped to desert-like conditions. These extreme weather patterns, combined with years of below-average snowfall, created what Vaillant describes as conditions "as conducive to fire as is possible anywhere on Earth." The fire demonstrated terrifying new behaviors, generating its own weather systems complete with hurricane-force winds and lightning, and spreading with a ferocity that overwhelmed traditional firefighting methods. Within days, it had crossed the Athabasca River and forced the evacuation of 88,000 people, ultimately burning 2,500 square miles over 15 months. Vaillant draws extensively on modern digital resources—cellphone videos, dashboard cameras, security footage, and social media posts—to create an intimate, moment-by-moment account of the disaster. He describes the apocalyptic scenes as a clear blue sky was suddenly obliterated by towering black clouds, transforming day into night, and chronicles the sounds of exploding gas tanks and propane grills as the fire ripped through neighborhoods. The book captures both the heroic efforts of firefighters and ordinary citizens, as well as the tragic delays and denial by authorities who were slow to grasp the magnitude of the threat. Despite the chaos and the complete destruction of entire neighborhoods, remarkably no one died directly from the fire during the evacuation of 90,000 people. The narrative reveals how modern construction materials made the disaster even more catastrophic than historical fires. Unlike homes of the past filled with natural materials, today's houses are constructed largely from petroleum-based products—vinyl siding, synthetic furniture, plastic composites—that burn with extraordinary intensity. Vaillant notes that modern homes are essentially "composed almost entirely of petroleum products," causing them to vaporize rather than simply burn. This created a feedback loop where the very industry that Fort McMurray was built to serve—oil extraction—had filled the city with the materials that would fuel its own destruction. The irony is both literal and symbolic: a city built on fossil fuel extraction was consumed by a fire intensified by both climate change and petroleum-based materials. *Fire Weather* ultimately serves as both a compelling disaster story and an urgent warning about our climate future. Vaillant argues that the Fort McMurray fire represents a new reality in which fires burn "over longer seasons and with greater intensity than at any other time in human history." In the years since the Fort McMurray fire parts of Canada, Australia, California and Greece have been hit by even larger, more devastating fires. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/08/31/further-reading-102/ Last updated: 2024-09-29T10:13:20.000Z Scientists need [more time to think](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02381-x.pdf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Ted Chiang on [why A.I. isn't going to make art](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/why-ai-isnt-going-to-make-art?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The sculptor of flight](https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/07/16/the-sculptor-of-flight-brancusi/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). With deep respect for his subjects—from birds to borders—Constantin Brâncuși got to the essence of their movement. My [review](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/09/brancusi-at-the-centre-pompidou/) of the Brâncuși retrospective at the Centre Pompidou. How [colorful ribbon diagrams](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-colorful-ribbon-diagrams-became-the-face-of-proteins-20240823/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) became the face of proteins. [On cancer and desire](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/08/26/on-cancer-and-desire?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Annie Ernaux. Monumental proof settles [geometric Langlands conjecture](https://www.quantamagazine.org/monumental-proof-settles-geometric-langlands-conjecture-20240719/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Riccardo Tisci](https://www.ft.com/content/734c797f-d244-4535-9e92-918184e5fbbe?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on his next moves. Queen’s Brian May [on saving badgers — and the scientific method](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02729-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). An [integrated theory](https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-024-00120-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of false insights and beliefs under psychedelics. [Five new ways to catch gravitational waves](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02003-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) — and the secrets they’ll reveal. Observatories, experiments and techniques are being developed to spot ripples in space-time at frequencies that currently can’t be detected. Was [Jan van Eyck](https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/08/14/worldly-van-eyck/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) a painter of visionary experience or of life here on earth? [What are sheaves](https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-are-sheaves-20240719/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? [Western diets and chronic diseases](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03165-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Today, the Western-style diet emerges as a key stimulus for gut microbial vulnerability, chronic inflammation and chronic diseases, affecting mainly the cardiovascular system, systemic metabolism and the gut. Here we review the diet of modern times and evaluate the threat it poses for human health by summarizing recent epidemiological, translational and clinical studies." What can [tiling patterns](https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-can-tiling-patterns-teach-us-20240703/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) teach us? [How space is represented in the brain](https://t.co/t48CtJDAq4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Donald MacKenzie on [what your smartphone knows about you](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n16/donald-mackenzie/hey-big-spender?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Sensational proof delivers [new insights](https://www.quantamagazine.org/sensational-proof-delivers-new-insights-into-prime-numbers-20240715/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) into prime numbers. Why concepts are ([probably](https://t.co/buu1kdG6Di?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)) vectors. Or rather: why concepts can be modeled as vectors. [Blood tests](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02535-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) could soon predict your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. [Loss of plasticity](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07711-7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in deep continual learning. AI produces [gibberish](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02355-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) when trained on too much AI-generated data. Your brain on shrooms. How [psilocybin](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02275-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) resets neural networks. How America’s fastest swimmers [use math](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-americas-fastest-swimmers-use-math-to-win-gold-20240710/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to win gold. ### Richard McGuire. Then and There. Here and Now URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/07/28/richard-mcguire-then-and-there-here-and-now/ Last updated: 2025-10-10T20:49:43.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/mcguire-cartoonmuseum-basel-1.jpg) Richard McGuire. Then and There. Here and Now at the Cartoonmuseum Basel On my way to the Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart I came across a poster for an exhibition by Richard McGuire at the Cartoonmuseum Basel. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but it didn’t quite register, until it suddenly dawned on me. Richard McGuire is the author of the celebrated graphic novel *Here*. Perhaps rather stupidly it hadn’t occurred to me that, of course, Richard McGuire has done a lot more besides *Here* and that, if I enjoyed *Here*, I would probably like his other work as well. And so I rushed to the Cartoonmuseum, happy to squeeze it into my busy schedule. Richard McGuire has had a long and distinguished career as an illustrator and designer. He was born in 1957 in New Jersey and studied art at Rutgers University. He actually started out as a street artist in Downtown New York. I enjoyed seeing some of the posters and flyers that he created at the time and which have a real 1980s vibe. McGuire is also a founding member and bassist of the post-punk band Liquid Liquid, which is best known for their song [Cavern](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoZaH58NHV4&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), which has a highly recognizable and much-sampled bass line. Who would have thought. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/mcguire-cartoonmuseum-basel-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/mcguire-cartoonmuseum-basel-3.jpg) Early work by Richard McGuire at the Cartoonmuseum Basel "Then and There. Here and Now" provides a fascinating survey of McGuire’s 40-year career. It was interesting to see how his work has developed over the years. Unlike other artists and illustrators, such as Joost Swarte and Chris Ware, Richard McGuire doesn’t really have a signature style (or perhaps I didn’t study his work close enough). This is probably why I recognized some of the works in the exhibition, but why his name didn’t ring a bell when I first discovered *Here*. Richard McGuire has created many seminal covers and illustrations for The New Yorker and The New York Times. In 1993, he designed a cover for The New Yorker, which can be viewed both right side up and upside down. He has also designed children’s books and toys. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/McGuire-Child-Book.jpg) I love, Love, LOVE this illustration by Richard McGuire, which perfectly captures my childhood fascination with books and what books mean, not only to a child (I'm not going to spell it out) The exhibition is a masterclass in creativity and imagination. I was struck by McGuire’s conceptual ingenuity. Many of his illustrations are highly intelligent and funny in a subtle way. The prime example is, of course, *Here*, which is set in an anonymous living room and lets the reader travel through time, from the first appearance of life on Earth through the 19th and 20th century and into the future. It is currently being made into a [film](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I%5Fid-SkGU2k&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, to be released at the end of 2024. "Then and There. Here and Now" is a wonderful exhibition that deserves to travel to Paris, London, New York, Tokyo and Seoul and to be seen by a wide audience. If you cannot make it to the exhibition, it is accompanied by a richly illustrated, bilingual catalogue, which you can buy at your favorite bookstore. **Richard McGuire. Then and There. Here and Now** is at the Cartoonmuseum Basel through 3 November 2024. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/mcguire-cartoonmuseum-basel-4.jpg) Spreads and sketches for Here ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/mcguire-cartoonmuseum-basel-5.jpg) **Here* was first published as a six-page black-and-white comic in 1989 (click to enlarge) ### Links My review of [Bande Dessinée 1964-2024 at the Centre Pompidou](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/11/17/bande-dessinee-1964-2024-at-the-centre-pompidou/) in Paris. My review of [Joost Swarte Overal/Everywhere](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/10/25/joost-swarte-overal-everywhere/). ### When We See Us at the Kunstmuseum Basel URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/07/21/when-we-see-us-at-the-kunstmuseum-basel/ Last updated: 2024-07-29T13:32:29.000Z The exhibition "When We See Us", currently on view at the Kunstmuseum Basel, presents a panoramic survey of a century of Black figurative painting. Because, of course, Black artists have been painting themselves and their environment throughout the 20th and 21st century, just like other artists. It’s just that these works are underrepresented in Western museums. The exhibition was originally organized and produced by the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town. The title is a reference to the 2019 Netflix miniseries *When They See Us*, a true crime drama exploring racial antagonisms in the U.S. As Koyo Kouoh, the exhibition’s co-curator and director of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, explains “By substituting ‘they’ with ‘we’, the exhibition places Black self-representation front and centre.” The exhibition occupies all floors of the Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart. It features more than 150 paintings by 120 artists from Africa and the Black diaspora. The exhibition is loosely organized around six themes: Triumph and Emancipation, Sensuality, Spirituality, The Everyday, Joy and Revelry and Repose. The curators commissioned the composer and installation artist Neo Muyanga to create a soundtrack for each of the show’s six sections, which adds to the lively atmosphere. A timeline with key political and cultural events of the past century puts the works on display into a historical context. One such moment was the election of Barack Obama as the first Black President of the United States, an event which reverberated around the world and which is celebrated by the Congolese artist Chéri Chérin in “Obama Revolution” (2009). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/when-we-see-us-5.jpg) Chéri Chérin, “Obama Revolution” (2009) There is much to see and enjoy and I wish I had had more time to visit the show. Perhaps I should visit a second time. The exhibition includes some established names, such as Wilfredo Lam, but most featured artists were new to me. Jean-Michel Basquiat is a notable omission in an exhibition about Black figuration. Then again his work is already ubiquitous. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/when-we-see-us-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/when-we-see-us-4.jpg) "O Curandeiro (The Sangoma or the Healer)" (1964) by Malangatana Ngwenya (left) and “Buffalo Bill Bar” (1980) by Eric Ndlovu (right) I loved “O Curandeiro (The Sangoma or the Healer)” (1964) by Malangatana Ngwenya from Mozambique and “Buffalo Bill Bar” (1980) by Eric Ndlovu from South Africa, both of which are dense, colorful paintings, which I much prefer to the minimalism of Dan Flavin, who is currently honored with a retrospective at the Kunstmuseum Basel. Another highlight is “Constant III” (2019) by [Sungi Mlengeya](https://sungimlengeya.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from Tanzania, who uses a pared down palette of blacks and browns against a white background to create striking portraits and double-portraits. As always it helps if you have a little bit of cultural baggage. Roméo Mivekannin, who hails from Ivory Coast, has inserted himself into “Le modéle noir, d’après Félix Vallotton” (2019), which is a reference to “La Blanche et la Noire” (The Black and the White) (1913) by Félix Vallotton, which itself is a reference to “Olympia” (1863) by Édouard Manet. “The Birthday Party” (2021) by Esiri Erheriene-Essi, which also adorns the posters for the exhibition, shows a laughing Steve Biko holding a birthday cake surrounded by an animated crowd. The painting has a dark political undertone, because Steve Biko (1946-1977) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who was tortured and killed by South African police. I’m sure there are plenty of other references that I missed. I would therefore have preferred a bit more context for each painting, or perhaps I should have taken the audio guide, which, I later read, provides background stories about the artworks. But that’s a minor quibble for an otherwise superb show. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published by Thames & Hudson. **When We See Us. A Century of Black Figuration in Painting** is at the Kunstmuseum Basel until 27 October 2024\. It will then travel on to Brussels where it will be on view at Bozar in Spring 2025\. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/when-we-see-us-2.jpg) "Mmadira" (2020) by Neo Matloga (left) and "Constant III" (2019) by Sungi Mlengeya (right) ### Rugghubelhütte URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/rugghubelhutte/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:48:04.000Z The hike from Ristis to the Rugghubelhütte is one of the best and most rewarding hikes in Engelberg. It's relatively short and the trail is well maintained. It was the day of my departure and I had originally planned to take the cable car up to Titlis to take some photos, but I decided to do a short hike instead. Engelberg is a wonderful destination for hiking and other outdoor activities and I definitely plan to go back some time. ![On the way to the Rugghubelhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/rugghubelhutte-1.jpg) The trail to the Rugghubelhütte. In the distance the hut is already visible. It's on the green mountain on the right. ![View along the trail to the Rugghubelhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/rugghubelhutte-2.jpg) The trail to the Rugghubelhütte offers spectacular views ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/rugghubelhutte-3.jpg) Looking down towards Engelberg ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/rugghubelhutte-4.jpg) Once you reach the Rugghubelhütte a surprise awaits, unless, of course, you have seen these photos. Unlike other huts that have been built with their back against a mountain there is a quite wonderful valley behind the Rugghubelhütte. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/rugghubelhutte-5.jpg) There was still quite a bit of snow early July, which is why some trails higher up in the mountains were still closed. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/rugghubelhutte-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/rugghubelhutte-10.jpg) Looking down towards Engelberg. The snowy peak in the distance is Titlis. I didn't have time to visit Titlis. That'll have to wait until another time. I really enjoyed Engelberg. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/07/rugghubelhutte-11.jpg) The first stretch of the trail to the Rugghubelhütte is a paved road. Along the way you pass a farm where you can have a drink and buy cheese. ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), the hike to the [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/), the hike from [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/), the hike to the [Schönbielhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schonbielhutte/). ### Surenenpass URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/surenenpass/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:48:26.000Z The hike from Engelberg via Surenenpass to Attinghausen is considered one of the most impressive of central Switzerland. I started at Fürenalp. From there I hiked to the Surenenpass. I didn't continue all the way to Attinghausen though, but took the same way back. For one thing, there was still a lot of snow on the other side of the Surenenpass. Instead or returning to Fürenalp I descended via Stäuber and Stäfeli to the valley station Engelberg/Fürenalp. On my way back I made a brief stop at one of the farms for some delicious cheese and soup. The area around Engelberg is famous for its cheese and there is even a hike which takes you past a number of farms. ![The hike to the Surenenpass](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/08/surenenpass-1.jpg) The hike to the Surenenpass is quite gentle ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/08/surenenpass-2.jpg) An alpine meadow. No wonder the cheese tastes good. The fields are covered with all kinds of flowers. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/08/surenenpass-3.jpg) If the mountain peaks are covered in clouds then, of course, if you keep climbing at some point you will end up in the clouds as indeed happened as I continued my ascent. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/08/surenenpass-4.jpg) To the right one of the farms where you can buy and eat cheese and other refreshments ![On the way to the Surenenpass](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/08/surenenpass-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/08/surenenpass-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/08/surenenpass-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/08/surenenpass-8.jpg) The mountains actually look quite nice in black and white ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/08/surenenpass-9.jpg) I made it to the pass but it was very cloudy and foggy ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/08/surenenpass-10.jpg) Looking back. In the afternoon the mountains were almost entirely covered in clouds. Compare the photo above which I made on my way up. ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), the hike to [Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/), the hike from [Schynige Platte via the Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the hike to the [Plans de Bertol](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/plans-de-bertol/), the hike to the [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna da Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/), the [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/) and the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the spectacular [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/29/further-reading-101/ Last updated: 2024-07-30T09:21:32.000Z Adam Phillips on [getting the life you want](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n12/adam-phillips/on-getting-the-life-you-want?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Interview](https://www.zeit.de/2024/25/rem-koolhaas-architektur-demokratie-europa-indonesien?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with the always interesting Rem Koolhaas (auf Deutsch). “Europäer streben nur noch nach Komfort und Sicherheit. Also nach Faulheit.” Island-wide characterization of agricultural production [challenges the demographic collapse hypothesis for Rapa Nui](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ado1459?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (Easter Island). The so-called “ecocide” of the Rapa Nui, popularized by Jared Diamond in *Collapse* is a myth that should be relegated to the bin of outdated theories. The collapse was caused by slave trade, enforced migration and the introduction of new diseases. The enduring mystery of [how water freezes](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-enduring-mystery-of-how-water-freezes-20240617/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Mathematicians attempt to glimpse past the Big Bang. By studying the geometry of model space-times, researchers offer [alternative views of the universe’s first moments](https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-attempt-to-glimpse-past-the-big-bang-20240531/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Chimps use more plant medicines than any other animal. A [recent study](https://www.science.org/content/article/chimps-use-more-plant-medicines-any-other-animal?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) suggests sick chimpanzees go out of their way to find plants with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. These [crows may count](https://www.science.org/content/article/these-crows-may-count-way-similar-human-toddlers?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in a way similar to human toddlers. Patricia Lockwood [on A.S. Byatt](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n12/patricia-lockwood/isn-t-that-.-.-.-female?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Sleep deprivation disrupts memory: [here’s why](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01732-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Primordial black holes](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n11/david-kaiser/black-hole-flyby?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Detecting hallucinations in large language models](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07421-0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) using semantic entropy. [Surrealism’s influence](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n11/hal-foster/big-toes-are-gross?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Egypt’s new USD 1-billion [mega-museum](https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-024-01467-w?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The potential of micro- and nanoplastics to [exacerbate the health impacts and global burden of non-communicable diseases](https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791%2824%2900273-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Adorno’s aesthetics](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n11/owen-hatherley/wild-resistance?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). How to raise your Artificial Intelligence: A [conversation](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/how-to-raise-your-artificial-intelligence-a-conversation-with-alison-gopnik-and-melanie-mitchell/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Alison Gopnik and Melanie Mitchell. [Most life on Earth is dormant](https://www.quantamagazine.org/most-life-on-earth-is-dormant-after-pulling-an-emergency-brake-20240605/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), after pulling an ‘emergency brake’. Many microbes and cells are in deep sleep, waiting for the right moment to activate. Biologists discovered a widespread protein that abruptly shuts down a cell’s activity — and turns it back on just as fast. ### Paris 1874. Inventer l’Impressionisme at the Musée d’Orsay URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/16/paris-1874-inventer-l-impressionisme-at-the-musee-d-orsay/ Last updated: 2024-06-25T19:32:27.000Z April 1874 a group of artists, who called themselves Société anonyme des artistes peintres, sculpteurs et graveurs, and which included Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Alfred Sisley and Berthe Morisot, organized an exhibition that has since become legendary. Among the works on display was a painting called “Impression, soleil levant” (Impression, sunrise, 1872) by Monet, which shows the docks on the harbour of Le Havre in the morning mist. The painting is interesting not just because of the originality of its technique, but also because of its choice of subject. At the time most landscape paintings showed picturesque scenes, but for his painting Monet chose an industrial site. The response of critics and the public was lukewarm at best. Borrowing its title from Monet in a review intended to ridicule the exhibition, one critic called it “The Exhibition of the Impressionists”. The name stuck and the rest is (art) history. To mark the 150th anniversary of this landmark exhibition the Musée d’Orsay, together with the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, has organized a magnificent exhibition, *Paris 1874\. Inventer l'Impressionisme*, which brings together some of the works that were shown at the First Impressionist exhibition and at that year’s official Salon. In 1874 France was recovering from its defeat against Prussia in the Franco-German War of 1870, which had been followed, in 1871, by a popular uprising in Paris. The 1870s also mark the beginning of the Second Industrial Revolution and a period of urbanization and rapid social change. Against this background a number of artists began experimenting with novel techniques while trying to capture the fleeting, ephemeral experience of modern life. At the time French art was still dominated by the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Every year the Académie organized a popular, juried exhibition, the Salon. The jury, which sought to uphold the traditional values of the Académie, was notoriously conservative and regularly rejected a large number of submitted paintings. In 1863, the Salon jury rejected more than half of submitted paintings, causing an uproar among artists who had previously been included. Upon hearing of the commotion Napoleon III instituted a Salon des Réfusés to showcase works that had been rejected for the official Salon so as to allow the public to judge for itself. The exhibition, which that year included Manet's “Déjeuner sur l'herbe” (1862-63), was a huge popular success. The next few years, despite the urging of many artists, no Salon des Réfusés was organized. In December 1873 Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Cézanne and Morisot founded the Société anonyme des artistes peintres, sculpteurs et graveurs to organize their own exhibition. The opening was carefully planned two weeks in advance of the Salon. Degas went to great lengths to invite artists who also exhibited at the Salon so as to avoid the label of a “Salon des Réfusés”. The exhibition attracted little more than 3,500 visitors and only a handful of paintings were actually sold. Eventually most works found a buyer. Over the years they would change hands and get dispersed across the world. In order to recreate the original show the Musée d’Orsay therefore had to obtain loans from a number of other institutions. Consequently, the exhibition includes several masterpieces that I had never seen before or only knew from reproductions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/paris-1874-musee-orsay-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/paris-1874-musee-orsay-3.jpg) Claude Monet, Boulevard des Capucines (1873-74) “Boulevard des Capucines” (1873-74) by Claude Monet, on loan from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, is one of the many highlights of the exhibition. It is fascinating to see how, with a few dots of paint, Monet created the impression of a lively city street. It was in fact painted from the window of the studio of the photographer Nadar, the same building where the First Impressionist exhibition took place. Other highlights include “Classe de danse” (1870) by Degas, on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “La Loge” (1874) by Renoir, on loan from the Courtauld Institute, “Le Bal à l’Opéra” (1873) by Manet, on loan from the National Gallery of Art and which was rejected for that year’s Salon, the afore mentioned “Impression, soleil levant” (1872) by Monet, on loan from the Musée Marmottan-Monet and “Le Berceau” (1872) by Morisot from the Musée d’Orsay’s own outstanding collection of 19th century French art. Also included are two other wonderful paintings by Berthe Morisot, “La Lecture” and “Cache-cache” (1873) as well as a portrait of Morisot by Manet. To put the works included in the 1874 impressionist exhibition into perspective the organizers of the Musée d’Orsay show have also brought together some of the paintings that were on display at that year’s Salon. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/paris-1874-musee-orsay-4.jpg) Some of the paintings on show at the 1874 Salon It is easy, too easy, to deride the paintings that were included in the official Salon. Some do indeed look rather outdated by today’s standards, such as the paintings featuring historical or mythological motifs. But the Salon also included some interesting works, such as the in-your-face “Morts en ligne” (1873) by Auguste Lançon, which shows a row of dead French soldiers against the background of smoke rising up from the town of Bazeilles and which is on par with Goya’s “The Third of May 1808” in expressing the horrors of war. Perhaps surprisingly only seven of the 30 artists who participated in the First Impressionist exhibition have gone down into history as impressionists. Over the next few years they would organize several other exhibitions. The Musée d’Orsay show also presents some works that were on display at the Third Exhibition of the Impressionists, including the glorious “Bal du moulin de la Galette” (1876) by Renoir. Afterwards I visited the Musée d’Orsay's amazing permanent collection. The Musée d’Orsay regularly changes some of the works on display and I was delighted to discover a number of paintings that I didn’t recall seeing on my most recent visits. I love "Au lit" (In Bed, 1891), a surprisingly modern composition by Édouard Vuillard. I also realized once more that I actually prefer Manet to Monet. "La Dame aux éventails" (1873) and "La Lecture" (1865-1873) are simply awesome. **Paris 1874\. Inventer l'Impressionisme** is at the Musée d’Orsay until 14 July 2024 and at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC from 8 September 2024 until 19 January 2025. ### Brancusi at the Centre Pompidou URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/09/brancusi-at-the-centre-pompidou/ Last updated: 2024-06-17T16:56:42.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/brancusi-centre-pompidou-1.jpg) Two of Brancusi's "Bird in Space" As one of the final acts before it closes for a five year [refurbishment](https://www.centrepompidou.fr/fr/fermeture-provisoire-pour-travaux/le-projet-de-renovation?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), early 2025, the Centre Pompidou has organized a large retrospective of Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957). In 2020 I visited a [Brancusi retrospective](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/01/12/brancusi-at-bozar/) in Brussels, but the present exhibition is much larger and much better, because it gives Brancusi’s sculptures the space they deserve. The Centre Pompidou was able to obtain a number of significant loans from other institutions to enhance its own extensive collection of works by Brancusi. And so there are two different versions of “Le Baiser” (The Kiss) and “La muse endormie” (Sleeping Muse) and a marble and a bronze version of “Le commencement du monde” (The Beginning of the World). Brancusi revolutionized sculpture by breaking with modelling in favour of direct carving and polishing and by his ongoing search for the essence of things resulting in serene, minimalist shapes. The exhibition opens with three large plaster versions of “Le Coq” (The Rooster). This is followed by a room with both early and later works. I particularly enjoyed a display with “children’s heads” (Tête d’enfant endormi) from different stages of Brancusi’s career, which clearly show his path towards abstraction. This exhibit alone was worth the visit. The next room presents a richly documented chronological overview of Brancusi’s life, with photographs, letters, drawings and fragments of Brancusi’s favorite music, from Romanian folk songs to Satie and jazz. At the center of the exhibition is a reconstruction of Brancusi’s former studio in Montparnasse, where he lived and worked from 1916 until his death and which he conceived as a work in itself. He had carefully crafted nearly everything by hand, from the tables and stools to the fireplace. For years he endlessly moved his works around to create a perfect ensemble. Whenever he sold a work he replaced it with a plaster or bronze cast so as to preserve the configuration. Brancusi bequeathed his studio and his archive to the French state after his death on the condition that it was reconstituted. In 1997, a reconstruction of the studio was installed on the square opposite the Centre Pompidou. For the duration of the exhibition its contents have been temporarily moved to the Pompidou’s top floor where they can be viewed from three sides. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/brancusi-centre-pompidou-2.jpg) The next two rooms showcase Brancusi’s experiments with the masculine and feminine form and the portraits he made of his friends and muses. Brancusi admonished people not to look for obscure formulas or mysteries in his work, “I am giving you pure joy.” And what a joy it is to see a large selection of his portraits and being able to view them from all sides. I particularly enjoyed seeing different versions of Mll Pogany and Danaïde side by side. The following room, Flight, is an absolute masterstroke and one of the highlights of the exhibition. Several of Brancusi’s “birds in space” are displayed in front of the Pompidou’s windows against the skyline of Paris. As I wrote in my review of the Brancusi exhibition in Brussels, four years ago, the bird needs to fly. The early evening sun and some rain clouds in the distance made for a particularly dramatic setting. Sitting on a wooden bench in front of these sculptures with the skyline of Paris in the background was a moment of pure bliss. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/brancusi-centre-pompidou-3.jpg) Brancusi used to craft the rather monolithic plinths for his sculptures himself, which raises the question where a sculpture begins and ends. On several occasions Brancusi turned the plinth into a sculpture in its own right as can be seen in a quite wonderful ensemble. Brancusi was also fascinated by reflection and motion. He once invited the Romanian dancer Lizica Codreanu to his studio to perform among his sculptures. In the 1930s and 1940s Brancusi turned his attention to animals, from chickens and swans to fish and turtles. As in his portraits he sought to simplify the form to the point where only a distinctive feature remained, such as the zigzag of a chicken’s comb. The exhibition ends, appropriately, with Brancusi’s “endless columns”, representing the axis mundi, connecting earth and sky. It so happens that, back in my student days, I visited the last great Brancusi retrospective at the Centre Pompidou, some thirty years ago. So don’t miss this opportunity or else you may have to wait 25 years or more before you get another chance to see such an exquisite selection of works by Brancusi. **Brancusi** is at the Centre Pompidou, Paris until 1 July 2024. ### Links My [review](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/01/12/brancusi-at-bozar/) of the Brancusi retrospective at BOZAR in Brussels. ### Matisse: The Red Studio at the Fondation Louis Vuitton URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/02/matisse-the-red-studio-at-the-fondation-louis-vuitton/ Last updated: 2024-06-09T20:20:33.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/matisse-red-studio-flv-1.jpg) Henri Matisse, The Red Studio. Please note that this is just a snapshot and the colors are inaccurate. You really need to see it IRL. Henri Matisse’s "L’Atelier Rouge" (The Red Studio, 1911) is a fascinating painting with an equally fascinating history. It is widely regarded as a key work in Matisse’s oeuvre and indeed the history of modern art. The painting represents the artist’s studio in the Parisian suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux, including 11 of Matisse’s own works from the previous 13 years as well as some furniture and other objects. At the last minute Matisse decided to overpaint the background in deep Venetian red, thereby all but obliterating perspective and flattening pictorial space leaving only the outlines of the furniture. As a consequence the objects seem to float in a space. "The Red Studio" was originally commissioned by Sergei Shchukin, a wealthy Russian businessman and art collector, who championed the work of Cézanne, Derain, Matisse and Picasso. Shchukin had left the choice of subject to the artist, but when Matisse sent him a watercolor representing the finished painting, he refused to buy it, saying he preferred Matisse’s paintings with figures in it. "The Red Studio" was first exhibited in London in 1912 as part of the second Post-Impressionist Exhibition. It then travelled on to the United States, where it was included in the Armory Show in New York, Chicago and Boston. However, it failed to attract a buyer. In 1927 it was acquired by the owner of a fashionable private nightclub in London. For the next 13 years the painting would adorn the wall of the club’s ballroom, visible only to London’s high society. At the end of the 1930s the club’s owner decided to sell "The Red Studio". It ended up, first at a gallery in London, where it remained until 1945, and then at a gallery in New York. By that time "The Red Studio" had been recognized as a masterpiece. In 1948, the gallery’s owner agreed to sell it to MoMA, where it was first shown to the public in 1949\. The exhibition *Matisse: L’Atelier Rouge*, previously shown at [MoMA](https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5344?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in New York and at the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, brings together for the first time "The Red Studio" and all the paintings and objects depicted in it, except for “Grand Nu”, the large painting on the left, which at Matisse’s request was destroyed upon his death. It is an absolute joy to see "The Red Studio" in all its glory surrounded by all surviving paintings represented in it, some of which are rarely exhibited. It is especially interesting to see how Matisse chose to paint his earlier works. "Baigneurs" (Bathers, 1907) as depicted in "The Red Studio" is representative of his later work. Matisse also chose to render the nudes in "Le Luxe II" (1907-08) in red, like the figures in "La Danse" (1909-10) The exhibition is complemented by several other paintings by Matisse, including "La Fenêtre bleue" (The Blue Window, 1913) and "Poissons rouges et Sculpture" (Goldfish and Sculpture, 1912), from the collection of MoMA and "Grand Intérieur rouge" (1948) on loan from the Centre Pompidou. Concurrently with Matisse: The Red Studio the Fondation Louis Vuitton has organized an [Ellsworth Kelly retrospective](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/02/ellsworth-kelly-at-the-fondation-louis-vuitton/). And so, upon entering you have to choose which exhibition to visit first. I chose to visit the Ellsworth Kelly retrospective first, but if I could do it all over again I would probably visit the Matisse show first. Either way, the Fondation Louis Vuitton is always crowded, unless you visit first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon on a Wednesday. **Matisse: L’Atelier Rouge** is at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris through 9 September 2024. ### Ellsworth Kelly at the Fondation Louis Vuitton URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/02/ellsworth-kelly-at-the-fondation-louis-vuitton/ Last updated: 2024-06-11T17:56:01.000Z ![Ellsworth Kelly at the Fondation Louis Vuitton](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/ellsworth-kelly-flv-1.jpg) Ellsworth Kelly at the Fondation Louis Vuitton I’ve always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with minimal art. I guess I have to be in the right mood to appreciate it. When I’m stressed it leaves me totally indifferent. All I want to do is move on to something that stops me in my tracks and draws me in. Then again, perhaps a powerful dose of minimal art is exactly what I need at such a moment. A painting by Frank Stella or a sculpture by Donald Judd just “is”. There is nothing to understand, nothing to interpret. As such it has a Zen-like quality that can inspire tranquility. But to experience that you need to sit down in front of a painting or sculpture and just look while gently letting go of any thoughts or worries that pop up into your mind. I was in no hurry when I visited the Ellsworth Kelly retrospective "Shapes and Colors. 1949-2015" at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. I arrived well in advance of my 10 o’clock time slot and I was the third person to go through security. Upon entering you have to decide whether to first visit the Ellsworth Kelly exhibition, which starts at the lower ground floor, or to take the escalator to the first floor to visit [Matisse: The Red Studio](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/06/02/matisse-the-red-studio-at-the-fondation-louis-vuitton/). It's a tough choice, because by the time you finish either exhibition the other will be crowded with visitors. I wanted to have some works by Ellsworth Kelly largely to myself, if only for a few minutes, so I opted to visit the Ellsworth Kelly exhibition first. In 1948, shortly after graduating from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015) moved to Paris where he would live for the next six years. He immersed himself in the city’s post-war art scene and befriended artists like Jean Arp and Constantin Brâncuși. "Cut Up Drawing Rearranged by Chance" (1950), which was possibly created following conversations with John Cage and Merce Cunningham, whom Kelly had met in Paris, about the role of chance in art, is an interesting and indeed inspiring work from this period. I’m actually thinking of creating some collages in the same vein. At around the same time Kelly began creating his first abstract compositions of water ripples and of spectrum colors arranged by chance, a concept to which he would return multiple times in subsequent years. In 1954 Ellsworth Kelly moved back to the United States. His simple compositions in bright colors contrasted sharply with the then dominant abstract expressionism of Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline. In the 1960s Kelly began experimenting with irregularly shaped canvases followed, in the 1970s, by curved canvases. Ellsworth Kelly’s paintings often incorporate the wall, or in case of "Yellow Curve" (1990) the floor, as an element in the composition, with the canvas acting as the figure and the wall as the ground. I initially mistook "Painting in Three Panels" (1956) for three carefully placed individual paintings, but it is in fact a triptych composed of three separate panels. The wall and the space in-between the panels are integral elements of the composition. The other works in the exhibition are, of course, also carefully placed so as to create a symphony in shape and color. The exhibition brings together more than one hundred paintings, sculptures, drawings and photographs created between 1949-2015\. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/ellsworth-kelly-flv-3.jpg) I enjoyed seeing a selection of the photographs Kelly took from the early 1950s onwards. As Kelly himself commented, they are records of his vision, of how he sees things. And indeed, a shadow, a beam of light, a door or a roof, when seen from a certain angle constitute the same graphic elements that form the basis of Kelly’s painterly and sculptural practice. Throughout his career Ellsworth Kelly also created various site specific works and architectural interventions. Shortly before his death the Fondation Louis Vuitton commissioned him to create a site specific work for the auditorium of its Frank Gehry designed premises. Le Corbusier once said of Ellsworth Kelly that “this kind of painting needs the architecture to go with it.” And indeed, the panels that Kelly created for the Fondation Louis Vuitton merge perfectly with the architecture. **Ellsworth Kelly. Shapes and Colors, 1949-2015** is at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris through 9 September 2024. ### Robert Ryman. The Act of Looking at the Musée de l'Orangerie URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/05/26/robert-ryman-the-act-of-looking-at-the-musee-de-lorangerie/ Last updated: 2024-06-02T14:41:15.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/ryman-orangerie-2.jpg) Robert Ryman at the Musée de l'Orangerie Robert Ryman (1930-2019) is best known for his white on white paintings. His work is included in the collection of almost every museum of modern art, because it fits nicely into the standard narrative of twentieth century art. It can be seen as an exponent of minimalism, as a reaction to abstract expressionism and as the end point of painting. If you’ve ever painted a wall inside your home you’ll know that white actually comes in various pigments (e.g. RAL 9010 and RAL 9001) and that there can even be tiny differences between different brands. Some whites tend towards yellow others towards blue. Some whites look warm, others look cold. When looking at a painting by Robert Ryman there is more that meets the eye than the words white on white suggest. Ryman himself always rejected the notion that his paintings were abstract (as opposed to figurative) or monochrome. He liked to think of himself as a painter, whose medium happened to be white paint. Throughout his career Ryman tirelessly explored the possibilities of painting, experimenting with the type of paint (oil, acrylic, resin), the size and material of the support (canvas, paper, Plexiglass, etc.), how paint can be applied (with a brush or a painter’s knife, in thick layers, in broad strokes and so on) and the ways in which a painting is displayed (with or without frame, screwed to the wall, or why not, horizontally as some kind of a table). All of this only becomes clear once you see multiple paintings side by side. And so I was glad to visit the Robert Ryman retrospective at the Musée de l'Orangerie. I’m still a bit puzzled why of all places the Musée de l'Orangerie would organize a Robert Ryman exhibition, but the juxtaposition with Monet’s "Water Lilies" and the work of Chaïm Soutine worked quite well. I came away with a deeper appreciation for what Ryman was after. His work doesn't resonate with me though. I think of him mostly as a figure of art historical significance. Having said that, if you’re interested in art and if you happen to be in Paris you should definitely include it in your itinerary. **Robert Ryman: The Act of Looking** is at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris until 1 July 2024. ### Paolo Roversi at the Palais Galliera URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/05/23/paolo-roversi-at-the-palais-galliera/ Last updated: 2025-08-10T11:37:02.000Z ![Paolo Roversi at the Palais Galliera](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/roversi-galliera-2.jpg) Paolo Roversi is one of today’s most celebrated fashion photographers. Over the years he has developed a highly distinctive style that is instantly recognizable. His photos typically feature a single model, shown in full body or upper body, against a monochrome background. Many of his photos have washed out colors and a bit of motion blur due to long exposure times, giving them a dream like quality. An exhibition at the Palais Galliera in Paris brings together some 140 of his photographs covering fifty years of work, from editorials and advertising campaigns for the likes of Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto to Polaroids from Roversi’s personal archive. Surprisingly, this is the first exhibition of his work in Paris, even though Roversi has been based in Paris since 1973. The photographs are mixed together and displayed in no particular chronological order. It shows that, once he had found his voice, his work remained remarkably consistent. With its red walls and intimate lighting the Palais Galliera is the perfect setting for a retrospective of the work of Paolo Roversi. Unfortunately, all the lockers were occupied so I had to carry my backpack with me all the time. The exhibition is accompanied by a 200-page catalogue, which you can also buy from your favorite bookstore, if you can't make it to the show. **Paolo Roversi** is at the Palais Galliera in Paris until 14 July 2024. ### Links [Tim Walker. Wonderful Things](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/12/02/tim-walker-wonderful-things/) at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam. [Peter Lindberg. A Different Vision on Fashion Photography](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/01/29/peter-lindbergh-a-different-vision-on-fashion-photography/) at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam. ### Exteriors: Annie Ernaux and Photography URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/05/17/exteriors-annie-ernaux-and-photography/ Last updated: 2024-05-26T19:37:08.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/05/exteriors-mep-2.jpg) "Exteriors: Annie Ernaux and Photography" juxtaposes excerpts from Annie Ernaux’s book *Journal du dehors* (Exteriors, 1993) with photographs from the collection of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. The result is an intriguing exhibition, which brings to life both the photographs and the texts. As Annie Ernaux once wrote, she sought to “describe reality as through the eyes of a photographer and to preserve the mystery and opacity of the lives I encountered”. *Journal du dehors* consists of journal entries from the late 1980s and early 1990s, which Ernaux wrote down as she commuted by train between Paris and her home in Cergy-Pontoise, a suburb some 40 kilometers outside of Paris. In the preface to the paperback edition Ernaux describes the book as “a collection of snapshots of collective urban life”. Most of the photographs were take in or around Paris, but the inclusion of several works by Daido Moriyama, of a collage of a packed train at Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station by the Japanese photographer Hiro and of photographs taken in New York, London, Los Angeles and Shanghai, illustrate that the urban experience described by Ernaux is universal. Similarly, the inclusion of two recent works by Mohamed Bourouissa show that the scenes in *Journal du dehors* are of all times. The writing in *Journal du dehors* is closer in style to *Les années* (The Years, 2008) than to *La place* (A Man's Place, 1983) and *L'événement* (Happening, 2000). I now look forward to reading the entire book. The exhibition is accompanied by a [catalogue](https://mackbooks.eu/products/exteriors-annie-ernaux-and-photography-br-lou-stoppard-ed?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), which is available in both French and English. If you can’t make it to the exhibition I recommend getting yourself a copy of the catalogue. **Extérieurs. Annie Ernaux & la Photographie** is at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris until 26 May 2024. ### Le monde comme il va URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/05/17/le-monde-comme-il-va/ Last updated: 2024-05-26T17:27:34.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/05/le-monde-comme-il-va-4.jpg) To Breathe - Constellation by Kimsooja at the Bourse de Commerce For Le monde comme il va the Korean artist Kimsooja has covered the floor of the rotunda of the Bourse de Commerce with mirrors, turning its magnificent glass dome into a reflective abyss, thereby making it one of the most Instagrammable spots in Paris. The studio, at the lower ground floor, presents another work by Kimsooja, "A Needle Woman" (1999-2000), which shows Kimsooja filmed from behind standing in the middle of a busy street in Tokyo, Shanghai, Delhi and New York. I remember being mesmerized when I first saw it at the 2005 Venice Biennale and I enjoyed seeing it again. Le monde comme il va (The World as it Goes) is one of the most interesting exhibitions I’ve seen at the Bourse de Commerce so far. “Old People’s Home” (2007) by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu, which features life-size puppets of politicians and religious leaders slumped in electric wheelchairs, is hilarious and timely. It is shown against the backdrop of “Circus Figures” (2005) by Sigmar Polke and Ghost Ball (2023) by Salman Toor, which make for a perfect pairing. Another room brings together works by Jeff Koons, Damian Hirst and Robert Gober. As Alain Badiou once commented, since the 1990s art has become equated with “culture”, love has become “sexuality”, science has become “technology” and politics “management”. The works gathered here can be seen both as an example of the commodification of art and as a critique of its commodification. The same goes for “Dino” (1993) by Bertrand Lavier, a crashed Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 on an immaculate plinth, which is presented in another room against the backdrop of a painting from 2022 by Anne Imhof, which shows the smoke and dust clouds of an explosion. With works by Damian Hirst, Jeff Koons, Anne Imhof, Christopher Wool, Wolfgang Tillmans, Marlene Dumas and Cindy Sherman among others, Le monde comme il va showcases some of the hottest names in contemporary art. **Le monde comme il va** is at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris through 2 September 2024. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/05/le-monde-comme-il-va-3.jpg) ### Mexica at the Musée du quai Branly URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/05/16/mexica-at-the-musee-du-quai-branly/ Last updated: 2024-05-26T13:51:04.000Z A few years ago I read a fascinating book, *Fifth Sun. A New History of the Aztecs* by Camilla Townsend, which basically argues that everything you think you know about the Aztecs is wrong. For one thing, technically speaking there never were any “Aztecs”, because no people ever called themselves that. Properly speaking the people who ruled what is now referred to as the Aztec Empire were called Mexica, for this is the term that they themselves used. I was also surprised to learn how large and how advanced the Mexica empire was. At the height of their power the Mexica empire stretched more than 200,000 square km and comprised around 5 million people. Somewhere around 1325 the Mexica established a settlement on an island in Lake Texcoco, in the Valley of Mexico, which they called Tenochtitlán. Over the next two centuries it grew into a large metropolis with an estimated 200,000 inhabitants. In 1521, after fierce fighting, the Spanish defeated the Mexica empire. In the following years indigenous populations were largely decimated by epidemics. To consolidate their power the Spanish razed the city of Tenochtitlán to the ground. On top of the ruins they built the foundations of Mexico City, which was to become the capital of New Spain and following independence in 1821, Mexico. In 1978, workers of an electricity company happened upon a large circular monolith representing the moon goddess Coyolxauhqui, near where the main temple of Tenochtitlán, the Templo Mayor, once stood. Following this chance discovery archaeologists embarked upon a project to excavate the site. Over the past fifty years a large number of artifacts have been unearthed, including more than 200 offerings that the Mexica made to their gods. In collaboration with Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History the Musée du quay Branly has organised an exhibition which documents the results of research carried out at the site of the Templo Mayor. The exhibition includes numerous divine effigies, idols, instruments used during sacrifices and the skeletal remains of various offerings. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/05/mexica-musee-quai-branly-2.jpg) These knives were used for animal and human sacrifices, more in particular for extracting the heart It is an information dense exhibition. To get the most out of it you need to take it slowly and read all the panels. At the entrance there’s a five minute introductory video, which I found quite helpful. I took my time and learned a lot. As they act upon the world the gods, too, get tired and their forces are depleted. To replenish the gods and to ensure their proper functioning it is therefore paramount for people to make offerings to the gods. I had never thought about it this way, but within the Mexica cosmology it makes perfect sense. **Mexica. Offerings and Gods at the Templo Mayor** is at the Musée du quai Branly in Paris through 8 September 2024. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/05/15/further-reading-100/ Last updated: 2024-06-29T09:09:58.000Z Cubic millimetre of brain mapped in [spectacular detail](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01387-9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The universe’s [topology](https://physics.aps.org/articles/v17/74?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) may not be simple. Most models for the overall shape and geometry of the Universe—including some exotic ones—are compatible with the latest cosmic observations. ‘Shut up and calculate’: how Einstein lost [the battle to explain quantum reality](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01216-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). By suppressing questions they considered too ‘philosophical’, post-war physicists created an unquestioning orthodoxy that influences science to this day. How does ChatGPT ‘think’? Psychology and neuroscience [crack open AI large language models](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01314-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Intrinsic simplicity of complex systems](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-023-02268-0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Collective intelligence](https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-024-06037-4?fromPaywallRec=true&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): A unifying concept for integrating biology across scales and substrates. Popular songs are [simpler and more repetitive](https://www.science.org/content/article/popular-songs-are-simpler-and-more-repetitive-they-used-be?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) than they used to be. This is why I listen less and less to popular music. For years I kept up with the latest releases, but at some point I lost interest, because so much sounds the same. Mathematicians have illuminated [what sets of points can look like if the distances between them are all whole numbers](https://www.quantamagazine.org/merging-fields-mathematicians-go-the-distance-on-old-problem-20240401/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [What is noise?](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/22/what-is-noise?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Survival of the nicest](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00999-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): have we got evolution the wrong way round? How humans, animals and even single-celled organisms cooperate to survive suggests there’s more to life than just competition, argues a cheering study of evolutionary biology. [Assessing the health burden from air pollution](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo3801?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A broader approach to assessing the burden of disease from air pollution is required. [Everyone’s a sellout now](https://www.vox.com/culture/2024/2/1/24056883/tiktok-self-promotion-artist-career-how-to-build-following?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). So you want to be an artist. Do you have to start a TikTok? [Review](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/05/09/burning-up-fire-weather-john-vaillant/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Fire Weather* by John Vaillant and *The Heat Will Kill You First* by Jeff Goodell. [Profile of the philosopher Byung-Chul Han](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/the-internets-new-favorite-philosopher?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), who in treatises such as “The Burnout Society” and “The Crisis of Narration,” diagnoses the frenetic aimlessness of the digital age. The researcher who explores computation by [conjuring new worlds](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-researcher-who-explores-computation-by-conjuring-new-worlds-20240327/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Augustine Birrell](https://yalereview.org/article/virginia-woolf-augustine-birrell?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Short story by Virginia Woolf. ### Poor Things URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/04/07/poor-things/ Last updated: 2024-04-14T12:29:07.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/poor-things-2.jpg) I’m glad films like *Poor Things* are still being made. I’m also happy to see that it has won numerous awards and that it is a box office success. The production design is amazing as are the costumes. The use of a fish-eye lens in some scenes is highly functional and a great find. It is a bit unfortunate that the storyline is a bit flimsy and that, like so many films these days, it is overlong. At various moments I found myself losing interest and checking the time for how much longer it would go on. *Poor Things* is set in Victorian London and tells the story of Bella Baxter, played by a phenomenal Emma Stone, a young woman who commits suicide by jumping off a bridge, the reason for which will be revealed towards the end of the film. She is rescued by a mad scientist, Godwin Baxter, played by Willem Dafoe, who replaces her brain with that of her unborn baby, before resuscitating her. Bella Baxter thus has the mind of a baby inside the body of an adult. Like some of the hybrid creatures that populate professor Baxter’s gothic mansion, Bella is conceived as an experiment. Baxter recruits one of his students, Max McCandles, to document her intellectual progress as she transforms from an unruly child into a rebellious teenager. As she discovers her sexuality her linguistic capacities jump. Professor Baxter intends to marry her off to Max McCandles, but with his consent she runs off with the lawyer Duncan Wedderburn to explore the world. They travel from Lisbon to Alexandria and eventually end up in Paris where Bella finds employment in a brothel, having given away all of Wedderburn’s money to the poor, or so she thought. It is here that she discovers that sex isn’t always fun. At some point a terminally ill Godwin Baxter summons her back to London, where she follows in her maker’s footsteps. The problem, or perhaps I should say my problem, although it isn’t really a problem, with *Poor Things* is that everything is on the surface. There are no hidden layers or perhaps I missed them, because from time to time I felt my attention waning. I know, Godwin Baxter is a reference to Mary Shelley, born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, author of *Frankenstein*. And whereas in *Frankenstein* the creature is an ugly, nameless monster, in *Poor Things* it is a beautiful, seductive woman, hence her name, Bella, with a fierce independent will. I also got Bella’s reference to Godwin as God and I understand that the poor things in the title are a reference to the men who fall for Bella. I can wax lyrical about the final scene of *La Dolce Vita*, I loved how in *Arrival* the plot is mirrored in the film structure and *Mulholland Drive* still has me wondering. But *Poor Things*, like so many contemporary films, is a bit too obvious and too flat for me. Having said that, *Poor Things* is a visual and stylistic treat and I don’t regret watching it. Had it been 90 or 100 minutes instead of 136 minutes I would probably have found it much better, also because it would have forced director Yorgos Lanthimos to make some tough choices. ### Frans Hals at the Rijksmuseum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/03/31/frans-hals-at-the-rijksmuseum/ Last updated: 2024-04-14T17:46:42.000Z Following hot on the heels of last year’s Vermeer retrospective the Rijksmuseum, together with the National Gallery in London and the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, has organized a large-scale retrospective of Frans Hals, bringing together some of his best works. Of course, to see a large selection of works by Frans Hals you can always travel to the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, but his best paintings are scattered across multiple institutions. Surprisingly little is known about Frans Hals. He was born in Antwerp between 1582 and 1584\. In 1585, the family moved to Haarlem, where Frans Hals trained as a painter. In 1610, he established himself as an independent artist with his own studio and apprentices. Throughout his career he primarily painted portraits of wealthy citizens and the occasional group portrait. In his own time he painted his family members and so called “tronies”, portraits of generic people. Hals was celebrated during his lifetime, as evidenced by the large number of commissions he received, but after his death, in 1666, his work fell into oblivion. In the mid-19th century, some 200 years after his death, his work was rediscovered. Painters such as Courbet, Manet and Van Gogh expressed their admiration for his paintings. In 1865 one of his portraits, “The Laughing Cavalier” (1624), was sold at auction for the then staggering sum of 51,000 francs, six times the estimate. It was later bequeathed to the Wallace Collection in London and is one of the highlights of the exhibition. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/hals-rijksmuseum-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/hals-rijksmuseum-2.jpg) Frans Hals, Regents of the Old Men’s Alms House (1664) Frans Hals is best known for his loose, bold brushstrokes. This is most visible in the “tronies” and in his late work. “Portrait of a Man in a Slouch Hat” (1660) is a great portrait that reminded me of Manet. “Regents of the Old Men’s Alms House” (1664) is an equally magnificent group portrait. It is fascinating to see how, with a few rough brush strokes, Hals painted the collars and cuffs, especially when compared with some of his early portraits, in which he meticulously painted every detail. Other than that there is little to say about Frans Hals. His name is often mentioned in the same breath as Rembrandt and Vermeer, but I found most of his paintings rather dull, especially the ones in the first half of the exhibition, with none of the intensity or the inventiveness of Rembrandt. Frans Hals’s militia portraits, for example, seem rather stiff and pale compared with “The Night Watch”. But don’t take my word for it and go and have a look for yourself if you have a chance. Frans Hals is at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam until 9 June 2024 and at the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin from 12 July until 3 November 2024. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/03/30/further-reading-99/ Last updated: 2024-03-30T13:16:35.000Z Claire Voisin on [mathematical creativity](https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-mathematician-on-creativity-art-logic-and-language-20240313/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Vladimir Nabokov: [Symbols and Signs](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1948/05/15/symbols-and-signs?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). One of the best short stories ever written. The ‘Mother Tree’ idea is everywhere, but [how much of it is real](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00893-0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? [A conversation about art](https://yalereview.org/article/virginia-woolf-conversation-about-art?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Virginia Woolf. Originally published 1 September 1934\. Unearthed from the archives of *The Yale Review*. Cal Newport on [how he learned to concentrate](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/office-space/how-i-learned-to-concentrate?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). How the Big Bang got its [name](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00894-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Climate change has slowed Earth’s rotation and could [affect how we keep time](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00932-w?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The effect of melting polar ice could delay the need for a ‘leap second’ by three years. ‘Entropy Bagels’ and other complex structures emerge from [simple rules](https://www.quantamagazine.org/entropy-bagels-and-other-complex-structures-emerge-from-simple-rules-20240227/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Amazing [1.3 gigapixel image](https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noirlab2406a/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of the Vela supernova remnant made with the Dark Energy Camera at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. [Zooming in](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-jBZgVRAqE&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). To unravel the origin of life, [treat findings as pieces of a bigger puzzle](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00544-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). How [chain-of-thought reasoning](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-chain-of-thought-reasoning-helps-neural-networks-compute-20240321/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) helps neural networks compute. [Michel Talagrand](https://www.quantamagazine.org/michel-talagrand-wins-abel-prize-for-work-wrangling-randomness-20240320/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) has been awarded the Abel Prize. Inside the miracle of [modern chip manufacturing](https://ig.ft.com/microchips/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Inside China’s giant [underground neutrino lab](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00694-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Are your [earliest childhood memories](https://www.science.org/content/article/are-your-earliest-childhood-memories-still-lurking-your-mind-or-gone-forever?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) still lurking in your mind or gone forever? The magisterial [remastering of the Grand Palais](https://www.ft.com/content/fdb7786c-71e5-4925-b62f-0f41c4848aa9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I look forward to the grand reopening. This super-Earth is the first planet confirmed to have [a permanent dark side](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00414-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Review](https://www.firstthings.com/article/2024/03/hegel-vindicated?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Hegel: The Philosopher of Freedom* by Klaus Vieweg. What makes an album [the greatest of all time](https://pudding.cool/2024/03/greatest-music/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? Is ChatGPT making scientists hyper-productive? [The highs and lows of using AI](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00592-w?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Large language models are transforming scientific writing and publishing. But the productivity boost that these tools bring could come with a downside. Jaron Lanier on [how to picture A.I.](https://t.co/Yf9a6rEPhb?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). After a year of trawling through scientific reports and national regulatory databases, scientists funded by the Norwegian Research Council have compiled a list of more than 16,000 ‘plastic chemicals’ — compounds found in plastics or thought to be used in them, including raw ingredients and additives such as stabilizers and colourants. Of these, at least 4,200 are “persistent, bioaccumulative, mobile and/or toxic”, [the group found](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00805-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Highlights from the Fall 2024 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/03/16/highlights-from-the-fall-2024-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2024-04-01T11:27:49.000Z Like every season I enjoyed browsing the ready-to-wear collections. These are some of the creations that I found interesting or inspiring. As always I favor highly theatrical designs or designs that would make great costumes for a dance performance. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-2024-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-2024-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-2024-12.jpg) Noir Kei Ninomiya ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/comme-des-garcons-fall-2024-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/comme-des-garcons-fall-2024-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/comme-des-garcons-fall-2024-5.jpg) Comme des Garçons ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/balenciaga-fall-2024-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/balenciaga-fall-2024-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/balenciaga-fall-2024-3.jpg) Balenciaga ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/junya-watanabe-fall-2024-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/yohji-yamamoto-fall-2024-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/yohji-yamamoto-fall-2024-4.jpg) Junya Watanabe (left), Yohji Yamamoto (middle & right) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/02/24/further-reading-98/ Last updated: 2024-03-17T11:12:27.000Z Forget lung, breast or prostate cancer: [why tumour naming needs to change](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00216-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The conventional way of classifying metastatic cancers according to their organ of origin is denying people access to drugs that could help them. [Causation in neuroscience](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41583-023-00778-7.epdf?sharing%5Ftoken=LlREMtfLsEuMP2cIGP8-CNRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0OJW18pxUOzYI6WS9QWYKLbrMfHUnYQTzLgDtF-GegxI1N6TrMJPNhyio4bQPoB5cqsg7EyaZJfZng31XWQB5hPeXriZftbC-ae313h2IZqMg9bAlGExqGCnik85rG07zQ%3D&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Keeping mechanism meaningful. How can people become happier? A [systematic review](https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-psych-022423-030818?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of preregistered experiments. The [decimal point](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00473-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is 150 years older than historians thought. A new map of the universe suggests [dark matter shaped the cosmos](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00489-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Baruch Spinoza and [the art of thinking in dangerous times](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/02/12/baruch-spinoza-and-the-art-of-thinking-in-dangerous-times?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Interview with Claire Voisin](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00402-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), who won this year’s Crafoord Prize in Mathematics for research inspired by string theory. "My field of mathematics was revolutionized by the late French mathematician Alexander Grothendieck in the 1960s. And the starting point was a sort of revolution in the way of understanding geometry: what is a space? When you define what a space is, you give total priority to the study of functions." [Lorraine Daston on Linnaeus](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n04/lorraine-daston/unicorn-or-narwhal?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “If he sounds odd to those who hold a view of Enlightenment science as rational and orderly, perhaps that’s because real Enlightenment science was a great deal weirder than that.” [Interview](https://www.ft.com/content/ddae6a34-1093-4880-b60c-09344c08a720?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Thomas Ostermeier. Fields Medal winner Cédric Villani explains some of [John Nash's extraordinary theorems](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHKa8F-RsEM&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). John Nash was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics for his work in game theory, but his contributions to mathematics were actually more groundbreaking. [Categories we live by](https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/how-we-sort-the-world-gregory-murphy-on-the-psychology-of-categories/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Or how we sort the world: Gregory Murphy on the psychology of categories. Bayesianism and wishful thinking are [compatible](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-01819-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). How does chronic stress harm the gut? [New clues emerge](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00188-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Greenland’s glaciers are retreating](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-04108-w?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) everywhere and all at once. [What makes for ‘good’ mathematics?](https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-makes-for-good-mathematics-20240201/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Terrence Tao joins Steven Strogatz for another interesting episode of The Joy of Why. [Recent breakthroughs](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/02/22/the-dark-tangle-of-alzheimers-how-not-to-study-a-disease/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in dementia treatments have been hailed as successes, but after decades of disappointing research it is difficult to be optimistic. Vaclav Smil and [the value of doubt](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/vaclav-smil-and-the-value-of-doubt?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). How the Amazon rainforest is being [illegally seized and destroyed](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/02/22/the-forest-eaters-banzeiro-okoto-eliane-brum/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Home-grown archaeologists reveal how people overcame [the challenges of life on the Canary Islands 1800 years ago](https://www.science.org/content/article/humans-survive-alone-1000-years-desert-islands-off-africa?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Noise pollution](https://www.noemamag.com/the-potent-pollution-of-noise/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Art philanthropy in the US](https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/01/18/art-philanthropy-in-the-us/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is localized and depends on prestige of the art organization. Strategies intended to safeguard forests and homes have instead [increased the likelihood that they’ll burn](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/02/05/the-perverse-policies-that-fuel-wildfires?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Morality](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n03/jonathan-ree/like-a-top-hat?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) without the metaphysics. Inside the music industry’s high-stakes [A.I. experiments](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/02/05/inside-the-music-industrys-high-stakes-ai-experiments?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Anselm URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/02/11/anselm/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T14:37:03.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/anselm-1.jpg) Picasso, Warhol, and Einstein are household names, and as of last year, Oppenheimer can be added to this list. German artist Anselm Kiefer, born in 1945, has achieved a level of fame where a documentary about him can simply be titled "Anselm" and many people will immediately know who it's about. More a portrait of Kiefer’s work than a biographical study of Kiefer himself, “Anselm”, directed by Wim Wenders, is a visually-striking documentary and a fascinating peek into the mind of an artist. I loved the footage shot at Kiefer’s former studio turned art installation at La Ribaute, a sprawling 40-hectare site of a defunct factory near Barjac in the south of France. The film is loosely structured as a chronological exploration of the work Kiefer created in the different studios he has occupied. Although most of the film is shot at Kiefer’s former studio near Barjac and at his current studio in a former warehouse of French department store La Samaritaine in Croissy-Beaubourg, on the outskirts of Paris, which is so large that he uses a bicycle to get around. About halfway into the film some of Kiefer’s assistants come into view, because of course Kiefer would be unable to realize much of his current work without the help of a small army of technical assistants. We see Kiefer burning one of his canvases with a flame thrower while an assistant immediately puts out the flames and we see his assistants melting lead which Kiefer then pours onto another canvas. Throughout his career Anselm Kiefer has stayed true to himself, his obsessions and his intellectual heroes, most notably the Romanian poet Paul Celan. Once he had acquired fame and fortune, for better or for worse he used the proceeds from the sale of his work to produce work at an ever grander scale. He did not buy a yacht and he did not divorce his wife to start dating a B-movie actress, at least, not as far as I know. Although he did start building rockets. To his credit Wim Wenders does not dwell on biographical details, apart from Kiefer’s childhood in post-World War II Germany, which is depicted through archival images of children playing in ruins. There are no interviews with friends or relatives and, apart from some documentary footage, no interviews with art critics to put his work into perspective. Unfortunately, Wenders has chosen to have two actors reenact various scenes from multiple stages of Kiefer’s life. I would have much preferred if Wenders had just shown Kiefer and his assistants at work. Of course, I’m already familiar with Kiefer’s work and I understand that, to appeal to the average moviegoer Wenders chose to dramatize some scenes. But as far as I’m concerned there is already enough drama in Kiefer’s work. I watched the film in 2-D. I’ve read great things about the 3-D release. So if you have a chance I would recommend watching the 3-D version. ### Links [Anselm Kiefer: Bilderstreit](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/02/11/anselm-kiefer-at-museum-voorlinden/) at Museum Voorlinden. ### Anselm Kiefer at Museum Voorlinden URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/02/11/anselm-kiefer-at-museum-voorlinden/ Last updated: 2025-08-10T19:04:26.000Z There is a fine line between the sublime and the bombastic. At its best the work of Anselm Kiefer inspires awe. But sometimes his work collapses under its own weight. Anselm Kiefer is incredibly prolific, so it is only natural that not everything he creates is as good or as interesting and that not everything will appeal to everyone. The solo exhibition at Museum Voorlinden in The Hague shows a selection of works from the past 10 to 15 years, some of which are great, others are, well, not that great. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/kiefer-voorlinden-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/kiefer-voorlinden-3.jpg) Anselm Kiefer, Sternenfall (1998-2016) I loved the large vitrines, especially "Im Herbst dreht sich die Erde etwas schneller (0.06 sec)" (2018), which is part of Museum Voorlinden’s permanent collection. I also liked "Sternenfall" (1998-2016), which sees Kiefer engage with the cosmos instead of German history. In [*Anselm*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/02/11/anselm/), the documentary by Wim Wenders, you can see Anselm Kiefer create some of these paintings by pouring liquid lead over the canvas, which is subsequently partially peeled off to create a three-dimensional structure. In these paintings Kiefer has tried to render the magnificence of the night sky in equally magnificent artworks. Elsewhere in the exhibition Kiefer overshoots again. "Die Winterreise" (2015-2020) is an outsized shoebox diorama, which shows a winter landscape with a hospital bed on wheels, paintings of trees and mushrooms and the names of German artists and historical figures. In both "Aus Herzen und Hirnen sprießen die Halme der Nacht" (2019-2020) and "Sichelschnitt" (2019) the symbolism of the fields and the scythes is a bit too obvious for me. Incidentally, Sichelschnitt is also a reference to the [Manstein Plan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manstein%5FPlan?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), the German plan for the Battle of France in 1940, because, of course, in the work of Anselm Kiefer nothing is ever incidental. Another room has been transformed into a golden wheat field complete with terracotta snake, an allusion to the [Morgenthau Plan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgenthau%5FPlan?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), a proposal by U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau to de-industrialize Germany after the end of World War II and transform it into an agricultural society, a proposal which Kiefer has referred to in various other works. This installation too is a bit too literal for me, I much prefer the paintings. Perhaps because the exhibition takes place in the Netherlands the organizers thought it would be nice to include some works that feature bicycles in the form of a stand-alone sculpture or attached to a painting. As part of the exhibition Museum Voorlinden has installed two of Anselm Kiefer’s concrete towers in the dunes behind the museum. In 2007, both towers were installed in the courtyard of the Royal Academy in London, where they looked out of place, but here they fit perfectly. They also reminded me of the [concrete bunkers](https://bunkerdag.nl/en/home/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from the Second World War that can still be found along the coast of the Netherlands. I hope the installation will be permanent. **Anselm Kiefer: Bilderstreit** is at Museum Voorlinden, The Hague through 25 February 2024. ### Links My brief review of [Anselm](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/02/11/anselm/), the film by Wim Wenders. [Anselm Kiefer: Sag mir wo die Blumen sind](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/06/07/anselm-kiefer-sag-mir-wo-die-blumen-sind/) at the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/kiefer-voorlinden-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/kiefer-voorlinden-6.jpg) ### Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/28/iris-van-herpen-sculpting-the-senses/ Last updated: 2025-08-10T11:29:25.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/iris-van-herpen-exhibition-1.jpg) Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris Iris van Herpen is one of today’s most interesting fashion designers. After graduating from the ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem in 2006, she briefly worked with Alexander McQueen, before establishing her own fashion house Maison Iris van Herpen in 2007\. Four years later, she joined the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris. She created a name for herself with highly sculptural designs, which won her famous fans like Björk, Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Scarlett Johansson and Beyoncé. In her work Iris van Herpen extends the realm of the possible. Her work inhibits a space somewhere between fairy tale and science fiction. She has pioneered the use of innovative technologies such as 3D printing to create intricate designs that would be impossible to create by other means. Admittedly, these are not garments to be worn to the office or on a hiking trip. These are wearable works of art that capture the imagination. The exhibition consists of more than one hundred haute couture pieces that Iris van Herpen has created over the years. The exhibition is conceived as a journey through nine thematic spaces, beginning with water and sea life and proceeding through human anatomy and organic systems and ending with the cosmos. The garments are shown alongside sea shells, drawings of brain cells by Santiago Ramón y Cajal, illustrations by the 19th-century French naturalist Charles-Alexandre Lesueur and excerpts from “Terra”, a documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Michael Pitiot. In addition, the exhibition also features works by contemporary artists such as Rogan Brown, Janaina Mello Landini, Casey Curran and Kim Keever, who share Iris van Herpen’s fascination with organic growth, skeletal forms and fluid dynamics. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/iris-van-herpen-exhibition-2.jpg) Like Iris van Herpen, I too have long been fascinated by patterns in nature and so I greatly enjoyed the exhibition. I particularly loved the walls covered with try-outs and experiments from her studio, which offer a glimpse into the creative process. Unfortunately, like the Thierry Mugler retrospective [Couturissime](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/10/26/thierry-mugler-couturissime/), much of the exhibition is shrouded in darkness with the mannequins highlighted by spotlights. I’m all for adventurous scenography, but I still prefer brightly lit rooms. I also think that the exhibition would have deserved to be shown in the main hall of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, because it is way more interesting than the Fashion and Sports exhibition that is being shown concurrently. Beware that the exhibition is one of the hottest tickets in town. I had made an online reservation and so had no trouble getting into the exhibition. Going on a Saturday afternoon was probably not the best idea though. If you can’t make it to the exhibition, it is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue that is available from all bookstores. **Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses** is at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris through 28 April 2024\. It will then travel on to the Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, Australia and the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/iris-van-herpen-exhibition-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/iris-van-herpen-exhibition-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/iris-van-herpen-exhibition-5.jpg) Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris ### Links [Thierry Mugler Couturissime](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/10/26/thierry-mugler-couturissime/) at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam. [1997 Fashion Big Bang](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/1997-fashion-big-bang/) at the Palais Galliera in Paris. [Dolce & Gabbana. Du Coeur à la Main](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/29/dolce-gabbana-at-the-grand-palais/) at the Grand Palais in Paris. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/26/further-reading-97/ Last updated: 2024-01-30T17:52:54.000Z Cal Newport on [how to have a more productive year](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/office-space/how-to-have-a-more-productive-year?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Re-read this January next year. The [quest to decode the Mandelbrot set](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-quest-to-decode-the-mandelbrot-set-maths-famed-fractal-20240126/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), math’s famed fractal. Truly excellent article. The [cause of depression](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-cause-of-depression-is-probably-not-what-you-think-20230126/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is probably not what you think. How much of the world is it possible to [model](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/how-much-of-the-world-is-it-possible-to-model?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? What does your [dog’s tail wag](https://www.science.org/content/article/what-does-your-dog-s-tail-wag-really-mean?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) really mean? A review of scientific studies challenges some common assumptions. Can [autoimmune diseases](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00169-7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) be cured? Scientists see hope at last. [The consciousness wars](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00107-7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): can scientists ever agree on how the mind works? There are dozens of theories of how the brain produces conscious experience, and a new type of study is testing some of them head-to-head. The [enduring appeal of Tool](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-weird-enduring-appeal-of-tool?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). (I'm a fan). The [cerebellum](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-part-of-the-brain-that-controls-movement-also-guides-feelings-20240123/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is responsible for far more than coordinating movement. New techniques reveal that it is, in fact, a hub of sensory and emotional processing in the brain. The links between math, music and art have been explored for thousands of years. Sarah Hart is now turning [a mathematical eye to literature](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-theorist-who-sees-math-in-art-music-and-writing-20240112/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Across seven centuries, women have been accused of [witchcraft](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/01/22/witchcraft-a-history-in-thirteen-trials-marion-gibson-book-review?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) \- but what that means often differs wildly, revealing the anxieties of each particular society. Large language models help computer programs to evolve. A branch of computer science known as genetic programming has been given a [boost](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03998-0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with the application of large language models that are trained on the combined intuition of the world’s programmers. [Interview](https://www.ft.com/content/52829a84-282d-4298-ac27-52d1255ddf91?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Giuliano da Empoli, author of “Le Mage du Kremlin” (The Wizard of the Kremlin). “Putin knows he made a mistake. But one rule of power is to never go back.” An [artificial-intelligence tool](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00141-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) can rigorously prove whether geometric facts are true, just as well as competitors in the International Mathematical Olympiad. teamLab is opening [a major new Tokyo space](https://www.ft.com/content/50357649-1503-446c-905e-852d1d1c2f1f?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in February. The amazing [Maison Margiela Artisanal 2024 show](https://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/maison-margiela-couture-paris-spring-2024-john-galliano?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by John Galliano. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/maison-margiela-artisanal-2024-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/maison-margiela-artisanal-2024-21.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/maison-margiela-artisanal-2024-29.jpg) Maison Margiela Artisanal 2024 by John Galliano ### Dana Schutz at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/14/dana-schutz-at-the-musee-dart-moderne-de-paris/ Last updated: 2024-01-20T14:41:08.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/dana-schutz-paris-2.jpg) Dana Schutz at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris I lingered much longer than I’d expected at the [Nicolas de Staël retrospective](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/25/nicolas-de-stael-at-the-musee-d-art-moderne-de-paris/) at the Musée d’Art de Moderne de Paris. Since I didn’t want to rush through the exhibition I decided to go back another day for the Dana Schutz exhibition and to allow myself enough time to also visit the Nicolas de Staël retrospective a second time. I’m glad I did, because the Dana Schutz show is also well worth visiting. I must admit that I had never heard of Dana Schutz before. In the U.S. she is a household name and considered one of the great figurative painters of our time. "Dana Schutz: The Visible World" is the first major exhibition of her work in France or indeed Europe (the exhibition was previously on show at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen). It includes forty paintings from the early 2000s until today, alongside twenty drawings and etchings and seven sculptures. Dana Schutz practices painting as a form of personal inquiry and social commentary. She often takes hypothetical narrative situations as a point of departure. What would it be like to swim, smoke and cry at the same time ("Swimming, Smoking, Crying", 2009)? What if we could replace some of our body parts ("Twin Parts", 2004)? What would it look like to eat one’s own face ("Face Eater", 2004)? Using bold colors and large brush strokes her paintings are often grotesque and absurd, sometimes gruesome, but for all that also funny. "Flasher" (2012) to me looks like a portrait of a painter showing his tools and his work on the inside of his jacket. (I’m pretty sure this is a masculine figure just as "Shaving" (2010) depicts a feminine figure). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/dana-schutz-paris-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/dana-schutz-paris-4.jpg) Dana Schutz, "Mountain Group" (left) and "Fanatics" (right) In recent years Dana Schutz has moved from single figures towards increasingly complex scenes populated by numerous figures on ever larger canvases, which seems to be the norm these days. The pretty amazing "Mountain Group" (2018) shows various figures clambering their way to the top of a mountain: Buddha, climate activists, pilgrims and an artist painting a sublime landscape. "Fanatics" (2005) shows a group of protesters who have broken down a fence. One person hands out flyers, another kneels in prayer, yet another holds a book, in which it is difficult not to recognize a bible, yet another person looks like a bald suicide bomber wearing a dynamite belt. The scene now seems eerily prescient given the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 by supporters of then U.S. President Trump. More recently Dana Schutz has also started creating sculptures, which reminded me a lot of Willem de Kooning’s sculptures. Like her paintings they are both playful and grotesque. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/dana-schutz-paris-5.jpg) One of my favorite paintings in the exhibition is the hilarious "Sneeze" (2001). As I wrote in my review of [Issy Wood’s solo exhibition](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/04/issy-wood-study-for-no-at-lafayette-anticipations/) at Lafayette Anticipations, in theory anything could be a subject for a painting. And yet art history isn’t exactly replete with scenes of people laughing, yawning or sneezing, even though most people frequently laugh, yawn or sneeze. This may be due to the fleeting nature of these actions. Lacking a model, in order to depict a sneeze Dana Schutz drew on her own intuition and sensations. She has painted the convulsive expulsion of air with broad brush strokes. The droplets of saliva and mucus are naturally depicted with drops of paint. **Dana Schutz: The Visible World** is at the Musée d’Art de Moderne de Paris through 11 February 2024. ### Links Dana Schutz i[nterview](https://vimeo.com/341519802?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): How do you depict a feeling? ### Juergen Teller: i need to live URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/06/juergen-teller-i-need-to-live/ Last updated: 2024-02-06T17:31:44.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/juergen-teller-grand-palais-2.jpg) Juergen Teller, i need to live at the Grand Palais Éphémère Juergen Teller is in many ways my opposite. That’s why I find his work interesting and inspiring. As the art critic Jerry Saltz writes in his book *How to Be an Artist*, the first lesson, before you even get started making things, is not to be embarrassed. When you’re making art "you often reveal things about yourself that others may find appalling, weird, boring, or stupid." You should not be ashamed to nonetheless pursue your vision and share it with the world. I admit that this is something I still struggle with. In his [masterclass](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhICVnfwcpE&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Jeff Koons says something similar, when he explains that one of the most important things in being an artist is to have full confidence in what you do and to share that confidence with the audience. "i need to live" is the largest retrospective ever devoted to Juergen Teller and showcases his entire body of work, from his fashion editorials and celebrity portraits to family snapshots and personal projects. The photographs look a little bit lost in the vast space of the Grand Palais Éphémère. They would have benefited from a more intimate space and from being laid out across multiple rooms, as in the Maison Européenne de la Photographie. The exhibition’s designers have installed wooden panels to exhibit the photographs and to create some sort of trajectory. Some photographs are framed, others are pinned to the wall, which matches Teller’s aesthetic, some are blown up, others are the size of a postcard. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/juergen-teller-grand-palais-1.jpg) Juergen Teller, i need to live at the Grand Palais Éphémère The exhibition opens with a photo of Teller as a baby, an enlargement of a newspaper article about a car crash, an apparent suicide, and a hilarious portrait of his mother. The car’s driver was in fact Juergen Teller’s father. The next photo shows Teller at his father’s grave, nude and with a cigarette in one hand and a beer bottle in the other. This might seem disrespectful, until you learn more about Teller’s relationship with his father, who abandoned his family when Teller was a child and who would eventually commit suicide. The photograph is Teller’s way of coming to terms with his father’s life and death. Towards the end of the exhibition there is a photograph and a video of Teller lying naked on his back on a grand piano, - with Charlotte Rampling playing the piano -, his legs in the air and his bottom facing the audience. It is, perhaps, not the most aesthetic pose and to be honest not my favorite photograph in the exhibition. The photograph actually relates back to the first photograph in the exhibition of Juergen Teller as a baby. For why do people think that it is sweet when they see a photo of a naked baby and why are they revolted when they see an adult person in the same pose? Much of Teller’s work deals with notions of beauty and ugliness. Beauty works as a magnet. It attracts and holds attention. Ugly is not the counterpart or the negation of beauty. It can be thought of as an excess, something that is experienced as being there, yet should not be there and which as such threatens the subject (\*). Dirt is not dirty in itself, it is matter in the wrong place. Confronted with the ugly we want to look away. And yet the ugly also exerts a strange fascination. Juergen Teller is fascinated by subjects that many people would consider ugly: trash, dirt, frogs, roadwork, derelict spaces and so on, and he likes to photograph people, including himself, in poses that might be considered unaesthetic, but that, as a consequence, I myself actually find interesting. Juergen Teller’s work also reminds me of the Japanese aesthetics of imperfection. As the Buddhist monk Yoshida Kenko (c. 1283 - 1350) famously wrote: "Are we to look at cherry blossoms only in full bloom, the moon only when it is cloudless? To long for the moon while looking on the rain, to lower the blinds and be unaware of the passing of the spring - these are even more deeply moving. Branches about to blossom or gardens strewn with faded flowers are worthier of our admiration." I am aware that when writing about something you inevitably end up intellectualizing it, whereas Juergen Teller is just taking photos. Let me therefore finish by saying that Juergen Teller also has a great sense of humor and that his photos can be quite funny if not outright hilarious. The exhibition is accompanied by a book of the same title that you can buy from your favorite bookstore if you can’t make it to the exhibition. **Juergen Teller. i need to live** is at the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris until 9 January 2024. (\*) I had the privilege of attending Mark Cousins legendary lecture series about The Ugly at the AA School of Architecture in London, which had a lasting impact on my thinking. The lectures were published in the AA Files 28, 29 and 30 and have since also been published in [book form](https://aabookshop.net/?wpsc-product=mark-cousins-the-ugly-i-ii-iii&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), Mark Cousins: *The Ugly I, II, III*. ARQ Ediciones 2020. ### Links Peter Lindbergh. [A Different Vision On Fashion Photography](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/01/29/peter-lindbergh-a-different-vision-on-fashion-photography/). [Tim Walker: Wonderful Things](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/12/02/tim-walker-wonderful-things/). [Irving Penn](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/10/26/irving-penn-at-the-grand-palais/) at the Grand Palais. [Anton Corbijn](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/04/12/anton-corbijn-at-the-gemeentemuseum-and-the-fotomuseum-den-haag/) at the Gemeentemuseum and the Fotomuseum Den Haag. [Richard Avedon at FOAM](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2009/02/27/richard-avedon-at-foam/). [Guy Bourdin at FOAM](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/11/18/guy-bourdin-retrospective/). ### Bijoy Jain / Studio Mumbai: Breath of an Architect URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/05/bijoy-jain-studio-mumbai-breath-of-an-architect/ Last updated: 2024-01-10T18:15:20.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/bijoy-jian-fondation-cartier-3.jpg) Bijoy Jain / Studio Mumbai: Breath of an Architect at the Fondation Cartier Bijoy Jain is the founder of the celebrated architecture practice Studio Mumbai, which has made a name for itself with projects blending both Indian and Western traditions. Drawing upon local resources and Indian craftsmanship Studio Mumbai creates highly contemporary designs that stand out by their attention to detail and a careful consideration of place. The Fondation Cartier has given Bijoy Jain carte blanche to create an exhibition at its high-tech glass and steel building on Paris’ boulevard Raspail. The result is a space of contemplation in dialogue with Jean Nouvel’s iconic building. Together with Chinese artist Hu Liu and Danish/Turkish ceramist Alev Ebüzziya Siesbye, Bijoy Jain has created an immersive environment to showcase his and his studio’s thinking. Instead of drawings, models and architectural renderings there are stone and terracotta sculptures, delicate bamboo structures and stone and wooden chairs and benches that visitors are invited to sit on. I wasn’t quite sure what one was allowed to touch and what not, so I may have missed out on part of the intended sensory experience. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/bijoy-jian-fondation-cartier-2.jpg) Bijoy Jain / Studio Mumbai: Breath of an Architect at the Fondation Cartier It was quite crowded when I visited, which took away from the ambiance and also detracted from my overall experience. This may have been due to the fact that it was a Friday afternoon. If you're looking for a more peaceful and less crowded experience, you might consider visiting on a weekday, either early in the morning or later in the afternoon. “Breath of an Architect” is not the Bijoy Jain/Studio Mumbai retrospective that I’d been hoping to see, but I’m more than glad I visited the exhibition. If the stage design for one of my future dance performances looks like a Japanese zen garden with blocks of concrete instead of rocks, you know where I got the inspiration from. The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated book offering an exploration of Bijoy Jain’s aesthetic and philosophy. **Bijoy Jain / Studio Mumbai. Breath of an Architect** is at the Fondation Cartier in Paris until 21 April 2024\. ### Links If you’re visiting the Fondation Cartier I highly recommend crossing the road to also pay a visit to the nearby [Institut Giacometti](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/05/alberto-giacometti-the-nose/) at 5 Rue Victor Schoelcher. ### Alberto Giacometti. The Nose URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/05/alberto-giacometti-the-nose/ Last updated: 2024-01-10T11:30:02.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/giacometti-the-nose-4.jpg) Alberto Giacometti, Le Nez (The Nose) The Institut Giacometti in Paris has brought together all versions of “Le Nez” (The Nose), one of Alberto Giacometti’s best-known sculptures, including three different models in plaster and two bronzes. This is quite an achievement, because in 2021 one version of “Le Nez” was bought for USD 78 million by Chinese billionaire Justin Sun, founder of the blockchain-based operating platform Tron and CEO of BitTorrent. One version, too fragile to move, is represented in the form of a holograph. The exhibition also includes the drawings and notebooks when Giacometti first conceived of “The Nose” and works by four contemporary artists, Annette Messager, Rui Chafes, Hiroshi Sugimoto and Ange Leccia. I was familiar with Venetian carnival masks and New Guinean masks, some of which also feature a large nose, but I had never made the connection with Giacometti’s “The Nose”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/giacometti-the-nose-3.jpg) “The Nose” is a fascinating, visually striking sculpture, with its hollow eyes, its gaping toothless mouth, the metal frame, which looks like a cage, and of course the exceptionally long, protruded nose, which sticks out of the frame. It reminded me of the work of Francis Bacon, whose heads and figures are also contained within a frame. Between 1947 and 1964 Giacometti created several versions of “The Nose”, varying in size and material. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/giacometti-the-nose-2.jpg) Alberto Giacometti, Le Nez (The Nose) But why the large nose? The answer lies in the question. Art that does not raise any questions is flat and uninteresting. “The Nose” sticks out to us inviting interpretation, yet withholding its meaning. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/giacometti-studio-1.jpg) Reconstruction of Giacometti's studio at the Institut Giacometti The Institut Giacometti is a small and intimate museum housed in a beautifully renovated art deco style private mansion just off the boulevard Raspail near the Fondation Cartier. Giacometti lived and worked for almost forty years in a tiny studio in Montparnasse, at 46 rue Hippolyte-Maindron, which had no heating and a shared bathroom. He continued to live and work there even after he had attained worldwide fame. The studio has been relocated to the ground floor of the Institut Giacometti, including the walls, sculptures, tools and personal belongings. Last year I visited the [Kunsthaus Zürich](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/10/15/kunsthaus-zurich/), which has one of the largest collections of works by Giacometti. I was delighted to visit this small but wonderful exhibition and to see Giacometti’s former studio. **Alberto Giacometti. The Nose** is at the Institut Giacometti, Paris until 14 January 2024. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/giacometti-studio-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/giacometti-studio-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/giacometti-studio-4.jpg) Reconstruction of Giacometti's studio at the Institut Giacometti ### Issy Wood. Study For No at Lafayette Anticipations URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/04/issy-wood-study-for-no-at-lafayette-anticipations/ Last updated: 2024-01-12T19:40:58.000Z In theory, anything can be the subject of a painting. In practice, even contemporary artists tend to limit themselves to a small number of recurring themes. It was therefore refreshing to visit Issy Wood’s solo exhibition “Study For No” at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris. Issy Wood paints gleaming car interiors, leather jackets, trash, porcelain sets and close-ups of open mouths with braces and fillings. Yes, you read that correctly. Of course, Issy Wood has her own reasons for painting what she paints. As she says of the car interiors, photos of which are ubiquitous on online car forums, “rather than to sell, this photo’s grand motive is to brag, to exalt”. These photos “suggest that it isn’t out of the question for someone to love their car more than their spouse.” Of the jacket painting she notes that “jackets are, like all of fashion, a skin-deep assessment of someone’s morals or stature dictated by what they wear.” The exhibition is called “Study For No” for a reason. A lot of the time Wood asks herself “Do I want this? Do I want this coat, these nails, this set of porcelain, a man with this expensive car? (..) The ‘no’ comes in handy here.” Issy Wood is an acute observer of contemporary life. Much of her work is marked by a subtle sense of humor. It shows that painting is very much alive and relevant as an artform. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/issy-wood-study-for-no-2.jpg) As for the dental paintings, both of Issy Wood’s parents are medical professionals and she grew up with medical journals lying around the house. As she observes, she “usually paints teeth which are undergoing repair in some way, a set of dentures, a crown, a filling, some braces. The mouth is central to anyone with an eating disorder, and especially bulimia nervosa where stomach acid erosion means the teeth and throat are in constant peril. Dentist visits are suddenly charged and heavy. The brain’s anguish has a direct effect on teeth.” But why paint a painting? Why not take a photo and post it on Instagram? The answer lies in the question. A painting raises the question: why this painting? Why did someone make the effort to paint this? When you see one of Issy Wood’s paintings in a gallery it stops you in your tracks. At least, it stopped me in my tracks. For this reason, too, my exhibition snapshots don’t do justice to her work. Issy Wood's paintings demand to be seen IRL. So do check her out if you have a chance. [Lafayette Anticipations](https://www.lafayetteanticipations.com/en?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is an amazing new exhibition and performance space in the heart of Le Marais, a few steps from rue de Rivoli and BHV Marais. It is located in a 2500 square meters refurbished industrial building designed by Rem Koolhaas / OMA. It is one of several new spaces dedicated to contemporary art to open in Paris in recent years. **Issy Wood. Study For No** is at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris through 7 January 2024. ### Lorraine Daston: Rules. A Short History of What We Live By URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/03/lorraine-daston-rules-a-short-history-of-what-we-live-by/ Last updated: 2024-01-15T15:37:42.000Z In my choreographic work I use rules to generate movements and to guide the interaction between the dancers. In recent years I’ve also become increasingly interested in algorithmic design, generative art and artificial intelligence in general. And so I was thrilled when I came across *Rules: A Short History of What We Live By*, a recently published book in which Lorraine Daston explores the concept of rules and their role in shaping human behavior. In less than 300 pages Daston analyzes a great variety of rules, from traffic rules and sumptuary regulations to legal treatises, cookbooks and the laws of physics. As Daston observes, rules are so ubiquitous and indispensable that their existence is taken for granted. There is no culture without rules and a book about the history of all of these rules would amount to a history of humanity. The term “rule” has a rich and interesting etymology. Its various meanings can be divided into three semantic clusters. Rules can be thought of as tools for measurements and calculations; as standards or models to imitate; and as laws or norms not to be breached. The notion of a rule as model or paradigm was still prevalent in the eighteenth century, but has since disappeared from usage, so much so that it is now considered its antonym. As Daston argues, the long history of rules is structured around three oppositions: “rules can be either thick or thin in their formulation, flexible or rigid in their application and general or specific in their domains” (p. 3). "Thick" rules require experience and discretion to apply and come with exceptions, examples and provisions. By contrast, "thin" rules aspire to be self-sufficient and explicit and apply to all situations uniformly. Thick rules were prevalent in medieval Europe, where they were used to guide decision-making in areas such as religion and governance. However, with the rise of urbanization and capitalism, the need for more predictable and uniform rules increased. This led to the emergence of a growing body of thin rules, which were first seen in the so-called mechanical arts, which encompassed everything from gardening and cooking to clockmaking and engineering, and later spread to other areas such as traffic, grammar and spelling. Daston suggests that the shift towards thin rules is linked to the decline of the belief in the importance of virtue and ethics in leadership. In the West, leaders were no longer expected to possess the wisdom to exercise rules, and instead, the law became the ultimate authority. Modern natural law, which emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries, further solidified the role of thin rules in society. This new form of natural law drew from two conflicting currents: a belief in human reason guided by the divine, and a belief in human instincts. It aspired to stabilize a world of selfish, acquisitive individuals through thin rules that were universally valid, applicable to all peoples, and eternal. The rise of thin rules has led to the dominance of regulations in modern society. This, in turn, has also led to the problem of rule rigidity. A system can grind to a halt when bureaucratic rules are followed to the letter. But when the background for thin rules collapses, thick rules resurface. Daston also explores why some rules endure while others fail. She suggests that rules succeed when they make themselves superfluous and become second nature. I always enjoy reading books that map out a conceptual landscape. Daston distinguishes three ways in which rules are stretched or bent: casuistry tests one rule against another; equity bends the letter of the law to conform to its spirit; and sovereign or executive prerogative breaks with rules altogether, such as when laws are suspended in a state of emergency or during a pandemic. *Rules. A Short History of What We Live By* is a fascinating and highly readable book that will be of interest to anyone from AI researchers who try to capture the world into algorithms to lawmakers and regulators who try to force the world into a straightjacket of laws and regulations. I now look forward to reading more of Lorraine Daston’s work. ### Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/01/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse/ Last updated: 2024-01-15T14:08:21.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/spider-man-across-spider-verse-10.jpeg) I greatly enjoyed [*Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/03/24/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse/), which in my view is one of the greatest animation movies of all time. Indeed, I consider it one of the best films of the 21st century so far. Even though I’m not really into sequels I was looking forward to *Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse*, especially after seeing a [trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shW9i6k8cB0&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and watching the [extended preview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of-fPvDLsVE&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). But as usual I didn’t come around to watching it when it was released. Let me say straight away that I find it a bit disappointing that, like *Kill Bill* and *Dune*, *Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse* has been split into two films. It doesn’t even have an ending, it sort of stops in the middle of a scene. Apart from that it is an absolutely marvelous film. The filmmakers have taken the approach that made *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse* such a feast for the eye to another level. I love the different animation styles. I love, love, LOVE the Spider-Punk character, whose animation style is inspired by 1970s punk album covers, posters and magazines. I also loved the visual styling of Earth-50101, which is a blend of Manhattan and Mumbai complete with an Indian Spider-Man. The spot character is also, ehh, spot-on and allows for some interesting visual tricks. It is worth noting that the Miles Morales/Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman character have about equal weight. Indeed, the film's first 15 or so minutes are all about Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman. I loved how the relationship between Gwen Stacy and her father is reflected in the animation style. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/spider-man-across-spider-verse-9.jpeg) As in *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse* I enjoyed the intertextual elements. The animators must have had so much pleasure rummaging through art books and animation and comic book history. The opening titles are also really cool. I'm pretty sure the filmmakers know the legendary [opening credits](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2010/08/07/enter-the-void-opening-credits/) for *Enter the Void* and thought of ways they could move beyond it. *Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse* is such a visually rich film that it demands to be seen at least twice. Watching at home I missed the cinema experience, but I was able to pause the film every now and then to admire all the visual details and to read the screen captions that fly by from time to time. Needless to say that I look forward to Part II of *Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse*, which has been called *Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse*. I wonder what other visual innovations the filmmakers have up their sleeve. ### Links My brief review of [*Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/03/24/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse/). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/12/31/further-reading-96/ Last updated: 2024-01-28T13:50:44.000Z Patricia Lockwood on her [meeting with the Pope](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n23/patricia-lockwood/diary?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Siddharta Mukherjee on all [the carcinogens we cannot see](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/12/18/all-the-carcinogens-we-cannot-see?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). We routinely test for chemicals that cause mutations. What about the dark matter of carcinogens—substances that don’t create cancer cells but rouse them from their slumber? Alex Ross’ list of [notable classical recordings of 2023](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2023-in-review/notable-classical-recordings-of-2023?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Researchers have created [the largest atlas of human brain cells](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03192-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) so far, revealing more than 3,000 cell types — many of which are new to science. How Lea Ypi defines [freedom](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/how-lea-ypi-defines-freedom?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The fate of free will. James Gleick [reviews](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/01/18/the-fate-of-free-will-free-agents-kevin-mitchell/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *Free Agents* by Kevin Mitchell. [Ed Ruscha](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/11/23/ed-ruscha-bigger-than-actual-size-now-then/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Bigger than actual size. Gerhard Richter's [love affair with Engadin](https://www.hauserwirth.com/hauser-wirth-exhibitions/gerhard-richter-engadin-nietzsche-haus-segantini-hauser-wirth/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I prefer Wallis though. Sitting alongside the neurons in your enteric nervous system are underappreciated [glial cells](https://www.quantamagazine.org/in-the-guts-second-brain-key-agents-of-health-emerge-20231121/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), which play key roles in digestion and disease that scientists are only just starting to understand. New York is undergoing a [metamorphosis](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/05/10/opinion/nyc-office-vacancy-playground-city.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from a city dedicated to productivity to one built around pleasure, according to Edward Glaeser and Carlo Ratti. "We are witnessing the dawn of a new kind of urban area: the Playground City." The same transformation is happening in other cities around the world. Quanta Magazine’s review of the year in [physics](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-biggest-discoveries-in-physics-in-2023-20231221/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), [mathematics](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-biggest-discoveries-in-math-in-2023-20231222/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), [computer science](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-biggest-discoveries-in-computer-science-in-2023-20231220/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and [biology](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-biggest-discoveries-in-biology-in-2023-20231219/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Science’s 2023 [breakthrough of the year](https://www.science.org/content/article/breakthrough-of-the-year-2023?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): weight loss drugs with a real shot at fighting obesity. Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen is also the [Financial Times Person of the Year](https://www.ft.com/content/d4d289a7-e1a5-4848-8e7e-b592f7018722?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A [new book](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/01/18/the-discovery-of-europe-on-savage-shores/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) investigates the lives of the hundreds of thousands of indigenous Americans who were brought to or traveled to Europe in the sixteenth century—a story central to the beginning of globalization. Ein [Gespräch](https://www.zeit.de/2023/53/swetlana-alexijewitsch-belarus-minsk-wohnung-beschlagnahmung?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) mit der Nobelpreisträgerin Swetlana Alexijewitsch in ihrem Berliner Exil über das Heimweh und die Zukunft des Widerstands. ### The Year in Review: 2023 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/12/31/the-year-in-review-2023/ Last updated: 2025-01-01T15:18:45.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/12/sophie-calle-musee-picasso-11.jpg) These are the best books that I read in the past year. As always I like to mix "classics" and recently published books. When it comes to making a best of list the classics usually come out on top. You can find every book I read in 2023 [here](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/almost-every-book-i-have-ever-read/) by filling in the year in the search field. ### Best Books: Fiction **David Mitchell: Cloud Atlas**. Yes, I know, you're probably thinking, "what, are you only reading this now?" Years ago, for reasons that I no longer remember I stopped after the second chapter. When I wanted to pick it up again I decided to wait some more and to start again right from the beginning. It is indeed a wonderful novel. Definitely one of the best of the 21st century. **Amos Oz: A Tale of Love and Darkness**. With Israel and Palestine making news headlines again I decided to read this classic novel about a boy who grows up in war-torn Jerusalem in the 1940s and 50s. It saddens me that so little has changed. **Annie Ernaux: La place & L'événement**. I loved *Les Années* (The Years) and now that she has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature I was keen to read some of her other novels. I love her writing style. ### Best Books: Non-Fiction Ray Monk: [Ludwig Wittgenstein. The Duty of Genius](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/12/ray-monk-ludwig-wittgenstein-the-duty-of-genius/) Siddharta Mukherjee: The Song of the Cell Hans Belting: [Faces. Eine Geschichte des Gesichts](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/03/19/hans-belting-face-and-mask-a-double-history/) Paul Griffiths: [Modern Music and After](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/09/17/paul-griffiths-modern-music-and-after/) Ben Lawrence: The Treeline. The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth ### Best Exhibitions [Sophie Calle: À toi de faire, ma mignonne](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/26/sophie-calle-at-the-musee-picasso/) at the Musée Picasso [Anna-Eva Bergman: Voyage vers l'intérieur](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/06/18/anna-eva-bergman-voyage-vers-l-interieur/) at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris [Nicolas de Staël at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/25/nicolas-de-stael-at-the-musee-d-art-moderne-de-paris/) [Christian Marclay at the Centre Pompidou](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/01/29/christian-marclay-at-the-centre-pompidou/) [Manet/Degas at the Musée d'Orsay](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/29/manet-degas-at-the-musee-dorsay/) [Sarah Bernhardt. Et la femme créa la star](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/28/sarah-bernhardt-et-la-femme-crea-la-star/) at the Petit Palais ### Best Films [Everything Everywhere All at Once ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/02/12/everything-everywhere-all-at-once/) [Decision to Leave](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/03/12/decision-to-leave/) [Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/01/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse/) ### Best Albums Gabriel Fauré: Intégrale de la Musique de Chambre Enno Poppe: Prozession Pascuale Corrado: Works for Ensemble ### Sophie Calle at the Musée Picasso URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/26/sophie-calle-at-the-musee-picasso/ Last updated: 2024-01-23T15:17:12.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/sophie-calle-musee-picasso-2.jpg) In 2019 the Musée Picasso offered Sophie Calle carte blanche to organise an exhibition on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Picasso’s death in 2023\. At first she hesitated, not quite sure how to live up to the challenge. In 2020, during the Covid lockdown, the museum approached her again, inviting her to visit the deserted museum. When she saw the works covered by brown paper to protect them from the light, Calle suddenly had an idea. One idea led to another and the result is “À toi de faire, ma mignonne” (“It’s up to you, darling”). Sophie Calle has basically taken over the entire museum. At her request all but three works by Picasso were removed. But even though Picasso is absent, he has never been more present. His ghost, so to say, is everywhere. Every work and every intervention by Sophie Calle somehow invokes Picasso. The exhibition opens with a drawing Sophie Calle made as a child. Upon seeing it her grandmother exclaimed that they have a Picasso in the family. This I found both funny and endearing. Also on display are various stuffed animals from Calle’s collection of odds and ends. The bighorn sheep mounts reminded me of Picasso’s bulls, but perhaps I’m reading too much into it. But that is precisely what makes it such a joy to wander through the exhibition and examine all the texts and objects. Perhaps there is a hidden meaning or perhaps there isn’t. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/sophie-calle-musee-picasso-3.jpg) On the ground floor the paintings have been replaced by photographs of the same paintings taken during the lockdown when they were covered by brown paper. Calle also asked museum staff to describe some of the paintings which at the time had been on loan. Upon their return she photographed the paintings covered by a veil with the printed text of the staff’s memories. On the first floor of the exhibition Sophie Calle returns to this theme. One room shows a number of framed photographs covered by a veil with a printed text which you can lift to reveal the underlying photograph. And here’s the thing: I now would like to know what’s behind the covers in the photographs downstairs. Sophie Calle thus succeeded in making me curious to see Picasso’s work. (Note: many of the works are on view in the museum’s basement). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/sophie-calle-musee-picasso-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/sophie-calle-musee-picasso-5.jpg) The first floor opens with an anecdote recounted by Jean Cocteau about Picasso observing a half-blind painter painting the Château des Papes in Avignon using only his wife's words. In response to Picasso's fear of losing his sight, Sophie Calle brought together several of her own projects which reference blindness. I was deeply moved by these projects. They reveal a profound humanity and a tremendous respect for her subjects. On the second floor Sophie Calle has put an inventory of her own possessions on display. One room is a moving tribute to her deceased mother. Another room is filled with stuff and looks like an antiques shop. But here too, Picasso is never far away. He used to create sculptures out of found materials and as he once said “Why should I throw away that which was kind enough to reach my hands?” Calle also asked an auction house to value her possessions and to draw up an inventory of her assets as a dress rehearsal for when she herself will die. This again, is filled with meaning. After all, the exhibition itself is staged to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Picasso’s death. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/sophie-calle-musee-picasso-6.jpg) An inventory of Sophie Calle's belongings at the Musée Picasso The third and final floor provides an overview of all of Sophie Calle’s projects to date presented in the form of crime novels whose titles are an oblique reference to the different projects. At the very end of the exhibition Sophie Calle has set up her office for the duration of the exhibition. "À toi de faire, ma mignonne" is one of the most intelligent exhibitions that I’ve seen in a long time. It is also profoundly moving. On various occasions I felt tears welling up in my eyes. While doing research for the exhibition Sophie Calle found a letter in the museum’s archive from an association for the blind, asking Picasso for an original drawing to put up for sale to help finance the Maison des yeux clos. Since she couldn’t find the answer, together with the Almine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Foundation, Sophie Calle organized to have a ceramic by Picasso auctioned during the exhibition, the proceeds of which were donated to an association of the visually impaired. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/sophie-calle-musee-picasso-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/sophie-calle-musee-picasso-8.jpg) I want to shout it from the rooftops: go see this exhibition! Please note that the texts are in French so it definitely helps if you speak French. Note also that to enjoy the exhibition in full and read all the texts you would need at least three hours. **À toi de faire, ma mignonne** is at the Musée Picasso, Paris until 28 January 2024. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/sophie-calle-musee-picasso-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/sophie-calle-musee-picasso-10.jpg) Sophie Calle has filled an entire wall with artworks by other artists from her own collection. The installation has the same dimensions as Picasso's Guernica. The installation was inspired by an anecdote reported in Mary Gabriel’s book **Ninth Street Women* in which Arshile Gorky tried to convince a dozen artists to revisit Picasso’s masterpiece. ### Links Review of [Maya Ruiz-Picasso, Daughter of Pablo at the Musée Picasso](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/11/05/maya-ruiz-picasso-daughter-of-pablo/). Review of the [Musée Picasso](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/05/29/musee-picasso/). ### Nicolas de Staël at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/25/nicolas-de-stael-at-the-musee-d-art-moderne-de-paris/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T19:19:26.000Z The Nicolas de Staël retrospective at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris is a revelation. While I had previously had the opportunity to admire some of his paintings in the permanent collection of the Centre Pompidou and several other museums, this was the first time that I encountered a comprehensive survey of his work, allowing me to appreciate the full breadth and depth of his oeuvre. I instantly recognized a kindred spirit. Many of his paintings can be described as abstract landscapes: they border between abstract and figurative. They resemble what I do or try to do in some of my photos or indeed in my choreographic work. But of course, whereas in my photos I merely register what I see, in his paintings Nicolas de Staël turned what he saw into art. I only knew some of Nicolas de Staël’s paintings and was unfamiliar with the myths surrounding his person and his short, turbulent and tragic life. Nicolas de Staël was born in 1914 in St. Petersburg. When he was three years old his family was forced to flee Russia following the Russian revolution. His parents died shortly afterwards and Nicolas and his older sister Marina were sent to Brussels where they were raised by a Russian family. Against the wish of his stepfather Nicolas de Staël went on to study at the Brussels Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts and at the Académie de St Gilles. In the 1930s de Staël travelled through Europe and North Africa. While in Morocco he met the artist Jeannine Guillou, who had been travelling with her husband and child. De Staël persuaded her to leave her husband and together with her child they returned to Europe, eventually settling in Paris. In 1939 he joined the French Foreign Legion. Two years later, after being demobilized, he returned to Nice, where he lived for three years. During this time he painted feverishly, but dissatisfied with the result he destroyed much of his work. In 1942, Nicolas de Staël and Jeannine’s daughter Anne was born. Around this time de Staël began to paint more abstract works. In 1943 the couple moved back to Paris. Life during the war was difficult and they lived in great poverty. Towards the end of the war Nicolas de Staël had his first one-man gallery shows. His work was also included in various group exhibitions. Sadly, success came too late and in 1946 Jeannine died from malnutrition and the complications brought on by a therapeutic abortion. Shortly after de Staël met Françoise Chapouton, whom he would marry and with whom he would have three children. In the early 1950s de Staël’s career took off and he enjoyed considerable success in the United States. In 1953 he signed with the influential gallery of Paul Rosenberg, who encouraged him to create more work to meet the demand of American collectors. In that same year he relocated to the Provence, where, in March 1955, at the age of 41, suffering from exhaustion and depression, de Staël committed suicide. So much for the story of Nicolas de Staël’s life none of which I knew before visiting the show. I’m only including it here because it probably goes to explain why the exhibition is hugely popular. Indeed, I was lucky to even obtain a ticket. It is as if Paris welcomes back a lost child. The exhibition brings together more than 200 paintings, drawings and notebooks, many of which are in private collections and are here displayed for the first time. It follows de Staël’s career in chronological order, from his paintings from the late 1940s, which show the influence of Georges Braque, whom he had befriended during the war, through his exuberant abstract landscapes of the early 1950s to his return to more figurative paintings in the mid-1950s. It is quite staggering to see how his work developed in less than ten years. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/de-stael-mam-2.jpg) Nicolas de Staël, Eau-de-vie (1948) The exhibition opens with a room which documents the years from 1934 to 1947\. It is followed by a room with the paintings De Staël created in 1948-49 in his studio in the Rue Gauguet in Paris, including the wonderful “Eau-de-vie” (1948), which seems saturated with a dazzling energy. The next two rooms, aptly called “Condensation” and “Fragmentation”, show works created in 1950 and 1951\. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/de-stael-mam-3.jpg) Nicolas de Staël, Fugue (1951-52) In 1950, de Staël’s work became more condensed as he superimposed thick layers of colour onto the canvas. At this time de Staël worked primarily with a knife, which is clearly visible in these paintings. After condensation, came fragmentation, with paintings consisting of coloured tesserae that are reminiscent of ancient mosaics, such as the amazing “Fugue” (1951-52). I’ve always had a love for grids and this is one of those paintings that I can keep looking at as my gaze drifts across the canvas. I also love “The White City” (1951), which reminded me of the white villages in [Andalusia](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/andalucia/) and which I enjoyed capturing in photographs. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/de-stael-mam-4.jpg) Nicolas de Staël. Landscape or abstract composition? Towards the end of 1951 de Staël returned to figuration and by 1952 references to the sensory world became more explicit. He frequently left his studio to work in the open air, travelling to Normandy and the South of France, where he created dozens of small or medium sized landscapes, which strike a balance between observation and abstraction. On the evening of 26 March 1952 de Staël and his wife attended a football match between France and Sweden at the Parc des Princes stadium. It inspired him to create a series of large, colourful canvases full of life, joy and energy. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/de-stael-mam-5.jpg) Nicolas de Staël, Bottles in the Studio (1953) In the hands of Nicolas de Staël everything could be transformed into an abstract landscape, whether a concert, a ballet or a collection of bottles. These large canvases, which de Staël painted in 1952-53, are the highlights of the exhibition. In the summer of 1953 de Staël, together with his family, went on a road trip to Italy, eventually ending up in Sicily. Back in his studio he transformed his impressions into a series of colourful paintings in which one can discern a field, a hill and a village, but which equally work as abstract compositions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/de-stael-mam-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/de-stael-mam-7.jpg) Nicolas de Staël, Agrigento (1954) (left) and Landscape (1954) (right) In 1953 de Staël fell in love with Jeanne Polgue-Mathieu, a married woman who lived in Nice and who did not return his love. To be near to her de Staël separated from his wife and family and rented an apartment in Antibes, where he also set up his studio. It was around this time that de Staël began painting nudes. He also abandoned his painter’s knife in favour of cotton wads and instead of applying thick layers of paint he diluted his colours. I’m afraid I agree with the friends and critics whom de Staël consulted at the time, because I don’t consider these among his best paintings. During this time de Staël also painted various still lifes, which bear all the hallmarks of abstraction in the sense of simplification and condensation. His final painting, a splendid impression of a concert he attended ten days before he committed suicide, is a spectacular return to form. Unfortunately, it is not included in the exhibition, because it is too large to transport, so I will have to visit the Musée Picasso in Antibes one day. I enjoyed the exhibition so much that I'm probably going to visit a second time before it closes. The last Nicolas de Staël retrospective was in 2003 at the Centre Pompidou so this is an opportunity not to be missed. **Nicolas de Staël** is at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris until 21 January 2024 and at the Fondation de l’Hermitage, Lausanne from 9 February until 9 June 2024. ### Le Paris de la Modernité at the Petit Palais URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/19/le-paris-de-la-modernite/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T19:18:48.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/paris-modernite-1.jpg) Le Paris de la Modernité (1905-1925) is a sprawling exhibition, which brings to life a period when Paris was the cultural capital of the world. Through nearly four hundred works across all artistic domains, from painting and sculpture to dance, cinema, architecture, music, fashion, literature and industrial design, the exhibition celebrates the effervescence of the years 1905 to 1925. “Le Paris de la Modernité” is the third and final installment in a trilogy of exhibitions at the Petit Palais. I now regret that I missed the first two shows, “[Paris 1900: La ville spectacle](https://www.petitpalais.paris.fr/en/expositions/paris-1900?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)” and “[Paris romantique (1815-1848)](https://www.petitpalais.paris.fr/en/expositions/romantic-paris-1815-1848?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)”. I always enjoy these kind of exhibitions, as they offer a fascinating glimpse into the diverse artistic landscapes of the past. By showcasing a range of works from various creative disciplines, they allow one to appreciate the developments and innovations that were taking place across different mediums and genres. There is much to see and enjoy at “Le Paris de la Modernité”, too much almost, with works by Matisse, Picasso, Duchamp, Les Ballets Russes, Sonia Delaunay, Tamara de Lempicka, Cartier, Lanvin and a lot more else besides. It is the kind of exhibition that could only have been organized in Paris. The curators must have raided every museum in France. It even includes a Peugeot Bébé from 1913, on loan from the Musée national de l’Automobile in Mulhouse, and a plane, a Deperdussin Type B from 1911, on loan from Le Bourget Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/paris-modernite-2.jpg) A Peugeot Bébé from 1913 is indeed really small compared to today's cars ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/paris-modernite-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/paris-modernite-4.jpg) Aviation captured the imagination In 1901, the Grand Palais organized the first International Automobile, Bicycle and Sports exhibition, which captured the imagination of artists and the general public alike and drew hundreds of thousands of visitors. The exhibition would be held every following year, except in 1909 and 1911, until the start of the First World War. In 1908 part of the fair was dedicated to airplanes and balloons. It proved to be a considerable success and the next year a special aviation fair was inaugurated. One of the highlights of the exhibition is “La danse du pan-pan au Monico” (1909-11) by Gino Severini, which Apollinaire hailed as “the most important work painted by a Futurist brush”. It is a riot of colour. The painting depicts two dancers, dressed in red, surrounded by a crowd. The figures are composed out of colourful diffracted shapes. The scene appears as if seen through a kaleidoscope and perfectly captures the liveliness and excitement of a party. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/paris-modernite-5.jpg) Gino Severini, La danse du pan-pan au Monico (1909-11) (detail) Cultural life in Paris came to an abrupt halt in the summer of 1914 with the outbreak of the First World War. For several months the city was at the front line. During this time the city was bombed by German Zeppelin airships and German planes. Daily life gradually resumed in late 1915\. Theatres reopened and for many artists life went on. Indeed, for some it was a period of heightened creativity. Marcel Proust continued work on the second volume of “À la recherche du temps perdu”. In 1916, Picasso, who as a citizen of neutral Spain was not mobilized, unveiled “Les démoiselles d’Avignon”. In 1917, “Parade”, a ballet performed by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes with choreography by Leonide Massine, music by Erik Satie, costumes and sets designed by Pablo Picasso and a scenario by Jean Cocteau, premiered at the Théatre du Châtelet. The First World War was followed by the period known as the “Années folles” (crazy years) in France and as the “Roaring Twenties” or the Jazz Age in the United States. It was characterized by a great thirst for life, which was perhaps most evident in fashion, music and design. The period also saw the emergence of a new, emancipated woman, symbolized by an androgynous silhouette and a short haircut. It was around this time that Chanel and Lanvin rose to fame. The exhibition features a selection of costume designs from the period, along with a variety of paintings, drawings, and photographs that highlight the rich exchange of ideas and inspiration between the arts. In 1926, Josephine Baker, an African American singer, dancer and all-round entertainer, caused a sensation at the Folies Bergère, when she performed wearing a costume consisting of a string of artificial bananas. The dance was set to a Charleston, which became all the rage in Paris. I enjoyed seeing an excerpt from one of her shows as well as the artworks and posters that she inspired. The second half of the 1920s saw the emergence of Art Deco, of which I’m not a big fan. Even so I enjoyed seeing a generous selection of works from various disciplines illustrating the style. And with that the exhibition comes to an end. It also marks the end of an era. Paris would continue to attract writers and artists from all over the world and it would remain the centre of intellectual life in France, but its place as the cultural capital of the world was over. **Le Paris de la Modernité (1905-1925)** is at the Petit Palais, Paris until 14 April 2024. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/paris-modernite-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/paris-modernite-7.jpg) ### Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso at the Musée du Luxembourg URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/18/gertrude-stein-and-pablo-picasso-at-the-musee-du-luxembourg/ Last updated: 2025-10-06T14:09:15.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/stein-picasso-2.jpg) It was pouring with rain when I made my way to the Musée du Luxembourg and I almost called it a day. I’m glad I didn’t, because the exhibition “Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso. The Invention of Language” was really interesting. The title is a bit misleading though and the exhibition actually consists of two exhibitions. The first is dedicated to the relationship between Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso, the second explores the relationship between art and language in post-war art. Gertrude Stein was born in 1874 and spent much of her childhood in Oakland, California. She studied at Radcliffe College, the former female-only sister institution of the male-only Harvard College (\*), where she was a student of psychologist William James. She subsequently enrolled at John Hopkins Medical School, but dropped out in her fourth year, because medical school bored her. In 1903 Gertrude and her brother Leo moved to Paris. In the following years they accumulated a large and important art collection. I always find it amusing to see photographs from that period of living rooms with walls full of paintings by Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse, Braque, Picasso and so on. At some point people LIVED among these artworks. In 1913 Leo Stein moved to Italy and the collection was divided between the two siblings. Gertrude Stein continued to live in the apartment at the rue de Fleurus. Every Saturday evening she organized a salon, which was frequented by everyone from Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald to Francis Picabia, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. In 1905 Leo Stein had discovered the work of a young Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso, and after a visit to his studio, Gertrude Stein and Picasso struck up a friendship, which would last until Stein’s death in 1946\. For Picasso, Stein’s early patronage and friendship was critical to his success. The first rooms of the exhibition examine the friendship between Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso. Unfortunately the [portrait](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/488221?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that Picasso painted of Gertrude Stein (1905-06) and which should have been the centrepiece of the exhibition is missing. It is part of the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is a striking portrait and generally seen as a precursor to the “Demoiselles d’Avignon” (1907). Fortunately there is much else to enjoy, including a wonderful collage by Juan Gris. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/stein-picasso-3.jpg) Juan Gris, Verre, journal et bouteille de vin (1913) Shortly after arriving in Paris Gertrude Stein embarked upon her writing career. In 1906 she published “Three Lives”, which established her as an experimental writer in avant-garde circles. In 1902 she began work on “The Making of Americans”, which she intended as her magnum opus and would not finish until 1911\. I once borrowed it from a library, but only read a couple of pages. Even though I understand, or think I understand, what she was trying to do with language, I found it hard-going. I think Stein’s ideas about writing, and how writing is written, are better served by her experimental prose poems, collected in “Tender Buttons” (1912), which unfortunately appears to be out of print. For Gertrude Stein language was not a medium. She treated words like objects. As she wrote of Picasso: “Pablo is doing abstract portraits in painting. I am trying to do abstract portraits in my medium, words.” She would look at an object from different angles and try to render it in words without recourse to its preexisting name, using a limited vocabulary and relying heavily on repetition. Whereas Picasso rose to fame, Stein remained a writer’s writer. She briefly enjoyed some critical and popular acclaim following the publication of “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas” (1933), which is among her most accessible works, and her opera “Four Saints in Three Acts” (1934). In 1934-35 she toured the U.S. giving lectures in New York and Chicago and at Harvard, Princeton and Berkeley. She was also invited to have tea at the White House with the President’s wife, Eleanor Roosevelt. In the long run Gertrude Stein’s ideas have proved to be more influential than Picasso’s, at least that is the contention of the exhibition, with which I agree to a certain extent. Picasso is commonly regarded as the archetypal modern genius, his works change hands for record prices at auctions, but very few contemporary artists draw on cubism. The only artists I can think of are George Condo and David Hockney in his photo collages. The ideas of Gertrude Stein, however, live on in the work of many artists, even though they may never have read any of her work. Gertrude Stein’s legacy and influence is the subject of the second and largest section of the exhibition, with works by Joseph Kosuth, Hanne Darboven and Bruce Nauman, including “Good Boy, Bad Boy” (1985-86), which I was happy to see again. By way of John Cage and the artists associated with Black Mountain College Gertrude Stein’s work would leave a mark on a generation of American artists. Initially her ideas found their way into music and the performing arts. The exhibition includes excerpts from performances by Lucinda Childs, Yvonne Rainer and Trisha Brown. Stein’s ideas then spread into the visual arts, minimalism, Fluxus, conceptual art and Pop Art. Various artists, including Robert Rauschenberg, Nam June Paik and Andy Warhol, have paid tribute to Gertrude Stein by including her portrait into one of their works, marking her status as an American icon. Gertrude Stein continues to inspire new generations of artists, as can be seen in the show’s final room. I must say that I was not expecting to see works by Bruce Nauman, Carl Andre and Jasper Johns, when I saw the poster for “Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso. The Invention of Language”, but it makes for an interesting and rewarding exhibition. **Gertrude Stein et Pablo Picasso. L’invention du langage** is at the Musée du Luxembourg, Paris until 28 January 2024. (\*) Amazingly it wasn’t until 1999 (!) that [Radcliffe College](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radcliffe%5FCollege?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) was fully absorbed into Harvard University. ### Links An excerpt from Adam Gopnik’s [introduction](https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/understanding-steinese?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to “Paris France” by Gertrude Stein. ### More Picasso [Maya Ruiz-Picasso, Daughter of Pablo](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/11/05/maya-ruiz-picasso-daughter-of-pablo/) at the Musée Picasso. [Picasso and El Greco at the Kunstmuseum Basel](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/08/28/picasso-and-el-greco/). [Picasso. Printmaker at the British Museum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/20/picasso-printmaker-at-the-british-museum/). ### Mark Rothko at the Fondation Louis Vuitton URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/17/mark-rothko-at-the-fondation-louis-vuitton/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T19:18:01.000Z Since its opening, in October 2014, the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris has established itself as a home for blockbuster art exhibitions. It is the only institution, which can cover the insurance premium to bring together a large collection of priceless works of art. The Mark Rothko retrospective includes the entire Seagram series on loan from Tate Modern, as well as numerous works from MoMA, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Whitney Museum of American Art and various private collections. The total value of the works on show is [estimated](https://news.artnet.com/market/mark-rothko-fondation-louis-vuitton-2382342?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) at USD 3 bn. No wonder that you’re not allowed to bring a water bottle inside the building. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/rothko-flv-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/rothko-flv-3.jpg) Mark Rothko, "Underground Fantasy" (c. 1940) (left) and "Untitled (subway)" (c. 1937) (right) The exhibition opens with a series of subway paintings, which Rothko made in New York in the 1930s. To me these early works were a big surprise. Most if not all artists go through various stages before they find their own voice. Rothko’s subway paintings are by no means immature, they are in fact quite good. I can’t think of any other artist who has painted similar scenes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/rothko-flv-6.jpg) In the early 1940s, horrified by the onset of war and inspired by James Frazer’s study of mythology “The Golden Bough” and Nietzsche’s “The Birth of Tragedy”, Rothko’s work became increasingly symbolic, as he sought to create a new pictorial language to express the tragedy of the human condition. Drawing on ancient mythologies and totemic forms and inspired by the surrealists, some of whom had migrated from Europe to New York to flee the war, he filled his canvases with biomorphic forms. I don’t quite know what to think of these works. I’m afraid I would pass them over if I would see them in a group show. By 1945 Rothko’s style had shifted away from surrealism and mythic imagery towards more abstract shapes. For the next few years he painted abstract compositions of asymmetrically arranged blocks of colour, which critics and art historians would later refer to as “Multiforms”. From 1949, Rothko began creating the paintings for which he would become known: large abstract canvases with two, three or four rectangular regions in shades of blue, white, red, yellow, ochre and black against a coloured background, with each painting suggesting a different atmosphere or mood. I’ve always had an ambivalent relationship with the work of Mark Rothko. Some of his paintings leave me indifferent, whereas others I find absolutely magnificent and sublime in the true sense of the word, or rather, the sense given by Jean-François Lyotard in his essays on the sublime in art. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/rothko-flv-4.jpg) Mark Rothko, "No. 14" (1960) I guess it has something to do with colour. The early works in ochre, red, green and orange don’t do much for me, but “No. 9 (White and Black on Wine)” (1958), “No.1 (White and Red)” (1962) and “No. 14” (1960) are amazing. I was glad there was a wooden bench in front of “No. 14” so that I could sit down and contemplate it for a couple of minutes. I was also glad that I’d arrived early so that the rooms were still relatively quiet. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/rothko-flv-5.jpg) The exhibition ends with the Black and Gray series (1969-70), which mark a departure from Rothko’s work of the previous two decades. Each painting consists of two sections, a black rectangle in the upper area and a grey rectangle in the lower area. The works are paired with two sculptures by Giacometti, with whom Rothko felt an affinity and which works exceptionally well. Rothko often said that he wanted as many of his paintings to be shown together so as to create an immersive environment. The retrospective currently at the Fondation Louis Vuitton would have been his dream come true. Beware that the exhibition is hugely popular. It’s best to visit on a weekday early in the morning or late in the afternoon. It’s also best to arrive 15-30 minutes in advance of your time slot to secure a place at the front of the queue. And if you want to trace Rothko's development as an artist you should follow the chronological trajectory, which starts at the lower ground floor. If you want to have his best works to yourself you should arrive first thing in the morning and head straight for the top floor(s) and then make your way down. **Mark Rothko** is at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris until 2 April 2024. PS: The colours in my stupid snapshots are way off. Besides, Rothko is one of those artists whose work needs to be seen IRL. ### Naples in Paris at the Louvre URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/16/naples-in-paris-at-the-louvre/ Last updated: 2023-12-26T19:39:53.000Z The Louvre has organized an exhibition with some 60 masterpieces from the collection of the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples, which is currently undergoing renovation. The Museo di Capodimonte is one of the largest museums in Italy and one of the few museums whose collection covers all schools of Italian painting. Since I haven’t been to Naples yet I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to see some highlights from the collection. Most of the loans are displayed in the Louvre’s 300 meter long Grande Galerie alongside the Louvre’s own collection of Italian Renaissance paintings. And so Caravaggio’s “The Flagellation” is seen next to his “Death of the Virgin” while Titian’s “Danaë” is paired with Correggio’s “Venus”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/naples-a-paris-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/naples-a-paris-3.jpg) Jacopo de’ Barbari, “Portrait of Luca Pacioli” (left) and Colantonio, “Saint Jerome in His Study” (right) There is much to enjoy. I loved the amazing “[Portrait of Luca Pacioli](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait%5Fof%5FLuca%5FPacioli?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)” (c. 1495-1500) attributed to the Italian Renaissance artist Jacopo de’ Barbari. It portrays a scholar alongside a student and a number of scientific instruments and geometric objects. If you look closely you can see three reflections in the polyhedron that is suspended in the top left corner of the painting and which is half filled with liquid. It is interesting that de’ Barbari chose to give this mathematical object the same weight as the faces of the master and his student. It is also interesting to note that the master looks at the polyhedron, whereas the student looks straight towards the viewer. I also loved Colantonio’s “Saint Jerome in His Study” (c. 1445-46), which shows Saint Jerome surrounded by books removing a thorn from a lion’s paw. Legend had it that Jerome had tamed a lion by healing its paw, which may be a blend of the ancient tale of [Androcles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androcles?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), about a man befriending a lion, and the tale of Gerasimus, a 5th century saint who was also said to have tamed a lion by removing a thorn from its paw and whose name resembles the Latin name of Jerome (Geronimus). It is fascinating to see the effort the artist has made to render the open book and the other written papers. It was pouring with rain so I decided to stay a bit longer in the Louvre. There are worse places to shelter from the rain. The Louvre is huge and I love just walking around and stopping at whatever catches my eye. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/louvre-10.jpg) Stefano di Giovanni, “The Blessed Ranieri Frees the Poor from a Prison in Florence” “The Blessed Ranieri Frees the Poor from a Prison in Florence” (c. 1437-1444) by Stefano di Giovanni depicts one of the miracles performed by the blessed Franciscan monk Ranieri Rasini. The saint was said to have freed 90 prisoners who had written to him from a prison in Florence, where they were held for being in debt. I really like the rendition of the prison, which predates the development of geometrical perspective, and which, in all its abstraction, looks more prison-like than a more faithful rendition would have. I also love the almost abstract expressionist brush strokes with which Giovanni painted the cloud from which the saint appears. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/louvre-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/louvre-11.jpg) Luis Eugenio Meléndez, “Self-Portrait Holding a Nude Study” (left) and Bernardo Lorente y Germán, “Trompe-l’Oeil Still Life: Wine” (right) I also loved Luis Eugenio Meléndez’s “Self-Portrait Holding a Nude Study” (1746), which shows him proudly holding a drawing of a male nude. What I find fascinating is that this is not a drawing, but a painting of a drawing. Bernardo Lorente y Germán’s “Trompe-l’Oeil Still Life: Wine” (c. 1730) similarly includes several paintings of drawings and a painting of a written letter. **Naples à Paris. Le Louvre invite le Museo di Capodimonte** is at the Louvre, Paris until 8 January 2024. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/12/further-reading-95/ Last updated: 2023-12-23T10:25:00.000Z What causes fainting? Scientists finally have [an answer](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03450-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Scientists have created a neural network with the human-like ability to make [generalizations about language](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03272-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Scientists have recently discovered scores of [free-floating worlds](https://www.quantamagazine.org/rogue-worlds-throw-planetary-ideas-out-of-orbit-20231113/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that defy classification. The new observations have forced them to rethink their theories of star and planet formation. A [review](https://t.co/W8SjPPsBf1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of the behavioural signatures, neural mechanisms and computational models of curiosity. The ‘brazen’ science that paved the way for the Higgs boson (and a lot more). [Review](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03424-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of "Grace in All Simplicity: Beauty, Truth, and Wonders on the Path to the Higgs Boson and New Laws of Nature" by Robert N. Cahn & Chris Quigg. [Canada’s year of fire](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/24/magazine/canada-wildfires.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Endless evacuations, unimaginable smoke and heat, 45 million acres burned — is this the nation’s new normal? Is it too late to keep global warming below 1.5º? [The challenge in 7 charts](https://t.co/VV8nFJbabm?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Unavoidable [future increase in West Antarctic ice-shelf melting](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-023-01818-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) over the twenty-first century. [The crash to come](https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/11/11/the-crash-to-come-insurance-climate/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Insurance companies have responded to climate disasters by raising premiums and dropping customers. Now there’s a new housing bubble waiting to burst. Don’t mind me. I’m [just playing around in my Issey Miyake](https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/image/story/2023-10-23/on-issey-miyake-sartorial-innovations?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Notes on grief](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/notes-on-grief?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. ### Ray Monk: Ludwig Wittgenstein. The Duty of Genius URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/12/ray-monk-ludwig-wittgenstein-the-duty-of-genius/ Last updated: 2024-01-21T09:08:19.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/wittgenstein-norway-1.jpg) I finally read Ray Monk’s excellent Wittgenstein biography, *Ludwig Wittgenstein. The Duty of Genius*. It was first published in 1991, but for various reasons I had put off reading it. For one thing, as I’ve written before somewhere, when I was studying philosophy biographies were considered “not done”. It is the work that matters, not the life of a philosopher. In recent years I’ve read some outstanding biographies of philosophers and scientists, which also illuminate the work (e.g. Jürgen Kaube’s [*Hegels Welt*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/05/23/juergen-kaube-hegels-welt/) and Ananyo Bhattacharya’s *The Man from the Future. The Visionary Life of John von Neumann*). So I thought it was about time I also read a biography of the philosopher who has had a major impact on my thinking. I'm glad I did and I now look forward to reading Steven Nadler’s *Spinoza. A Life* and Andrew Hodges critically acclaimed biography of Alan Turing. Ludwig Wittgenstein was born in Vienna, Austria in 1889\. His father, Karl Wittgenstein, was a wealthy industrialist. Wittgenstein famously gave away his part of his inheritance to his sisters when his father died, in 1913\. He was educated at home by private tutors and went on to study engineering, first at the Technische Hochschule in Berlin and then in Manchester. It was here that he discovered the writings of the logician and mathematician Gottlob Frege. Wittgenstein visited Frege, who advised him to study with Bertrand Russell if he wanted to pursue his philosophical interests. And so Wittgenstein moved to Cambridge, where he began work on what would become the *Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus* (1921). That much I knew. I also knew that he fought in the First World War, that he continued working on the *Tractatus* during the war and that, after completing the manuscript, he abandoned philosophy, believing that he had solved all of its deepest problems. In 1929, he returned to Cambridge to resume his philosophical vocation. Soon after he began work on what would eventually culminate in the *Philosophical Investigations*, but which wasn't published until after his death. (Ray Monk brilliantly describes Wittgenstein's struggle to find a definite form for the *Philosophical Investigations*). There is a lot in Ray Monk’s biography that I didn’t know. I didn’t know that, for years, Wittgenstein was troubled by thoughts of suicide and that this may have motivated him to seek a position at the frontlines during the war. I didn’t know either that for some time he wanted to become a manual laborer in the Soviet Union, not out of political conviction but because of the sort of life he believed people led in the Soviet Union. He even traveled to St Petersburg and Moscow looking for a job. I also didn’t know that, during the Second World War, he took on a job as a porter delivering medicines at a hospital, because he wanted to make himself useful during the war. Indeed, Wittgenstein’s life-long preoccupation with leading a simple life and the gratification of manual labor were new to me. I think it is fair to say that Wittgenstein had a bad influence on many of the students who came under his spell and whom he tried to steer away from philosophy. The story of his friendship with Francis Skinner is particularly distressing. I had always imagined Wittgenstein an atheist, much like Bertrand Russell, and so I was surprised to learn about his religious feelings and convictions, which also informed his life and thinking, particularly his insistence on absolute honesty and the relentless truthfulness for which he was both admired and feared. I was also surprised to learn that Wittgenstein was an avid reader of detective novels and that he loved westerns. He also enjoyed engaging in tacky wordplay with his friend Gilbert Pattison. About a year ago I read Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith’s superb [Vincent van Gogh biography](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/21/steven-naifeh-and-gregory-white-smith-van-gogh-the-life/). It struck me that Wittgenstein and Van Gogh had a lot in common. Both were difficult on others, but even more so on themselves. Both briefly taught at a primary school and were considered lunatics by the children’s parents. They both led a simple and austere life. Neither cared much for clothes or fashion. But the clothes they wore were of fine quality. And of course, whereas Wittgenstein frequently feared for his mental health, Van Gogh actually suffered several mental breakdowns. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/wittgenstein-norway-2.jpg) Wittgenstein's house near Skjolden, Norway In 2022, I visited Wittgenstein’s house in Skjolden, Norway, which has been completely rebuilt. It is in a beautiful, remote location, overlooking a lake, but even now difficult to get to, because the trail is slippery and the final stretch a bit steep. There is a rope to hold on to. The house was completed in 1914\. Wittgenstein stayed there on several occasions and relished the solitude, which enabled him to think and write, unperturbed by contact with other people or social duties. In 1958, seven years after Wittgenstein’s death, the house was moved to Skjolden, where it was re-erected. In 2018, the house was moved back to its original location. *Ludwig Wittgenstein. The Duty of Genius* is a joy to read, mostly, of course, because Wittgenstein is such a fascinating character. I also found it very inspiring. I know that I’ve been saying that a bit too often recently. To put it in Wittgensteinian terms, ultimately the extent to which something is inspiring shows in one’s actions. So keep an eye on this space. ### Links [Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2010/02/07/logicomix/), the wonderful graphic novel by Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos Papadimitriou, Alecos Papadatos and Annie Di Donna also features Wittgenstein among the main protagonists. ### Highlights from the Spring 2024 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/10/29/highlights-from-the-spring-2024-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2024-06-30T17:08:37.000Z Every season I enjoy browsing the [ready-to-wear collections](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2024-ready-to-wear?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). These are some of the creations that I found interesting or inspiring. As always I favor highly theatrical designs or designs that would make great costumes for a dance performance. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/prada-spring-2024-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/prada-spring-2024-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/prada-spring-2024-8.jpg) Prada ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/rick-owens-spring-2024-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/rick-owens-spring-2024-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/rick-owens-spring-2024-5.jpg) Rick Owens ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/noir-kei-ninomiya-spring-2024-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/noir-kei-ninomiya-spring-2024-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/noir-kei-ninomiya-spring-2024-8.jpg) Noir Kei Ninomiya ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/yohji-yamamoto-spring-2024-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/yohji-yamamoto-spring-2024-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/yohji-yamamoto-spring-2024-7.jpg) Yohji Yamamoto ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/maison-margiela-spring-2024-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/maison-margiela-spring-2024-7.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/06/maison-margiela-spring-2024-10.jpeg) Maison Margiela ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/junya-watanabe-spring-2024-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/junya-watanabe-spring-2024-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/comme-des-garcons-spring-2024-5.jpg) Junya Watanabe (left and middle), Comme des Garçons (right) ### Kunsthaus Zürich URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/10/15/kunsthaus-zurich/ Last updated: 2023-11-12T20:18:49.000Z The Kunsthaus Zürich is the largest art museum in Switzerland and houses one of Switzerland’s most important art collections. Upon leaving I realized that I’d rather stupidly missed an entire wing. So I put my jacket and my backpack in a locker again and spent another hour or so in the museum. Lunch can wait as long as my hunger for art is stilled. The Kunsthaus Zürich consists of two buildings: the Moser building and the Chipperfield building, which are connected by way of an underground passage. The works in the Moser building are presented in a roughly chronological fashion. By contrast, at least when I visited, large sections of the Chipperfield building are dedicated to private collections: the Looser collection, which consists mainly of abstract expressionism and minimal art with a particular emphasis on Cy Twombly; the Merzbacher collection, with works by Sisley, Beckmann, Kandinsky, Matisse and Kirchner among others and the Emil Bührle collection, which was closed during my visit. Perhaps this was one of the conditions when the collections were donated. I found this a bit unfortunate, because not all works in these collections are as good and quite a few would not make the cut in a chronological or thematic presentation. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/kunsthaus-zurich-1.jpg) A small selection of works by Alberto Giacometti The Kunsthaus Zürich is home to one of the largest collection of works by Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti, from his earliest pieces to his very last, reflecting every aspect of his work. This alone is worth visiting the Kunsthaus Zürich for. The works are displayed alongside pieces by Giacometti’s contemporaries. I particularly liked the juxtaposition with a triptych by Francis Bacon. The Kunsthaus Zürich also holds the world’s largest Dada collection, comprising over 700 historic documents and artworks by Hans Arp, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Man Ray, Tristan Tzara and others. Another highlight of the collection is, of course, Swiss art from the 19th and 20th century, with works by Félix Valloton, Paul Klee, Fischli/Weiss, Jean Tinguely and Pipilotti Rist among others. I spent almost four hours in the museum, which was way longer than I’d expected. But I greatly enjoyed discovering works that I had never seen before. Below are some of the artworks that, for one reason or another, caught my eye. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/kunsthaus-zurich-2.jpg) Meister der Münchner Marientafeln, Geburt Christi (ca. 1445/1450) The artist knew that Christ was born at the end of December, in the middle of winter, and so he included some snow and icicles in the scene. But of course he'd never visited Bethlehem where the weather is typically mild in December. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/kunsthaus-zurich-3.jpg) Pieter Coecke van Aelst, The Artist, his Wife and their Children (ca. 1545) I find it interesting that the artist chose to paint himself with his right hand on a skull. It's also interesting that, lacking a proper mirror, which only became available several decades later, the facial features of his wife appear more lifelike. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/kunsthaus-zurich-4.jpg) Joos van Cleve, The Suicide of Lucretia (ca. 1515-18) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/kunsthaus-zurich-5.jpg) Johann Caspar Füssli, Quodlibet with a Painting, Drawings, a Mezzotinto and Letters (1755) This is a typical trompe l'oeil painting, which were popular at the time and which painters made to showcase their craftmanship. I couldn't see close enough, but I wondered whether the drawings are actual drawings or paintings of drawings. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/kunsthaus-zurich-6.jpg) Adriaen Coorte, Still Life with a Bundle of Asparagus, Red Cherries and a Butterfly (ca. 1693-95) I always thought Édouard Manet was the first to paint a bundle of asparagus, but some two years ago I discovered that it is in fact a recurring motif in still life painting. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/kunsthaus-zurich-7.jpg) Heinrich Füssli, Das Schweigen (Silence) (ca. 1799-1801) Johann Heinrich Füssli was a Swiss painter who spent much of his life in Great Britain. He specialized in mythological and fairy scenes. I found this particular painting quite striking. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/kunsthaus-zurich-8.jpg) Giorgio de Chirico, Hector and Andromache (1917) I would like to see a Giorgio de Chirico retrospective some time. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/kunsthaus-zurich-9.jpg) Jean Tinguely, Cyclograveur (1960) It's always a joy to see one of Tinguely's whimsical machines. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/kunsthaus-zurich-10.jpg) Robert Rauschenberg, Overdraw (Untitled) (1963) I love Rauschenberg's mixed media collages from the 1960s. ### Matisse, Derain and Friends at the Kunstmuseum Basel URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/10/14/matisse-derain-and-friends-at-the-kunstmuseum-basel/ Last updated: 2023-12-26T19:41:07.000Z Fauvism was the twentieth century’s first and possibly also shortest avant-garde movement. With the works they produced between 1904 and 1908, Henri Matisse, André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck and their friends paved the way for subsequent Modernist art movements, most notably Die Brücke and Cubism. The exhibition "Matisse, Derain and Friends. The Paris Avant-Garde 1904-1908" at the Kunstmuseum Basel documents the emergence and the heydays of Fauvism, before it gave way to other movements. Fauvism has its origin at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. It was here that Henri Matisse, Albert Marquet, Charles Camoin, Henri Manguin and Jean Puy first met. The exhibition opens with some of the works they created as students as they experimented with new ways of representing the human figure. It is interesting to see that they also painted each other seated behind an easel while painting a model. In 1900 André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck became friends and rented a studio together in the Paris suburb of Chatou. When, in the winter of 1904, Matisse visited them, he realized that they were pursuing similar pictorial strategies. A few months later Matisse invited Derain to join him in Collioure in the South of France, where Matisse was spending the summer with his family. Over the course of summer Matisse and Derain developed a new visual language, which reconceptualized the relationship between light and shadow and between foreground and background. When a selection of the 200 or so paintings and watercolours that Matisse and Derain had produced over summer were exhibited at the Salon d’Automne at the Grand Palais in Paris, public and critics were outraged. In a review the art critic Louis Vauxcelles referred to the artists as “les Fauves” or “the wild beasts” and thus the term Fauvism was born. In the wake of the Salon scandal several other artists, most notably Kees van Dongen, Georges Braque and Raoul Dufy, sought to align themselves with the Fauves. For several years they would form a close knit circle until they all went their own way. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/matisse-derain-friends-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/matisse-derain-friends-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/11/matisse-derain-friends-4.jpg) Henri Matisse, **Interior with a Young Girl (Girl Reading)* (left), Henri Matisse, **The Red Carpets* (middle), André Derain, **Woman in a Chemise* (right) I found the exhibition mostly of art historical interest. The work of Matisse towers above that of Marquet, Camoin, Manguin and even Derain, De Vlaminck and Van Dongen. The highlights of the exhibition are "The Red Carpets" (1906) and "Interior with a Young Girl (Girl Reading)" (1905-06) by Matisse and "Woman in a Chemise" (1906) by Derain and "Modjesko, Soprano Singer" (1908) by Kees van Dongen. **Matisse, Derain and Friends. The Paris Avant-Garde 1904-1908** is at the Kunstmuseum Basel until 21 January 2024\. Concurrently the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has organized an exhibition **Vertigo of Color: Matisse, Derain, and the Origins of Fauvism**, which is on until 21 January 2024. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/10/06/further-reading-94/ Last updated: 2023-11-19T13:57:54.000Z [Stay](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n19/claire-louise-bennett/stay?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Short story by Claire-Louise Bennett. The [lived experience of depression](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wps.21111?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): a bottom-up review co-written by experts by experience and academics. [What are dreams for?](https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/what-are-dreams-for?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The [era-defining aesthetic](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/touchstones/wong-kar-wais-in-the-mood-for-love?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of “In the Mood for Love”. Number theorist Andrew Granville on [what mathematics really is](https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-mathematical-proof-is-a-social-compact-20230831/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) — and why objectivity is never quite within reach. New research finds that the [memories useful for future generalizations](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-usefulness-of-a-memory-guides-where-the-brain-saves-it-20230830?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) are held in the brain separately from those recording unusual events. A funding adviser’s [guide to writing a great grant application](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02756-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A [digital clock that plays songs](https://pudding.cool/projects/clocks/songs/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with the current time in the song title. Reminds me of Christian Marclay's *The Clock*. [Review](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/10/05/the-orphan-among-revolutions-revolutionary-spring-clark/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of Christopher Clarke’s history of the revolutions that swept across Europe in 1848. 25 years of [small-world network theory](https://www.nature.com/articles/s42254-023-00628-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Review](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11016-023-00904-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of James Woodward: *Causation with a human face: normative theory and descriptive psychology*. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Interview](https://coolhunting.com/design/interview-catching-up-with-stefan-sagmeister/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): Catching Up with Stefan Sagmeister. Do you really need to walk 10,000 steps a day? And 17 other [fitness ‘rules’](www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/sep/01/do-you-really-need-to-walk-10000-steps-a-day-and-17-other-fitness-rules-tackled-by-the-experts), tackled by the experts. Researchers have developed a [model](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02881-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) trained similarly to ChatGPT that can be adapted to evaluate multiple health conditions. America is [using up its groundwater](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/28/climate/groundwater-drying-climate-change.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) like there’s no tomorrow. [Canada in the year 2060](https://macleans.ca/society/environment/canada-in-the-year-2060/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “What follows is a portrait of Canada in a world warmed by two degrees. This is not what our country will look like if the world fails to reduce emissions—this is our future even if we do. Everything in these pages comes from peer-reviewed scientific studies and conversations with dozens of experts in climate science, political science, history, health and economics.” [Earth’s hottest month](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02552-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): these charts show what happened in July and what comes next. The planet has warmed 1.2 degrees on average, but that’s enough to produce big extremes. ### Schynige Platte To Faulhorn To First URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:48:50.000Z The hike from Schynige Platte via the peak of the Faulhorn to First is one of the classic hikes in the Swiss Alps. It offers amazing views of the Eiger, the Jungfrau and the Mönch on one side and of the Brienzersee (Lake Brienz) on the other. The historic train from Wilderswild to Schynige Platte is also quite fun. ![View from Schynige Platte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-1.jpg) The view towards the West from Schynige Platte ![Along the hike from Schynige Platte To Faulhorn To First](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-2.jpg) Hard to believe, but I was told that a week earlier this area was covered with snow. That would have been nice. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-3.jpg) A nice spot for a short snack break ![Along the hike from Schynige Platte To Faulhorn To First](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-4.jpg) Along the hike from Schynige Platte To Faulhorn To First I couldn't choose between the photo above and below. This was an interesting spot along the trail. I stopped to make many more photos. ![Along the hike from Schynige Platte To Faulhorn To First](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-5.jpg) Along the hike from Schynige Platte To Faulhorn To First ![Faulhorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-6.jpg) The Faulhorn, the highest point of the hike at an elevation of 2681m. And yes, there is indeed a hotel and restaurant at the top. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-7.jpg) Looking down towards Lake Brienz ![View from the Faulhorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-8.jpg) The view from the Faulhorn The views from the top of the Faulhorn are stunning. Once again I couldn't pick a winner. ![View from the Faulhorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-9.jpg) Amazing views from the Faulhorn ![View from the Faulhorn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-10.jpg) View from the Faulhorn ![Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn in black and white](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-11.jpg) Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn in black and white ![Bachalpsee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-12.jpg) The beautiful lake Bachalpsee The beautiful lake Bachalpsee. It is, of course, also possible to take the cable car from Grindelwald to First and just hike to Bachalpsee. ![Bachalpsee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-13.jpg) The Wetterhorn to the left and the Schreckhorn to the right. In between the Oberer Grindelwaldgletscher. ![Bachalpsee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-14.jpg) The view from the shore of Bachalpsee ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-15.jpg) You wouldn't know from this photo, but this is at an elevation of 2200m and between these green meadows and the mountains in the distance lies the Grindelwald valley at an elevation of 1000m. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-16.jpg) ![Wetterhorn as seen from First](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schynige-platte-first-17.jpg) The Wetterhorn as seen from First ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), the hike to [Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/), the hike to the [Plans de Bertol](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/plans-de-bertol/), the hike to the [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna da Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/), the [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/) and the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the spectacular [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Schreckhornhütte URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:49:12.000Z Let me start by saying that, unfortunately, I didn't make it all the way to the Schreckhornhütte. According to my guide book it's an 8-hour hike. In my experience I should add at least one hour for photo stops. In high season the first cable car from Grindelwald to Pfingstegg is at 8:30 am and the last cable car down is at 7 pm. But in low season the first cable car up is at 9 am and the last cable car down is at 6 pm. During high season I could have made it back in time, but I had been unaware when I booked that low season would start that week, otherwise I might have arrived a week earlier. Even though I did take the first cable car up I didn't want to risk missing the last cable car down. So I decided to turn back when I reached the ladder section. Of course, I could have walked back down to the village, but that adds another 45-60 minutes to the hike. I'd love to give it another try during high season or perhaps stay overnight at the Schreckhornhütte. The views must be amazing. But even the hike up to the ladder section is pretty awesome. ![On the way to the Schreckhornhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schreckhornhut-hike-1.jpg) On the way to the Schreckhornhütte. Looking back towards Berghaus Bäregg ![View from Berghaus Bäregg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schreckhornhut-hike-2.jpg) The view from the terrace at Berghaus Bäregg. ![View from Berghaus Bäregg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schreckhornhut-hike-3.jpg) The view from Berghaus Bäregg ![Trail to the Schreckhornhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schreckhornhut-hike-4.jpg) The trail to the Schreckhornhütte ![Trail to the Schreckhornhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schreckhornhut-hike-5.jpg) The hike to the Schreckhornhütte is one of the best hikes around Grindelwald ![View along the trail to the Schreckhornhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schreckhornhut-hike-6.jpg) ![Trail to the Schreckhornhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/10/schreckhornhut-hike-7.jpg) The trail to the Schreckhornhütte ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), the hike to [Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/), the hike from [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the hike to the [Plans de Bertol](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/plans-de-bertol/), the hike to the [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna da Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/), the [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/) and the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the spectacular [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Paul Griffiths: Modern Music and After URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/09/17/paul-griffiths-modern-music-and-after/ Last updated: 2025-10-05T19:52:16.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/ensemble-intercontemporain-18.jpeg) Paul Griffiths' “Modern Music and After” is widely regarded as the standard textbook on post-war avant-garde music. But don’t let the word “textbook” put you off. I rather stupidly expected it to be dry and academic, but it is in fact a joy to read. I now have a better understanding of why I enjoy listening to some composers (Boulez, Ligeti, Ferneyhough, Grisey) and not to others (Schnittke, Rihm, Glass, Andriessen, Gorecki). As Griffiths writes in the introduction, “Modern Music and After” is not a history of music since 1945 or a history of Western classical music since 1945\. It is an account of a musical movement that gained momentum after the Second World War, one that has its roots in the decades preceding it, and that Griffiths aptly describes as a movement of radical renewal. For this is what drove Boulez and Stockhausen, but also Reich, Grisey and Lachenmann. In 28 short chapters Griffiths presents a thematic survey of developments in post-war music. The focus in the first few chapters is on the “heroes” of the avant-garde: Boulez, Stockhausen and Cage. Subsequent chapters deal with events taking place in several key years (1945, 1956, 1965, 1975, 1989 and 2001). There are also chapters on spectralism, old and new complexities, new simplicities and new romanticisms and holy and unholy minimalisms. Griffiths also considers the impact of social and political currents and technological change on contemporary music. Griffiths does not dwell on biographical details (of which there is too much in Alex Ross’ “[The Rest Is Noise](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/11/24/alex-ross-the-rest-is-noise/)”) and foregoes subjective interpretations and cultural criticism (of which there is too much in Tim Rutherford-Johnson’s “[Music After the Fall](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/10/24/tim-rutherford-johnson-music-after-the-fall/)”). Instead he focuses on the music and the objective “technical” innovations of the composers he discusses. The book doesn’t include any photographs of composers or musicians either, which wouldn’t add much value anyway. The only illustrations are of musical scores, one hundred in total. In each case Griffiths carefully explains what is noteworthy about the score snippet, which I found particularly helpful. I’m one of the few individuals who actually enjoys listening to avant-garde music, though not everything of course. Stockhausen is a case in point. He has a reputation for being “difficult”, but I actually enjoyed hearing some of his compositions from the 1950s, which I had not previously listened to and which still sound fresh and modern. It’s the early experiments with electronic music that I don’t like and that now sound dated. If you enjoyed reading Alex Ross' "The Rest Is Noise" or if you're simply looking for an informative, comprehensive book on contemporary music, don’t let the cover put you off: “Modern Music and After” is a highly readable and lively book. Paul Griffiths is also the author of “A Concise History of Western Music”, which I look forward to reading next and “The Penguin Companion to Classical Music”, which appears to be out of print. ### Links [The Best Classical Music YouTube Channels](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/02/09/the-best-classical-music-youtube-channels/) ### Futurism and Europe at the Kröller-Müller Museum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/09/02/futurism-and-europe/ Last updated: 2023-12-26T19:42:24.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/09/futurism-europe-2.jpg) The exhibition "Futurism and Europe: The Aesthetics of a New World" at the Kröller-Müller Museum explores the relationship between Futurism and other European avant-gardes such as the Bauhaus, De Stijl, Constructivism, Esprit Nouveau and Cubism. It was a joy to see a selection of works by Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni and Gino Severini alongside works by Vladimir Tatlin, Sonia Delaunay, Oskar Schlemmer, Naum Gabo, László Moholy-Nagy, Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier to name but a few. Futurism was officially launched on 20 February 1909 when the Italian poet and writer Filippo Tommaso Marinetti published his “The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism” in the French newspaper Le Figaro. It would be followed by a number of other manifestos on, among other things, painting, literature, cinema, dance and cooking. There is more to Futurism than attempts to render movement in painting, as in Giacomo Balla’s "Swifts Flight" (1913), which opens the exhibition, and his "Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash" (1912). Futurism was not limited to painting and sculpture either. The Futurists embraced architecture, graphic design, fashion, theatre, cinema, advertising and product design. Indeed they sought a complete “reconstruction of the universe” as they proclaimed in the manifesto of the same title. In their view art had to free itself from the limits of traditional art and extend to the whole of life to transform it into a total work of art. The Futurist sculpture manifesto, written by Umberto Boccioni, aimed to free sculpture from its traditional materials, such as marble or bronze, by resorting to “non-artistic” materials. The exhibition includes some fine examples of sculptures by Futurists and Constructivists including an amazing structure by Vladimir Tatlin. It is somewhat amusing that László Moholy-Nagy intended his "Licht-Raum-Modulator" (1922-30), a moving, light-emitting sculpture, not only as an artwork but also as a device to train the senses and familiarize people with the abundant stimuli of the modern city (light, movement and sound). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/09/tatlin-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/09/tatlin-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/09/tatlin-2.jpg) Vladimir Tatlin, **Complex Corner Relief* (1915) (Reconstruction, 1980) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/09/futurism-europe-3.jpg) László Moholy-Nagy, **Licht-Raum-Modulator* (1922-30) The exhibition also attests to the fascination of the Futurists and other Avant-Garde artists with machines, factories, skyscrapers, cars and the hustle and bustle of the modern city. I enjoyed watching excerpts from "Berlin: Die Sinfonie der Großstadt" (Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis, 1927), "Metropolis" (1927), "Man with a Movie Camera" (1929) and "The Bridge" (1928) by Joris Ivens. The exhibition includes a generous selection of works for theatre and dance from stage design to costumes by Fortunato Depero, Picasso, Oskar Schlemmer and others. Some of these works still look fresh and radical. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/09/futurism-europe-5.jpg) The legacy of futurism is still tainted by its association with fascism. Marinetti founded the Futurist Political Party in early 1918, which was absorbed into Mussolini's Fasci Italiani di Combattimento in 1919, which in turn would be reorganized into the National Fascist Party in 1921\. Marinetti would later withdraw from active politics, but he supported Italian fascism until his death in 1944\. Because of their association with fascism the Italian futurists benefited from considerable freedom of expression when the fascists took power, but they refrained from outright propaganda for the regime. There is much to see and enjoy at "Futurism & Europe: The Aesthetics of a New World". I just wish it had been twice as large and included more works by the Futurists themselves. Had the exhibition been organized by the Centre Pompidou it would have been a major international event. The exhibition is accompanied by a lushly illustrated catalogue featuring some twenty scholarly essays. **Futurism and Europe: The Aesthetics of a New World** is at the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands until 3 September 2023. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/09/futurism-europe-4.jpg) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/08/13/further-reading-93/ Last updated: 2024-02-24T10:37:46.000Z [Where be your jibes now?](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n14/patricia-lockwood/where-be-your-jibes-now?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Patricia Lockwood on David Foster Wallace. Make it new and difficult. John Adams [reviews](https://t.co/9kr15n4zlP?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *Schoenberg. Why He Matters* by Harvey Sachs. [Creative grief](https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/creative-grief-thematic-creative-industry-250725?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and how to deal with it. I often fall into a brief depression after finishing a project, which typically lasts until I start planning or thinking of a new project. So the key for me is to keep busy and have a full agenda. How [Larry Gagosian](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/07/31/larry-gagosian-profile?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) reshaped the art world. The [tyranny of the tale](https://t.co/pJaYS40vGq?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). What if a narrative frame is also a cage? The [cognitive challenges of cooperation](https://t.co/iV2z6JLu72?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in humans and animals. A special issue of Science examines the [effects of light pollution](https://www.science.org/toc/science/380/6650?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on the natural world, human health, and the night sky. Kent Berridge on [separating](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364661323001754?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) desire from prediction of outcome value. [Brain network communication](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41583-023-00718-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): concepts, models and applications. Anselm Kiefer has been awarded the [2023 German National Prize](https://www.zeit.de/2023/30/anselm-kiefer-kuenstler-deutscher-nationalpreis?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Review](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n16/malcolm-bull/squeegee-abstracts?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Gerhard Richter. Painting After the Subject of History* by Benjamin Buchloh. [Brice Marden has passed away](https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/08/10/brice-marden-painter-obituary?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A [new framework](https://t.co/gMJzLz3rTe?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) for the chronology and divergence of languages in the Indo-European family, which places the family’s origin at around 8300 BP—older than previous analyses. Fossil evidence [challenges](https://t.co/Rbwin2g9yf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) our current understanding of body-size evolution. The blue whale may not be the heaviest animal that has ever lived. Diverse [sleep strategies at sea](https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.adh9193?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Many animals face ecological challenges that seem incompatible with sleep. In marine mammals and birds—which need to sleep, breathe, and avoid predators—diverse neurophysiological, respiratory, and behavioral solutions to these ecological challenges have evolved. ChatGPT is a black box: how AI research can break it open. [Editorial](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02366-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in Nature. Despite their wide use, large language models are still mysterious. Revealing their true nature is urgent and important. [Interview](https://t.co/m8TbItNFq0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Richard Rhodes about Oppenheimer, how researchers fare in the film and what it gets right and wrong. ### Van Gogh in Auvers URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/08/07/van-gogh-in-auvers/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T19:16:51.000Z To celebrate its 50th anniversary the Van Gogh Museum presents a major survey of Vincent van Gogh’s final months, which he spent in Auvers-sur-Oise, a small village on the outskirts of Paris. The exhibition is organized in close collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay, where it will be on view from 3 October until 4 February 2024. Vincent van Gogh was full of optimism when he arrived in Auvers-sur-Oise on 20 May 1890, having spent much of the previous year in a mental hospital in Saint-Rémy, some 30 kilometres from Arles, where he had moved in February 1888\. But less than two months later his mood had darkened once again. He died on 29 July 1890 at the age of 37. During the intervening weeks, Vincent van Gogh created an impressive total of 74 paintings, which translates to an average of more than one per day. This prolific output speaks to his intense work ethic and the creative inspiration he derived from his time in Auvers-sur-Oise. The curators have done an amazing job by bringing together nearly 50 paintings and some 30 drawings and sketches from this pivotal period, including a number of loans from private collections that are rarely displayed publicly, making this a one-of-a-kind opportunity. In preparation for the exhibition the curators also tracked down the locations where Van Gogh painted the landscapes and village scenes depicted in the paintings. There’s even a map of Auvers and some old photographs from around the time when Van Gogh lived in Auvers. It was a joy to see all of these works, many of which I only knew from reproductions. I particularly loved "Blossoming Chestnut Branches", "Stairway at Auvers-sur-Oise", "Daubigny’s Garden", "Fields near Auvers-sur-Oise", the enigmatic "Undergrowth with Two Figures" and the unfinished "Farms near Auvers-sur-Oise", and of course the "Portrait of Doctor Paul Gachet" and the "Portrait of a Young Woman". It probably comes as no surprise that these are among my favourite paintings. Van Gogh's use of frame-filling scenes with low or no horizons has always resonated with me. In fact, his style may have influenced my own approach to photography, where I often focus on capturing scenes with minimal or no horizon. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/van-gogh-auvers-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/van-gogh-auvers-2.jpg) **Fields near Auvers-sur-Oise (left) and Farms near Auvers-sur-Oise (right)* **Van Gogh in Auvers** is at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam until 3 September and at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris from 3 October until 4 February 2024. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/van-gogh-auvers-4.jpg) **Stairway at Auvers-sur-Oise* ### More Vincent van Gogh [Van Gogh and the Olive Groves](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/08/van-gogh-and-the-olive-groves/) [Van Gogh and Japan](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/04/08/van-gogh-and-japan/) [Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith: Van Gogh. The Life](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/22/steven-naifeh-and-gregory-white-smith-van-gogh-the-life/) [The Letters of Vincent van Gogh](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2009/10/11/the-letters-of-vincent-van-gogh/) ### Senja URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T09:19:17.000Z I had originally planned to only visit [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/) and [Vesterålen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/), but when I saw some photos of Senja I decided to add a few days on Senja. I now wish I had added a couple of days more to also explore the area around Tromsø and the Lyngen Alps. Senja is the second largest island in Norway and is often described as “Norway in miniature” because of its diverse scenery. Ånderdalen National Park, which is located in the southern part of the island, reminded me of Hardangervidda, although I should add that I only had time to visit the woodlands around Åndervatnet. I read that the park’s sea-facing side is more rugged. The main action is on the island’s mountainous western coast which faces the Norwegian sea. This is also where Segla is located, the most iconic mountain on Senja. There are many more peaks in the area and I regret that I had only scheduled two days for Senja when I could easily have spent four days exploring the island. Of course, I had been hoping to make some great photos of Segla, but as I climbed Hesten, the mountain facing Segla, I realized that it was the wrong time of day. For good photos I should have taken advantage of the midnight sun and climbed Hesten late in the evening. Had I known this I would have climbed Segla itself, because it's higher than Hesten. Perhaps another time. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/hesten-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/hesten-2.jpg) Hesten: looking up (left) and looking down (right) ![Senja. View from the top of Hesten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/senja-1.jpg) The view from Hesten looking towards the North-West. ![View from the top of Hesten towards the sea](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/senja-2.jpg) View from the top of Hesten towards the sea ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/senja-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/senja-4.jpg) The above two photos were taken at a saddle halfway along the hike to the top of Hesten. ![Hesten and Segla as seen from the other side of the fjord](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/senja-5.jpg) Hesten to the left and facing it Segla to the right. This was near Senjahopen. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/senja-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/senja-6.jpg) Looking towards the sea (left) and towards the fjord (right) ![Senja](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/senja-8.jpg) Somewhere along the 862 near Senjahopen ![Sommardalhaugen Husfjellet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/senja-9.jpg) The view from Sommardalhaugen, halfway to Husfjellet. My first day on Senja was a bit cloudy. I had been hoping that the clouds would clear or that I would rise above the clouds, but as I climbed Husfjellet the fog only became denser so at some point I turned around. The next day it was clear, but it was already late in the afternoon and I didn't have time to go all the way to the top of Husfjellet. I now realize that I should just have skipped dinner, buy some food at a supermarket in Skaland and hike to the top. ![Senja](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/senja-10.jpg) Somewhere along the 862 between Straumsnes and Bergsbotn ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/senja-11.jpg) Just a photogenic tree in Ånderdalen National Park ### Related Posts **More** [**Vesterålen**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/) **and** [**Lofoten**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/)**!** The awesome hike to the top of [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/) and the [Munkebu hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/). The views from [Matmora](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matmora/). And of course [Reine](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reine/). **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** Amazing [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), [Mount Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/), [Romsdalseggen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/romsdalseggen/), [Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/), [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). Yet [more Norway](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway-revisited/). ### Møysalen URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:32:15.000Z On a glorious day in July I hiked to the top of Møysalen (1262m), the highest peak in Vesterålen. It is a magnificent hike and one of the best day hikes in Norway. Indeed, it is definitely in the top 10 of the best hikes I’ve done so far. I had booked a [guided tour](https://moeysalen.no/moysalturer/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and if you’re thinking of hiking to Møysalen I highly recommend you do the same. Even in July there many snow patches and near the top you have to cross a glacier. The tour starts at 8:30 am at the visitor centre of Møysalen National Park in Hennes and ends early in the evening. At approximately 25km the hike is also pretty long. If you book the guided tour a motor boat will drop you off at the end of the fjord, which I found pretty exciting in itself, thereby cutting the distance by 2-3 km. ![Møysalen hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-1.jpg) In the distance you can see the fjord. At this point we'd already hiked more than two hours and climbed about 500m. ![Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-2.jpg) The mountain to the left of the "sharp" peak is Møysalen. Still quite some way to go. Already the views are pretty awesome. ![Møysalen hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-3.jpg) Looking down towards a valley in Møysalen National Park. ![Møysalen hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-5.jpg) ![Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-4.jpg) At this point the landscape is "alpine" with multiple snow fields even in early July. ![Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-6.jpg) The goal is in sight, but still some ground, I mean snow, to cover... ![Views along the hike to Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-7.jpg) The views get better and better ![Final climb to the top of Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-8.jpg) Ridge to the top of Møysalen The final stretch of the trail to the peak of Møysalen (top right corner) leads along a ridge with some narrow passages. It flattens near the top. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-9.jpg) One of several snow fields we had to cross ![Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-12.jpg) ![View near the top of Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-14.jpg) View near the top of Møysalen ![Near the top of Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/moysalen-13.jpg) This is near the top of Møysalen ![Near the top of Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-15.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-16.jpg) As it is the highest peak in the region the top of Møysalen offers amazing 360º views ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-17.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-18.jpg) In the distance you can see Sortland and the bridge covering the fjord. The next day I could see the top of Møysalen from the window of my hotel in Sortland. That too was a pretty good feeling. ![View from the top of Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-23.jpg) The views from the top of Møysalen are absolutely stunning. ![View from the top of Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-22.jpg) Did I already mention that the views from the top are amazing? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-20.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-24.jpg) There's this old Depeche Mode song "Just Can't Get Enough"... ![View from the top of Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-25.jpg) Looking down once more before beginning the long descent ![Snow field near the top of Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-26.jpg) A snow field near the top of Møysalen that we had to cross ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-27.jpg) That's where we came from ![Snow field in the valley below Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-28.jpg) I always get excited when I see snow covered mountains and valleys ![Snow field in the valley below Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-29.jpg) Snow field in the valley below Møysalen ![Møysalen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/moysalen-30.jpg) One last look at Møysalen before turning a corner. I was there!!! ### Related Posts **More** [**Vesterålen**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/)**,** [**Lofoten**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/) **and** [**Senja**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)**!** The awesome hike to the [Munkebu hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/). The views from [Matmora](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matmora/). And of course [Reine](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reine/). **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** Amazing [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), [Mount Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/), [Romsdalseggen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/romsdalseggen/), [Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/), [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). Yet [more Norway](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway-revisited/). ### Vesterålen URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T09:26:08.000Z Vesterålen has it all: amazing scenery, majestic mountains, deep fjords and beautiful beaches. It is a hiker’s paradise and a great destination for whale watching. There is one thing Vesterålen does not have: tour buses full of tourists. They only go to Lofoten. Vesterålen therefore receives less visitors than [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/). ![Vesterålen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-1.jpg) This photo was taken along the scenic route Andøya near Bukkekjerka. I stopped here to just sit on a boulder and watch the ocean for a while. ![Along the Dronningruta trail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-2.jpg) Near the start or the end of Dronningruta depending on whether you hike clockwise or counterclockwise. Of course I hiked the Dronningruta, which is billed as one of the most beautiful hikes in Norway and as Queen Sonja's favourite hike. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-3.jpg) Somewhere along Dronningruta ![Along the Dronningruta trail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-4.jpg) Somewhere along Dronningruta. It is basically a combination of a ridge hike and a beach hike. ![Along the Dronningruta trail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-5.jpg) To hike Dronningruta you can either start in Stø or Nyksund. Regardless of where you start I recommend hiking counterclockwise. There's a stretch with chains near Nyksund which is easier going up than going down. If only I had known this! Thus, if you're starting in Stø walk along the beach first; if you're starting in Nyksund climb the mountain first and walk back along the beach. ![Along the Dronningruta trail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-6.jpg) Along the Dronningruta trail ![Along the Dronningruta trail near Nyksund](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-7.jpg) The most beautiful part of Dronningruta is near Nyksund. ![Dronningruta](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-9.jpg) Mountains, lakes and beautiful beaches, what more could you wish for? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-10.jpg) The hike to Måtinden is another classic hike in Vesterålen ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-11.jpg) The hike to Måtinden is a short but rewarding hike offering amazing coastal views ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-12.jpg) Vesterålen is home to the oldest rock formations in Norway. This is not it though. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-13.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-15.jpg) Somewhere along the scenic route near Bø and Bømyra ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/vesteralen-14.jpg) ### Related Posts **More** [**Lofoten**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/) **and** [**Senja**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)**!** The awesome hike to the top of [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/) and the [Munkebu hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/). The views from [Matmora](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matmora/). And of course [Reine](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reine/). **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** Amazing [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), [Mount Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/), [Romsdalseggen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/romsdalseggen/), [Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/), [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). Yet [more Norway](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway-revisited/). ### Lofoten URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T09:31:50.000Z Lofoten has long been a destination on my bucket list, and now that I've had the chance to visit, I can't stop thinking about returning someday. There's truly no place like it - where snowcapped mountains majestically meet the ocean. The scenery is simply breathtaking. I was fortunate enough to experience a rare spell of good weather during my trip to Lofoten. Just a week prior to my arrival, certain areas had still been blanketed by 10-15 cm of snow, or so the receptionists at some of my hotels told me, and I was filled with apprehension as I gazed at the snow-capped peaks upon landing in Tromsø. The first day of my trip, as I drove from Tromsø to Svolvaer on Lofoten, was cold and rainy. However, the following day brought a change in fortune; the sky cleared and the temperature began to rise, reaching a balmy 20°C. This pleasant weather persisted for the subsequent two weeks, with occasional spikes in temperature soaring to a delightful 25°C on some days. ![Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-1.jpg) Just a road on Lofoten ![Grunnførfjorden beach Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-2.jpg) Grunnførfjorden beach The beach at Grunnførfjorden near the Matmora trailhead. I'm so glad I drove on to see what was around the corner after returning from the hike! ![Grunnførfjorden, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-3.jpg) The beach at Grunnførfjorden ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-6.jpg) There a small island in the middle of Grunnførfjorden and a dam with a road connecting both sides. The views are spectacular. ![View of Ytresand from Røren in Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-7.jpg) View of Ytresand from Røren ![Ytresand Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-10.jpg) Ytresand ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-9.jpg) The hike to Røren and Litlberget is pretty awesome and I was surprised there were only a few other people on the trail ![View of Henningsvaer from Festvågtinden](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-11.jpg) View of Henningsvaer from Festvågtinden View of Henningsvaer from the trail to Festvågtinden. Unfortunately I lost precious time, first because I had to find a spot to park my car and then because I ended up on the steep rock climbing trail and had to descend again to get to the hiking trail. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-13.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-12.jpg) Halfway the hike to Festvågtinden there is a plateau with a lake and a ridge which offers amazing views of Henningsvaer and the ocean ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-14.jpg) I now regret not climbing to the top of Festvågtinden, but I didn't know how long the drive to Hennes in Vesterålen, my next destination, would be, and I didn't want to arrive too late. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-15.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-16.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-17.jpg) The Lofoten fishery is a century-old livelihood and to this day one of Norway's main export goods ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-18.jpg) Across Lofoten you can find wooden racks for drying fish. However, most fish are taken down in June. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-19.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-21.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-20.jpg) Another beautiful Lofoten beach ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/lofoten-22.jpg) The hike from Haukland to Utakleiv and the top of Mannen is another classic. This is the view from Mannen. ### Related Posts **More Lofoten,** [**Vesterålen**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/) **and** [**Senja**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)**!** The awesome hike to the top of [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/) and the [Munkebu hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/). The views from [Matmora](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matmora/). And of course [Reine](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reine/). **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** Amazing [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), [Mount Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/), [Romsdalseggen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/romsdalseggen/), [Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/), [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). Yet [more Norway](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway-revisited/). ### Matmora URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matmora/ Last updated: 2026-01-18T09:23:29.000Z The hike to Matmora (788m) is one of the best hikes in Lofoten offering spectacular views along the way. When I left my hotel in Svolvaer it was all sunny and blue skies, but as I drove towards the west I saw clouds appearing. It was still sunny when I started hiking, but clouds were forming above the fjord. As I neared the top of Matmora at some point I rose above the clouds, which, as always, was pretty awesome. Later in the afternoon it got even weirder. The fjord to the south of Matmora was covered in clouds, I would even say it was foggy at sea level, but the fjord to the north was sunny and clear. Apparently this is standard weather for Northern Norway. It has something to do with the depth of the fjord. A few days later when I was back in Tromsø the same thing happened when I drove to the tip of Kvaløya. A common advice is therefore that if the weather is bad, just drive for half an hour and it might change. It is possible to hike from the car park to the top of Matmora and then across the ridge down to Delp, or the other way around. However, you then have to walk some 6 km along the road to return to where you parked you car. I therefore returned as I came. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/matmora-1.jpg) Twenty or so minutes after the start of the hike to Matmora you reach a valley with birches which are all twisted because of the weather ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/matmora-2.jpg) This was also the first day I and every other hiker was surrounded by a swarm of flies for much of the hike. Not just normal flies but also nasty horse-flies or klegg as they are called in Norway, which even bite through your shirt. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/matmora-3.jpg) Clouds forming above the fjord ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/matmora-4.jpg) There is a path somewhere you just have to find it and the views from the top are amazing ![Near the peak of Matmora](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/matmora-5.jpg) As you near the peak of Matmora (788m) the views get better and better ![Amazing view from the peak of Matmora](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/matmora-6.jpg) The amazing view from the peak of Matmora. This is looking to the east. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/matmora-7.jpg) View to the northeast from the top of Matmora ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/matmora-8.jpg) And looking to the south ![View from the peak of Matmora](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/matmora-9.jpg) I ate my sandwich at the peak of Matmora and what a wonderful place to have lunch! ![Near the peak of Matmora](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/matmora-10.jpg) Matmora offers stunning views all around. One more photo while making my way down again. ### Related Posts **More** [**Lofoten**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/)**,** [**Vesterålen**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/) **and** [**Senja**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)**!** The awesome hike to the top of [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/) and the [Munkebu hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/). And of course [Reine](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reine/). **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** Amazing [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), [Mount Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/), [Romsdalseggen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/romsdalseggen/), [Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/), [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). Yet [more Norway](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway-revisited/). ### Munkebu Hut Hike URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/ Last updated: 2026-01-18T09:22:44.000Z The hike to the Munkebu Hut is one of the best hikes in [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/). As you can see I was extremely lucky with the weather as indeed I was for most of my stay in Lofoten, [Vesterålen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/) and [Senja](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/). My hotel was in Leknes, which is about an hour's drive from the trailhead in Sørvågen, itself ten minutes or so from [Reine](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reine/). I had originally planned to try and make my way up to Hermansdallstinden and to see how far I would get. However, for that I would have needed to stay in Reine. I also lost precious time on the way up, because rather stupidly I managed to take the wrong trail on three occasions. There are several huts near the lake at the start of the trail and it is easy to make the wrong choice. Later on I met two hikers from Norway who recommended downloading the app from ut.no, which has all the trails, but unfortunately is available in Norwegian only. It proved very helpful on subsequent hikes, though, because it shows exactly where you are and where the trail is or leads. ![Munkebu Hut, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/munkebu-hut-hike-1.jpg) The area around the Munkebu hut on a perfect summer day The Munkebu Hut is situated in a stunning alpine landscape. Along the way there are lakes, fjords, mountains and sea views. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/munkebu-hut-hike-2.jpg) The trail, somewhere half way. You have to climb the mountain in the middle. From there the trail descends towards the hut. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/munkebu-hut-hike-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/munkebu-hut-hike-4.jpg) There are multiple lakes along the trail ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/munkebu-hut-hike-5.jpg) Temperatures had shot up to 24ºC in the previous two days and also on the day I was there and much of the snow had already melted. ![Mountains and lakes near the Munkebu hut, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/munkebu-hut-hike-6.jpg) Mountains and lakes near the Munkebu hut, Lofoten Hermannsdalstinden is the high mountain to the left in the photo above. The trail actually leads along the ridge in the foreground and then continues along the ridge in the middle of the photo. So in the photo it's left, right, left and straight ahead. It's possible to do it in a day, but you need to get a very early start, which means staying in or near Reine. ![Mountains and lakes near the Munkebu hut, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/munkebu-hut-hike-7.jpg) Mountains and lakes near the Munkebu hut, Lofoten ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/munkebu-hut-hike-8.jpg) Always nice when the destination comes into view. ![Munkebu Hut, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/munkebu-hut-hike-9.jpg) I found a patch of snow which makes for a nice contrast The area around the Munkebu hut is Lofoten at its finest and most spectacular. ![Near the Munkebu hut, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/munkebu-hut-hike-10.jpg) ![Munkebu Hut, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/munkebu-hut-hike-11.jpg) The Munkebu hut is set amidst amazing scenery It is possible to stay at the Munkebu hut, but you need to get a key from the tourist office. I met some people on the way who were going to camp near the hut before making a push to the summit of Hermannsdalstinden. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/munkebu-hut-hike-12.jpg) Saving the best for last. I love these landscapes. ### Related Posts **More** [**Lofoten**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/)**,** [**Vesterålen**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/) **and** [**Senja**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)**!** The awesome hike to the top of [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/) and [Matmora](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matmora/). And of course [Reine](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reine/). **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** Amazing [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), [Mount Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/), [Romsdalseggen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/romsdalseggen/), [Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/), [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). Yet [more Norway](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway-revisited/). ### Reine URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reine/ Last updated: 2026-01-18T09:21:32.000Z Reine is one of the most popular villages in [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/) and the hike to the top of Reinebringen is one of the most popular hikes in Lofoten. Of course it is so for a reason. On a clear day the views from Reinebringen are amazing and Reine itself is a picturesque village. In 2016 construction began on a stone stairway to the top of Reinebringen to facilitate the increasing number of people making their way to the top as the old trail had been suffering from erosion. The stairway was finished in summer 2021\. Don't be mistaken: climbing a stairway is actually more strenuous than regular hiking. I saw many people suffer both on the way up and the way down. It is worth the effort though: the views are stunning. ![Reine, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/reine-1.jpg) Reine, Lofoten The scenery as you enter the village. Just so that you are aware, finding a parking spot can be a challenge in Reine. But it's a small village. So just park your car, pay the fee for a full day and walk around. ![Reine, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/reine-2.jpg) ![View from Reinebringen, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/reinebringen-1.jpg) On a clear day the views from the top of Reinebringen are absolutely stunning ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/reinebringen-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/reinebringen-3.jpg) Whichever way you look the views are amazing ![View from Reinebringen, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/reinebringen-4.jpg) View from Reinebringen, Lofoten. Once you've made it to the top of Reinebringen there are various spots where you can stand or sit on the edge for the perfect profile picture. ![View of Reine, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/reine-3.jpg) View of Reine, Lofoten ![Reine, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/reine-5.jpg) A holiday house in Reine ![A lake near Reine, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/reine-4.jpg) The view from the house ![Reine, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/reine-6.jpg) The small harbour near Reine is highly photogenic. Of course, I was extremely lucky with the weather. ![Reine, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/reine-7.jpg) Reine, Lofoten ![Reine, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/reine-8.jpg) Reine, Lofoten ![Fish skulls in Reine, Lofoten](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/07/fish-skulls-lofoten-1.jpg) The skulls of monkfish. Amazing to see they have multiple rows of teeth, even in their throat so that prey cannot escape. ### Related Posts **More Lofoten,** [**Vesterålen**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/) **and** [**Senja**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)**!** The awesome hike to the top of [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/) and [Matmora](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matmora/). The awesome scenery around the [Munkebu hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/), which shows Lofoten in all its glory. **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** Amazing [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), [Mount Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/), [Romsdalseggen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/romsdalseggen/), [Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/), [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). Yet [more Norway](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway-revisited/). ### Asian Medicine at the Musée Guimet URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/07/15/asian-medicine-at-the-musee-guimet/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T19:15:46.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/guimet-medecines-asie-1.jpg) The Musée Guimet in Paris has organized a fascinating exhibition exploring the three great traditions of Asian medicine: Indian, Chinese and Tibetan. The exhibition includes around 300 items from buddha sculptures and jars of medicinal plants to amulets, talismans and shamanic masks that are rarely displayed together. All three medical traditions share a fundamental emphasis on prioritizing the well-being of the patient over the mere treatment of an affliction. In contrast to Western medicine, which primarily focuses on eradicating diseases through targeted interventions, traditional Indian, Chinese and Tibetan medicines adopt a holistic approach that seeks to optimize overall health and vitality by addressing the individual's physical, mental, and spiritual needs. As the curators observe in the introduction: “In Asian medicine, the symptoms of a disease are regarded as the expression of an internal imbalance of energy flows. But in a world where medicine and religion are closely linked, the manifestations of a disease are also perceived as potentially resulting from external causes such as the action of a demon or the effects of a bad spell of which the patient may have been a victim.” The scenographic itinerary takes the visitor on a journey across civilizations and eras. The first section presents the fundamental aspects of the three traditions by way of a number of works which underscore the link between medicine and spirituality in Asian medicine. The exhibition continues with what looks like a cabinet of curiosities, with medicine boxes, acupuncture mannequins and medicinal herbs and an introduction to yoga, tai chi and qi gong, which seek to restore a person’s energy balance. The next section explores afflictions of the mind and soul. This section also deals with shamanism and exorcism and includes children’s clothes and other objects to fend off evil spirits. The final section explores the dialogue between East and West that began in the 16th century when European explorers first established outposts in Asia. The [Musée Guimet](https://www.guimet.fr/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is well worth a visit in itself and I highly recommend adding it to your itinerary if you’re traveling to Paris. **Médecines d’Asie, l’art de l’équilibre** is at the Musée Guimet until 18 septembre 2023. ### Links A selection of [photos](https://www.sortiraparis.com/album-photo/102225-medecines-d-asie-l-art-de-l-equilibre-l-exposition-bien-etre-etonnante-du-musee-guimet-photos?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) if you can’t make it to Paris. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/06/30/further-reading-92/ Last updated: 2023-08-06T13:28:32.000Z The surprising benefit of [meditative walks](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01894-1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “The goal is to take some time in which you’re physically occupied but not mentally engaged, such as walking, jogging or swimming, and focus your attention on a single problem.” The human brain’s characteristic wrinkles help to drive how it works. A model of [the brain’s geometry](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01774-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) better explains neuronal activity than a model based on the ‘connectome’. [This infinite tiling pattern](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01801-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) could end a 60-year mathematical quest. Lorraine Daston on [the history of rules](https://www.publicbooks.org/cooking-monasteries-arithmetic-lorraine-daston-on-the-history-of-rules/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Her latest book *Rules: A Short History of What We Live By* (Princeton University Press, 2022) is on my list. [Cormac McCarthy](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/14/books/review/cormac-mccarthy.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) has passed away. A [guide](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/13/books/cormac-mccarthy-best-books.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to Cormac McCarthy’s books. I already posted this once, but no harm posting it again Cormac McCarthy’s tips on [how to write a great science paper](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02918-5??ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Climate feedback loop interactions](https://www.cell.com/one-earth/pdf/S2590-3322%2823%2900004-0.pdf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) could accelerate global warming and not all of these feedback loops are fully accounted for in current climate models. [Body-based units of measure in cultural evolution](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adf1936?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). For as long as humans have produced things, there have been reasons to measure. Early measurements made use of what people had at hand—parts of their bodies—to create relatively standardized measurements. Kaaronen et al. looked at the development and use of body-based measurements across more than 180 cultures (see the Perspective by Chrisomalis) and found that such measures occur across cultures and commonly form the base of measurement systems. Wait, what? Rampant groundwater pumping has [changed the tilt of Earth’s axis](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01993-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Human depletion of underground reservoirs has shifted the global distribution of water so much that the North Pole has drifted by more than 4 centimetres per year. [The illusion of moral decline](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06137-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “In a series of studies using both archival and original data (n = 12,492,983), we show that people in at least 60 nations around the world believe that morality is declining, that they have believed this for at least 70 years and that they attribute this decline both to the decreasing morality of individuals as they age and to the decreasing morality of successive generations. Next, we show that people’s reports of the morality of their contemporaries have not declined over time, suggesting that the perception of moral decline is an illusion.” The [absurd logistics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY8AB1wYOtg&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of concert tours. ### Anna-Eva Bergman. Voyage vers l’intérieur URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/06/18/anna-eva-bergman-voyage-vers-l-interieur/ Last updated: 2023-12-26T19:42:53.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/anna-eva-bergman-paris-1.jpg) The excellent Anna-Eva Bergman retrospective at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris is a revelation. I instantly recognized a kindred spirit. Anna-Eva Bergman (1909-1987) created a highly singular pictorial language. Her paintings border between abstraction and figuration. Indeed, many of her paintings are both abstract and figurative. In some of her paintings you can recognize a mountain, a landscape, an open sky, the moon or a rock, but you can also just see some colored shapes. Although celebrated and exhibited around the world during her lifetime, Bergman's work fell into oblivion. The exhibition currently at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris is the first major survey of her work in recent years. After Paris it will travel on to the National Museum in Oslo. Anna-Eva Bergman’s work deserves to be better known. Her best work is on par with Mark Rothko and Pierre Soulages. Anna-Eva Bergman was born in Sweden but grew up in Norway. Her first drawings show that she was a skilled artist with a great sense of humor. From 1927 until 1928 she attended the Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts in Oslo. In 1928 she followed her mother to Vienna, where she completed her studies. From there she moved on to Paris, where she met Hans Hartung, a German painter. They married shortly afterwards and moved to Dresden. In 1933-34 they lived on the island of Menorca, in the Mediterranean, which Bergman experienced as paradise. In 1938 Bergman filed for divorce. After travelling to Paris and Italy she spent the years of the Second World War in Oslo, during which time she reconnected with her old artist friends and also contributed to anti-nazi publications. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/anna-eva-bergman-paris-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/anna-eva-bergman-paris-6.jpg) Anna-Eva Bergman, **Untitled* (1951) (left) and **Citadellet* (1950) (right) Anna-Eva Bergman spent the summers of 1949, 1950 and 1951 on the island of Citadelløya, in southern Norway. It was during these journeys that she became interested in stones, fault lines and the grooves in rocks and began to develop her own pictorial language. She also made her first painting using gold leaf. Later she would also start using silver leaf. In the late 1950s Bergman created a series of works on paper with a kind of alphabet of forms: stone, moon, mountain, valley, tree etc. In 1952 Anna-Eva Bergman renewed her contact with Hans Hartung and in 1957 they remarried. In 1964 Bergman and Hartung travelled along the northern coast of Norway all the way to the North Cape. During the journey they made hundreds of photos. The trip would continue to serve as inspiration for Bergman for years to come. In 1973 Bergman and Hartung settled in Antibes, in a villa they had built in a one-hundred year old olive grove. In the following years Bergman’s work evolved towards simple and monumental forms, primarily in blue, white and black, alternating between very small and very large formats. Even though she now lived in the south of France, in her work she would continually return to the landscapes of Norway. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/anna-eva-bergman-paris-3.jpg) Anna-Eva Bergman, **Fjord* (1967) Norway is one of my favorite hiking destinations. Indeed, it is one of my favorite countries. There’s something about the landscape that I love. I instantly recognized the fjords and the typical Norwegian mountains in some of Bergman’s paintings. And what looks like a white pentagon against a blue background squeezed between two black polygons can also be seen as a boulder wedged between two cliffs. I never believed let alone claimed that my close-ups of rocks, staircases and the brick walls of century old buildings are original. Yet I was intrigued to find that Anna-Eva Bergman made some of the exact same photographs in the 1960s and 1970s. Of course, whereas I just register what I see, by turning her photographs into drawings and paintings Anna-Eva Bergman transformed her photos into art. The Anna-Eva Bergman exhibition encouraged me to continue doing what I do and to try and take it further into different directions. **Anna-Eva Bergman. Voyage vers l’intérieur** is at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris until 16 July 2023\. It will be at the National Museum in Oslo from 16 November 2023 until 25 February 2024. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/anna-eva-bergman-paris-4.jpg) ### L'Argent dans l’Art URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/06/17/l-argent-dans-l-art/ Last updated: 2023-12-26T19:44:56.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/argent-dans-l-art-1.jpg) "L’Argent dans l’Art" (Money in Art) at La Monnaie de Paris is a fascinating exhibition that explores the relationship between art and money from antiquity to the present day. It is the kind of exhibition that can only be organized in Paris, with loans from the collections of the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Centre Pompidou and enhanced by loans from other French museums and private collections. The richly documented exhibition brings together more than 200 items, ranging from coins from the museum’s own collection to paintings, installations, photographs, sculptures and videos and including works by Edgar Degas, Auguste Renoir, Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Beuys, Marcel Broodthaers, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin. The exhibition raises important questions about the value of art and the art market, but it also aims to provide a broader understanding of the concept of money that goes beyond its function as a means of economic exchange. The exhibition is chronologically organized and divided into six sections: "Myths and origins of money"; "Morality and money professions" (money changers, tax collectors, loan sharks, etc.); "Artistic revolution and financial capitalism"; "What does the artist sell?"; "Capital: Je t’aime moi non plus" and "Art and money: between flow and data". The exhibition opens with a number of banknotes that artists have defaced by using it as a canvas, thereby increasing their value. The next room provides an excellent overview of the various themes that the exhibition explores, with an installation by Damien Hirst from his "Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable" (2017) series, a work by Anne and Patrick Poirier entitled "Fragility" (2001), which consists of shredded French franc notes from before the conversion to the euro, a paper shopping bag by Barbara Kruger with the text “I Shop Therefore I Am” and an installation by Hans Haacke, "The Business Behind Art Knows The Art Of The Koch Brothers" (2014). The chronological journey then begins with a number of representations of the myth of Danaë, from a large vase dating back to 430 BC to a 16th century painting and a 19th century sculpture. These works are juxtaposed with two contemporary works by Tracey Emin, one of which shows her hoarding coins and bills between her spread legs. The exhibition then moves on to the representation of money. The Bible, of course, contains many direct references to money, from the worship of the golden calf in the Old Testament to Jesus chasing the moneychangers and the merchants out of the temple. The morality implicit in many biblical tales lives on in the representation of greed, avarice, tax collectors and gold weighers in 16th and 17th century paintings. The 19th century marked a turning point in the representation of money with the emergence of financial capitalism, represented here in the form of a painting by Edgar Degas, himself the son of a banker, "[Portraits at the Stock Exchange](https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/portraits-at-the-stock-exchange/cgF6ONCZWgPvYg?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1878-79) and a painting by Albert Maignan, "Fortune passes" (1895), which shows an ephemeral image of Fortune on the steps of the stock exchange. The 19th century, of course, also saw a radical transformation of art itself, with the rise of modernism in its various forms. This went hand in hand with a transformation of the market for art. With the demise of the criteria of academic painting the value of art was now in the eye of the beholder and works of art became objects of speculation. The first half of the exhibition occupies the beautiful historical rooms on the building’s first floor, which also offer amazing views over the Seine (the Monnaie de Paris is situated on the Left Bank, between the Pont Neuf and the Pont des Arts). The second half of the exhibition, devoted to the 20th century, occupies the contemporary galleries on the building's ground floor. In the 20th century many artists felt inclined to position themselves in relation to the art market. Some artists, such as Salvador Dali, nicknamed Avida Dollars by fellow artist André Breton, and Andy Warhol and later Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst, embraced the art market, others, such as Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Beuys, Arman, Orlan and Ben were deeply critical of the role of money in art and capitalism in general. The exhibition provides a fascinating survey of both poles and the various positions in between by way of a large number of artworks. The exhibition ends appropriately with a room exploring the stock market, cryptocurrencies and NFT’s, including an animated video by Jon Rafman, "[Got Rekt!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP3okAdY7Ts&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (2022), in which a man gets caught in a cryptocurrency nightmare. The exhibition is accompanied by a beautiful catalogue, which can also be read and enjoyed in its own right (the main texts have been translated into English). When I later looked at the flyer that I’d been given at the ticket office I realized that I’d completely forgotten to visit the rest of the building, since admission is not only for the exhibition, but for the entire historical building. **L’Argent dans l’Art** is at La Monnaie de Paris until 24 September 2023. ### Links Years ago I won an award for a [project](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/the-fisher-account/) that was inspired by the hand signals of floor traders. The project also used various other imagery inspired by the world of finance. Unfortunately it was developed in Flash and I've had to take it down. ### Norman Foster at the Centre Pompidou URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/06/02/norman-foster-at-the-centre-pompidou/ Last updated: 2023-12-31T09:53:37.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/norman-foster-centre-pompidou-1.jpg) Norman Foster at the Centre Pompidou Norman Foster is one of today’s most prolific and most highly regarded architects. He has designed many notable projects such as Hong Kong International Airport, the restoration of the Reichstag in Berlin, the Millennium Bridge and 30 St Mary Axe (aka the Gherkin) in London, the Hearst Tower in New York and more recently the corporate headquarters of Apple. Norman Foster is one of the principle architects associated with what has become known as high-tech architecture. Its main characteristics are the incorporation of advanced construction techniques into the building design, which is clearly visible in Foster’s redevelopment of the Great Court of the British Museum, the use of open floor plans and flexible interiors, of which Foster’s HSBC Building in Hong Kong is a prime example, and the use of building materials typically associated with structural elements for the building’s exterior, such as aluminium and steel, which can be seen in many of Foster’s designs. The large-scale Norman Foster retrospective currently on show at the Centre Pompidou marks the first time that Gallery 1 on the top floor has been solely dedicated to an architect. The Centre Pompidou was, of course, designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, with whom Norman Foster set up a practice, together with Su Brumwell and Georgie and Wendy Cheesman, as Team 4 in 1963\. By 1967, Team 4 had split up and Foster and Wendy Cheesman, whom Foster had married in 1964, founded a new practice, Foster Associates, which would grow into what is currently known as Foster + Partners. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/norman-foster-centre-pompidou-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/norman-foster-centre-pompidou-9.jpg) The exhibition opens with a drawing gallery, the walls covered from floor to ceiling, well almost, with drawings that track Foster’s career from the 1960s to the present day. In 1975 Foster started the habit of carrying an A4 notebook for sketching and writing, a selection of which are displayed in the room’s central cabinets. Even though it’s a bit overwhelming, this is the type of presentation that I like: an overload of information. I could easily have spent an hour or longer in this room alone. The main space is divided into seven segments: ‘Nature and Urbanity’, ‘Skin and Bones’, ‘Vertical City’, ‘History and Tradition’, ‘Planning and Place’, ‘Networks and Mobilities’, and ‘Future perspectives’. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/norman-foster-centre-pompidou-10.jpg) Airports designed by Foster + Partners I knew that Foster + Partners is one of today's largest architecture practices, but even so I was surprised to learn that the firm currently employs 1,800 people. I was equally surprised to learn that Norman Foster himself still creates sketches for each major commission, which a team of senior and junior associates then elaborates. The exhibition showcases more than 120 projects from Foster’s six-decade-long career. There are many large and highly detailed models, which must have taken a huge amount of work to build. Some even include model desks, chairs and little puppets. Surprisingly there are only few photos of the finished projects. I found it fascinating to see the various shapes Foster considered for the dome of the Reichstag. If you’re ever in Berlin I highly recommend visiting the Reichstag, the staircase is pretty awesome. So is the staircase of London City Hall by the way, another building designed by Foster + Partners. Judging by the model the central staircase inside Bloomberg’s European headquarters in London is also pretty cool. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/norman-foster-centre-pompidou-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/norman-foster-centre-pompidou-7.jpg) Models and drawings of the Reichstag by Norman Foster The exhibition also includes some artworks by Brancusi, Sol LeWitt and Ai Weiwei, a dome by Buckminster Fuller, a model plane and some automobiles that Foster considers among his influences. But they appear as an afterthought in the densely packed exhibition space. When checking my photos I noticed that I had completely missed a painting (?) that is exhibited on the floor. Architects are almost by definition optimistic about the future. After all, they design the future. That’s why I always enjoy listening to architects such as Bjarke Ingels, because they brim with energy and enthusiasm. Norman Foster is no exception. Both his firm and the Norman Foster Foundation are very much involved with themes of sustainability, the quest for a better quality of life and reinventing the workplace. The exhibition ends on a futuristic note with a room that showcases Foster’s collaboration with NASA and the European Space Agency exploring Lunar and Martian habitations. I still find the work of OMA / Rem Koolhaas and BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group more interesting, but I left the exhibition invigorated and with a renewed appreciation of Norman Foster. **Norman Foster** is at the Centre Pompidou, Paris until 7 August 2023. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/norman-foster-centre-pompidou-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/norman-foster-centre-pompidou-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/norman-foster-centre-pompidou-13.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/norman-foster-centre-pompidou-2.jpg) I loved seeing these models against the skyline of Paris at dusk ### Manet/Degas at the Musée d’Orsay URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/29/manet-degas-at-the-musee-dorsay/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T19:14:45.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/manet-degas-1.jpeg) Legend has it that Edgar Degas (1834-1917) and Édouard Manet (1832-1883) first met at the Louvre where both often went to study and copy the Old Masters when they were in their early twenties. Manet allegedly made a depreciating comment about Degas’s drawing skills. Even so they struck up a friendship, which lasted until Manet’s death in 1883. The exhibition [Manet/Degas](http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/whats-on/exhibitions/presentation/manet-degas?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) at the Musée d’Orsay explores the relationship between the two painters, who were instrumental in shaping modern painting in France. They were friends and rivals and their relationship was not without obstacles. Manet kept his distance from the Impressionists, but Degas embraced the movement, even though he rejected the term and was careful not to paint like Monet. And whereas Degas made dozens of portraits of Manet, as far as is currently known, Manet didn’t make a single portrait of Degas. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/manet-degas-musee-orsay-4.jpg) One of Degas’s portraits shows Manet leaning against the back of a sofa with his wife sitting behind a piano. Degas gave the double portrait to Manet, who was very dissatisfied with the work, so much so that at some point he took a knife and cut off the part of the canvas showing the “excessively ugly” image of his wife. Degas was deeply offended when he next visited Manet and discovered what Manet had done. He took the painting back and returned a still life that Manet had given him. Manet, meanwhile, also painted his wife sitting behind a piano, the way he saw her or wanted her to be seen. Years later Degas added a strip of canvas to his painting, intending to finish it and to give it to Mrs Manet, but he never came around to doing so. The episode says a lot about both men: the vanity of the one and the loyalty and generosity of the other. The exhibition Manet/Degas is jointly organized by the Musée d’Orsay and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the curators were able to secure loans from a number of other institutions. It is therefore an excellent opportunity to see some wonderful paintings that are rarely shown together. Of course, Manet’s "Olympia" (1863) and his "Le Balcon" (1868-69) would be a highlight of any exhibition. The curators did not move "Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe" (1863), which can be seen in the Musée d’Orsay’s permanent collection, just as a number of Degas’s famous paintings and pastels of ballet dancers. As always I enjoyed discovering paintings that I hadn’t seen before or that I may have seen but had completely forgotten about, such as Manet’s portrait of Émile Zola, in which he included an engraving of *Olympia*, of which Zola had written that it was a masterpiece worthy of the Louvre. Manet offered the painting to Zola in recognition of his public support. The painting is shown next to a painting by Edgar Degas of James Tissot in his studio, which has a similar composition. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/manet-degas-musee-orsay-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/manet-degas-musee-orsay-2.jpg) Edgar Degas, **La Femme aux chrysanthèmes* (1865) (left) Edouard Manet, **Jeanne Duval* (1862) (right) "La Femme aux chrysanthèmes" (1865) by Degas is a pretty stunning painting showing a large, colourful bouquet of flowers set on a table which occupies much of the surface of the canvas. Sitting next to the table is a woman, who is only half visible and whose gaze is directed to the side of the viewer. Equally fascinating is a portrait of "Jeanne Duval, aka Baudelaire's Mistress" (1862) by Manet, which shows a woman in a white dress reclining on a sofa. The dress is huge and it too covers a large portion of the canvas. What I find interesting about both paintings is that they border on abstraction. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/manet-degas-musee-orsay-1.jpg) The exhibition is divided into several thematic sections, which show how Manet and Degas approached the same subject, whether a millinery shop, a beach scene, a family portrait or a woman bathing. It is interesting to observe the parallels and the contrasts in their approach. For example, both painted a portrait of a woman sitting behind a table in a cafe, for which they both chose the same model, the actress Ellen Andrée. In the painting by Degas the woman appears zoned out as she sits slumped in her chair, her shoulders drooping. In the painting by Manet the woman looks dreamy, absorbed in thoughts. In the painting by Degas it is almost as if the viewer is seated behind the table in the bottom left corner of the canvas. The painting by Manet, by contrast, looks like a classic portrait. The exhibition ends with Manet’s "The Execution of Maximilian" (1867-1868), which was inspired by Goya’s "The Third of May 1808". After Manet’s death in 1883 his heirs cut the painting into pieces (it runs in the family), because they were afraid that it might tarnish his reputation. Somehow Degas was able to collect most of the remaining pieces, which he put together again. In the following years Degas went on to acquire a large number of works by Manet, which he kept until his own death in 1917, in a final tribute to their friendship. **Manet/Degas** is at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris until 23 July 2023\. From 24 September until 7 January 2024 it will be on show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. ### Sarah Bernhardt. Et la femme créa la star URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/28/sarah-bernhardt-et-la-femme-crea-la-star/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T19:13:03.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/sarah-bernhardt-petit-palais-5.jpg) Georges Clairin, **Sarah Bernhardt* (c. 1876-80) On the occasion of the centenary of her death the Petit Palais in Paris pays homage to Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) with an exceptional exhibition, bringing together more than 400 items, including paintings, stage costumes, posters, photographs, film excerpts and personal belongings. The exhibition was jam-packed when I was there. Indeed, I was lucky to get a ticket, because I hadn’t thought it necessary to book in advance. It may seem a bit odd that a stage actress who lived more than a century ago and died before the golden age of cinema still captures the imagination. But Sarah Bernhardt was no ordinary actress, she was larger-than-life. Before Marilyn Monroe, Madonna and Kim Kardashian there was Sarah Bernhardt. Sarah Bernhardt was the first superstar and an influencer avant la lettre, adored by her fans, stalked by journalists who reported on her every move and always surrounded by an entourage of other celebrities. She made a fortune, went bankrupt and then made an even bigger fortune. Of course, it helps that she was a muse for Georges Clairin, Nadar, Louise Abbéma and Alphonse Mucha, who created numerous posters of her that have become synonymous with Art Nouveau. Bernhardt is also said to have inspired Marcel Proust, Jean Cocteau and countless other artists of her time. Oscar Wilde wrote a play in French, *Salomé*, especially for her. It is thus that her legend lives on. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/sarah-bernhardt-petit-palais-3.jpg) Sarah Bernhardt was born in Paris in 1844\. Her mother was a courtesan of Dutch descent, whose patrons included Charles de Morny, Duke of Morny and President of the French legislature. With the sponsorship of Morny Bernhardt was able to attend the Paris Conservatory, where she studied acting from 1860 until 1862\. In 1862, at the age of 18, Bernhardt joined France’s most prestigious theatre company, the Comédie Française in Paris, but she was forced to leave within a year after she refused to apologize to a leading actress. It wouldn’t be the last time that her strong-willed personality would lead to conflict. In 1866, after having lived in Brussels and given birth to her only child. she was engaged at the Théatre de L’Odéon, which had a less traditional repertoire than the Comédie Française. Her breakthrough came in 1868 with her performance of the troubadour Zanetto in a play by François Coppée. Numerous celebrities would pay her a visit in her dressing room, including Gustave Flaubert and George Sand, with whom she became friends. The play was also performed at the court of Napoleon III who sent her a brooch adorned with diamonds afterwards. The brooch would be lost in a fire that destroyed her Paris apartment, one of multiple personal tragedies in Bernhardt’s tumultuous life. In 1915 her right leg was amputated after she developed gangrene. Shortly after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71 Bernhardt returned to the Comédie Française, where she would go on to play some of the leading roles in French theatre. In 1873 she played the lead in Racine's *Phèdre*, which she would continue to perform for years to come as she toured around the world. In 1879 she performed for the first time in London, during a tour with the Comédie Française. Upon returning to Paris she left the Comédie Française after running into conflict with the company's director and assembled her own theatre troupe. In 1880 Bernhardt toured the U.S. for the first time performing in 51 cities. She enjoyed huge critical and popular acclaim for her role as Marguerite Gautier in *La Dame aux Camélias* by Alexandre Dumas *fils*, a role she would continue to play twenty more times between 1884 and 1914\. The tour earned her a minor fortune. She went on to create many more roles, as Théodora, Tosca, Gismonda, Cleopatra and Joan of Arc, and would return to the U.S. several more times. She also toured around Europe, Africa, Australia and South-America establishing herself as the first global celebrity. In France she earned the nickname “La Divine”. Bored by being typecast in tragic female roles and eager to take on more demanding roles she also played various male roles, including Hamlet. But her greatest role was herself. Bernhardt crafted her off-stage persona with as much care as her stage roles. In 1880 she had a photograph of herself taken while sleeping in a coffin, which added to her reputation for eccentricity. Throughout her life Bernhardt was the subject of many caricatures, some of which are included in the exhibition, but she also lent her image to advertising campaigns and sold branded merchandise. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/sarah-bernhardt-petit-palais-2.jpg) Sarah Bernhardt was known for her over-the-top death scenes and lavish lifestyle. She employed a large entourage of assistants and accumulated an extravagant collection of artworks and furniture. She also surrounded herself with a large number of pets. Whenever she ran into debt she would sell some of her jewelry and sign up for another lucrative tour abroad. Sarah Bernhardt was more than a famous actress. She was also a businesswoman, a theatre director, a painter and a sculptor, but misogynic reviews prompted her to keep her work to herself after which they fell into oblivion. It’s a real shame, because especially as a sculptor she definitely had talent. Bernhardt also wrote several books, about her life and the art of theatre. The exhibition doubles as a survey of the fin de siècle and is not to be missed if you are in Paris this summer. **Sarah Bernhardt. Et la femme créa la star** (And the Woman Created the Star) is at the Petit Palais in Paris until 27 August 2023. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/sarah-bernhardt-petit-palais-4.jpg) ### Basquiat x Warhol à quatre mains URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/27/basquiat-x-warhol-a-quatre-mains/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T19:12:30.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/basquiat-warhol-4.jpg) In October 1982, the art dealer Bruno Bischofberger organized a meeting between Andy Warhol, at the time a declining figure in the art world, and the 21-year old Jean-Michel Basquiat, then a rising star in the New York art scene. Bischofberger formally introduced Basquiat to Warhol at the Factory where Warhol took a couple of Polaroids of Basquiat, who then asked if he could hand the camera over to Bischofberger to take a double portrait of the two of them. Basquiat famously seized one of the instant photographs, rushed back to his studio and less than two hours later had an assistant deliver a painting at the restaurant where Warhol and Bischofberger were having lunch, the double portrait "Dos Cabezas"(1982), which shows the two artists as equals. As Bischofberger recalls, Warhol was excited. “I’m so jealous! He’s faster than me”, he exclaimed. It marked the beginning of a friendship. Warhol liked Basquiat because of his youth, enthusiasm, energy and spontaneity. Basquiat for his part was enthralled by Warhol’s fame and by his eclectic style, which matched his own. In 1984 Bischofberger suggested that they create some paintings together. Initially he proposed a third collaborator, Francesco Clemente, but after creating a couple of paintings, Basquiat and Warhol continued working together. What strikes most about their collaboration is the sheer size of the paintings: they are the largest either artist ever created. Warhol would typically put down a background consisting of his signature pop art symbols of corporate logos and advertising slogans, to which Basquiat would add his own imagery. The resulting paintings are colourful and vibrant. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/06/basquiat-warhol-3.jpg) Jean-Michel Basquiat & Andy Warhol, **Untitled* (1984) (Detail) Over a period of one year Basquiat and Warhol thus produced around 160 paintings, a small selection of which was shown at the Tony Shafrazi gallery in New York in 1985\. The show was run into the ground by critics and two months after the show none of the paintings had sold. A critic for *The New York Times* called Basquiat Warhol’s “mascot”. Basquiat was deeply hurt and instantly ended their collaboration. Critics may have missed the social commentary implicit in Basquiat’s contribution. Indeed, at their best the paintings are emblematic of the cultural and sociopolitical clashes of the late 1980s, which still resonate today. Now for the first time the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris brings together a large selection of the paintings that Basquiat and Warhol created together. The exhibition also includes archive footage, which shows a frail and wary Warhol and Basquiat sparkling with energy, as well as works by Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer and other artists, which bring to life the vibe of Downtown New York in the 1980s. The works that they made together are not among the best that either Warhol or Basquiat created. At least, I favour Warhol’s work from the 1960s and Basquiat’s intricate paintings mixing his signature mask-like faces, skeletal figures and (strikethrough) words. And yet, the exhibition as a whole brims with energy. Here are two artists who enter into a conversation in art, responding to each other, having fun together and learning from each other. Basquiat was devastated when Warhol suddenly died in February 1987\. The final room of the exhibition shows, "Gravestone" (1987), the triptych he made following the death of his old friend. Also shown is "Physiological Diagram" (1985), an unfinished canvas that Warhol had kept in reserve in case they would resume their collaboration. Less than a year later, in August 1988, Basquiat himself died of a drug overdose. **Basquiat x Warhol à quatre mains** is at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris until 28 August 2023. ### 1997 Fashion Big Bang URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/1997-fashion-big-bang/ Last updated: 2024-02-03T19:10:54.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/05/fashion-big-bang-2.jpg) Looking back 1997 was a seminal year in fashion history. It was the year that Thierry Mugler created his legendary “insect” collection. It was the year that John Galliano presented his first collection at the helm of Dior and that Alexander McQueen, taking over from John Galliano, created his first collection for Givenchy. It was also the year that Jean Paul Gaultier launched his first haute couture collection, that Nicolas Ghesquière made his debut at Balenciaga, that Marc Jacobs was appointed at Louis Vuitton and Stella McCartney at Chloé, that Alber Elbaz started at Guy Laroche, and that Hedi Slimane was named creative director of Yves Saint Laurent’s menswear. The exhibition 1997 Fashion Big Bang at the Palais Galliera in Paris is a rare opportunity to see many of the garments that would make fashion history up close. It includes designs by all of the above designers and many more, some of which have been recreated for the exhibition. Also on show is the kimono-inspired dress that Alexander McQueen designed for Björk for the cover of her album *Homogenic* and a selection of the costumes that Jean Paul Gaultier designed for *The Fifth Element*, starring Milla Jovovich and Bruce Willis. The exhibition is laid out chronologically, starting with the spring/summer ready-to-wear collections in October 1996 and ending with the spring/summer ready-to-wear collections in October 1998\. The exhibition derives its title from an article in French Vogue of March 1997, which referred to the haute couture shows of January that year as “Le Big Bang” for breathing new life into haute couture. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/05/fashion-big-bang-1.jpg) In October 1996, Rei Kawakubo presented her groundbreaking “Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body” spring 1997 womenswear collection, which questioned the shape of the body and the idea of beauty, and which Merce Cunningham would use as costumes for *Scenario* a year later, in October 1997\. That same season Tom Ford had a female and a male model strut down the catwalk in a string with a Gucci logo at the back, which in a different way also "addressed" the body. 1997 was also the year that Gianni Versace was murdered in Miami only days after what would be his last fashion show. His funeral liturgy, held at Milan Cathedral, was attended by over 2,000 people, including Diana, Princess of Wales, who would die in a car crash in Paris less than a month later. 1997 was also the year that 20-year old fashion photographer Davide Sorrenti died from a heroin overdose, which led then U.S. President Bill Clinton to denounce “heroin chic” in a televised address. 1997 was also the year that Steve Jobs returned to Apple and that Netflix was founded. It was the year the Guggenheim Bilbao opened and the first Harry Potter novel was published. It was the year that the sovereignty of Hong Kong was returned to the People’s Republic of China. In the UK the Labour Party returned to government for the first time in 18 years with Tony Blair as the new Prime Minister. 1997 was also the first year a computer beat a World chess champion, as IBM’s Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov. 1997 Fashion Big Bang is a must-see exhibition, if only because it is unlikely that you will ever get another chance to see such a wonderful eclectic collection of fashion designs again. **1997 Fashion Big Bang** is at the Palais Galliera, Paris until 16 July 2023. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/05/1997-fashion-big-bang-poster.jpeg) ### Matisse at the Musée de l’Orangerie URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/matisse-at-the-musee-de-l-orangerie/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T19:11:28.000Z Towards the end of the 1920s Henri Matisse (1869-1954) found himself at a dead-end. Sure enough his paintings of reclining nudes were still selling, but as he confessed in a letter to his daughter Marguerite, whereas he could still make drawings and sculptures, when confronted with an empty canvas he had no idea. At the beginning of 1930, Matisse did what, today, many people who find themselves in a similar situation do: he went on a trip of a lifetime. He travelled for over six months, crossing the Atlantic and then the United States, from New York to San Francisco via Chicago and Los Angeles. While in New York he was tempted to stay, wondering why many people had warned him that he would not like it. But he had planned to travel on, so he continued his journey, spending three months in Tahiti before returning to France via Martinique and Guadeloupe. The trip had a transformative effect on Matisse, from the vast horizons and blue skies to the skyscrapers of New York. Perhaps surprisingly he hardly made any paintings or drawings during the entire six month journey. He did take about fifty photos and wrote about his impressions in his letters. Shortly after returning to France he travelled back to the U.S. to create what would become one of his most celebrated paintings, "The Dance", a vast mural for the Barnes Foundation in Merion, near Philadelphia. The commission reignited Matisse’s inquiry into the relationship between line and colour and bodies in space and set him on a new path of artistic discovery. While preparing for "The Dance" at his studio in Nice at some point Matisse famously realized that he had been given the wrong dimensions, forcing him to start all over. Consequently there are now two versions of "The Dance", one at the Barnes Foundation and one at the Musée de l’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. At the time Matisse’s artistic output was closely followed by Cahiers d’Art, an art journal launched in 1926 by Christian Zervos, a Greek-French art critic, editor and collector, who regarded Picasso and Matisse as the pinnacle of modern art. In collaboration with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Musée Matisse in Nice, the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris has organized an exhibition, which focuses on this pivotal period in Matisse’s career. The exhibition includes more than 100 paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, photographs, videos and other artifacts. The exhibition also includes the snapshots that Matisse took at each consecutive stage as he worked on "Grand nu couché (Nu rose)" (1935) and "La Dame en bleu et mimosas" (1937). As always I particularly enjoyed seeing these documents of a work in progress, because they offer a glimpse of the creative process. They show how Matisse started with a realist portrait of his muse and studio manager Lydia Delectorskaya, and went on to simplify forms and flattening the pictorial space. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/05/matisse-grand-nu-in-progress-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/05/matisse-grand-nu-in-progress-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/05/matisse-grand-nu-in-progress-3.jpg) Henri Matisse, Grand nu couché in progress ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/05/matisse-grand-nu-1.jpg) Henri Matisse, Grand nu couché (1935) The exhibition is also a chance to see a number of works that had been acquired or commissioned by U.S. collectors, including the above mentioned "La Dame en bleu et mimosas", part of the Barnes collection and "Grand nu couché", which had been purchased by Etta and Claribel Cone and is now in the Baltimore Museum of Art and "Le Chant" (1938), part of the Lewis Collection. **Matisse. Cahiers d’Art. Le tournant des années 1930** is at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris until 29 May 2023 and at the Musée Matisse in Nice from 23 June until 24 September 2023. ### Thomas Demand at the Jeu de Paume URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/thomas-demand-at-the-jeu-de-paume/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T19:09:59.000Z Since the 1990s the German artist [Thomas Demand](https://thomasdemand.net/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) has made a name for himself with his monumental photographs of ultra realist three-dimensional models made entirely of paper and cardboard, which he destroys after taking a photograph. Years ago, when I first encountered his work at an art gallery, it wasn’t until a gallery assistant alerted me to the fact that the photos are of cardboard models, that I looked more closely and noticed the absence of surface textures, the creases in the paper and the remnants of adhesive tape. Many of the models are reconstructions based on media photographs: the bathtub in which a German politician was found dead, the hotel room in which Edward Snowden stayed, a ransacked office of the East German secret police and the courtyard of the building in which the Boston Marathon bomber lived. As Thomas Demand has said of his work: “I guess the core of it is making the world into a model by redoing it and stripping off the anecdotal part, that’s when it becomes an allegory, and the project becomes a metaphor.” The Jeu de Paume in Paris has organized a large-scale retrospective of Demand’s work to date, subtitled "Le bégaiement de l’histoire" (The stutter of history). The exhibition design is an integral part of the exhibition and while not made out of cardboard it feels like a life-size model. Some of the walls of the ground floor are covered with wallpaper representing a locker room. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/05/demand-jeu-de-paume-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/05/demand-jeu-de-paume-2.jpg) Thomas Demand, **Kontrollraum/Control Room* (2011) (left) and **Ruine/Ruin* (2017) (right) I was once again intrigued by the amount of work that must have gone into making the incredibly detailed models. "Kontrollraum/Control Room" (2011) looks like a generic industrial control room, complete with computer screens, control levers and what appear to be operating manuals. If you look closely you notice that something is amiss. The plastic tiles of the ceiling have come loose and hang above the desks. In fact the set recreates the control room of the abandoned nuclear power plant in Fukushima in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. "Ruine/Ruin" (2017) shows a room reduced to rubble. It is the kind of generic image with which we have become all too familiar. It could have been an earthquake, a hurricane or a missile strike. Demand’s models and photographs are devoid of human presence, but when you look at this image you realize the human tragedy that it represents. It is interesting to see the different directions Demand has taken, while staying true to his core practice of photographing cardboard models. Around 2008 Demand shifted his focus from historical images to everyday images for which he used snapshots taken with his phone. In his most recent work Demand has turned to the practice of model making itself, recreating the models of architecture firm SANAA and the paper patterns of fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa. The work of Thomas Demand is a fascinating play with reality and representation. It was a joy to see a survey of his work to date. **Thomas Demand.** [**Le bégaiement de l’histoire**](https://www.estherschipper.com/exhibitions/1160-the-stutter-of-history-thomas-demand/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is at the Jeu de Paume, Paris until 28 May 2023. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/25/further-reading-91/ Last updated: 2025-11-09T11:04:15.000Z [How the tongue shaped life on earth](https://www.science.org/content/article/how-tongue-shaped-life-on-earth?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Since first evolving 350 million years ago, the tongue has taken myriad forms, unlocking new niches and boosting the diversity of life. Gravitational-wave detector [LIGO is back](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01732-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and can now spot more colliding black holes than ever. A [guide to thesis writing](https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/a-guide-to-thesis-writing-that-is-a-guide-to-life?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that is a guide to life. What Rosalind Franklin [truly contributed](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01313-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to the discovery of DNA’s structure. Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player. Science in the making. [Digital archive](https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of The Royal Society. Sounds of science: [how music at work can fine-tune your research](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00984-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Researchers describe how listening to music at work can boost (or hamper) productivity, and share the tunes that keep them focused. The planet is on track to reach the 1.5 ºC average by the 2030s although [a new report](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01702-w?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) suggests a single year will probably cross the line much sooner. [Radiocarbon timestamps left in ancient tree rings](https://www.science.org/content/article/marking-time-cosmic-ray-storms-can-pin-precise-dates-history-ancient-egypt-vikings?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by cosmic ray bombardments can date historical events with unprecedented precision. Cal Newport on [large language models](https://www.newyorker.com/science/annals-of-artificial-intelligence/what-kind-of-mind-does-chatgpt-have?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A [new approach to computation](https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-approach-to-computation-reimagines-artificial-intelligence-20230413/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) reimagines artificial intelligence. [Chronic stress can inflame the gut](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01700-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Three ways to solve the plastics pollution crisis](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00975-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Researchers are studying how more-sophisticated policies, smarter recycling and new materials could stem the tide of waste. I’m considering buying the new Taschen catalogue of the complete etchings by [Piranesi](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/05/11/the-perpetual-provocateur-giovanni-battista-piranesi/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) except that it’s quite big and heavy. [Review](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/05/11/the-chilliest-mystique-signals-how-video-transformed-the-world/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of two exhibitions about art in the computer age respectively video art. [Review](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/06/08/the-real-world-is-not-here-george-balanchine-joan-acocella/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century* by Jennifer Homans. [People, not search-engine algorithms](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01634-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), choose unreliable or partisan news. [Special issue](https://www.science.org/toc/science/380/6644?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of Science highlights recent advances in our understanding of autoimmune diseases. ### Rembrandt and his Contemporaries. History Paintings from The Leiden Collection URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/04/07/rembrandt-and-his-contemporaries-history-paintings-from-the-leiden-collection/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T19:08:53.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/04/Workshop_of_Rembrandt-An_Artist_in_His_Studio.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/04/Godfried_Schalcken-The_Lovers.jpg) Gerrit Dou, **Self-Portrait (?) at an Easel* (1628-29) (left) and Godefridus Schalcken, **Lovers (Prodigal Son)* (1692-1706) (right) Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 the Hermitage Amsterdam [severed ties](https://hyperallergic.com/728490/how-the-hermitage-amsterdam-finally-broke-free-from-mother-russia/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with the State Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg. It should be noted that unlike the Guggenheim Bilbao and the Louvre Abu Dhabi the Hermitage Amsterdam was always an independent organization, it was never a subsidiary of the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg. It did have a partnership with the State Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg and over the years I’ve seen several exhibitions at the Hermitage Amsterdam with works from its namesake in St Petersburg. The [Hermitage Amsterdam](https://hermitage.nl/en/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) has since reinvented itself as an international exhibition venue. The first exhibition was a collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery in London. In the future the Hermitage Amsterdam plans to organize more international collaborations of this kind. Until the end of August it is home to a selection of history paintings from the Leiden Collection. The [Leiden Collection](https://www.theleidencollection.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is one of the largest and most important private collections of seventeenth-century Dutch art. It was assembled by the American philanthropist Thomas Kaplan and his wife, Daphne Recanati Kaplan, and currently consists of some 250 paintings and drawings by Rembrandt and several generations of his pupils. In 2017 I visited a touring exhibition of [Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/05/masterpieces-of-the-leiden-collection/) at the Louvre. The [exhibition](https://www.theleidencollection.com/exhibition/hermitage-amsterdam/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) now at the Hermitage Amsterdam comprises a mostly different selection of works and focuses on history paintings. It includes works by Rembrandt, with his wonderful "[Minerva in her Study](https://www.theleidencollection.com/artwork/minerva-in-her-study/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1635) taking centre stage, as well as his teacher Pieter Lastman; his pupils Ferdinand Bol, Carel Fabritius and Arent de Gelder and contemporaries such as Caspar Netscher, Frans van Mieris and Jan Steen. At the beginning of the 17th century history paintings, depicting scenes and subjects from the Bible, Greek and Roman mythology or classical history, was the most prestigious artistic genre. The Dutch painters of the 17th century sought to render history in a highly naturalistic way, which allowed viewers to relate to the stories and the figures represented in the paintings. History paintings were also an opportunity for painters to show their craftsmanship, at least, I don’t know how else to interpret the exotic fabrics in Caspar Netscher’s "Fortune Teller*"* (1666-70). Even though the exhibition only includes 35 paintings there is much to enjoy. Many of the paintings were unfamiliar to me and some others I only knew as reproductions. I arrived shortly after the museum opened and for about an hour or so I had the exhibition almost to myself. I liked the "Self-Portrait (?) at an Easel" (1628-29) attributed to Gerrit Dou. The horizontal shape and size of the canvas indicate that the artist is composing a history scene. The artist has brought some props to the studio, including a large book, a helmet and some textiles. Interestingly the painter looks straight at us, the viewer. I also liked "Lovers (Prodigal Son)" (1692-1706) by Godefridus Schalcken with its wonderful play of light. I particularly enjoyed [reading more](https://www.theleidencollection.com/artwork/the-lovers-the-prodigal-son/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about the meaning of the painting. For example, the light of the burning candle accentuates the intimacy of the scene and suggests that the encounter could not take place by the light of day. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/04/rembrandt-bust-bearded-old-man-tarvel-box-1.jpg) Rembrandt, Bust of a Bearded Old Man inside its travel box The exhibition also includes the extraordinary "[Bust of a Bearded Old Man](https://www.theleidencollection.com/artwork/bust-of-a-bearded-old-man/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1633), Rembrandt’s smallest known painting. It is fascinating to see how Rembrandt managed to give the old man a distinct character and expression, despite the painting's small size. The painting is encased in a travel box, which one of its former owners Andrew W. Mellon, who acquired the painting in 1928, had made, so he could take it with him and display it on his desk. A short video shows Thomas Kaplan taking the painting out of its encasing and its frame and holding it in his hands, which I found kind of amusing, because it is one of the most expensive paintings per square inch. **Rembrandt and his Contemporaries.** [**History Paintings from The Leiden Collection**](https://www.theleidencollection.com/exhibition/hermitage-amsterdam/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is at the [Hermitage Amsterdam](https://hermitage.nl/en/exhibitions/rembrandt-his-contemporaries/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) until 27 August 2023. ### Links My review of [Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/05/masterpieces-of-the-leiden-collection/) at the Louvre. My review of [Dutch Masters from the Hermitage](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/11/12/dutch-masters-from-the-hermitage/). My review of [Matisse to Malevich. Pioneers of Modern Art from the Hermitage]( /blog/2010/06/11/matisse-to-malevich-pioneers-of-modern-art-from-the-hermitage/). ### Jenny Holzer at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/04/01/jenny-holzer-at-the-kunstsammlung-nordrhein-westfalen/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T18:58:15.000Z Even if you’ve never heard of the American artist Jenny Holzer you may have seen some of her work. Her "Truisms" (1977-) have become part of the public domain and have been printed on t-shirts and displayed on billboards in New York’s Times Square. Holzer began creating these works in 1977\. She wrote a number of one-liners, partly in jest, such as “ABUSE OF POWER COMES AS NO SURPRISE”, “FREEDOM IS A LUXURY NOT A NECESSITY”, "THINKING TOO MUCH CAN ONLY CAUSE PROBLEMS" and “BAD INTENTIONS CAN YIELD GOOD RESULTS”, which she had printed and then pasted up as posters around New York. As her work gained popularity she began to display her Truisms in museums and galleries and in public spaces using a variety of media, from LED tickers to light projections. She also produced a series of stone benches with carved inscriptions. Holzer followed the "Truisms" with a series titled "Inflammatory Essays" (1979-82), made up of short, one-hundred word texts based on political and other manifestos. She printed the essays in the form of posters and pasted them anonymously around New York. Both the "Truisms" and the "Inflammatory Essays" cover the walls from floor to ceiling of the basement of the K21 building of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen. As much as I admire the work of Jenny Holzer, that after all is why I travelled to Düsseldorf to see the exhibition, as wallpaper her work falls flat. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/04/holzer-k21-2.jpg) Jenny Holzer’s work shines in public spaces on billboards, LED signs, light projections and so on. During the exhibition, Holzer’s texts can also be seen on advertising and information signs throughout Düsseldorf. I primarily know Jenny Holzer because of her ongoing "Truism" series. In 2005 Holzer started making oil paintings of declassified US government documents from the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Conceptually they draw on the same idea as the stone benches of capturing for eternity what would otherwise disappear into oblivion. These works are powerful and harrowing, if you take the time to read the texts and let it sink in. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/04/holzer-k21-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/04/holzer-k21-4.jpg) On the occasion of the exhibition Jenny Holzer has also created a new work in response to the war in Ukraine, featuring excerpts from UN reports on war crimes and human rights abuses paired with texts by Ukrainian artists and writers. The exhibition is billed as a major retrospective, but I was a bit underwhelmed. In my view the exhibition would have been more interesting if it had included documentation material of Holzer's work in public spaces, which is now only included in the [publicity material](https://www.kunstsammlung.de/en/holzer/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) for the exhibition, instead of the "wallpaper". In the museum shop you can buy a postcard size wooden plate with one of Holzer's most famous truisms “PROTECT ME FROM WHAT I WANT” for EUR 25\. The irony. **Jenny Holzer** is at the [Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen K21](https://www.kunstsammlung.de/de/exhibitions/jenny-holzer?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in Düsseldorf until 6 August 2023. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/03/25/further-reading-90/ Last updated: 2023-05-14T09:46:32.000Z Slavoj Žižek on [thinking the end of nature](https://youtu.be/lBu2Ou29xc8?t=191&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Saving a Life](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n04/patricia-lockwood/diary?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Patricia Lockwood. Daido Moriyama [photographs](https://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/14716/daido-moriyama-photographs-y-3s-new-collection-on-the-streets-of-tokyo?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Y-3’s Spring 2023 collection on the streets of Tokyo. Why artificial intelligence needs to understand [consequences](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00577-1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Luis Caffarelli has won [the 2023 Abel Prize](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00833-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). An [aperiodic monotile](https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/~csk/hat/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? [More](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/mathematicians-discovered-einstein-tile?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on the 13-sided shape that forms a pattern that never repeats. Lek-Heng Lim uses tools from algebra, geometry and topology to [answer questions](https://www.quantamagazine.org/an-applied-mathematician-strengthens-ai-with-pure-math-20230301/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in machine learning. In AI, [is bigger always better](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00641-w?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? The [unpredictable abilities](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-unpredictable-abilities-emerging-from-large-ai-models-20230316/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) emerging from large AI models. [The Architect of Subtraction](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/04/06/the-architect-of-subtraction-adolf-loos-martin-filler/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Adolf Loos’s radical designs pared down architecture to its most basic elements. [Effectiveness of physical activity interventions](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2023/03/02/bjsports-2022-106195?rss=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews. "Physical activity is highly beneficial for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety and distress across a wide range of adult populations, including the general population, people with diagnosed mental health disorders and people with chronic disease. Physical activity should be a mainstay approach in the management of depression, anxiety and psychological distress." Negativity drives [online news consumption](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01538-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A [new book](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/03/09/departments-on-the-defensive-professing-criticism-john-guillory/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by John Guillory explores the history of literary studies and casts a despairing eye at the future of literary criticism. Partner choice, confounding and trait convergence all contribute to [phenotypic partner similarity](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-022-01500-w?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Two recent books build on an insight of Borges - that [to live, it is necessary to forget](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/03/09/the-dream-of-forgetfulness-primer-for-forgetting-lewis-hyde/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Hans Belting: Face and Mask. A Double History URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/03/19/hans-belting-face-and-mask-a-double-history/ Last updated: 2023-12-23T10:14:42.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/musee-quai-branly-21.jpg) Masks at the Musée du Quai Branly I greatly enjoyed “Face and Mask. A Double History” by Hans Belting. I read it in German, but for once the English translation better captures the book’s central thesis than the original German title “Faces. Eine Geschichte des Gesichts”. Indeed, I was a bit puzzled why Belting chose to use the term “face” in the German original and I didn’t find his reference to the etymology of the word “face” in English and French that convincing. Of course, the distinction is lost in the English translation anyway. In "Face and Mask. A Double History," Hans Belting provides a detailed exploration of the historical and cultural significance of faces and masks. Through a nuanced analysis of the relationship between these two concepts, Belting presents a novel conceptual framework for re-thinking the history of Western art. I was delighted to read that Belting refers to an exhibition at the Fondation Cartier, at its former location in Jouy-en-Josas, "À visage découvert", of which I also have [fond memories](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/02/28/the-10-exhibitions-that-influenced-me-most/). Simple questions sometimes have complicated answers. For what, exactly, is a face? As Belting writes, a face “does not truly become a face until it interacts with other faces, seeing or being seen by them” (p.1). It enables communication, through facial expressions and through the look on one’s face, and yet it is difficult to describe "the face". As Belting argues, “the face is not merely an image but also produces images” (p. 21). It does so on an ongoing basis. As such the face also creates meaning. The volatile nature of the face, in turn, has inspired centuries of image-making. The history of art can therefore be read as a cultural history of the face. As I noted above the English title “Face and Mask. A Double History” more accurately describes the book’s main theme than the German original, for as Belting argues face and mask should not be viewed in opposition to one another, whereby the face stands for authenticity and the mask for concealment and deceit. The face itself can function as a mask to reveal or conceal the self. Face and mask are two sides of the same coin and together constitute the organizing principle of a ‘history of the face’. As Belting observes, masks are typically worn by dancers and come to life during a performance. Conversely and paradoxically, “the living face becomes stiff and rigid as a mask when it is portrayed; the very process of reproduction immediately yields a mask that can no longer change expression” (p. 7). The book is divided into three parts: "Face and Mask. Changing Views", "Portrait and Mask. The Face as Representation" and "Media and Masks. The Production of Faces". Together they examine the history of the face from prehistorical times to the present day, from the use of death masks in funerary rites to the rise of identity cards and facial recognition software. Belting also discusses the ways scientists have sought to gain knowledge about a person through physiognomy and phrenology, with an important role for artists, and the rise and demise of the use of masks in theatre. Drawing on a wide range of examples, Belting traces the evolution of portraiture and its impact on the representation of the human face. He also considers how, from the Renaissance onwards, the face has been portrayed to convey social status, power and beauty. It is worth noting that the book was first published in 2013, so before the emergence of Instagram and TikTok filters, which have taken self-representation to a whole new level. In the book's final paragraph Belting considers what he calls *cyberfaces*, masks without a face. Technology advances so fast that it is no longer necessary to spend hours manipulating an image in Photoshop. Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Networks (DCGANS) now make it possible to create an endless array of realistic faces with a click of a button. Throughout the book Belting returns to his central thesis that the face remains elusive, that it defies attempts at visual representation, even with the development of new media such as photography and film, which promise ever-greater degrees of likeness. In the final section Belting discusses the face in contemporary art, film and popular culture. This section I found the least interesting, because it reads as a summary of arguments that I’m already familiar with. Belting considers Andy Warhol’s portraits of Mao in relation to Don DeLillo’s *Mao II* and the work of artists as diverse as Christian Boltanski, Nam June Paik, Chuck Close and Arnulf Rainer. Overall, Belting's analysis of faces and masks is both comprehensive and insightful. His writing is nuanced and engaging, and he provides a rich array of examples to support his arguments. "Face and Mask. A Double History" is a must-read if you’re interested in art and aesthetics. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/musee-quai-branly-10.jpg) Igbo mask at the Musée du Quai Branly ### Decision to Leave URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/03/12/decision-to-leave/ Last updated: 2023-12-29T20:06:53.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/decision-to-leave-2.jpg) Park Chan-wook is one of today’s most intelligent film makers and I always look forward to his latest film. "Decision to Leave" is another masterpiece. It is more subdued than "[Oldboy](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/11/20/oldboy/)" or "The Handmaiden", but just as meticulously crafted. Every scene is beautifully shot and brims with suspense. In one of the film’s most erotically charged scenes the hands of the two main characters touch when they are sitting in the back of a car, their wrists cuffed together. "Decision to Leave" is a beautifully stylized contemporary film noir with hints of "Vertigo" and "Basic Instinct". Hae-Joon, played by Park Hae-il, is a police detective, who suffers from insomnia, assigned to investigate the case of a mountain climber who fell to his death. It seems like an accident, but soon his enigmatic widow, Seo Rae, played by the phenomenal Tang Wei, emerges as a potential suspect. When she is brought in for questioning the detective and the suspect share lunch in the interrogation room, in what looks like a first date. About an hour into the film the case is solved, but like "Oldboy" and "The Handmaiden", "Decision to Leave" continues where other films would stop. "Decision to Leave" shows the power of cinema, unlike so many films where you wouldn’t miss much if you would just read the script. As in all of Park Chan-wook’s films the cinematography is superb. One scene is filmed through the eye of a dead fish at a fish market, while another scene uses a head lamp to great effect. I also loved how Chan-wook revealed what actually transpired. "Decision to Leave" is full of symbolism. The overwhelming power of nature, whether the mountains or the sea, symbolizes the forces of desire that boil underneath the surface of the self. There is an important role for food as a metaphor for erotic desire. Speaking of which, in another scene Seo-rae searches Hae-joon’s pockets to find a stick of lip balm, which she applies to her own lips and then his. Hae-joon and Seo-rae are often filmed via mirrors, windows, computer screens or binoculars, a visual metaphor for the distance that separates them. "Decision to Leave" is also one of the first movies that I’ve seen that uses phones, apps and smartwatches as a plot device, without ever feeling contrived. Seo-rae is Chinese and speaks enough Korean to get by, but she often resorts to her phone to translate for her when she cannot find the right words. The final scene left me in a daze. It is highly inventive, beautifully shot, deeply symbolical and full of suspense. It also revealed the full meaning of the title. ### Links My review of [Oldboy](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/11/20/oldboy/). My review of [I'm a Cyborg but that's OK](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2008/11/02/im-a-cyborg-but-thats-ok/). My review of [Lady Vengeance](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2006/05/27/lady-vengeance/). ### Highlights from the Fall 2023 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/03/10/highlights-from-the-fall-2023-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2023-12-24T14:49:55.000Z Every season I enjoy browsing the[ ready-to-wear collections](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2023-ready-to-wear?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). These are some of the creations that I found interesting or inspiring. As always I favor highly theatrical designs. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-2023-1.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-2023-14.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-2023-18.png) Noir Kei Ninomiya is one of my favourite designers. I'd love to collaborate with him one day. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/rick-owens-fall-2023-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/rick-owens-fall-2023-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/rick-owens-fall-2023-6.jpg) Rick Owens also never disappoints ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/thom-browne-fall-2023-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/thom-browne-fall-2023-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/thom-browne-fall-2023-19.jpg) Old school deconstruction at Thom Browne, which, of course, I love ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/junya-watanabe-fall-2023-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/issey-miyake-fall-2023-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/comme-des-garcons-fall-2023-3.jpg) Junya Watanabe (left), Issey Miyake (middle, this would make a nice costume for a dance performance), Comme des Garçons (right) ### Kimono at the Musée du Quai Branly URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/02/25/kimono-at-the-musee-du-quai-branly/ Last updated: 2023-12-31T10:41:04.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/utagawa-kunisada-1-s.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/utagawa-kunisada-2-s.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/utagawa-kunisada-3-s.jpg) Utagawa Kunisada, Women outside Daimaruya, 1840-1845\. Three fashionably dressed women meet outside the Daimaruya kimono shop. Inside, assistants carry great piles of fabric for customers to view. Image courtesy V&A Museum. A wonderful and colourful exhibition at the Musée du Quai Branly celebrates the kimono in all its glory. The exhibition was organized by the [Victoria and Albert Museum](https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/kimono-kyoto-to-catwalk?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in London where it opened at the end of February 2020, just two weeks before the UK lockdown. The exhibition reopened in August 2020 and is now touring the world. The kimono has a surprisingly long history. It first appeared in Japan more than a thousand years ago. The word “kimono” actually means simply “the thing to wear”. Initially the kimono was mainly worn by the merchant class and the samurai class. From the 17th century onwards, it was the garment of choice for everyone in Japan, irrespective of gender or social status. As Anna Jackson, curator of the exhibition explains, in the West the kimono tends to be seen as a timeless, traditional costume, when in fact it has always been a very dynamic item of fashion. Even though the basic shape hasn’t changed much over the centuries, the fabric, colour and patterns have been subject to fashion. Artists have also used the surface of a kimono as a canvas for elaborate embroidered scenes. In the 19th century, when Japan opened its borders to foreign trade, Japanese art and artifacts began to appear in shops and galleries in Paris and London. As “Japonism” took hold, kimonos also became much sought after. The Dutch painter George Hendrik Breitner (1857-1923) created a series of paintings of a [girl in a kimono](https://kunstvensters.com/2021/07/11/wie-was-het-meisje-in-kimono-van-breitner/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). After World War II, most people in Japan adopted a Western dress code, suits for men and skirts and dresses for women and of course jeans and t-shirts. Kimonos were only worn on special occasions like weddings. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/kimono-quai-branly-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/kimono-quai-branly-2.jpg) In recent years the kimono has made some sort of a comeback, both in Japan and in global fashion. The costumes for the first Star Wars movies were inspired by the kimono and pop stars from David Bowie to [Madonna](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAVx9RKaLPU&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and [Björk](https://www.bjork.fr/Nick-Knight-1997-Homogenic?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) have contributed to its popular appeal. The exhibition includes a montage of excerpts from films and music videos which feature a kimono and a number of contemporary designs and creations by fashion designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. The exhibition doubles as an exhibition of Japanese art and design and includes some amazing woodblock prints. **Kimono** is at the Musée du Quai Branly, Paris until 28 May 2023. ### Links [The art and culture of Kaga Yuzen](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/TgXRen%5F1O0xDJQ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ### Everything Everywhere All At Once URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/02/12/everything-everywhere-all-at-once/ Last updated: 2023-12-29T20:01:37.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/everything-everywhere-2.jpeg) I loved "Everything Everywhere All At Once". It had been high on my list ever since I saw the trailer, early last year. It is a visual treat. Directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as Daniels) pull out all the stops. For all its craziness it tells an endearing story of kindness and redemption. And like the equally zany "[Holy Motors](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/11/12/holy-motors/)" it is also a love letter to cinema. "Everything Everywhere All At Once" follows Evelyn Wang, played by Michelle Yeoh, and her simple-minded but sweet husband Waymond (not a typo), played by Ke Huy Quan (Short Round from "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"). The couple has migrated from China to the U.S. and run a flailing laundromat for a living. While being audited by the Internal Revenue Service, an unrecognizable Jamie Lee Curtis, Evelyn is visited by a character who looks a lot like her husband and who claims to be from another universe. He informs her that she must connect with alternate universes to prevent the entire multiverse from cataclysmic destruction at the hands of the evil Jobu Tupaki, who looks a lot like Evelyn’s daughter Joy, played by Stephanie Hsu, a college drop out who struggles to live up to her mother’s expectations. From here on things get wild, very wild. To jump from one universe to another a person has to tap into the mind of his or her doppelgänger in a parallel universe. Characters have to wait for their verse-jumping device to turn green before they can enter their doppelgänger’s mind or else the lines between the different universes get blurred, as indeed happens several times. Jumping universes is not without consequences either. As she accesses parallel versions of herself in different universes Evelyn realizes what path her life could have taken. In one universe she is a successful actress, because she chose not to leave her parents and marry Waymond. But in this universe too she encounters Waymond, whose life also took an unexpected turn. But I won’t give everything away. "Everything Everywhere All At Once" works on many levels. It is a journey of self-discovery disguised as an action movie. It is a love story and a mother/daughter story in the form of a sci-fi comedy. It is much more else besides. It is indeed everything all at once. The film deals with generational trauma, for while Evelyn struggles with her daughter, she also struggles with her own father, who would rather have had a son as a child. It also grapples with issues of ethnic and gender identity. I totally understand why it struck a chord with Asian Americans in the U.S. and Canada. To jump from one universe to another the characters have to do something weird or improbable, which is a pretext for Daniels to give in to their worst impulses and which gives rise to some over-the-top scenes. The character of Jobu Tupaki is a pretext for the costume and make-up department to go all out. I loved the break-neck editing and the references to "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Ratatouille", "In the Mood for Love", "Charlie Kaufman" and of course Michelle Yeoh’s own role in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". "Everything Everywhere All at Once" is a celebration of everything life throws at us: family, friends, dreams, disillusions, rejection, break-ups and taxes. It is an exceptionally well-made film that demands to be seen multiple times to catch all that is going on in the background. I'm sure there are some inside jokes in Joy's Craiglist posts that flash by in one scene and that I didn't catch. ### Musée de Cluny URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/02/11/musee-de-cluny/ Last updated: 2023-02-11T15:21:13.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/musee-de-cluny-1.jpg) In 2022 the [Musée de Cluny](https://www.musee-moyenage.fr/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in Paris reopened after a decade-long renovation project. The result is pretty amazing. The [architecture](https://www.studiogardere.com/en/projects/museum/musee-de-cluny-musee-national-du-moyen-age/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) alone is worth a visit. The Musée de Cluny, also known as the Musée national du Moyen Âge (National Museum of the Middle Ages), is located at the heart of the Quartier Latin, at the corner of Bd Saint-Germain and Bd Saint-Michel. I must have walked by dozens of times, without ever wondering what’s behind the fence. The museum is housed in a former medieval palace, the Hôtel de Cluny, which dates back to the mid-14th century and which was built on top of the remains of the third century Gallo-Roman baths known as the Thermes de Cluny. The latter’s frigidarium (cold room) has now been beautifully restored. For years the Hôtel de Cluny served as a townhouse for the abbots of Cluny. In the 19th century the building was purchased by a public servant, Alexandre Du Sommerard, to house his collection of art and artefacts from the Middle Ages. After his death, in 1842, both the building and his collection were acquired by the French state and the building was turned into a museum. In the following years the collection was greatly expanded and by 1885 the collection consisted of nearly 11,000 objects. In 1977, some 5,000 objects were transferred to the newly created Musée National de la Renaissance at the Château d’Écouen. As a result the museum’s collection now spans the period from late antiquity until the 15th century. I must confess that I too tend to jump from antiquity to the Renaissance, while skipping the Middle Ages, which I associate with the collapse of the Roman empire, technological decline, mass migrations, feudalism, castles, the crusades, the plague and what not. But the Middle Ages, or at least the so called High and Late Middle Ages, which began around the year 1000, are also the period of Dante, Chaucer, Thomas Aquinas, Marco Polo, the founding of the first universities and Gothic architecture. What better way to overcome your prejudices than to read a book (Valerie Hansen, *[The Year 1000](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/books/review/year-1000-valerie-hansen.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)*, it’s on my pile) or to visit a museum dedicated to the Middle Ages? The Musée de Cluny presents a chronological journey from antiquity to the 15th century through 21 rooms and more than 1,500 objects. One room presents a number of sculptures from Notre-Dame de Paris, including some fragments that were torn from the facade during the French Revolution and only rediscovered in 1977\. The rooms dedicated to 13th century art include set of pieces from the Sainte Chapelle, stained-glass windows, funerary sculptures and a beautifully carved ivory casket representing scenes of courtly love. It was interesting to see that the caskets in which Christian relics were stored have the form of a house with a roof. They are meant to be safe as houses, but they also point at the continuity between life and life after death. The dead also have to dwell somewhere and by that logic it makes sense to store the relics in a box in the form of a house. It was also interesting to learn that in the 14th century too there was technological progress, for example in the production of stained glass. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/musee-de-cluny-2-m.jpg) The first floor is dedicated to the 14th and 15th centuries in France, Italy and northern Europe and ends with one of the highlights of the collection: La Dame à la licorne (The Lady and the Unicorn) a series of six tapestries woven around 1500, which represent the five senses. Now you’re probably thinking, what about the sixth tapestry? You’re not alone. Scholars have offered various interpretations of the tapestry and its inscription, À Mon Seul Désir (To my only desire). The tapestry shows the lady placing the necklace that she wears in the other tapestries into a chest. This could be interpreted as the renunciation of earthly pleasures and an assertion of free will. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/musee-de-cluny-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/musee-de-cluny-4.jpg) Altar piece, Antwerp (1515-20) The final room presents some fine early 15th century altar pieces. I don’t normally spend much time looking at altar pieces, but unless you look closely you never discover anything. The artists went to great lengths to give each person some individuality, as can be seen in facial expressions and hair style. I also found it interesting that in more than one altar piece the cross was just an untreated, unadorned piece of wood. There are a lot of museums and galleries in Paris. If you’re travelling to Paris I would recommend putting aside your prejudices and adding the [Musée de Cluny](https://www.musee-moyenage.fr/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to your list. It is well worth a visit. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/02/06/further-reading-89/ Last updated: 2023-06-05T09:18:14.000Z [Diffusion models](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-physics-principle-that-inspired-modern-ai-art-20230105/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) generate incredible images by learning to reverse the process that, among other things, causes ink to spread through water. [Interview](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/we-come-to-fuck-shit-up-theaster-gates-gets-deep-with-arthur-jafa?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Theaster Gates. Too bad I’ll miss his show at New York’s New Museum. Hans Belting. An [obituary](https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2023-01/hans-belting-kunsthistoriker-kunst-bild-nachruf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (in German). Der Kampf gegen die globale Katastrophe hält uns gefangen. War es das schon? Wer jetzt noch nach Hoffnung sucht, muss in die Vergangenheit reisen. Slavoj Žižek in [Die Zeit](https://www.zeit.de/2023/03/krisen-vergangenheit-zukunft-philosophie?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Matisse: The Red Studio](https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5344?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). This must have been a [wonderful](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/02/09/going-to-extremes-matisse-the-red-studio/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) exhibition. [Unlucky numbers](https://www.science.org/content/article/unlucky-numbers-fighting-murder-convictions-rest-shoddy-stats?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Statistician Richard Gill is fighting the shoddy statistics that put nurses in prison for serial murder. A wave of [research](https://www.quantamagazine.org/machines-learn-better-if-we-teach-them-the-basics-20230201/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) improves reinforcement learning algorithms by pre-training them as if they were human. “They taught a robotic arm to manipulate tools it had never seen before, and pre-trained it using descriptive language taken from successful language models.” The proportion of publications that send a field in a new direction has [plummeted](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04577-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) over the past half-century. “Data from millions of manuscripts show that, compared with mid-twentieth-century research, that done in the 2000s was much more likely to push science forward incrementally than to veer off in a new direction and render previous work obsolete. Analysis of patents from 1976 to 2010 showed the same trend.” Unearned authorship [pervades](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00016-1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) science. “Almost 70% of researchers based in Europe say that they have been involved in projects in the past three years that listed authors who did not contribute sufficiently to the work, according to a major survey.” How [games](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00065-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) can make behavioural science better. Wordle, Minecraft and Scrabble are played online by millions. Gamifying experiments can make behavioural research more inclusive, rigorous and reproducible, if it’s done right. [A recent comparative study](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/02/23/medieval-marvels-in-latin-west-and-islamic-world-karnes/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of medieval Christian and Islamic culture suggests that marvels offer common ground: wonder is a shared delight, a shared motive. The universe's [first stars](https://www.quantamagazine.org/astronomers-say-they-have-spotted-the-universes-first-stars-20230130/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? [Fireworks display](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00202-1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from rare dying star is unlike anything astronomers have seen. The Milky Way in spellbinding detail and more. [January’s best science images](https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-023-00215-w/index.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Centre Pompidou URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/01/29/centre-pompidou/ Last updated: 2023-02-19T20:16:22.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/le-magasin-ben-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/bourgeois-pompidou-1.jpg) Ben, *Le Magasin* (detail, left); Louise Bourgeois, *Precious Liquids* (detail, right) By coincidence I have visited the Centre Pompidou three times in the past year and I realized once again what an amazing museum it is. Over the years I have seen many memorable exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou. Every time I make sure to also visit the permanent collection, that is the Musée National d'Art Moderne proper, which is rivaled only by New York’s MoMA. The permanent collection is in fact overwhelming, both in size and quality. It includes works by all the usual suspects, from Picasso and Matisse to Picabia, Braque, Miró, Mondriaan, Duchamp, Klee, Brancusi, Arp, Giacometti, Arman, Beuys, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Donald Judd, Frida Kahlo, Francis Bacon, the list goes on and on. What’s more, the collection keeps growing and also includes works by Louise Bourgeois, Anselm Kiefer, Annette Messager, Gary Hume, Christian Boltanski, Gerhard Richter, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mike Kelley and Tony Oursler and more, many more. The Musée National d'Art Moderne is huge. The collection is divided over two floors and presented in historical sequences, dating from 1905 to the present day. The fifth floor presents developments in modern art up until the mid-1960s, with rooms devoted to major movements and artists from that period, while the fourth floor presents works from the 1960s onwards. This is also where you can find a number of semi-permanent large-scale installations, such as *Le Magasin* (1958-1973) by Ben, *Le Jardin d’Hiver* (1968-1970) by Jean Dubuffet, *Plight* (1985) by Joseph Beuys and *Respirare l’ombra* (1999-2000) by Giuseppe Penone. The presentation of contemporary art changes regularly. On my most recent visit I noticed a wonderful painting by Gerhard Richter and a work by [Christopher Wool](http://wool735.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), which I’m pretty sure wasn’t there a few months earlier, then again my attention may have been caught by another work as I walked by. I also discovered an excellent installation by Alicja Kwade, *Die Menge des Moments* (2017) and some awesome drawings by [Jorinde Voigt](https://jorindevoigt.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), which reminded me of the work of Julie Mehretu. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/richter-pompidou-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/j-voigt-2010.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/wool-untitled-2002.jpg) Gerhard Richter, *Juni (527)*, 1983 (left); Jorinde Voigt, *Territorium, Öl, Wasser, Elektrizität / Kontinentalgrenze*, 2010 (middle); Christopher Wool, *Untitled*, 2002 (right) The Centre Pompidou will close for extensive renovations after the Summer Olympics, which will be held in Paris in 2024\. The renovations are scheduled to take at least three years, but hopefully the Centre Pompidou will be open in time for its 50th anniversary in 2027\. I already look forward to the grand reopening, but I plan to visit one more time before it closes. ### Christian Marclay at the Centre Pompidou URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/01/29/christian-marclay-at-the-centre-pompidou/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T18:55:37.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/marclay-pompidou-3.jpg) Christian Marclay, Gunfire (2020) (Detail) The American-Swiss artist Christian Marclay is best known for "The Clock" (2010), one of the seminal artworks of the 21st century. It is a 24-hour film, which consists entirely of 1-minute long film and television clips, 12,000 in total, each of which showing a minute of the day, on a clock, an alarm clock or a watch worn by a character in the movie from which the clip is taken. The clips are synchronized to the time of the day, thus creating a functioning timepiece. "The Clock" is not only a visual work, showing what people do in movies at different times of the day, but also a musical work, as clocks tick and alarm clocks go off. It has been exhibited around the world and in 2011 it was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice biennale. I was delighted when I learned that the Centre Pompidou would present a major retrospective of the work of Christian Marclay. Perhaps because Marclay himself or the show’s organizers, didn’t wanted it to overshadow his other work, "The Clock" is not included in the exhibition. There is, however, much to enjoy at this vibrant exhibition and Christian Marclay deserves to be wider known and not just for "The Clock", but for his entire body of work. Christian Marclay was born in California in 1955 but grew up in Switzerland where he attended the École Supérieure d’Art Visuel in Geneva. He continued his education at the Massachusetts College of Art and the Cooper Union in New York. Inspired by the work of John Cage and Neo-Dadaist and Fluxus artists such as Nam June Paik, he began to create sound collages with the use of gramophone records and turntables. He also founded two bands and once performed in the same program as Sonic Youth and Swans. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/marclay-pompidou-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/marclay-pompidou-4.jpg) Christian Marclay: **Chorus II* (1988) (left) and **Sound Holes* (2007) (right) Throughout his career Marclay has explored the links between sound and the visual arts, engaging in a number of practices from performance to painting, video and installation. He created installations and collages out of vinyl records and record sleeves. An early photo collage, “Chorus II” (1988), consists of close-ups of, presumably, singing mouths. "Sound Holes" (2007), another work, which I liked a lot, consists of a series of photos of intercoms. It had never occurred to me that there is so much variation in their design. Another constant in Marclay’s work is his fascination with comic books. In his paintings, drawings and collages, that are reminiscent of both pop art and abstract expressionism, Marclay often appropriates onomatopoeias taken from comic books, “BOOM”, “SNAP”, “THWAK”, “VROOM”, “BANG!!”. I didn’t think much of some of his conceptual sculptures, though, a nightmare flute that has been almost entirely perforated, a guitar with a drooping neck, an extended accordion, a drum kit set at meters high stems. Like so much conceptual art I look at it and think, ahh, clever, funny, but that is it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/marclay-pompidou-2.jpg) It is in his video works that Marclay’s intelligence shines. “All Together” (2018) samples hundreds of Snapchats. “Subtitled” (2019) consists of a stack of subtitle strips, interspersed with image excerpts. "Telephones" (1995), which can be seen as a study for "The Clock", is an eight-minute montage consisting of movie clips in which the phone rings and someone dials, picks up, hangs up or smashes down the receiver. It is funny and nostalgic, with its rotary dials, phone booths and the scrambling for change. "Doors" (2022), which has its premiere at the exhibition, is composed out of movie clips in which a character opens, closes or passes through a door. These works reveal the conventions of cinema, but they also show that human communication itself is to a large extent conventional. This, incidentally, is the reason for the success of large language models like ChatGPT. They exploit the fact that texts, conversations and so on, frequently use the same turns of phrase. **Christian Marclay** is on view at the Centre Pompidou until 27 February 2023\. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue available in both French and English. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/marclay-pompidou-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/marclay-pompidou-8.jpg) Christian Marclay, **Subtitled* (2019) ### Arrival URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/01/28/arrival/ Last updated: 2023-12-29T19:55:00.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/arrival-1.jpeg) I finally came around to watching "Arrival". Yes, I know, a little late, but as I like to say, you can’t read or watch everything at once. It is an amazing, moving and intelligent movie. I must say that I did wonder how much better it could have been if Denis Villeneuve had not been forced to adhere to some Hollywood conventions. But in so far as Hollywood movies go it doesn't get much better than this. "Arrival" is based on a short story by Ted Chiang, “Story of Your Life”, included in the awesome *Stories of Your Life and Others*. After a brief and moving intro, the meaning of which will become apparent at the end of the film, all of a sudden and out of nowhere a group of 12 alien spaceships appear around the world. Louise Banks, played by Amy Adams, is a linguist who is called upon by the US military to ask the aliens why they’re here. To do so, Banks must, of course, find a way to communicate with the aliens, and that means that she must learn their language, if they have one, and teach them to understand hers. The film hints that similar attempts are being made by scientists in other countries. \[Spoiler alert\] I loved how the film mirrors content and form. The aliens communicate in a circular language and the film itself is also circular. I also loved how the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, the idea that human thought is shaped by language, is woven into the film, whether you believe the hypothesis to be [true or not](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2011/02/25/guy-deutscher-through-the-language-glass/). Throughout the film, which progresses linearly, there are what initially appear to be flashbacks of Bank’s daughter, who died of a genetic illness. But towards the end of the film it becomes clear that these aren’t flashbacks, but instead visions or memories of the future. As Banks learns the aliens’ language, her brain gets rewired and she gains the ability to think the way they do, that’s where the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis comes in. And since the aliens are able to look into the future, well, you get the point. But there’s more. It now emerges that the film's beginning actually happened after the main events. It also follows that before giving birth, Banks knew that her daughter would die of a genetic disease, which is why the father of her child left her. (I deliberately left out some details, in case you haven’t watched the film yet, which I would add if this were an academic paper). "Arrival" is a visually rich and well-made film. Denis Villeneuve and his team of collaborators put a lot of effort into getting the details right. Among other things they consulted a linguist to help with the construction of the alien language. Some scenes in "Arrival" are visually stunning. I loved all the scenes in which the aliens write on the transparent screen that separates them from the humans. I also loved the interior of the spaceship, with its textured walls and light at the ceiling, which reminded me of an installation by James Turrell. If you haven't seen "Arrival" yet, wait until you have forgotten what I wrote above and watch it. It's amazing. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/arrival-5.jpeg) James Turrell or Arrival? ### Marcel Proust. La fabrique de l’oeuvre URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/01/13/marcel-proust-la-fabrique-de-loeuvre/ Last updated: 2023-12-26T19:38:27.000Z About a year ago I visited the wonderful exhibition "[Marcel Proust. Un roman Parisien](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/02/20/marcel-proust-un-roman-parisien/)" at the Musée Carnavalet, which explored the Paris of Proust and the place of the city in "À la recherche du temps perdu". The exhibition "Marcel Proust. La fabrique de l’oeuvre" at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris focuses on the text itself, or rather, the making of "À la recherche du temps perdu". The exhibition is a treasure trove for lovers of "À la recherche" and includes countless manuscripts, notebooks and first editions. Each room is devoted to one of the volumes that make up the novel, with the walls of the rooms painted in a different colour. It is interesting to see how the famous cake that would trigger Proust’s memory of his childhood started as piece of bread, then turned into a biscotte and ended up as the madeleine that we now know. ![Marcel Proust. La fabrique de l'oeuvre](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/proust-fabrique-oeuvre-2.jpg) Marcel Proust. The construction of the work. It is fascinating to see how Proust went about constructing his novel. After receiving the proofs he would scratch through certain words and passages, while adding new passages in the margin. At some point Proust’s housekeeper and secretary Céleste Albaret, whom he would immortalize as Françoise in "À la recherche", began to create large tableaux to help him keep an overview of the construction process. She taped new passages at the bottom or to the side of a page, sometimes adding more than a meter of text! By way of a tribute a photograph of Céleste Albert hangs in the exhibition's final room, while a recording of her voice, made in 1973, plays on a loop. The exhibition includes some of the paintings that served as inspiration for the novel, except of course Vermeer’s "View of Delft", which hangs in the Mauritshuis in Den Haag. The exhibition does include Giovanni Boldini’s portrait of Le Comte Robert de Montesquiou, who would serve as the model for Proust’s Baron de Charlus. Like "[Marcel Proust. Un roman Parisien](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/02/20/marcel-proust-un-roman-parisien/)" at the Musée Carnavalet the exhibition also contains several photos and objects, such as the type of Fortuny coat worn by the Duchesse de Guermantes, that bring the period during which Proust wrote his novel to life. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/proust-fabrique-oeuvre-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/proust-fabrique-oeuvre-5.jpg) Giovanni Boldini, "Le Comte Robert de Montesquiou" (1897) (left), Kees van Dongen, "Deux femmes" (1913) (right) Proust had an intimate relationship with the arts. Throughout his life he mingled with artists, such as the painter Édouard Vuillard and the composers Gabriël Fauré, César Franck and Reynaldo Hahn, whose work can be heard in different rooms in the exhibition. Proust actually began his writing career as a disciple of the English writer and art critic John Ruskin, whose work he translated into French. Following in Ruskin’s footsteps Proust made a pilgrimage to Amiens to study the Gothic architecture of its cathedral. Proust was intoxicated by Ruskin, to such an extent that he longed to see Venice through Ruskin’s eyes. From Venice, he made a day trip to Padua to see the Giotto frescoes that Ruskin described in one of his books. Years later all of these elements would find their way into his novel. I must confess that I have only read "Du côté de chez Swann". If I’d read the entire cycle I would no doubt have got more out of the exhibition. But the next Proust exhibition at this scale may not come until 2071 or perhaps 2046\. I plan to read "À l’ombre de jeunes filles en fleurs" this spring. **Proust. La fabrique de l’oeuvre** is at the Bibliothèque National de France, Paris until 22 January 2023. ![Marcel Proust. La fabrique de l'oeuvre](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/proust-fabrique-oeuvre-3.jpg) ### The 80s. Fashion, Design and Graphic Design in France URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/01/13/the-80s-fashion-design-and-graphic-design-in-france/ Last updated: 2023-12-31T10:41:31.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/80s-design-1.jpg) Memphis at the exhibition "The 80s. Fashion, design and graphic design in France" The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris celebrates the 80s with a vivid exhibition bringing together more than 700 works ranging from furniture to fashion and including album covers, music videos, commercials, flyers and advertising campaigns. I had to queue 15 minutes to get in. I hadn't booked a ticket in advance, because I didn't expect it to be crowded. It's a popular exhibition and for good reason. There's a lot to see and enjoy. I tend to associate the 80s with Ettore Sottsass, Memphis, Alessandro Mendini, Philippe Starck, Thierry Mugler and Jean-Paul Gaultier, all of whom designers that I’m not a big fan of. But the 80s were also when Issey Miyake, Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto took the fashion world by storm. In architecture the 1980s was the decade of postmodernism, think Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, Michael Graves, Philip Johnson and Ricardo Bofill, whose iconic Les Espaces d’Abraxas in Paris was inspired by classical Greek architecture, but rather paradoxically now looks futuristic enough to serve in the dystopian sci-fi series The Hunger Games. The late 1980s were also the years of deconstruction in architecture, which would have a major impact on my thinking, although most designs by the likes of Bernard Tschumi, Peter Eisenman and Daniel Libeskind as well as Rem Koolhaas, Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid, who at some point were also associated with deconstruction, would not be built or completed until the early 90s. What is interesting is that there is such a thing as the 80s. The exhibition shows that the 80s were a period of eclecticism and a clash of styles. The curators convey this diversity through a scenography combining fashion, furniture and design. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/80s-design-2.jpg) Pucci de Rossi at the exhibition "The 80s. Fashion, design and graphic design in France" The 80s were marked by various historic events, perhaps first and foremost the fall of the Berlin Wall, but also by the AIDS epidemic, and by the economic policies introduced by Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom and Ronald Reagan in the United States, which would have a lasting impact. In France the 80s was the decade of François Mitterand, president from 1981 to 1995, who would make a mark on Paris with a series of “grands traveaux” or grand projects, which included the Louvre Pyramid, the Opéra Bastille, the Grande Arche de La Défense, the Musée d’Orsay, the Parc de la Villette, the Institut du Monde Arabe and the new Bibliothèque nationale de France. While some of these projects were initiated under Mitterand’s predecessor, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, they are typically attributed to Mitterand. As the exhibition makes clear the French state sponsored the creative industry in other ways as well, for example by the creation of the Institut Français de la Mode, and by allowing fashion shows to be held in the Cour Carrée at the Louvre, which brought fashion at the centre of “high” culture. In music the 80s were the decade of punk, new wave and the new romantics, but it was also when the first hip-hop records hit the charts. I must say that the only French band that I recall from that period are Les Ritas Mitsouko, and only by name. In pop music the 80s were defined by British and American acts. But as the exhibition shows punks in France dressed the same as in the UK. For a flashback to the 80s this exhibition is not to be missed. **Années 80: Mode, design et graphisme en France** is at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris until 16 April 2023. ### Boris Mikhailov: Ukrainian Diary URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/01/12/boris-mikhailov-ukrainian-diary/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T18:54:04.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/mikhailov-mep-1.jpg) Boris Mikhailov, Salt Lake (1986) The exhibition "Boris Mikhailov: Ukrainian Diary" at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (M.E.P.) in Paris was originally scheduled for 2020 but had to be postponed because of the Covid pandemic. Now, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has taken on a whole new meaning. One photograph included in the exhibition called "The Theatre of War, Second Act, Time Out", taken in 2013, shows a scene from Kyiv’s Maidan square where protesters had put up their tents and barricades. Little did they nor we know how brutal the next act would be. Mikhailov was born in Kharkiv in 1938, which is also where he spent much of his life and career. It fills me with sadness that most of the buildings in his photographs have been destroyed or at least heavily damaged and that many of the people may have fled or died. Boris Mikhailov is one of Ukraine’s best known and most influential artists. He has represented Ukraine at the Venice Biennale in 2007 and 2017 and his work has been exhibited at the Tate Modern in London and at MoMA in New York. “Boris Mikhailov: Ukrainian Diary” is the biggest retrospective of his work to date and includes some 800 photographs, ranging from experimental and conceptual work to documentary photography. Mikhailov trained as an engineer. Early in his career, he was given a camera and told to document work at the factory where he was employed. He took his camera with him to photograph everyday life in Kharkiv. Every once in a while he would be stopped by police, who would ask him why he took a photo of some ordinary building. He also used his camera to take nude photographs of his wife, Vita, which he developed secretly in the factory’s laboratory. Upon their discovery he was fired and for several years afterwards he earned a living as a commercial photographer. During this time Mikhailov developed his concept of “bad” photography. Instead of aiming for technical perfection he would deliberately tilt his camera, take out-of-focus photos and print his blurry, low-contrast pictures on low-quality paper, thereby subtly subverting the ideals of social realism. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/mikhailov-yesterdays-sandwich.jpeg) From the Yesterday's Sandwich series I loved "Yesterday’s Sandwich", a series of photos taken during the 1960s and 70s, which consists of overlayed, superimposed slides. Mikhailov had inadvertently thrown a bunch of slides on his bed and two had stuck together. The resulting image looked fascinating so he began to deliberately superimpose one slide on top of another, much like a sandwich. Metaphorically the photos reflect the dualism and contradictions of Soviet society. For “Luriki” (1971-85) Mikhailov took found black-and-white photographs of anonymous people and overpainted them with hand coloring, a common technique in the Soviet Union at the time. The Salt Lake series taken in 1986 show people bathing and swimming in a lake near Sloviansk, believed to have curative properties. In fact the water was heavily polluted due to the nearby factories, which dumped their waste into the lake. Mikhailov printed the photos in sepia tone and deliberately scratched and damaged the prints. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/mikhailov-mep-2.jpg) Boris Mikhailov, Red Series (1965-78) The Red series, taken between 1965 and 1978, consists of 84 photographs containing the colour red, a reference to the old Soviet Union. I’m not quite sure what to think of “Case History” (1997-98), Mikhailov’s most notorious project, for which he photographed the poor and homeless inhabitants of Kharkiv. Mikhailov and his wife paid their subjects, offered them food and sometimes invited them to their house. But why did he have them pose nude or seemingly drunk in the snow? And why did he ask them to pose in positions that recall a Pietà or the Descent from the Cross? Why didn’t he portray them with dignity? I really liked the photos Mikhailov took on the streets of Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union. They show the chaos and misery that came with economic liberalization, but also the newfound freedom of those years. I'm glad I decided to visit the exhibition at the last minute. **Boris Mikhailov: Ukrainian Diary** is at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris until 15 January 2022. ### The Best Books of 2022 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/12/31/the-best-books-of-2022/ Last updated: 2023-12-26T16:44:40.000Z It's that time of the year again. As in previous years I bought more books than I can read, which means that the piles of unread books are growing ever larger. I actually see it as a sign of my curiosity and my yearning for knowledge and novelty. I already added some titles from [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/29/books/best-books-2022.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and [Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/booksof2022?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) year end lists to my list of books to read in 2023. ### The Best of the Best Philippe Descola: Les Formes du visible Steven Naifeh & Gregory White Smith: Van Gogh. The Life Hervé le Tellier: L’Anomalie Patricia Lockwood: No One Is Talking About This ### Best Fiction Hervé le Tellier: L’Anomalie Patricia Lockwood: No One Is Talking About This Mircea Cartarescu: Solenoid Fernando Pessoa: Kroniek van een leven dat voorbij gaat Mohamed Mbougar Sarr: La plus secrète mémoire des hommes Benjamin Labatut: When We Cease to Understand the World Claire-Louise Bennett: Checkout 19 I greatly enjoyed *Anomaly* by Hervé le Tellier. With perfect logic he traces the consequences of an absurd assumption in a variety of literary styles. *No One Is Talking About This* is what I would call a totally contemporary novel in its linguistic style. It’s also quite moving. *Kroniek van een leven dat voorbij gaat* ("Chronicle of a life that passes by") is apparently the first selection of fragments from Pessoa’s archive to appear in translation. It’s as good as *The Book of Disquiet*. *La plus secrète mémoire des hommes* by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr is reminiscent of *The Savage Detectives* by Roberto Bolaño, from which the title is borrowed, but it's an excellent novel in its own right and a deserving winner of the Prix Goncourt 2021\. Finally, *Solenoid* by Mircea Cartarescu is a 900-page surreal hallucinatory stream of consciousness that you either love or hate. It’s one of those novels without a middle ground. I haven’t finished *Jahrestage* by Uwe Johnson yet, so I’ll include it in next year’s list, provided that I manage to finish it. It's fabulous though and I've already added it to my list of the best books I've ever read. ### Best Non-Fiction Catherine Belton: Putin’s People. How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took on the West Lea Ypi: Free. Coming of Age at the End of History I hesitated to read a book about Putin, but I’m glad I did, because now I have a better understanding of the past twenty or so years of contemporary history. I recommend reading it alongside *Le mage du Kremlin* by Giuliano da Empoli. *Free* by Lea Ypi is a wonderful and moving read. It’s interesting to read what it was like to live through events that I only knew from the news. ### Best Biography Steven Naifeh & Gregory White Smith: Van Gogh. The Life Ananyo Bhattacharya: The Man from the Future. The Visionary Life of John von Neumann [*Van Gogh. The Life*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/22/steven-naifeh-and-gregory-white-smith-van-gogh-the-life/) is a marvellous biography of Vincent van Gogh. Why did I only read this now? Turns out there’s so much about Van Gogh that I didn’t know. And why is the best Van Gogh biography written by two American scholars? I’m always a bit skeptical of books that claim that this or that person was the brightest mind of the 18th, 19th or 20th century. Perhaps that person was just lucky to make it through childhood, had relatively well-to-do parents, got a good education and worked at a time when a single person could still make a big difference in multiple areas of inquiry. Having said that *The Man from the Future* is a great biography. ### Best Philosophy and Anthropology Philippe Descola: Les Formes du visible Jacques Rancière: le fil perdu Jacques Rancière: Le destin des images *Les Formes du visible* by Philippe Descola is probably one of the most mind-opening if not mind-bending books I’ve read this year. It’s also one of the most difficult and not just because Descola uses an extensive vocabulary which had me reach for my French dictionary on every other page. It’s a challenge to REALLY understand the worldview of radically different cultures. ### Best History David Graeber and David Wengrow: The Dawn of Everything. A New History of Humanity I am a bit skeptical of the historical veracity of the story of Lahontan and Kandiaronk and the importance Graeber and Wengrow lend to it, but apart from that I found *The Dawn of Everything* a real eye-opener. I now plan to read *The Journey of Humanity* by Oded Galor and *The Creation of Inequality* by Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus for an alternative view. ### Best Graphic Novel Simon Stålenhag: The Electric State Simon Stålenhag: Things from the Flood By accident I discovered the amazing work of [Simon Stålenhag](https://www.simonstalenhag.se/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I love his drawings. ### Best Art, Design & Photography Ed Fella: A Life in Images Laurence Bertrand Dorléac: Les choses. Une histoire de la nature morte *A Life in Images* is a superb overview of the life and work of legendary graphic designer Ed Fella. It was actually funded via a Kickstarter campaign. If you can’t make it to the [exhibition](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/11/06/les-choses-une-histoire-de-la-nature-morte/) at the Louvre the catalogue of Les Choses is well worth buying, browsing and reading. ### Most Disappointing I had been looking forward to read *Finding the Mother Tree* by Suzanne Simard, whose research was part of the inspiration for Peter Wohlleben's *The Hidden Life of Trees* and *Ice Rivers* by Jemma Wadham, a popular science book about glaciology, but both are light on science and heavy on human interest. I’m afraid that this is because publishers believe that this is what people want to read. They're still good books, but they could have been so much better. ### Emigre Magazine Archive URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/12/30/emigre-magazine-archive/ Last updated: 2025-10-10T20:47:04.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/Emigre_0032_014.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/Emigre_0034_011.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/Emigre_0035_030.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/Emigre_0036_016.jpeg) Page spreads from Emigre 32, 34, 35 and 36 (clockwise from top left corner) I recently discovered that the full run of legendary graphic design magazine Emigre is now available online at the [Letterform Archive](https://letterformarchive.org/news/view/new-in-the-online-archive-complete-emigre-magazine?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). This brought back a lot of memories. Browsing the back issues gave me the same jolt of inspiration as when I first discovered Emigre and the designers featured in its pages. When I was a student I couldn’t afford to buy either Emigre or any of the other cutting edge magazines that had to be imported from the US. And so I would browse whatever was available at either Zwemmer’s at London’s Charing Cross Road and Athenaeum News Centre at the Spui in Amsterdam. I have to confess that I never actually read any of the articles, I merely admired the page layouts, which I still do. It’s interesting to notice that Emigre actually started out in the 1980s as a cut and paste gonzo literary magazine and only later became one of the hotbeds of deconstruction in graphic design. The issues from the early and mid 90s, which is when I discovered the magazine, are still the ones that I like best and that stand out as landmarks in graphic design. In the spirit of deconstruction Rudy Vanderlans, Zuzana Licko and their co-designers questioned every design and typography assumption while exploring the limits of the software that made it all possible. It’s a shame that this kind of experimentation is now largely a thing of the past. Perhaps now that the back issues are available online new generations of designers can be inspired by the sense of freedom that springs from these pages. If you’re reading this you might be wondering how to square my love for this type of work with the design of this, my website, which I designed myself. I might write about this more at length in a future post, but the short answer is that each of the pages in Emigre, Raygun, Blah blah blah (does anyone remember that one?) had a custom layout, whereas a template for a webpage should work for all pages, that’s why it’s a template, duhh. Of course, HTML5 and javascript offer endless possibilities for experimentation, but if you want to design something that works on multiple pages you have to learn how to love grids. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/Emigre_0018_004.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/Emigre_0018_005.jpeg) Page spreads from Emigre 18 (1991) ### Links [John Warwicker: The Floating World](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2013/12/19/john-warwicker-the-floating-world/). [Caroline Roberts: Graphic Design Visionaries](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/12/06/caroline-roberts-graphic-design-visionaries/). [RayGun: The Bible of Music and Style](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/06/09/raygun-the-bible-of-music-and-style/). [Helvetica. The Movie](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2009/01/23/helvetica-the-movie/). [The Face Magazine at the National Portrait Gallery](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/21/the-face-magazine-at-the-national-portrait-gallery/). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/12/26/further-reading-88/ Last updated: 2023-01-15T20:08:19.000Z The mysteries of [Mondrian](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/10/03/the-mysteries-of-mondrian-hans-janssen-piet-mondrian-a-life?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Life, Death, [This Moment of June](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/12/08/life-death-this-moment-of-june-mrs-dalloway-virginia-woolf/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Between abstraction and representation](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/11/24/between-abstraction-and-representation-jed-perl/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Artists today think they no longer have to choose between two opposed artistic traditions. But what is being lost in this eclecticism? Steve Woolgar, co-author of *Laboratory Life* (1979) [remembers](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03796-0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Bruno Latour (1947-2022). How [Claude Shannon](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-claude-shannons-information-theory-invented-the-future-20201222/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) invented the future. What causes Alzheimer’s? Scientists are [rethinking](https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-causes-alzheimers-scientists-are-rethinking-the-answer-20221208/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) the answer. The [Tanzmasken](https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/tanzmasken?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of Lavinia Schulz and Walter Holdt (ca. 1924). Hal Foster [reviews](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n23/hal-foster/not-window-not-wall?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *If These Apples Should Fall: Cézanne and the Present* by T.J. Clark. Short profile of American artist [Christopher Wool](https://www.numero.com/en/art/christopher-wool-xavier-hufkens-bruxelles-numero-art?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Jennifer Egan and Vauhini Vara’s [new novels](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/11/24/total-recall-immortal-king-rao-candy-house/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) both delineate worlds just slightly out of true with the one we know. [Recent books and exhibitions](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/12/22/whips-and-vines-art-nouveau-martin-filler/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) reveal that behind its undulating lines and swirling excesses, Art Nouveau was far more complex and nuanced than we once believed. For vast stretches of *À la recherche du temps perdu*, there is scarcely a page unadorned by [vibrant colour](https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/prousts-pinks?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Alexis de Tocqueville left France to study the American prison system and returned with the [material](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/12/08/a-great-democratic-revolution-alexis-de-tocqueville/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that would become “Democracy in America”. "I remember reading Toni Morrison’s early novels as a kind of bliss. Now, I am afraid to open them in case their brilliance no longer holds, in case I am too restless and ruined to see it anymore." [Eyes that bite](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n01/anne-enright/eyes-that-bite?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Anne Enright. "Like many remarks in Cormac McCarthy’s books, delivered in apparent jest or mock solemnity, the character’s words are part of a larger thematic schema that equates language with the destructive power of fire and the bomb." [Cormac McCarthy's powers](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n01/christian-lorentzen/i-was-there-to-inflict-death?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Review](https://www.zeit.de/kultur/literatur/2022-12/melancolia-erzaehlungen-mircea-cartarescu-melancholie-phantasie-weltschmerz?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of the latest short story collection by Mircea Cărtărescu. The year in: [mathematics](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-biggest-math-breakthroughs-in-2022-20221222/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), [physics](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-biggest-discoveries-in-physics-in-2022-20221222/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), [computer science](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-biggest-discoveries-in-computer-science-in-2022-20221221/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and [biology](https://www.quantamagazine.org/major-biology-discoveries-from-2022-20221221/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Mauritshuis Revisited URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/12/10/mauritshuis-revisited/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T18:52:57.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/mauritshuis-2.jpg) Willem van Haecht, **Apelles Painting Campaspe* (1630) The Mauritshuis is one of my favourite museums. It is located in a former city palace in The Hague and houses many iconic masterpieces from the 16th and 17th century by the likes of Vermeer, Rembrandt, Jan Steen, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Holbein, Paulus Potter, Peter Paul Rubens and many others. To celebrate its 200th anniversary the museum has organised a small exhibition with highlights from the Frick Collection in New York, a good reason to travel to The Hague and visit the museum again. Most visitors come to see Vermeer’s "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and his "View of Delft", according to Marcel Proust the most beautiful painting in the world. "Girl with a Pearl Earring" has been called the Mona Lisa of the north. The way Vermeer has captured her as she looks over her shoulder gives the painting a sense of intimacy. It is as if she looks at you, and only you, from which ever angle you look. The Mauritshuis is also home to Rembrandt’s "Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp" and "[The Goldfinch](https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/artworks/605-the-goldfinch/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1654) by Carel Fabritius, made famous by the best-selling novel by Donna Tartt of the same title. I should read it some time, by the way. I loved *The Secret History*. Unless I go for a specific reason, whenever I visit a museum that I’ve visited before I just let myself be carried away by whatever catches my eye on that particular visit. On this occasion I carefully studied the brush strokes in the paintings by the late Rembrandt. A few weeks ago I visited the amazing exhibition [Les choses. Une histoire de la nature morte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/11/06/les-choses-une-histoire-de-la-nature-morte/) (Things. A History of still life) at the Louvre, so I also took a closer look at some of the vanitas still lifes by [Pieter Claez](https://www.mauritshuis.nl/ontdek-collectie/kunstwerken/943-vanitas-stilleven/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and [Willem Claesz Heda](https://www.mauritshuis.nl/ontdek-collectie/kunstwerken/596-stilleven-met-roemer-en-horloge/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), who are not related but who both worked in Haarlem, which may explain why some of their paintings feature [the same glass](https://www.mauritshuis.nl/ontdek-collectie/kunstwerken/1125-stilleven-met-tazza/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I was also intrigued by "Apelles Painting Campaspe" (1630) by Willem van Haecht, pictured above, which shows a room filled with paintings and statues, all of which are in fact existing works of art, which Van Haecht reproduced for his own painting. The scene itself depicts a story from antiquity. It shows Apelles painting the portrait of Campaspe, the lover of Alexander the Great. Alexander thought the portrait was so beautiful that he took the painting and presented his lover to Apelles as a gift. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/mauritshuis-3.jpg) Jan Steen, **The Life of Man* (1665) Another painting that caught my eye was "The Life of Man" (1665) by Jan Steen. Jan Steen is best known for his drinking scenes. "[The Life of Man](https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/artworks/170-the-life-of-man/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" shows an inn with people drinking, laughing, gambling, playing and eating oysters and fresh fruit. At the top of the painting you can see a half drawn curtain, the compositional element that drew my attention, emphasizing the idea as expressed also by Shakespeare in *As You Like It* (II, vii, 139-143), that “All the world's a stage. And all the men and women merely players.” If you look closely, in the middle, about one-third from the top, next to the bird cage, you can make out a young boy on the inn’s attic, blowing soap bubbles down towards the guests. Elsewhere in the museum you can find a small, exquisite portrait of a [young boy blowing soap bubbles](https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/artworks/l120-a-boy-blowings-bubbles/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1670) by Caspar Netscher, although many visitors may miss it, because it hangs next to a door post. Indeed, what makes the Mauritshuis such a wonderful, intimate museum, are the creaky wooden floor, the silk wall coverings and the small rooms. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/mauritshuis-4.jpg) Carel van der Pluym, **Old Woman with a Bible* (1655-60) As to the highlights from the Frick Collection, they are just that: ten great paintings by Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Vermeer for which you would otherwise have to travel to New York. Rembrandt’s "Self Portrait" from 1658 is pretty awesome, but so is "Old Woman with a Bible" (1655-60) by Carel van der Pluym. Just look at the serene expression on her face. It is worth noting that the fact that she has a bible and reading glasses means that she could read. According to one theory the invention of the printing press and the spread of protestantism were instrumental in the rise of literacy, which meant that ordinary people too could read. The Netherlands were well ahead in this regard, which in turn was one of the driving forces of the Dutch Golden Age. There’s always more to see in paintings from the 15th, 16th and 17th century than meets the eye. **Manhattan Masters. Rembrandt and Friends from the Frick NYC** is at the Mauritshuis, Den Haag until 15 January 2023. ### Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/12/03/depot-boijmans-van-beuningen/ Last updated: 2023-01-02T20:22:12.000Z ![Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boijmans-depot-2.jpg) I finally had a chance to visit the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. It is a spectacular building and I love the concept and the design. I had been wanting to visit since before the opening, about a year ago, but because of corona and because you have to book a timeslot in advance, I hadn't come around to doing so. I now plan to go back on a weekday and to start on the top floor to avoid the crowds, because yes, it does get busy, despite the limited numbers of visitors that are allowed inside at each timeslot. Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is billed as the first art storage facility in the world that offers access to a museum’s complete collection. This is not quite true. The amazing Schaulager in Basel, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, is also an art storage facility open to the public, albeit by appointment only. It is also slightly disingenuous. For while you can wander around the building, you cannot actually enter most of the storage compartments and say, browse the painting collection. You can switch on a light to peek inside some of the storage compartments and thus see how the paintings are stored. I should add that I wouldn't know why anyone would actually want to see the entire collection. With more than 150,000 objects that would take days, if not weeks. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boijmans-depot-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boijmans-depot-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boijmans-depot-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boijmans-depot-7.jpg) The depot is not just a storehouse, it is also a place where you can see people in white coats restoring a sculpture or studying a painting under a microscope. It is interesting to thus get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes and to learn a little bit about what those people are doing. I can imagine that it must have taken some time for the conservators to get used to working behind glass walls. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boijmans-depot-14.jpg) Some rooms are reserved for temporary exhibitions where curators can experiment with new exhibition concepts and where large installations or video works are put on show. Since the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum itself is closed for renovation highlights from the collection, which includes major works by Rembrandt, Bruegel, Van Gogh, Magritte and Dali among others, are currently on show in the Depot. Instead of being hung on the wall, the paintings are displayed on free-standing glass easels, a presentation device conceived by the Italian-Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi (1914 - 1992). Accordingly you can walk around the painting and see both the front and the back. The back of a painting not only shows how the painting was made, it also reveals information about the painting's provenance and exhibition history in the form of stamps, stickers, labels and seals. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boijmans-depot-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boijmans-depot-9.jpg) The back of a painting by Mondriaan (shown on the right side of the photo on the left) Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen was designed by Dutch architects MVRDV. The outside is entirely covered with mirrored panels reflecting the surrounding buildings. On a sunny day this should make for excellent photo opportunities (when I was there it was cold and grey and from time to time drizzling with rain). The heart of the building is a five storey atrium with transparent elevator shafts and a maze of stairs. Walking through the building is tremendous fun with paintings, sculptures, fashion and furniture wherever you look. Just don't expect to learn anything about any of the objects on display, for that you would (probably) need to consult an app. There are no signs indicating artist, title and year. This is not a museum. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boijmans-depot-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boijmans-depot-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boijmans-depot-13.jpg) In the meantime various other museums around the world have jumped on the bandwagon and are opening up their archives to the public. London's Victoria & Albert Museum is building an accessible [storehouse](https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/va-east?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) designed by architects Diller Scofidio & Renfro. Beware that [Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen](https://www.boijmans.nl/en/depot?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is extremely popular, and for good reasons, and that [tickets](https://www.boijmans.nl/en/tickets?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) need to be booked in advance. It is possible to join a tour and learn more about the building and the collection. ![Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boijmans-depot-10.jpg) ### Tim Walker: Wonderful Things URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/12/02/tim-walker-wonderful-things/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T18:47:59.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/tim-walker-exhibition-2.jpg) A photo of some photos by Tim Walker British fashion photographer [Tim Walker](https://www.timwalkerphotography.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is best known for his whimsical, fairytale images and his elaborate set designs, which have made him one of today’s most sought after photographers. I’ve long been a fan of his work. If you can get hold of it, I recommend getting a copy of "Shoot for the Moon", which is an amazing book. The exhibition "[Tim Walker: Wonderful Things](https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/tim-walker?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" was organized by London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, which invited Walker to create a series of photographs inspired by its archive. Walker himself describes each photo shoot as a love letter to an object from the V&A collection. Over a period of three years Walker spent many hours of research inside the museum while meeting with curators and conservators. In the process he discovered many wonderful things: costumes, jewelry, 19th century erotic drawings, a lacquered snuffbox, a 16th century Indian miniature painting and an embroidered casket dating back to 1675, among other (wonderful) things. The exhibition, which was designed by Walker’s long-term collaborator Shona Heath, takes the visitor on a journey through Walker’s enchanted world. The opening section serves as a retrospective of Walker’s work to date, showcasing 100 or so photographs from a range of projects, loosely separated into thematic groupings. One grouping centers around some of Walker’s muses, including Tilda Swinton. Shown also are some of the magazines in which the photographs were originally published. At the heart of the exhibition are the photographic projects that were inspired by items in the V&A’s extensive collection. Each project is presented in a dedicated room with a distinct atmosphere, thus creating a more immersive experience, and includes the objects that served as inspiration for the project. One dimly lit room, evoking a darkened church cloister, shows an early 16th century stained-glass panel alongside the photographs it inspired. Another room shows the photographs against the wooden boxes in which artworks are typically stored and transported. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/tim-walker-exhibition-3.jpg) I greatly enjoyed "Wonderful Things", because it offers a peek inside the workings of a creative mind. I particularly loved the photos inspired by the drawings by Aubrey Beardsley and the “Handle with care” photo shoot. If you can’t make it to the exhibition, the accompanying catalogue includes all photos and is a beautiful book in its own right. **Tim Walker: Wonderful Things** is at the Kunsthal, Rotterdam until 29 January 2023. ### Les Choses. Une Histoire de la Nature Morte URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/11/06/les-choses-une-histoire-de-la-nature-morte/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T18:17:44.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/les-choses-gijsbrechts.jpg) Franciscus Gijsbrechts, **Vanitas* (1670) The exhibition "Les Choses. Une Histoire de la Nature Morte" (Things. A History of the Still Life) at the Louvre is a monumental and magnificent survey of the way artists have represented things from antiquity to the present day. It includes mosaics from ancient Rome and excerpts from movies by Jacques Tati and Michelangelo Antonioni and much, much more, with works by artists ranging from Chardin, Courbet and Cézanne to Duchamp, Broodthaers and Arman. The exhibition is also more than a history of the still life. It aims to show that the many ways in which artists have represented things, from sacred things to the most common things, reveal the ways of thinking, the desires, preoccupations and obsessions of those who depicted them and of the society to which they belonged. Since the Louvre itself regularly loans artworks from its extensive collection to other museums it is able to loan artworks in return. In total Les Choses includes loans from some 70 other institutions. And so it is that you can see Matisse’s "[Still Life after Jan Davidsz. de Heem's 'La Desserte](https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79872?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)'" (1915) from New York’s MoMA next to the original painting by Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1640) from the Louvre’s own collection. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/les-choses-heem.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/les-choses-matisse.jpg) Jan Davidsz. de Heem (left) and Henri Matisse (right) There are many more gems, such as "[La Table de cuisine](https://www.musee-orsay.fr/fr/oeuvres/la-table-de-cuisine-1313?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1888-90) by Paul Cézanne, "Nature mort aux oranges" (1912) by Henri Matisse and a fascinating painting by Jacques Linard, "[Les Cinq Sens et les Quatre Éléments](https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010061647?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1627), which combines the formal elements of the breakfast piece, the vanitas and the flower still life. I was also unaware that Manet’s "[Bundle of Asparagus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%5FBundle%5Fof%5FAsparagus?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1880), on loan from the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, is almost a copy of "[Still Life with Asparagus](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio/artists/adriaen-coorte/objects?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com#/SK-A-2099,0)" (1697) by Adriaen Coorte, on loan from the Rijksmuseum. The exhibition also includes some great examples of trompe l’oeil paintings that were popular during the 17th and 18th century. The main trajectory is chronological, but the exhibition plays with juxtapositions, contrasts and similarities between artists, artworks and across time. I also loved the juxtaposition of two paintings by Arcimboldo with a photo by Joel Peter Witkin and Jan Svankmajer’s animated classic *Dimensions of Dialogue* (1982). In a similar vein one room juxtaposes Rembrandt’s famous painting of a [slaughtered ox](https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010065605?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1655) with Francisco de Zurbarán’s equally famous "[Agnus Dei](https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/agnus-dei/795b841a-ec81-4d10-bd8b-0c7a870e327b?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1635-40), a painting of a dead lamb, with a photo by Andres Serrano of a slaughtered cow’s head on a pedestal. What is distinctively contemporary about the work by Serrano is the eye of the dead cow which looks straight at the viewer. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/les-choses-boilly.jpg) Louis Léopold Boilly, **Trompe-l'oeil aux pièces de monnaie, sur le plateau d'un guéridon* (1808-14) Another room explores the vanitas paintings, exemplified by two amazing paintings by Franciscus Gijsbrechts and Sébastien Bonnecroy, which remind the viewer of his/her own finitude and the vanity of worldly pleasures through the display of a skull, musical instruments, books, wine and other objects. Also show in this section is a still life of a fruit bowl by Balthasar van der Ast, which is juxtaposed with a video by Sam Taylor-Wood ("Still Life", 2001) that shows the speeded-up decay of a plate of fruit. There is much to enjoy and to discover at Les Choses. In the late 18th and early 19th century various artists combined the tradition of the landscape painting and the still life, by putting a still life in the foreground with a landscape in the background, resulting in the somewhat odd "[Still Life with Watermelons and Apples in a Landscape](https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/still-life-with-watermelons-and-apples-in-a/d3fb5468-40c6-42fd-965b-85c418f295ef?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1771) by Luis Egidio Meléndez and the almost surrealist "[Nature morte au homard](https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010064043?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1827) by Eugène Delacroix. In a memento mori and vanitas painting every object is endowed with meaning. With the advent of modernism artists took to painting the thing as just another thing. This can be seen in Manet’s paintings of an asparagus and a lemon and in the work of contemporary artists who invite the viewer to just look at a thing as the thing that it is. This modernist view finds its literary equivalent in the work of Alberto Caeiro/Fernando Pessoa, quoted on one of the walls, “Things have no meaning: they exist” ([*The Keeper of Sheep XXXIX*](https://www.poetryinternational.com/en/poets-poems/poems/poem/103-7056%5FTHE-KEEPER-OF-SHEEP-XXXIX?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)). For as he writes in *The Keeper of Sheep XXIV*: “The main thing is knowing how to see, To know how to see without thinking, To know how to see when you see, And not think when you see Or see when you think.” "Les Choses. Une Histoire de la Nature Morte" is a vast and exhilarating exhibition. It is an invitation to look anew at artistic representations of things and at things themselves. My only criticism is that it is almost too big: the artworks are hung quite close together and the rooms are too small for the number of visitors. I arrived at around 9:30\. By the time I left at around noon it was almost too crowded. So if you’re planning to visit the exhibition go early in the morning or late in the afternoon or evening. Another word of advice: it’s best to book a ticket in advance and arrive well before your scheduled time slot. There are long queues at the entrance for the security check. **Les Choses. Une Histoire de la Nature Morte** is at the Louvre, Paris until 23 January 2023. ### Maya Ruiz-Picasso, Daughter of Pablo URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/11/05/maya-ruiz-picasso-daughter-of-pablo/ Last updated: 2024-02-06T17:35:29.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/musee-picasso-maya-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/musee-picasso-maya-3.jpg) Pablo Picasso, **Maya With Doll* (1938) (left), Pablo Picasso, **Maya With a Doll and a Horse* (1938) (right) On the occasion of the donation of several works by Maya Ruiz-Picasso, in lieu of inheritance tax, the Musée Picasso has organized two exhibitions. One presents the works donated by Maya Ruiz-Picasso among the museum’s permanent collection. The other is dedicated to the relationship between Maya Ruiz-Picasso and her father Pablo. In recent years Picasso has become one of my favourite artists. My bookshelves are adorned with postcard reproductions of his work. Needless to say that I greatly enjoyed both exhibitions. The exhibition "Maya Ruiz-Picasso, daughter of Pablo" includes the portraits Picasso made of his daughter, various personal possessions and photographs, along with the sketchbooks and toys made from studio odds and ends, which Picasso made for his daughter and which are being shown here for the first time. María de la Concepción, nicknamed Maya, was born on September 5, 1935\. She is the first daughter of Pablo Picasso and Marie-Thérèse Walter. It is evident from the paintings that Picasso made during her childhood, fourteen in total, that he adored his daughter. Maya with a doll. Maya with a boat. Maya with a doll horse. Maya with a boat again. These brightly coloured paintings are a joy to behold. Looking at the drawings, paintings and sculptures, some of which were originally intended as toys for Maya to play with, I was once again struck by what an incredibly gifted artist Picasso was. The exhibition also includes the sketchbooks and colouring books that Picasso created for his daughter when she was aged between five and seven. One page shows shows a drawing of a bowl by Picasso next to a drawing by his daughter. Another shows a clown and a princess, which were presumably coloured in by Maya. Given Picasso’s interest in the theme of childhood the sketchbooks raise an interesting question: Who learned from who? If you can’t make it to the exhibition, it comes with a large, lusciously illustrated catalogue as well as a smaller catalogue. **Maya Ruiz-Picasso, daughter of Pablo** is at the Musée Picasso, Paris until 31 December 2022. ### Links [Picasso and El Greco](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/08/28/picasso-and-el-greco/) at the Kunstmuseum Basel. ### Botanischer Wahnsinn URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/10/30/botanischer-wahnsinn/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T18:13:36.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/botanischer-wahnsinn-3.jpg) herman de vries, eschanauer journal (excerpt) (2002) There is so much art being made these days that the opportunities for thematic exhibitions are near endless. The exhibition "Botanischer Wahnsinn", at the Kröller-Müller Museum presents a selection of works by artists who examine the world of plants in a multiplicity of ways. The exhibition derives its title from a photo of Joseph Beuys in which he can be seen searching, in vain, for a Japanese dwarf rhododendron near Halifax, Canada, where it is said to grow. Throughout his career Beuys showed a keen interest in the world of plants, their symbolism and their medicinal and regenerative properties. In 1982, on the occasion of documenta 7, he famously proposed to plant 7000 oaks throughout the city of Kassel. The exhibition is divided into into five sections: Scientific plants (process and taxonomy), Ethnobotany (plants for human use, mystical plants and witchcraft), Ideological plants (plants in political, postcolonial an ecofeminist debate), Weeds (good and bad plants), Regeneration and ‘green remediation’ (cleaning contaminated soil with the help of plants). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/botanischer-wahnsinn-2.jpg) Two installations by Lili Fischer "Botanischer Wahnsinn" is a fascinating, intellectually demanding exhibition. If only there were more such exhibitions! The curator, Roel Arkesteijn, has brought together an interesting collection of works by artists, most of whom I had never heard of. I liked the installations by Lili Fischer, Candice Lin, Mark Dion and Otobong Nkanga and the plant inventory “eschanauer journal” (2002) by herman de vries. Unfortunately there is no exhibition catalogue, because I would have loved to study the intricate drawings by [Gemma Anderson](https://www.gemma-anderson.co.uk/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in detail. Anderson has developed a comparative, drawing based method of enquiry into the shared forms of animal, mineral and vegetable morphologies. Her work reminded me of the book *On Growth and Form* (1917) by the Scottish biologist and mathematician D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson. **Botanischer Wahnsinn** is at the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, the Netherlands until 30 October 2022. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/10/28/further-reading-87/ Last updated: 2023-01-15T20:09:08.000Z [Ten simple rules](https://t.co/KY3NRniWhb?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) for structuring scientific papers. The mere-exposure effect [fails to replicate](https://t.co/3oYIlZ9E5m?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). It never made much sense to me anyway. Some people really are [mosquito magnets](https://t.co/VDuVBHsdYs?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I’m afraid I’m one of them. At the end of a two-week hiking trip to the Canadian Rockies I counted more than 50 mosquito bites, despite generously spraying myself with Deet. [Interview](https://www.wmagazine.com/life/wolfgang-tillmans-photography-moma-retrospective?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Wolfgang Tillmans on the eve of a new retrospective at MoMA. [L’éloge](https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2022/11/03/a-bruno-latour-ta-pensee-audacieuse-est-devenue-la-pensee-du-temps-present%5F6148386%5F3232.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) de Philippe Descola à Bruno Latour. [Mental illness is not in your head](https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/mental-illness-is-not-in-your-head/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Decades of biological research haven’t improved diagnosis or treatment. We should look to society, not to the brain. Are we the same people at age four that we will be at 24, 44, or 74? Or do we change dramatically through time? [What you're like isn't who you are](https://t.co/YRSR55Eya9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Authors’ names have [‘astonishing’ influence](https://t.co/hUoUNthUtT?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on peer reviewers. I’ve always suspected that well-known authors get published because they’re well-known, no matter what they write. Although popular in social science, in the media and in practice, the concepts of generations and generational differences lack theoretical, methodological and statistical validity. An [obituary](https://psyarxiv.com/nrmka?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (preprint). [Published](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/10596011221098307?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) paper. A [new machine learning algorithm](https://www.quantamagazine.org/ai-algorithm-foresees-chaotic-tipping-points-20220915/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) can predict when a complex system is about to switch to a wildly different mode of behavior. Animals may have begun to [vocalize](https://www.science.org/content/article/animals-may-have-begun-vocalize-anyone-had-ears-hear-them?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) before anyone had ears to hear them. The key to understanding the origin and fate of the universe may be [a more complete understanding of the vacuum](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-the-physics-of-nothing-underlies-everything-20220809/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The Storykeeper: [A conversation with Svetlana Alexievich](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-storykeeper-a-conversation-with-svetlana-alexievich/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The Disunited States](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/09/22/these-disunited-states-steven-simon-jonathan-stevenson/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I still find it disconcerting and bizarre that the prospect of political violence and even civil war in the US is now seriously discussed. Who would have thought. Using single-cell transcriptomics, four new studies in Science reveal [evolutionary innovations](https://t.co/vOxHG9qHJh?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in reptile and amphibian brains. A history of [the modernist villain’s lair](https://t.co/d5erUCUGyX?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Why do movie villains always live in houses built by modernist masters? The discovery of a hot spot for [horizontal gene transfer](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-genes-can-leap-from-snakes-to-frogs-20221027/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) draws attention to the possible roles of parasites and ecology in such changes. The immortal [awfulness](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/opinion/open-plan-office-awful.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of open plan workplaces. The [six stages](https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/the-six-stages-of-having-too-many-books?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of having too many books. The horizontal squeeze and the secret double shelf look familiar. ### Hockney’s Eye at the Teylers Museum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/10/16/hockneys-eye/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T18:12:37.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/hockneys-eye-1.jpg) Hockney's Eye, exhibition view David Hockney is one of today’s most celebrated artists. In 2018 one of his paintings from the 1970s sold for USD 90 mln making it one of the most expensive artworks by a living artist. David Hockney also has some refreshing, idiosyncratic ideas about art and art history. One of his most contentious ideas is that for centuries artists used optical instruments to translate three-dimensional scenes onto a flat surface. Hockney first exposed these ideas in *Secret Knowledge* (2001), which I instantly bought the moment it came out. As the curators write, the objective of "Hockney’s Eye" is not to prove or falsify Hockney’s thesis but to look at art that was almost certainly accomplished with the aid of optical devices and to examine Hockney’s own creative experiments with such devices. The exhibition now at the Teyler’s Museum was organized in collaboration with The Fitzwilliam Museum and The Heong Gallery, Downing College in Cambridge. The Teylers Museum in Haarlem has slightly adapted the original exhibition including some works from its own collection. The Teylers Museum is the oldest museum in The Netherlands and has a fascinating collection of scientific instruments, fossils and minerals, enhanced by artworks from the 17th century to the present day. Interestingly, the exhibition includes a [painting](https://www.teylersmuseum.nl/en/collection/art/ks-010-de-binnenplaats-van-teylers-fundatiehuis-haarlem?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of the museum’s courtyard by Wybrand Hendriks (1744-1831), which was presumably painted with the aid of a camera obscura. An actual camera obscura has been installed in a room looking out on the courtyard so that visitors can see for themselves what the artist may have seen. The exhibition doubles as a small-scale David Hockney retrospective. Some of Hockney’s recent iPad paintings are hung on monitors among the museum’s painting collection, which works surprisingly well. I was underwhelmed by the [David Hockney career retrospective](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/04/03/david-hockney-retrospective-tate-britain/) at Tate Britain in 2017\. I like his early work and I love his photo collages, but his later work doesn’t really appeal to me. At "Hockney’s Eye" these two poles are illustrated by a fascinating photo collage of the Grand Canyon, which hangs opposite a brightly coloured painting of the same and which I find pretty awful. This is more than made up for by two other photo collages. According to Hockney photography will never replace painting, “because it is not real enough”, whereby “real” does not refer to an accurate correspondence between picture and pictured, but to the expression of the painter’s experiential process. I believe most professional photographers will agree, because there’s a difference between pressing the shutter and capturing a landscape or a portrait. The portraits and self-portraits by David Hockney included in the exhibition reveal his mastery in this respect whether using pencil, coloured pencil, acrylic or charcoal on canvas or the drawing tool of an iPad. "Hockney’s Eye" is a small, but wonderful exhibition. The richly illustrated catalogue contains some scholarly essays and a wealth of additional material. **Hockney’s Eye** is at the Teylers Museum, Haarlem until 29 January 2023\. Tickets must be booked in advance. ### Highlights from the Spring 2023 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/10/14/highlights-from-the-spring-2023-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2023-01-30T17:58:11.000Z Every season I like to browse the [ready-to-wear collections](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2023-ready-to-wear?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). These are some of the creations that I found interesting or inspiring. As always wearability is not my chief concern, although I do look out for creations that could make a costume in a dance performance. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/junya-watanabe-spring-2023-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/junya-watanabe-spring-2023-2.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/junya-watanabe-spring-2023-3.jpeg) Junya Watanabe ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/comme-des-garcons-spring-2023-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/comme-des-garcons-spring-2023-3.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/Noir-Kei-Ninomiya-spring-2023-2.jpeg) Comme des Garçons (left and middle), Noir Kei Ninomiya (right) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/louis-vuitton-spring-2023-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/rick-owens-spring-2023-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/rick-owens-spring-2023-2.jpeg) Louis Vuitton (left), Rick Owens (middle and right) ### Anne Imhof: Youth URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/10/09/anne-imhof-youth/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T18:08:08.000Z ![Anne Imhof: Youth](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/anne-imhof-youth-2.jpg) Anne Imhof: Youth I loved "[Natures Mortes](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/24/anne-imhof-natures-mortes/)", last year’s exhibition and performance by Anne Imhof at the Palais de Tokyo. I was a bit skeptical when I read that the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam had also given Anne Imhof carte blanche. Of course, I don’t know when the Stedelijk Museum invited Anne Imhof, but I had the nagging feeling that they wanted to capitalize on the success of "Natures Mortes". Even so, I had been looking forward to the exhibition. The result is disappointing, to say the least. The main exhibition space is filled with stacks of tires, grey plastic stacking containers, water tanks, the graffiti covered panels that also featured in "Natures Mortes" and some leftover walls from Stedelijk Museum Base. As in "Natures Mortes" there’s a motorcycle and a mattress with an electric guitar on top and some soda cans. The other space is lined with lockers, which also featured in one room in "Natures Mortes", and which according to the room text, is supposed to “address the possibility of development or change, and thus the malleability of identity”. This section also includes two video works. One shows a topless woman in jeans walking through the snow at an abandoned industrial site. The other video shows the same topless woman again in jeans on a horse. And that is basically it. Anne Imhof had more than a year to prepare for the show and what I assume a generous budget to do pretty much whatever she liked. If this is the best that she can come up with that is pretty sad. To me it looks like she and her team were completely lost for ideas. But perhaps this is just her seeing what she can get away with. For "Natures Mortes" Anne Imhof had selected a number of artworks by other artists, which made for an excellent group show. The real star of "Natures Mortes" was the Palais de Tokyo itself. The installation by Anne Imhof and the artworks blended perfectly with the architecture. The basement of the Stedelijk Museum is just a large sterile white space with no natural light and no character. There is nothing to build or draw on. Anything is possible, but you have to exercise your imagination. Filling the entire space might have seemed like an interesting idea on paper and might have looked good in the computer renderings, but it doesn’t work in practice. That in itself is OK. It’s in the nature of art. You try something and sometimes it doesn’t work, no matter how much you tinker with it. You discard it and move on. In the case of a drawing or a painting that is easy, but in the case of a large scale installation it is admittedly a bit more difficult and takes more courage. Rein Wolfs, director of the Stedelijk Museum, [called](https://news.artnet.com/art-world/anne-imhof-youth-amsterdam-2184294?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) the installation an “extremely important development” for Imhof. This is art world speak for “this is not what we expected and we’re very disappointed”. I know full well that when you create a work of art at some point you have to put it out into the open and let the world decide. Some people may like it others don’t. That’s just the way it is. I still have fond memories of [Natures Mortes](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/24/anne-imhof-natures-mortes/). Youth shows once again that reversion to the mean also applies to art. **Anne Imhof: Youth** is at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam until 29 January 2023. ### Golden Boy Gustav Klimt. Inspired by Van Gogh, Rodin, Matisse URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/10/09/golden-boy-gustav-klimt-inspired-by-van-gogh-rodin-matisse/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T18:03:33.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/klimt-van-gogh-1.jpg) Gustav Klimt, **Avenue to Schloss Kammer* (1912) (left), Vincent van Gogh, **The Pink Orchard* (1888) (right) I only visited the exhibition "Golden Boy Gustav Klimt. Inspired by Van Gogh, Rodin, Matisse…" because it serves as a retrospective of Klimt’s work and includes several of his iconic paintings such as "[Judith](https://sammlung.belvedere.at/objects/3492/judith?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1901) and the rarely exhibited "[Water Serpents II](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/klimt-s-drawings-for-and-in-connection-with-water-serpents-ii/fAKixyNa8NBFLg?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1904/06-07). I left with a renewed appreciation of his work. I used to associate Gustav Klimt with his gold painted portraits of half-naked women, of which I’m not a big fan. As it turns out he only painted these during part of his career. And guess what, upon closer look I actually quite like them. I also assumed that the organizers of the exhibition only included Van Gogh because the exhibition is jointly organized by the Van Gogh Museum and the Belvedere Museum. Wrong again. Seen side by side the inspiration is obvious, as in the above two paintings. I should add that, like most artists, including [Van Gogh](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671727/van-gogh-and-the-artists-he-loved-by-steven-naifeh/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), Klimt carefully looked at the work of his predecessors and contemporaries. I was particularly surprised to see the influence of Jan Toorop. I know his work, but I’d never realized his swirly paintings had much of a following. Some of Klimt’s paintings are formally or compositionally quite interesting. The flowers in "Italian Garden Landscape" (1913) seem to emanate from the house in the top right corner flowing into and almost covering the entire left half of the painting. The left half of "Will-o’-the-Wisp" (1903) is almost abstract, while the face in the bottom right corner is cut off by the frame. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/klimt-bride-detail-1.jpg) Gustav Klimt, **The Bride* (1918) (detail) Unfortunately, the work that I liked best was the unfinished "[The Bride](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/klimt-s-study-for-the-painting-the-bride/EAJyK6IQ0mjPJQ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1918), which was on the easel in Klimt’s studio when he suddenly died. It is of course regrettable that Klimt was unable to finish it, but on the other hand it gives an unparalleled insight in his way of working. The exhibition includes some fine works by Vincent van Gogh, Kees van Dongen, Henri Matisse, Edouard Manet, Rodin and other artists that inspired Klimt making it an unmissable exhibition. **Golden Boy Gustav Klimt. Inspired by Van Gogh, Rodin, Matisse…** is at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam until 8 January 2023 and at the Belvedere Museum, Vienna from 3 February to 29 May 2023. ### Schönbielhütte URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schonbielhutte/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:50:31.000Z The trail to the Schönbiel Hut offers breathtaking views of the north face of the Matterhorn, the Dent d’Hérens, the Zmutt and the Stockji glacier and more. It’s a relatively straightforward, non-technical hike, but if you start in [Zermatt](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/zermatt/) it does climb more than 1,000 meter so keep that in mind if you're thinking of doing the hike. You can also take a cable car to Schwarzsee and from there descend to the moraine of the Zmutt glacier where you can catch up with the trail. Since I’d already been to Schwarzsee twice I took the standard route via Zmutt. There are two nice restaurants in Zmutt, but beware, they only take cash. The trail beyond Zmutt passes through a small but beautiful forest. I especially loved the smell of the larches. They also make for nice pictures. The trail ascends the crest of an old lateral moraine before making its final climb to the Schönbielhütte, perched at 2694 meters on a ridge above the Zmuttgletscher. The trail continues for two hundred meter or so beyond the hut from where you have amazing views of the Dent d’Hérens, the north face of the Matterhorn and the Stockjigletscher. It was super windy at the edge of the abyss that separates the two mountain ridges and I had trouble staying on my feet. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-3.jpg) From here you can already see the Schönbiel hut in the distance, but it's still a long and strenuous walk ![Schönbielhütte hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-4.jpg) As you climb higher the views get better and better ![Schönbielhütte hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-6.jpg) Stunning views on the way to the Schönbielhütte on a perfect day in September ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-8.jpg) Still one hour and twenty minutes to the hut and two and a half hours back to Zermatt, which means that it's about three and a half hours from the Schönbiel hut to Zermatt. Something to bear in mind... ![Trail to the Schönbielhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-9.jpg) Hard to believe but I only met five other people on the trail. It was off-season though. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-10.jpg) Close-up of the mountain to the side of the trail ![Trail to the Schönbielhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-11.jpg) In the top right corner you can see the hut. From here it's still a short but strenuous climb. Part of the ridge has collapsed, but never mind, they put a fence around the gap... ![Schönbielhütte hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-12.jpg) Almost there ![Trail to the Schönbielhütte](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-13.jpg) Looking back to the Schönbiel hut ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-14.jpg) ...and looking forward... ![Schönbielhütte hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-15.jpg) The Schönbiel hut offers amazing views of the north face of the Matterhorn ![Schönbielhütte hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-16.jpg) But at the end of the trail the views get even more spectacular ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-17.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-18.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-19.jpg) Matterhorn north face (left), Dent d'Hérens north face (middle) and Wandfluehorn (right) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-21.jpg) I can only begin to imagine what this must have looked like 50 or 100 years ago when the glaciers reached the foot of the mountain. ![Matterhorn from a different angle](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-22.jpg) Yes, this is the Matterhorn, but from a different angle ![Schönbielhütte hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-23.jpg) On the way back. Amazing views all the way to the Gornergrat and beyond. To the right you can see what remains of the glacier. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-24.jpg) ![Schönbielhütte hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-7.jpg) ![Schönbielhütte hike](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-5.jpg) The view from the moraine of the Zmutt glacier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/08/schonbielhutte-25.jpg) Some farm houses near Zmutt ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), the hike to [Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/), the hike from [Schynige Platte via the Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the hike to the [Plans de Bertol](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/plans-de-bertol/), the hike to the [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna da Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/), the [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/) and the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the spectacular [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Glacier Trail Saas-Fee URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-saas-fee/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:51:14.000Z In 2014 I hiked the [glacier trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/) from Fellskin via the Britannia Hut, the Allalin glacier and the Hohlaub glacier to Mattmark. It went straight into the top 10 of the best day hikes I’ve done and remains there to this day. I was eager to do the hike again to see how the glaciers have changed in the intervening years. The weather forecast was excellent so I travelled to Saas-Fee for the weekend. Unfortunately, the section across the Chessjen glacier between Fellskin and Egginerjoch was closed due to a rockslide. (Note: in the meantime the original route has re-opened and there's now also an alternative route). As I’d been thinking of doing the hike counterclockwise anyway I decided to start in Mattmark. However, because I didn’t know what to expect on the way down I didn’t go all the way to the Britannia hut, but took the same way back after crossing the Allalin glacier. In 2025 I did the entire hike again, but I was a bit unlucky with the weather so my photos didn't come out as I had hoped. But that's just the way it is when hiking in the mountains. The weather can change quickly and even if the weather forecast is good it may turn out to be not as good as you'd expected. Of course, the reverse can also happen. ![Glacier Trail Saas-Fee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-1.jpg) The amazing view from Schwarzbergchopf at an elevation of 2868m. In the distance to the right the Britannia hut. ![View along the Glacier Trail Saas-Fee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-2.jpg) View along the Glacier Trail Saas-Fee ![Allalin glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-3.jpg) The Alallin glacier as seen from Schwarzbergchopf ![Glacier Trail Saas-Fee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-4.jpg) To the right near the edge of the image the Britannia hut ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-6.jpg) First steps on the glacier ![On the Allalin glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-7.jpg) On the Allalin glacier It's possible to do the hike without crampons, but you do need good hiking shoes. This was the first test for my new Mammut Taiss Light Mid GTX. I love them. ![Allalingletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-8.jpg) The Allalingletscher ![Glacier Trail Saas-Fee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-9.jpg) Not a single cloud and neither too cold nor too warm. A perfect day for a mountain hike. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-11.jpg) A sinkhole that sounded pretty deep (left). I didn't dare go any nearer. And rocks on the glacier (right) ![Allalingletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-12.jpg) The Allalingletscher ![Allalingletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-13.jpg) The Allalingletscher ![Allalingletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-14.jpg) I was hiking on my own so I didn't want to deviate from the trail ![Glacier Trail Saas-Fee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-15.jpg) ![Glacier Trail Saas-Fee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-16.jpg) Amazing views along the Glacier Trail Saas-Fee Because I can't get enough of these views myself. And because I cannot choose which photo is best. ![Close-up of the Allalingletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-17.jpg) Close-up of the crevasses on the Allalin glacier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/glacier-trail-saas-fee-20.jpg) A reminder how long it takes to either the Britannia Hut and the gondola station or the bus stop ![Schwarzberggletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-18.jpg) A side trail leads to the foot of the Schwarzberggletscher seen here in the distance. Maybe next time. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/10/glacier-trail-saas-fee-19.jpg) According to a sign it's about 45 minutes from here to the foot of the Schwarzberg glacier. However, I didn't want to risk missing the last buss from Mattmark to Saas-Grund. ### Related Posts **More Swiss Alps awesomeness!** The hike to the amazing [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), the hike to [Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/), the hike from [Schynige Platte via the Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the hike to the [Schönbielhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schonbielhutte/),[ the hike to the ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/plans-de-bertol/)[Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna da Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/), the [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/) and the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/). **More glaciers!** The awesome [Gornergletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher-revisited/), [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/), [Svellnossbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) and [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) in Norway, [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) in Iceland, the [Glacier du Tour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/), the [Russell Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/) in Greenland and the mighty [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/), also in Greenland. ### Gornergletscher Revisited URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher-revisited/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:51:43.000Z I [first](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher/) visited the Gorner Glacier (German: Gornergletscher) in 2014\. A year later I booked a guided tour to the Monte Rosa hut across the Gornergletscher, or rather, the Grenzgletscher, which is currently the main tributary of the Gornergletscher. In 2019 a new route to the Monte Rosa hut was opened, the Panorama Trail, which crosses the upper Gorner Glacier proper. If you start early it is possible to hike to the Monte Rosa hut and back in one day. As I was on my own and didn't want to risk being the last person to walk down, I decided to take my time and just have some fun taking photos on the glacier, which, of course, is one of my main reasons for doing the hike in the first place. ![Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-21.jpg) The Gornergletscher remains an amazing sight. Technically the upper part is the Grenzgletscher. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-22.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-23.jpg) The former tributaries Schwärzegletscher (left) and Unterer Theodulgletscher (right) are now disconnected from the Gornergletscher ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-24.jpg) ![The upper Gorner glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-25.jpg) The upper Gornergletscher ![Upper Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-26.jpg) The upper Gornergletscher. It gets bigger and bigger the closer you get ![Panoramaweg Monte Rosa Hut](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-27.jpg) On the glacier! Just follow the signposts ![Panoramaweg Monte Rosa Hut](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-28.jpg) ![Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-29.jpg) ![Panoramaweg Monte Rosa Hut across the Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-30.jpg) Just follow the poles... ![The Monte Rosa as seen from the Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-32.jpg) The Monte Rosa as seen from the Gornergletscher ![The Monte Rosa as seen from the Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-31.jpg) The Monte Rosa as seen from the Gornergletscher ![Panoramaweg Monte Rosa Hut across the Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-33.jpg) This is where I turned back because I was hiking solo. Safety first! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-34.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-35.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-36.jpg) ![Panoramaweg Monte Rosa Hut across the Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-37.jpg) The Panoramaweg Monte Rosa Hut across the Gornergletscher ![Crevasse in the Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-38.jpg) It's difficult to get a sense of scale. I guess this crevasse was about 10 meters deep. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-40.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-42.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-43.jpg) Whenever I look at my glacier photos I want to go on another glacier hike ![Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-41.jpg) ![The Monte Rosa as seen from the Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-44.jpg) The Monte Rosa as seen from the Gornergletscher ![Panoramaweg Monte Rosa Hut](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-45.jpg) One of the advantages of being tall is that I can take a big step where other people have to jump. ![The Monte Rosa as seen from the Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-46.jpg) As the photos attest I had a great time on the Gornergletscher ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-48.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-49.jpg) It was fascinating to see clouds form and dissolve ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/gornergletscher-47.jpg) One more parting shot ### Related Posts **More glaciers!** [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/) in Switzerland, [Glacier Trail Saas-Fee](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-saas-fee/) in Switzerland, [Russell Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/) in Greenland, [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/) in Greenland, [Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) in Norway, [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) in Norway, [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) in Iceland, [Glacier du Tour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/) in France and the [Vallée Blanche](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vallee-blanche/) in France. ### Picasso and El Greco at the Kunstmuseum Basel URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/08/28/picasso-and-el-greco/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T18:00:46.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/11/picasso-el-greco-1.jpg) El Greco, **Portrait of a Man* (ca. 1600/10) (left) and Picasso, **Bust of a Man* (1970) (right) Of all possible exhibitions in conjunction with Picasso the meeting with El Greco (1541-1614) is not one that springs to my mind. But as the exhibition Picasso and El Greco at the Kunstmuseum Basel shows, Picasso did in fact paint a number of paintings after El Greco. Indeed, in some paintings, such as "Buste d’homme" (Bust of a Man) (1970) the inspiration is unmistakeable, especially when seen side-by-side "Portrait of a Man" (ca. 1600/10) by El Greco. Picasso’s interest in El Greco began at a young age. As an art student he visited the Museo del Prado whenever he was in Madrid. El Greco was one of the painters he copied in his sketches. He even signed one drawing “Yo El Greco” (“I, El Greco”). Picasso was particularly fascinated by El Greco’s portraits “all those gentlemen with pointed beards” he is reported to have said in the mid-1950s. While Picasso’s dialogue with El Greco at the beginning of his career is well-known, the organizers of the exhibition aim to show that a rich array of formal affinities can be traced across all of Picasso’s creative phases. The latter is evident in the musketeers that appear in his late work. But the curators claim that the affinity can also be found in the layout of some of his cubist paintings. This I find less evident. Both "[The Resurrection](https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-resurrection/2267dcd8-2b87-43b7-8104-0fb5070c4b5c?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (ca. 1597-1600) by El Greco, which is hung next to "[Homme a la mandoline](https://www.museepicassoparis.fr/en/node/559?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (Man with a Mandoline) (1911) by Picasso, are narrow paintings, but that to me is where the similarity stops. It is also a matter of debate whether Picasso’s "Homme, femme et enfant" (1906) was inspired by El Greco’s "The Holy Family with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John" (ca. 1600) or by some other, similar painting of the holy family. The exhibition Picasso - El Greco is an invitation to reconsider the work of both artists. I must admit that I never really looked closely at El Greco. I found it striking that a painting such as "The Penitent Magdalene" (ca 1580-85) was painted in the late 16 century. It looks almost modern. **Picasso and El Greco** is at the Kunstmuseum Basel until 25 September 2022\. The [exhibition catalogue](https://www.hatjecantz.de/picasso-el-greco-8194-1.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is published by Hatje Cantz. ### Plans de Bertol URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/plans-de-bertol/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:52:11.000Z The hike to the Plans de Bertol is a relatively short but rewarding hike in the Val d'Hérens. It starts in Arolla at an elevation of about 2,000 meter and ends at a plateau at an elevation of 2,664 meter. I didn't have any crampons with me so I didn't continue all the way up to the Cabane de Bertol. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/mont-collon-1.jpg) Mont Collon looms large over the Arolla valley ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/plans-de-bertol-1.jpg) As you hike towards the Plans de Bertol the views get better and better... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/plans-de-bertol-2.jpg) ...and better... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/plans-de-bertol-3.jpg) ... until at some point the glacier on top comes into view. In the distance the Pigne d'Arolla. The "grey" area in the bottom right corner of the photo clearly shows how far the glacier reached a couple of centuries ago. ![Plans de Bertol](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/plans-de-bertol-4.jpg) Finally, the Plans de Bertol, a nice place for a snack or lunch break ![Plans de Bertol](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/plans-de-bertol-5.jpg) In the top right corner the Cabane de Bertol ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/plans-de-bertol-6.jpg) The descent is along the same path but the views remain stunning ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/plans-de-bertol-7.jpg) ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The spectacular [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the amazing [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), the hike to [Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/), the hike from [Schynige Platte via the Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the hike to the [Schönbielhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schonbielhutte/),[ the hike to the ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/plans-de-bertol/)[Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna da Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/), the [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/) and the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the spectacular [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Grand Balcon Sud URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/grand-balcon-sud/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T22:06:37.000Z The Grand Balcon Sud hike is best done early in the season when the mountains are still covered in snow and when there are fewer tourists. I had skipped the Grand Balcon Sud and the Lac Blanc when I first visited Chamonix, because it is one of the most popular hikes in the region. Of course, it is popular for a reason. That's why, this time around, I decided to do it as a sort of acclimatization hike on my first hiking day. I started in Tré-le-Champ and from there I hiked to La Flégère via Lac Blanc and L'Index. I didn't want to stretch it on my first day so I didn't continue to Lac Cornu even though I could have managed. The route via Tré-le-Champ includes a section with ladders for some added fun. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/grand-balcon-sud-1.jpg) Grand Balcon Sud view towards the North ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/lac-blanc-2.jpg) It would be nice to visit the Lac Blanc early in the season when there's still a bit of ice ![Lac Blanc](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/lac-blanc-1.jpg) On a warm and sunny day in August the Lac Blanc is crowded but it's still a beautiful place ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/grand-balcon-sud-2.jpg) Grand Balcon Sud ![Grand Balcon Sud](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/grand-balcon-sud-3.jpg) The views along the Grand Balcon Sud are indeed magnificent ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/grand-balcon-sud-4.jpg) The stretch between l'Index and Lac Blanc is probably the most interesting section ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/grand-balcon-sud-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/grand-balcon-sud-6.jpg) Another optical illusion: the Chamonix valley is actually between the foreground and the background of the picture ### Related Posts **More Chamonix!** The [Vallée Blanche](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vallee-blanche/) traverse is one of the best hikes I've ever done. The hike to the [Refuge Albert 1er](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/) offers amazing views of the Glacier du Tour. ### Skåla URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T10:33:56.000Z The hike to the top of mount Skåla is one of the ehh.. top hikes in Norway. Skåla lies at an elevation of 1,848 meters above the fjord and the village of Loen in Stryn. The hike is pretty demanding as you ascend 1,800 meters from the trailhead to the top. Although [some people](https://www.skaala.no/results-1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) do it in less than an hour and a half, but they don't carry a large camera. The views on the way up are breathtaking. Along the way there are several waterfalls. It's also interesting to see the vegetation change as you ascend from sea level to above tree level. I knew I would be in for a challenge because of the snow, which started at an elevation of 1,000 meters. I decided to see how far I would get. In the end I made it all the way to the top (and back of course). I stayed at the wonderful Visnes Hotel in Stryn, a historical boutique hotel built in the 19th century with creaking wooden floors and beautifully decorated rooms. The food is great too. ![Trail to the top of Mount Skåla, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-1.jpg) Up until 1,100 meters the hike was pretty straightforward. This is where the fun started. ![Snowy trail to the top of Mount Skåla, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-2.jpg) Snowy trail to the top of Mount Skåla ![Along the way to the top of Mount Skåla, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-3.jpg) Along the way to the top of Mount Skåla, Norway Ascending through deep snow was quite challenging, but the views made it worth it. ![View halfway to the top of Mount Skåla, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-4.jpg) ![Snow field along the way to the top of Mount Skåla, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-5.jpg) Snow field along the way to the top of Mount Skåla I'd originally planned to climb to the top of the saddle which you can see in the distance (the area in the middle of the photo where snow meets blue sky), but after some deliberation I decided to push on... ![View along the trail to the top of Mount Skåla, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-6.jpg) The saddle right in the middle is where I took the previous photo pointing my camera in the direction of what is to the left of this photo. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-7.jpg) Amazing views towards the fjord ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-8.jpg) Some sections of the path were free of snow ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-10.jpg) As you gain elevation the views get better and better ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-11.jpg) The destination is in sight at last ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-12.jpg) More snow on the trail... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-13.jpg) And more amazing views ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-14.jpg) Almost there ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-15.jpg) Made it to the top! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-16.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-17.jpg) Amazing views all around ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-18.jpg) The view of and from the top of Mount Skåla ![Skåla](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-20.jpg) The old DNT hut to the right and the new hut to the left ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/mount-skala-31.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-19.jpg) One more look around and then it's time to descend. Still a long and challenging hike ahead. ![View from the top of Mount Skåla, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-21.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-22.jpg) Some Norwegians skied down on their shoes, others used a plastic bag as a sled, but I found that a bit tricky ![Snow capped mountains as seen from the top of Mount Skåla, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-23.jpg) But... I'm always happy when I see snow! ![The hike to the top of Mount Skåla, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-24.jpg) Some people were still going up while I was making my way down ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-25.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-26.jpg) Looking to the left and to the right from where I took the photo above. The cruise ship is leaving. ![View from near the top of Mount Skåla, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-27.jpg) A short break and photo op before the final descent through the snow ![Snow patch along the way to the top of Mount Skåla](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-28.jpg) Looking back ![Along the way to the top of Mount Skåla, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-29.jpg) With the snow behind me time for a quick snack break. From here it's still 1,000 meters down... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mount-skala-30.jpg) One of two large waterfalls along the way. A waterfall never fails to make my day. ### Related Posts **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/)! [Vesterålen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/)! [Senja](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)! The spectacular [Munkebu Hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/) and the possibly even more spectacular [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/). Amazing [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), [](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[Romsdalseggen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/romsdalseggen/), [Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/), [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). Yet [more Norway](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway-revisited/). ### Romsdalseggen URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/romsdalseggen/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T10:41:13.000Z Romsdalseggen is a spectacular ridge hike that offers amazing views of the mountains, valleys and fjords surrounding Åndalsnes. The 10 km long hike reaches an elevation of 1329 meters above sea level at the highest point. I had originally planned to do this hike in 2016 but due to bad weather conditions I had to abandon my plans. My hotel offered a Romsdalseggen package, which includes a drop off at the starting point of the hike. Every morning from June to September, there are also buses from Åndalsnes to the trail head. On the way from Oslo to Åndalsnes I had noticed that the mountains were still covered in snow, but at my hotel they informed me that the trail was doable and that others had completed the hike as well. ![Start of the Romsdalseggen trail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-1.jpg) The first plateau was still covered in snow. The sign says that it's 8km to go and that I've already covered 2.5km. Hurray! But it's not just about distance... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-2.jpg) I made it to the top of the ridge after climbing several hundred meters through a boulder field. Now let's check out the view... ![View from the Romsdalseggen ridge](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-3.jpg) Stunning view from Romsdalseggen down towards the rugged peaks around Trollveggen ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-4.jpg) The view towards Blånebba. Because of the snow I skipped the hike towards the top ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-5.jpg) The view towards Mjelvafjellet. The hike continues along the ridge. ![The view from Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-6.jpg) A perfect spot for a snack ![View of Blånebba from Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-7.jpg) The view towards Blånebba ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-8.jpg) Great spot to have a profile picture taken ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-9.jpg) The hike continues along the ridge... ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-10.jpg) The ridge requires some scrambling and a couple of difficult sections are secured with chains ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-11.jpg) Almost there... ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-12.jpg) I made it! Looking back to where I came from. ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-13.jpg) The sign in the photo above warns that the path is narrow and the drops steep, which I found quite amusing because it is a bit of an understatement. ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-15.jpg) Looking back towards Blånebba ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-16.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-14.jpg) The view to the left and to the right ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-17.jpg) I thought that from here on it would be plain going... ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-18.jpg) Åndalsnes, the destination, in the distance and another ridge... ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-19.jpg) Looking back... ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-20.jpg) One more ridge to go... ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-21.jpg) This is why it's called a ridge hike ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-22.jpg) Looking back where to I took the previous photo ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-23.jpg) Almost there. Two more snowfields and one more ridge ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-24.jpg) The final ridge ![Romsdalseggen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/romsdalseggen-25.jpg) Looking back on an amazing hike. From here you can walk to the new cable car station or walk down to Åndalsnes, which is what I did. ### Related Posts **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/)! [Vesterålen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/)! [Senja](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)! The spectacular [Munkebu Hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/) and the possibly even more spectacular [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/). Amazing [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), [Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[, ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/), [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). Yet [more Norway](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway-revisited/). ### The Twist URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/the-twist/ Last updated: 2025-12-29T11:41:47.000Z I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't heard of the Kistefos Museum and Sculpture Park until I saw some photos of The Twist art gallery designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), which was completed in 2019\. I instantly added it to my bucket list for my next trip to Norway. It is indeed an amazing work of architecture: part bridge, part art gallery, part sculpture. It is one of those designs that really transforms the surrounding landscape. The Twist has also put the [Kistefos Museum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/07/22/kistefos-museum/) on the map as a must-see cultural destination. I spent nearly five hours exploring the sculpture park, the two art galleries and the former pulp mill. ![The Twist Kistefos Museum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/the-twist-1.jpg) The Twist as seen from "The Island" ![The Twist Kistefos Museum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/the-twist-2.jpg) The iconic view of The Twist The iconic view of The Twist. I was, of course, lucky with the weather. The previous day, as I drove from Solvorn to Jevnaker, it was pouring with rain for much of the day. ![The Twist at the Kistefos Museum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/the-twist-3.jpg) Zooming in on the twist ![The Twist at the Kistefos Museum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/the-twist-4.jpg) The Twist is photogenic from every possible angle. I'd love to visit it again when it's getting dark or when there's snow. ![Inside The Twist at the Kistefos Museum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/the-twist-5.jpg) The Twist from the inside. The design is also functional, connecting two spaces of different size and lighting conditions ![Inside The Twist at the Kistefos Museum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/the-twist-6.jpg) The idea may seem simple but it is impeccably executed ![The Twist at the Kistefos Museum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/the-twist-7.jpg) The Twist at the Kistefos Museum from another angle ![The Twist at the Kistefos Museum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/the-twist-8.jpg) The Twist at the Kistefos Museum from another angle More photos and a brief review of the [Kistefos Museum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/07/22/kistefos-museum/) in the blog. The [Kistefos Museum](https://www.kistefosmuseum.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is located in Jevnaker about an hour's drive from Oslo and Gardermoen Airport. If you're into contemporary art and architecture you should definitely add it to your bucket list. ### Kistefos Museum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/07/22/kistefos-museum/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T10:15:11.000Z ![The Twist at the Kistefos Museum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-1.jpg) When I saw some pictures of [The Twist](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/the-twist/) designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) I instantly added the Kistefos Museum to my bucket list for my next trip to Norway. The Twist has put the Kistefos Museum on the map as one of Norway's premier art museums. The New York Times called it a must see cultural destination. But there is more to the Kistefos Museum than The Twist. It is also a world-class sculpture park and an industrial heritage site. Kistefos was founded by Christen Sveaas in 1996 on the site of the pulp mill built by his grandfather on the Randselva River near Jevnaker in 1889\. Over the years the museum has acquired various sculptures that are scattered around the site. The museum also invited artists to create site specific works. The sculpture park now contains 50 sculptures by contemporary artists such as Tony Cragg, Olafur Eliasson, Anish Kapoor, Marc Quinn, Yayoi Kusama, Ilya Kabakov and Marc Manders. ![The Twist gallery at the Kistefos Museum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-5.jpg) I have never been a big fan of classical sculptures by the likes of Rodin, but I've always loved abstract works by contemporary artists such as Richard Serra, Jean Tinguely, Donald Judd, Andy Goldsworthy and Richard Long. The [Kröller-Müller Museum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/08/kroller-muller-museum/) with its large sculpture garden has long been one of my favourite museums. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-6.jpg) Yayoi Kusama ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-9.jpg) Tony Cragg (left), Ida Ekblad (middle) and Carol Bove (right) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-10.jpg) Mark Manders, Silent Studio One of my favourite artworks was the 50th work to be included in the park, a new site-specific installation by Pierre Huyghe, which opened in June 2022\. It consists of a video, which shows algorithmically generated structures and a number of 3D printed sculptures, one of which I completely overlooked on my first visit. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-11.jpg) Pierre Huyghe, **Variants* (2022) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-13.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-14.jpg) Pierre Huyghe, **Variants* (2022) The installation by Pierre Huyghe is situated in a previously inaccessible area of the park that is also home to a bee colony and several ant colonies. The bee colony is actually in or on some kind of bag. I had never seen anything like this and was totally mesmerized. One of the attendants told me that there used to be two bee colonies, but that one of them flew away. Let's hope this one stays. Of course, where there are bees there's honey, which you can buy at the museum shop. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-15.jpg) Bee colony at Kistefos ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-16.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-17.jpg) Not your typical bee colony. I had never seen anything like this. This section of the sculpture park is quite beautiful in itself. It feels very quiet and secluded. I now wish I'd stayed somewhat longer just to watch and listen. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-18.jpg) Kistefos was once a factory producing wood pulp for the paper industry. I greatly enjoyed visiting the former pulp mill and seeing the vintage machines and tools, some of which had been left to rust. It brought back childhood memories, because a friend of my parents owned an old brick factory, which had been out of use for years. Unfortunately this was before I had my first camera. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-19.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/kistefos-museum-20.jpg) Inside the former pulp mill The Kistefos Museum is an absolute joy to visit. I spent almost five hours exploring the park and the two art galleries and could easily have stayed longer just to linger at the site. Of course it helped that it was sunny and warm the day of my visit. I'd love to visit the sculpture garden again when there's snow. ### Related Posts Some more photos of [The Twist](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/the-twist/). ### Jotunheimen National Park Revisited URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park-revisited/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T10:54:31.000Z I first visited [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/) in July 2013\. The weather was perfect but I had only scheduled one day for hiking, which I used for a guided tour on the amazing [Svellnosbreen glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), and one day for sightseeing along Norwegian Scenic Route Sognefjellet, which runs through Jotunheimen National Park from Lom to Skjolden. In 2016 I had scheduled three days in Jotunheimen but it was raining all days. In 2022 I was more lucky with the weather, but only just about. On my arrival it was sunny and warm, but it was already past noon so I could only manage a short hike. The next day it was mostly cloudy and the day after it was cold and rainy with sleet at higher elevation, so unfortunately my hike to Galdhøppigen was cancelled. As I said in 2016, I'll be back! ![Frozen lake near Sognefjellhytta in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-21.jpg) The lake near Sognefjellhytta was still covered with snow and ice ![Snow capped mountains near Sognefjellhytta in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-22.jpg) In the distance Fannaråki ![Snow capped mountains near Sognefjellhytta in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-23.jpg) The summer ski season was still in full swing and there were a lot of cross country skiers. You can see part of the track at the bottom of the photo. ![Snow capped mountains near Sognefjellhytta in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-24.jpg) Snow capped mountains and a glacier near Sognefjellhytta in Jotunheimen National Park ![Snow capped mountains near Sognefjellhytta in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-25.jpg) Next time I plan to stop at Turtagrø and hike to Fannaråki ![Snow capped mountains near Sognefjellhytta in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-26.jpg) ![Lakes, glaciers and snow capped mountains near Sognefjellhytta in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-27.jpg) Lakes, glaciers and snow capped mountains near Sognefjellhytta in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway On a day like this everywhere you point your camera makes for a great photo. ![Lakes, glaciers and snow capped mountains near Sognefjellhytta in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-28.jpg) ![Snow covered lake and glaciers near Sognefjellhytta in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-29.jpg) Snow covered lake and glaciers near Sognefjellhytta in Jotunheimen National Park ![Cloudy day in Jotunheimen National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-30.jpg) The next day... Typical moody, cloudy Norwegian weather. ![The road to Leirvassbu, Jotunheimen National Park, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-31.jpg) The (toll) road to Leirvassbu in Jotunheimen National Park ![Waterfall in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-32.jpg) A waterfall near Leirvassbu in Jotunheimen National Park ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-33.jpg) The area near Leirvassbu in Jotunheimen National Park on a cloudy day As they say in Norway, "there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing". As long as it's not pouring with rain you can also make nice photos on a rainy day. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-34.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-35.jpg) Lichen covered boulders ![Jotunheimen National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-36.jpg) More rain on its way. Time to head back. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-37.jpg) Actually the combination of snow covered landscapes and rain clouds make for quite dramatic photos ![Near Leirvassbu in Jotunheimen National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/jotunheimen-national-park-38.jpg) ### Related Posts **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/)! [Vesterålen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/)! [Senja](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)! The spectacular [Munkebu Hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/) hike and the possibly even more spectacular hike to [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/). Some photos from my first visit [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), the amazing views from [Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[, the awesome ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) and [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) and [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). Can't get enough? Yet [more Norway](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway-revisited/). ### Norway Revisited URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway-revisited/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T10:57:32.000Z I first visited [Norway](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/) in 2013\. It was love at first sight. Just don't tell California or Utah, which I'm equally in love with. I've added some uncategorized photos from my most recent trip in July 2022 that didn't fit into any of the other galleries. ![Norway](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/norway-31.jpg) This photo was taken along scenic route Gamle Strynefjellsvegen ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/norway-32.jpg) A waterfall alongside scenic route Gamle Strynefjellsvegen ![Gamle Strynefjellsvegen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/norway-33.jpg) This photo was taken along scenic route Gamle Strynefjellsvegen ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/norway-34.jpg) There was still a lot of snow along scenic route Gamle Strynefjellsvegen ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/norway-35.jpg) Just a nice optical illusion in the mountains ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/norway-36.jpg) Boulders are actually full of life ![birch bark](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/bark-10.jpg) The bark of a birch is a landscape in itself ![birch bark](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/08/bark-11.jpg) Another close-up of the bark of a birch. I found some exceptional specimen in Norway. It's almost a painting by Anselm Kiefer. ### Related Posts **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/)! [Vesterålen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/)! [Senja](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)! The spectacular [Munkebu Hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/) hike and the possibly even more spectacular hike to [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/). Some photos from my first visit [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), the amazing views from [Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[, the awesome ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) and [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) and [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). ### Oslo URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oslo/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T11:15:26.000Z I had a great time in Oslo. It's a clean and relaxed city. I only walked around the city centre so the present selection of photos is highly unrepresentative. I spent most of my time at the new [National Museum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/07/16/national-museum-of-norway/), the wonderful [Astrup Fearnley Museum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/07/17/astrup-fearnley-museum/) and the recently opened Munch Museum. I also discovered a lovely bookstore, Tronsmo, and an excellent tea shop. Shortly before leaving I walked into the building opposite my hotel only to discover that the interior is pretty amazing. So if you're in Oslo do visit the new public library next to the Opera House. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/oslo-1.jpg) View from the roof terrace of the National Museum ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/oslo-2.jpg) The roof terrace of the Opera House ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/oslo-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/oslo-5.jpg) The roof terrace of the Opera House ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/oslo-4.jpg) The sky looks dramatic but it was a beautiful day ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/oslo-9.jpg) Looking up inside the public library ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/oslo-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/oslo-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/oslo-7.jpg) View from the top floor of the public library ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/oslo-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/oslo-11.jpg) Oslo's public library is one of those buildings where you want to keep taking photos ### Related Posts **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/)! [Vesterålen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/)! [Senja](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)! The spectacular [Munkebu Hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/) hike and the possibly even more spectacular hike to [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/). Some photos from my first visit [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), the amazing views from [Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[, the awesome ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) and [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) and [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). ### Astrup Fearnley Museum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/07/17/astrup-fearnley-museum/ Last updated: 2022-07-24T11:19:33.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/astrup-fearnley-1.jpg) The Astrup Fearnley Museum is one of the best museums I’ve visited in recent years. I am ashamed to admit that I’d never heard of the museum before, even though it has organized some seminal exhibitions. I bought the catalogue of a Sigmar Polke retrospective from 2001 that must have been one of the most comprehensive overviews of his work. The Astrup Fearnley Collection is a superb collection of contemporary art comprising excellent works by Damien Hirst, Rachel Whiteread, Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Anselm Kiefer, Sigmar Polke, Bruce Nauman, Rachel Harrison, Matthew Barney, Nan Goldin, Shirin Neshat and Takashi Murakami and countless other artists. I’d love to visit the museum again some day to see a different selection of works from the permanent collection. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/mehretu-mumbo-jumbo-1.jpg) Julie Mehretu, Mumbo Jumbo (2008) I was delighted to discover an awesome painting by Julie Mehretu, who has become one of my favorite artists. I love her particular blend of abstract art, which is incredibly rich in detail. The museum, designed by Renzo Piano, is beautifully located on the Oslo fjord. It is divided into two connected buildings, one of which houses the permanent collection, while the other is dedicated to temporary exhibitions. The visitor assistants are not the typical security officers but art students (?) who are happy to talk about the works on display. The Astrup Fearnley Museum is everything the recently opened Pinault Collection at the [Bourse de Commerce](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/24/bourse-de-commerce-pinault-collection/) in Paris is not, but could be if only the curators were to simply show the highlights from the collection enhanced by hidden treasures. ### Munch Museum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/07/16/munch-museum/ Last updated: 2022-07-24T15:17:41.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/munch-museum-1-1.jpg) Variations on a theme Oslo’s 13-storey Munch Museum is the largest museum dedicated to the life and work of a single artist. It’s larger than the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. If all floors would be filled with works by Edvard Munch that would be a lot of Munch. However, one of the floors puts Munch in an international context, showcasing works by a variety of other artists, while another floor is for temporary exhibitions. That still leaves room for the museum’s more than 25,000 works by Munch. Munch often returned to the same theme, creating different versions of the same painting, in order to explore it afresh. By approaching the same motif in different ways he uncovered new sides to it. Sometimes literally. A study for The Day After (1894) is drawn in a different orientation than the painting that can be seen at the National Museum. The Scream also exists in different versions, three of which are on display at the Munch Museum while another version can be viewed at the National Museum. There are also two versions of Munch’s Madonna, one at the Munch Museum and one at the National Museum. For Much there was no right or wrong way to paint a picture, but always new ways. I was quite happy to learn this, because my own choreographies also exist in different versions without there being an original of which the other versions are variations. When taking photographs I also often find that one photo is not better than another, just slightly different. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/munch-museum-2-1.jpg) Edvard Munch, *Despair* (1894) While I was there one floor was occupied by a temporary exhibition featuring works by Munch accompanied by a soundtrack by Norwegian black metal band Satyricon, which worked surprisingly well. The entire composition lasts about 56 minutes. I spent twice 10-15 minutes in the darkened room sitting on a bench while listening to the music and looking at the paintings and drawings. The museum collection is wonderful. I'm not so sure about the museum architecture. The museum’s 13 floors can only be visited by taking the escalators or the elevator, which creates the sense of a large department store. ### National Museum of Norway URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/07/16/national-museum-of-norway/ Last updated: 2022-07-24T13:15:31.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/national-museum-1-1.jpg) A room set in the design section of Norway's National Museum ‌I visited Norway’s new National Museum shortly after the opening in June 2022\. The museum is huge with apparently more exhibition space than the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The austere unimposing architecture vaguely reminded me of Peter Zumthor’s Kolumba Museum in Cologne. The museum combines the collections formerly displayed in five Oslo museums, comprising art, architecture and design. The collection is arranged more or less chronologically. The first floor presents the museum’s collection of design and crafts from antiquity to the present. I loved the rooms with design and crafts from 1900 to the present, which are presented in what I consider the best possible way, by throwing it all together creating a riot of shapes and colors, while also showing trends and innovations. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/national-museum-2-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/07/national-museum-3-1.jpg) Twentieth century design at the National Museum The second floor contains the museum’s extensive collection of visual art from the 16th century to the present. After a storm at sea had brought him to the coast of Norway the Dutch artist Allaert van Everdingen (1621-1675) created some [fantastical Nordic landscapes](https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/samlingen/objekt/NG.M.03234?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) showing dramatic mountains and waterfalls. His paintings were an instant success back home in the Netherlands. Between 1650 and 1675 he returned to Norway, traveling along the coast and making various detours inland. His success did not go unnoticed at the Danish-Norwegian court, which went on to commission local artists to travel the country and depict the landscape. It wasn’t until the advent of romanticism that painters managed to capture the forces of nature in works as sublime as the landscape itself, as in this painting of the [*Labro Falls at Kongsberg*](https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/en/collection/object/NG.M.00039?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1837) by Thomas Fearnley. It was interesting to see paintings of the areas that I have visited and tried to capture in photographs, such as [*Winter by the Sognefjord*](https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/samlingen/objekt/NG.M.03138?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1827) by Johan Christian Dahl. Some of these paintings are also of scientific interest, such as this painting of [*Nigardsbreen*](https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/samlingen/objekt/NG.M.01477?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1847) by Johan Christian Dahl, which shows just how far the glacier has retreated since the middle of the 19th century. One of the National Museum’s main attractions is, of course, the magnificent Munch room, which includes one version of *The Scream* (three other versions are on display at the Munch Museum) as well as several other iconic paintings, such as *The Girls on the Bridge* (1901), *Madonna* (1894), *Puberty* (1894) and *Self-Portrait with Cigarette* (1895). An entire room is dedicated to paintings and illustrations of folk tales and fairy tales, which are actually quite interesting and fun, such as this painting of a [sea monster](https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/samlingen/objekt/NG.M.01984?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1881) by Theodor Kittelsen. I also loved this dark moody [study of decaying wood](https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/samlingen/objekt/NG.M.00289-004?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1851) by August Cappelen, something I myself also like to photograph. Another room is dedicated to the work of the Norwegian architect Sverre Fehn (1924-2009), who designed Norway's wonderful permanent pavilion at the Venice Biennale and the Norwegian pavilion at the 1958 World Fair in Brussels. The museum's top floor, the aptly called Light Hall, is a large single space. For the opening exhibition the curators held an open call which resulted in a diverse collection of works by 147 artists from across Norway, with ages ranging from 22 to 79. The top floor extends to a roof terrace, which offers amazing views of Oslo and the Oslo fjord. ### Germany/1920s/New Objectivity/August Sander URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/29/germany-1920s-new-objectivity-august-sander/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:58:35.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/06/neue-sachlichkeit-1.jpg) Two icons of New Ojectivity: Otto Dix, **Portrait of the Journalist Sylvia von Harden* (1926) (left) and August Sander, **Secretary at the Westdeutsche Rundfunk in Köln* (1931) (right) "Germany/1920s/New Objectivity/August Sander" is the somewhat awkward title of a mammoth exhibition at the Centre Pompidou. Bringing together some 900 works of painting, photography, architecture, design, film, theatre, literature and music, the exhibition is the first panoramic overview of the New Objectivity movement in France. In June 1925, the Kunsthalle Mannheim organized an exhibition "New Objectivity. German painting since Expressionism”, which would come to name an entire art movement, if not an entire epoch. It also marked the end of expressionism, at least in Germany. At the time it was not yet entirely clear what New Objectivity referred to. It may surprise now that painters such as Otto Dix and George Grosz were also included in the Mannheim exhibition and the movement. The exhibition currently at the Centre Pompidou is organised along several themes: standardisation, montages, things, cold persona, utility, rationalisation and transgressions. At the centre of the exhibition lies August Sander's "People of the 20th Century", an ambitious project which Sander worked on all his life. In more than 600 portraits divided into seven sections, such as farmers, workers and artists and 45 portfolios, he tried to create a cross-section of German society. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/06/neue-sachlichkeit-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/06/neue-sachlichkeit-4.jpg) Carl Grossberg, **Schwungrad mit Treibriemen* (1934) (left) and Albert Renger-Patzsch, **Maschinenkopplung* (1925) (middle) and **Nockenwelle einer Dampfmaschine* (1927) (right) In graphic and industrial design the new objectivity aesthetic had a lasting influence in the form of sans serif fonts such as Futura, the Isotype information graphics and standardised furniture. In architecture the best known exponent of the new objectivity is Bauhaus, but the exhibition organisers also included some fine examples from New Frankfurt, including the “[Frankfurt kitchen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt%5Fkitchen?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)” designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky. Judging by the size of the kitchen at the time people on average must have been a lot shorter than today. It was interesting to see that both photographers and painters took an interest in the functional aesthetics of industrial machines, something that continues to fascinate me as well. The exhibition is quite overwhelming in terms of number of exhibits. While I found the exhibition itself interesting, with the exception of some collages, photos and posters, there were very few works that I actually *liked*. The still lifes of ordinary objects I find flat and dull and the portraits of the cold persona are indeed cold. Of course it was the artists' intention not to prettify anything and in that they succeeded. It's just that it's an artistic movement that I have little affinity with. **Germany/1920s/New Objectivity/August Sander** is at the Centre Pompidou, Paris until 5 September 2022. ### Sabrina Ratté: Aurae URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/28/sabrina-ratte-aurae/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:55:28.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/floralia-1.jpg) Snapshot from Floralia by Sabrina Ratté Aurae brings together eleven works by Canadian artist [Sabrina Ratté](http://sabrinaratte.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in large-scale immersive installations, combining videos, sculptures, prints and architecture. In her work Ratté explores the fine line between the physical and the virtual, utopia and dystopia, the architectural and the organic. Her work defies classification. [Some](http://sabrinaratte.com/UNDREAM-2018?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of her works are reminiscent of the covers of 60s and 70s science fiction novels while [others](http://sabrinaratte.com/MACHINE-FOR-LIVING-2018?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) recall the work of Ricardo Bofill. One of the highlights of the exhibition is "Floralia" (2021), presented here on four large screens, which is probably best described as a futuristic ecosystem consisting of a kaleidoscope of computer generated abstract and organic shapes. Each video represents a virtual archive room in some distant future where samples of then extinct plant species are preserved and displayed. Every now and then the archive room is disrupted due to interference caused by the memory emanating from the plants, which reveal traces of a past that continues to haunt the place. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/floralia-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/floralia-3.jpg) Two more snapshots from Floralia Another highlight is "[Distributed Memories](http://sabrinaratte.com/Distributed-Memories-2021?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (2021), a large installation consisting of multiple large and small screens in which the sequence of images and sounds is influenced by the presence of visitors. I had walked into the exhibition out of curiosity and spent much longer inside than I had planned. Indeed I lost track of time and would love to see Floralia and Distributed Memories again, both of which I found mesmerizing. If my brief review doesn't convince you, here's an excerpt from [Floralia III](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgJnAeUzfbU&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and [Floralia II](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5FPCKrZ4YAUc&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). **Sabrina Ratté: Aurae** is at the Gaîté Lyrique, Paris until 10 July 2022. ### Le Théatre des Émotions at the Musée Marmottan Monet URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/28/le-theatre-des-emotions/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:54:33.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/theatre-des-emotions-1.jpg) At the entrance to the exhibition "Le Théatre des Émotions" (The Theatre of the Emotions) at the wonderful Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, the visitor is greeted by two paintings. One shows an otherwise expressionless woman holding a piece of cloth against her eye, suggesting that she is crying (Maître de la Légende de Sainte Madeleine, "Sainte Madeleine en pleurs", ca. 1525). The other shows a woman, her face distorted, her hands like claws, reaching towards the sky (Picasso, "La suppliante", 1937). These two paintings, the one subdued, the other full of expression, separated by four centuries, set the stage for a fascinating journey through art history. "The Theatre of the Emotions" was originally scheduled for Spring 2020, but had to be postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m happy to see that the organizers were able to reschedule the exhibition. Bringing together eighty works from the Middle Ages to the present day the exhibition retraces the history of the representation of the emotions. From pleasure to pain and from suffering to joy the exhibition explores the various ways in which artists have sought to represent the repertoire of human sensibility. As such the exhibition is also a history of the emotions, or the passions as they were once called. The exhibition is divided into various sections, starting in the Middle Ages at a time when faces in portraits seemed expressionless and when an object, such as a flower or a skull, symbolized emotion. It wasn’t until the Renaissance that painters began to represent the psyche, the interiority, of their models, giving way to some of the first masterpieces of portraiture, such as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, a 17th century copy of which is included in the exhibition. Also included is an extraordinary painting by Johannes Moreelse of "Marie-Madeleine repentante" (ca. 1630), which shows a woman with a nude torso, her hands leaning on a skull. To his contemporaries this must have been a meaningful painting, full of symbolism, but when you pause to think about it, it is quite odd. The notion that the experience of emotion is expressed through facial features finds its culmination in the posthumous publication of Charles Le Brun’s "Méthode pour apprendre à dessiner les passions" (Method for learning to draw the passions) (1698). It was hugely popular at the time, translated into multiple languages and reprinted several times. Others would extend Le Brun’s ideas to the entire body and a vocabulary of gestures. The resulting paintings look theatrical, if not caricatural, and the emotions appear exalted as in Jean-Honoré Nicolas Fragonard’s "[Le Verrou](https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010064766?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1777-1778), which shows a couple in a frenzy in front of an unmade bed. An apple, as yet uneaten, on a bedside table, a last vestige of symbolism, drives the message home for those who may have missed it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boilly-melodrame.jpg) Louis Léopold Boilly, **L’Effet du mélodrame* (1830) It is a joy to see three paintings by Louis Léopold Boilly, one of which features a [multitude of faces](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lille%5FPdBA%5FBoilly%5Fexpression.JPG?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in all kinds of exaggerated expressions, including an old favourite of mine, "L’Effet du mélodrame" (1830), which shows a woman fainting in the loge of a theatre, presumably because she’s affected by the events on stage, and not because of poor air quality. With the advent of romanticism artists turned further inwards while giving outward expression to the inner turmoil of the mind, from madness to bliss. Whereas Le Brun believed that he had uncovered the universal expression of emotions, romantic artists focused on the individual expression of emotion. Le Brun’s ideas would live on, for example in Nadar’s mid-19th century photographs of Pierrot and in the experiments of Duchenne de Boulogne, who applied electrical stimulation to the facial nerves in an effort to establish a corpus of the facial expression of emotions. In one series of experiments Duchenne de Boulogne sought to reproduce Lady Macbeth with different expressions of [cruelty](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/623070?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The work of Duchenne de Boulogne and that of Charles Le Brun and [Franz Messerschmidt](https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/messerschmidt/character.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), some of whose sculptures of facial expressions are also included in the exhibition, shows the enduring interaction between art and science in the study of emotion. From the mid-19th century onwards artists no longer only sought to represent the emotions, but also to give expression to their own emotions. And as the moral climate loosened artists also began to portray lust, as in the work of Egon Schiele, Félicien Rops and Hans Bellmer. The early 20th century saw a revolution in the study of the mind. While much of his work is discredited today, Freud had a major impact on the arts, which is perhaps most visible in surrealism, especially in the work of Salvador Dali, who was [fascinated](https://www.belvedere.at/en/dali-freud?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), if not obsessed, by the work of the godfather of psychoanalysis. Of course, the 20th century also saw the horrors of two world wars, the holocaust, the gulag and the atom bomb. In a variety of ways and using an ever increasing range of media artists sought to give expression to these horrors. The exhibition includes a powerful painting by Martine Martine, "[Grandes mains rouges II](https://www.martinemartine.fr/artworks/categories/13/2677-martine-martine-grandes-mains-rouges-i-1985/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1985), which only shows crawling arms, the hands and fingers reaching out to above. There is much to be enjoyed at this small but exquisite exhibition. The organizers have brought together a fascinating collection of artworks. From the aforementioned works by Picasso, Louis Léopold Boilly and Dürer to a wonderful, dreamy 18th century collage of children portraits by an anonymous artist and the understated but emotionally charged "[The Lovers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The%5FLovers%5F%28Friant%29?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com#/media/File:Emile%5FFriant-Les%5FAmoureux-Mus%C3%A9e%5Fdes%5Fbeaux-arts%5Fde%5FNancy.jpg)" (1888) by Émile Friant. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/six-tetes-garconettes-et-fleurs.jpg) Artist unknown, Six têtes de garçonnets et fleurs (ca. 1770) **Le Théatre des Émotions** is at the Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris until 21 August 2022. If you can’t make it to the exhibition, it comes with a richly illustrated catalogue, which can also be read separately. ### Réclamer la Terre at the Palais de Tokyo URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/22/palais-de-tokyo-reclamer-la-terre/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:35:04.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/reclamer-la-terre-1.jpg) Megan Cope, Untitled (Death Song) at the Palais de Tokyo The exhibition "Réclamer la Terre" (Reclaim the Earth) at the Palais de Tokyo brings together works by fourteen artists and collectives who explore different ways of existing in the world and reconnecting with the environment. The exhibition opens with a video by the Canadian Inuk artist asinnajaq, which shows her emerging from a pile of rocks, in which one can see a reference to funeral rites and a mythical rebirth from the earth. I was delighted to see works by contemporary artists from Australia, New Zealand, Iran and Brazil. "Untitled (Death Song)", pictured above, by the Quandamooka Aboriginal artist Megan Cope assembles rocks and discarded mining and drilling equipment. The accompanying soundtrack evokes the wailing cry of the bush stone-curlew, an endangered Australian bird species. Of note, the artist’s studio was recently destroyed by floods, just one type of extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent in various parts of the world. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/reclamer-la-terre-2.jpg) Two paintings by Judy Watson I also loved the paintings on textile by the Australian artist Judy Watson, which merge ancient techniques and contemporary themes. She colours her textiles on the ground using natural dyes allowing the contours of the earth to define how the pigments settle. Like traditional Aboriginal paintings her paintings show an intricate cartography of landscapes and figures. **Réclamer la terre** is at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris until 4 September 2022. ### Fata Morgana at the Jeu de Paume URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/22/jeu-de-paume-fata-morgana/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:33:48.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/fata-morgana-1.jpg) Marina Gadomeix, **Untitled* at Jeu de Paume At the last minute I visited "Fata Morgana", the first edition of the Jeu de Paume festival. A fata morgana is a form of mirage that can sometimes be seen above the horizon when a layer of warmer air lies over colder denser air, forming an atmospheric duct that acts like a refracting lens. The festival at the Jeu de Paume takes the concept of fata morgana as a theme of exploration in contemporary art practices. It aims to be a “critical and poetic reflection on the concrete ways in which the visible appears”, which, according to the introductory text, is often more unstable and ambiguous than it seems. Curated by Béatrice Gross, with the artistic advice of Katinka Bock, the multidisciplinary exhibition spreads across the entire building, from the entrance hall to the stairwell, bringing together photographs, films and video installations, sculptures, performances and sound pieces. Indeed, on my first tour through the exhibition I completely overlooked the sculptures installed in the stairwell. Highlight of the exhibition is "[Dissolution](http://davidlevine.art/dissolution?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (2021) by David Levine. It consists of a hologram that alternately shows cubes, curved surfaces and abstract manifolds and the contours of a face or an eye. It is accompanied by a soundtrack of a female voice randomly recounting stories, anecdotes and passing thoughts. It thus creates the illusion of a mind trapped inside a machine. I found it absolutely mesmerizing. I now regret that I only spent fifteen or so minutes watching and listening. **Fata Morgana** is at Jeu de Paume, Paris until 22 May 2022. ### Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith: Van Gogh. The Life URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/21/steven-naifeh-and-gregory-white-smith-van-gogh-the-life/ Last updated: 2023-08-07T18:12:19.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/van-gogh-self-portrait-1887.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/van-gogh-self-portrait-1889.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/03/van-gogh-self-portrait-1887-b.jpeg) Vincent van Gogh, Self Portraits 1887 (left), 1889 (middle), and 1887 (right) I only occasionally read biographies, because it is the work that matters to me, and not the life of the artist, scientist or philosopher who created it. However, a good biography illuminates the work and the context in which it was created. I’ve always liked the work of Vincent van Gogh, or at least the paintings he made after he had moved to France, but in recent years I’ve come to love his work. After reading a rave review of *Van Gogh and the Artists He Loved* by Steven Naifeh I learned that Naifeh, together with Gregory White Smith, had written the definitive biography of Van Gogh, at least according to Leo Jansen, curator at the Van Gogh Museum, and he should know. *Van Gogh. The Life* is a monumental achievement. It was ten years in the making and in their undertaking the authors were assisted by of a team of researchers and translators. The authors draw heavily on the six-volume illustrated and annotated edition of Van Gogh’s letters, which was published in 2009\. At more than 900 pages *Van Gogh. The Life* is a lot of Van Gogh, but it reads like a novel. I thought I knew everything I needed to know to appreciate Vincent van Gogh's work. As it turns out there is a lot that I didn’t know and I now appreciate his work even more. I had never noticed that on one of the fishermen’s boats in *[Fishing Boats on the Beach at Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer](https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0028V1962?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)* (1888) it says “amitié” (friendship) and that this is a reference to Van Gogh’s brother Theo. Of course, this also shows that I didn’t look closely enough at the painting or else I might have noticed this myself, but even then I still would not have known that Van Gogh added the word “amitié” at a later stage, when the painting was already finished. This is precisely why *Van Gogh. The Life* is a great biography: it is an invitation to go back to the work and look more closely. I have now also bought *Van Gogh. The Complete Paintings*. To say that Van Gogh was a difficult person is an understatement. I didn’t know how much of a burden Van Gogh was on his family and of course on himself. I didn’t know either that for a short while he aspired to become a teacher and even spent a couple of months as an assistant teacher at a school in Ramsgate, a seaside town in the UK. I knew that he had toyed with the idea of becoming a pastor, but I didn’t know that he actually prepared for and failed the University of Amsterdam theology entrance examination. Reading about Van Gogh’s doomed ventures and his bouts of self-chastisement, especially during his time as a missionary in a coal-mining district in Belgium, is almost painful. I realized that his life could have turned out differently. Indeed it could have ended prematurely, before he discovered art. I somehow always thought that Van Gogh was primarily self-taught. I didn’t know that in November 1880, upon his brother Theo’s suggestion that he take up art in earnest, Van Gogh registered at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. In the following year he took up an apprenticeship with his second cousin Anton Mauve, at the time a successful artist in The Hague. But before long he and Mauve fell out. I didn’t know either that Van Gogh was an avid reader, but it doesn’t surprise me. He begged his brother to send him all the latest books about art and colour theory. After reading a book by the French art critic Charles Blanc, *Grammaire des arts et du dessin* (1867) Van Gogh went on to advocate the use of [complementary colours](https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/stories/looking-for-contrast?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with religious zeal. I also didn’t know that there were periods in his life when Van Gogh spent copious amounts of money on fancy clothes. Fancy clothes? Van Gogh? Again, I could have known had I looked more closely at some of his self-portraits in which he portrays himself as a gentleman in a suit and tie. I still find it striking how Van Gogh developed as an artist in little more than ten years. From 1883 until 1885 he lived with his parents in Nuenen, where he created nearly 200 oil paintings, including *The Potato Eaters* (1885), and countless drawings and watercolours. During this period his palette consisted of dark earth tones. For years his brother had encouraged him to make landscapes, but Van Gogh persisted in his endeavour to make portraits. I tend to agree with Naifeh and Smith that the portraits from this period are not among his best. November 1885 Van Gogh moved to Antwerp where he was briefly hospitalized and where, in January 1886 he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts. But by March he had already fallen out with one of the teachers, upon which he travelled to Paris and moved in with his brother Theo, by then a successful art dealer. Naifeh and Smith describe in great detail the circumstances of Van Gogh’s life in Paris, from the places he frequented to the people he met. His brother’s urging notwithstanding Van Gogh was slow to change his ways. It wasn’t until he moved to Paris that Van Gogh adopted a brighter palette. It was at this time too that Van Gogh finally worked out how to put the theory of complementary colours into practice. In Antwerp Van Gogh had become interested in Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, which he began to collect in Paris while [adopting various style elements in his own work](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/04/08/van-gogh-and-japan/). In 1887 he began to experiment with pointillism, which he quickly abandoned in favour of what would become his trademark brushstrokes. In February 1888 Van Gogh moved to Arles. Van Gogh realized that staying in Paris any longer would exhaust both himself and his brother. In less than two years he produced around 200 paintings, including some of his most beloved works, *The Yellow House*, *Bedroom in Arles*, *Café Terrace at Night*, *Sunflowers* and *The Night Café*. In May 1889, after suffering a severe nervous breakdown, Van Gogh entered a mental hospital housed in a former monastery in Saint-Rémy, some 30 kilometers from Arles. Here he created one of his most famous paintings, *The Starry Night*, and a number of paintings of the [olive groves](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/08/van-gogh-and-the-olive-groves/) near the hospital. Upon learning that Jo Bonger, Theo’s wife, had given birth to a son, he painted one of my favourite paintings, *Almond Blossom*. In May 1890 Van Gogh left the hospital in Saint-Rémy and moved to the Paris suburb of Auvers-sur-Oise to be near to his brother and Dr Paul Gachet, a doctor who had treated various other artists. It was here that Van Gogh died, on 27 July 1890. It is commonly believed that Van Gogh committed suicide. This fits with the myth of the tormented artist, the genius, unrecognized in his lifetime, who finally succumbs to madness. In a lengthy appendix Naifeh and Smith put forth an alternative theory. As they point out there are various issues with the suicide hypothesis from the angle of the shot to the disappearance of the gun and Van Gogh’s painting equipment and the distance the wounded Van Gogh would have had to cover to get back to his lodgings had he shot himself in a field. Instead Naifeh and Smith propose that Van Gogh was shot by a local teenager, René Secretan, who, together with his friends, used to bully Van Gogh. In their telling Secretan fired the gun from a distance, without intending to kill Van Gogh. Once they realized what they had done the kids threw Van Gogh’s painting equipment into a nearby river and quickly left town. In the 1930s villagers already told art historian John Rewald that Van Gogh had been shot, but at the time no one verified the rumors. I like to believe that Van Gogh was killed by accident. Not that it makes any difference. But somehow I find that theory more comforting than the standard account.\* It is obvious that Vincent van Gogh had a troubled life. What stands out in Naifeh and Smith's biography is his tenacity, his struggle to persevere against the odds and his eagerness to learn. After reading *Van Gogh. The Life* I admire Van Gogh all the more. \* Note that the British Van Gogh specialist Martin Bailey disputes the hypothesis put forth by Naifeh and Smith in his book *Van Gogh’s Finale. Auvers and the Artist’s Rise to Fame* (London: Frances Lincoln, 2021). ### More Vincent van Gogh [Van Gogh and the Olive Groves](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/08/van-gogh-and-the-olive-groves/) [Van Gogh and Japan](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/04/08/van-gogh-and-japan/) [The Letters of Vincent van Gogh](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2009/10/11/the-letters-of-vincent-van-gogh/) ### Van Gogh and the Olive Groves URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/08/van-gogh-and-the-olive-groves/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:32:37.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/van-gogh-olive-grove.jpg) Vincent van Gogh, **Olive Grove* (July 1889) Upon arriving at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint Rémy in May 1889, Vincent van Gogh was enthralled by the olive groves that surrounded the asylum at the base of the Alpilles Mountains. During his stay, from June through December, he created a series of paintings that capture the olive groves in different seasons and at different times of day. The exhibition Van Gogh and the Olive Groves brings together these paintings for the first time. Co-organized by curators Nicole R. Myers of the Dallas Museum of Art and Nienke Bakker of the Van Gogh Museum the exhibition is the culmination of a years-long conservation and research project. The researchers analyzed the paintings using a variety of techniques, including microscopy, infrared photography and X-ray fluorescence analysis. In the process they discovered sand, seeds, Van Gogh’s fingerprints and even entire insects that got stuck in the paint. This allowed the researchers to determine which paintings were painted outside and which in his studio in the asylum. The team also discovered that some of the original colours have changed due to the exposure to light. As a result Van Gogh’s purples, pinks, and reds have shifted to the soft blues that we see today. The blue walls of Van Gogh’s famous "Bedroom" (1888) were also originally violet. Based on these insights the researchers were able to reconstruct the colours as they must have looked when van Gogh painted the Olive Grove series, as shown in a colour print in the exhibition. Van Gogh considered his paintings of olive trees among the best he had made in the South of France. They are indeed pretty awesome. Van Gogh rendered the olive trees’ twisted branches and gnarled trunks in swirling strokes and vivid colors. I particularly love the "Olive Grove" (July 1889) that is in the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum, the "Olive Trees" (June 1889) in the collection of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and "[The Olive Trees](https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80013?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (June-July 1889) in the collection of MoMA, the only painting not included in the exhibition. [One of the paintings](https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0196V1962?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) shows an olive tree with a branch cut off. It is difficult not to see in this tree a subliminal self-portrait. **Van Gogh and the Olive Groves** is at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam until 12 June 2022. ### More Vincent van Gogh [Van Gogh and Japan](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/04/08/van-gogh-and-japan/) [Steven Naifeh & Gregory White Smith: Van Gogh. The Life](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/22/steven-naifeh-and-gregory-white-smith-van-gogh-the-life/) [The Letters of Vincent van Gogh](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2009/10/11/the-letters-of-vincent-van-gogh/) ### Kröller-Müller Museum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/08/kroller-muller-museum/ Last updated: 2024-06-29T10:05:27.000Z ![Kenneth Snelson Needle Tower](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/snelson-needle-tower-1.jpg) Kenneth Snelson, **Needle Tower* (1968) If you like a piece of music you play it again and again and again. So why not visit a museum again if you enjoyed it? The Kröller-Müller Museum is one of my favourite museums. I’ve been there many times. I was a little child when I first visited it with my parents or possibly with my grandmother, with whom I visited many museums as a child. But the last time I visited the museum is so many years ago that I don’t even recall which year it was, which is a real shame. The other week I finally visited the Kröller-Müller Museum again, quite spontaneously, and for no particular reason. The Kröller-Müller Museum is home to one of the largest collections of works by Vincent van Gogh, including seminal works such as "La Berceuse", "L'Arlésienne", "The Bridge at Arles" and "Terrace of a Café at Night", in addition to many modern masterpieces by Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondriaan, Juan Gris, Constantin Brancusi and Barbara Hepworth and works by contemporary artists such as Anselm Kiefer and Gilbert and George. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/kroller-muller-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/kroller-muller-5.jpg) Vincent van Gogh, Four sunflowers gone to seed (1887) left and Still life with a plate of onions (1889) right I was delighted to rediscover some works by Van Gogh that I had completely forgotten about as well as an intriguing painting by Giacomo Balla, "Flight of Shadows" (1913), a fine example of his attempt to capture motion in painting. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/kroller-muller-6.jpg) Piet Mondriaan, **Composition in line, second state* (1916-17) The Kröller-Müller Museum is also renowned for its wonderful sculpture garden, which is a joy to visit in any season. I have yet to visit it in winter in the snow. One of the highlights of the sculpture garden is "Jardin d’émail" (1974) by Jean Dubuffet, which reopened to the public in May 2020 after five years of conservation work. Another highlight is the "Needle Tower" (1968) by Kenneth Snelson, a slender tower that appears to be floating in the air and that, when looking up from below, seems to disappear into infinity. It is an example of a so called tensegrity structure: a balanced equilibrium of pushing and pulling forces. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/kroller-muller-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/dubuffet-jardin-d-email-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/kroller-muller-2.jpg) Jean Dubuffet, **Jardin d'émail* (detail, middle) I was lucky with the weather. Indeed, it was a perfect day, which put me in a good mood and made me forget about world events. I look forward to visiting the Kröller-Müller Museum again. This time I’m not going to wait several years. I now also plan to revisit some other museums that I have fond memories of. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/06/further-reading-86/ Last updated: 2023-01-15T20:10:54.000Z [How to get back the time Covid stole](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/25/opinion/covid-pandemic-depressing-math.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Yes, this depressing math can help you live a more fulfilled life. A deepening crisis forces physicists to [rethink the structure of nature’s laws](https://www.quantamagazine.org/crisis-in-particle-physics-forces-a-rethink-of-what-is-natural-20220301?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A new analysis of W bosons [suggests](https://www.quantamagazine.org/fermilab-says-particle-is-heavy-enough-to-break-the-standard-model-20220407/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) these particles are significantly heavier than predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics. Language processing programs are notoriously hard to interpret, but smaller versions can provide [important insights](https://www.quantamagazine.org/researchers-glimpse-how-ai-gets-so-good-at-language-processing-20220414/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) into how they work. Tim Parks on the work of Dutch novelist [Willem Frederik Hermans](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/03/24/a-gift-for-overkill-willem-frederik-hermans/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) who deserves to be internationally recognized as the best post-war Dutch author. [Fredric Jameson on Olga Tokarczuk](https://lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n06/fredric-jameson/the-fog-of-history?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “We have been approaching the figure of Jacob in a spirit of reverence, with hushed voices, as in church, as though he had a religious task or mission. What we have failed to understand is that the Messiah is come, not to fulfil the Law but to destroy it! Not to perfect it but rather to abolish it altogether.” [Patricia Lockwood on Franz Kafka](https://lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n06/patricia-lockwood/diary?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Julian Barnes on Felix Valloton](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/05/12/what-are-you-looking-at-gawkers-alsdorf-barnes/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Excerpt](https://mit-serc.pubpub.org/pub/the-cloud-is-material/release/1?readingCollection=b2d8aadb&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from *The Cloud Is Material: On the Environmental Impacts of Computation and Data Storage* a study by Steven Gonzalez Monserrate. “The Cloud now has a greater carbon footprint than the airline industry. A single data center can consume the equivalent electricity of 50,000 homes.” Pronounced [loss of Amazon rainforest resilience](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01287-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) since the early 2000s. “Deforestation and climate change, via increasing dry-season length and drought frequency, may already have pushed the Amazon close to a critical threshold of rainforest dieback.” Elegant six-page proof reveals the [emergence of random structure](https://www.quantamagazine.org/elegant-six-page-proof-reveals-the-emergence-of-random-structure-20220425/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Biomechanical interactions](https://www.quantamagazine.org/before-brains-mechanics-may-have-ruled-animal-behavior-20220316/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), rather than neurons, control the movements of one of the simplest animals. The discovery offers a glimpse into how animal behavior worked before neurons evolved. From the beginning, [female self-portraitists](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/05/12/painting-herself-female-self-portrait-higgie-rudd/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) have chosen to show themselves at work, as if to demonstrate that they could handle a brush as well as male artists. Nicholas Mulder on the [limits of economic sanctions](https://www.newstatesman.com/international-politics/2022/03/the-economic-weapon?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “Positive assistance for the victim, not just negative sanctions against the aggressor, should be a top priority for all those concerned about the survival of free nations.” [Vasily Grossman and the ‘ruthless truth’ of war](https://www.ft.com/content/90f28261-6e19-4d4b-b1ce-e8b99a5a40fe?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The clear-eyed chronicler of the darkest days of 20th-century history is startlingly relevant for the war in Ukraine. As Russian forces have retreated from some parts of Ukraine, more and more [evidence](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/05/26/the-russian-terror/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) has emerged of summary executions, looting, and destruction. Die Eltern von [Natascha Wodin](https://www.zeit.de/2022/14/ukrainische-heimat-mariupol-belagerung-russland?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) stammten aus dem einst von Deutschen zerstörten Mariupol. Nun ist es, als habe ihre Mutter ihr einen Brief aus ihrer Heimatstadt geschrieben. A [close reading](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n07/adam-mars-jones/quantum-influencers?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *When We Cease to Understand the World* by Benjamin Labatut. [Vermont, Dressed in Snow](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/travel/vermont-from-above-in-show.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). For a longtime aerial photographer, snowfall in the Green Mountain State offered a fresh palette of possibility. By Caleb Kenna. ### Highlights from the Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/03/20/highlights-from-the-fall-2022-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2023-01-30T19:07:25.000Z Every season I like to browse the [ready-to-wear collections](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2022-ready-to-wear?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). These are some of the creations that I found interesting or inspiring. I absolutely LOVED the collection by Noir Kei Ninomiya. I’d love to collaborate with him one day. I also liked some of Riccardo Tisci’s designs for Burberry. It doesn’t really matter whether he designs for Givenchy or Burberry. Louis Vuitton staged its show at the Musée d’Orsay, which must have cost a minor fortune. But if money isn’t an obstacle, why not? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/burberry-fall-2022-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/burberry-fall-2022-2.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/burberry-fall-2022-3.jpeg) Burberry ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-22-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-22-2.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-22-3.jpeg) Noir Kei Ninomiya ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-22-4.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-22-5.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-22-6.jpeg) Noir Kei Ninomiya ### Marcel Proust. Un roman Parisien URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/02/20/marcel-proust-un-roman-parisien/ Last updated: 2023-12-26T19:37:59.000Z ![Marcel Proust. Un roman Parisien](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/03/proust-un-roman-parisien-1.jpg) To mark the 150th anniversary of his birth and the centenary of his death the Musée Carnavalet has dedicated a wonderful exhibition to Marcel Proust, his relationship with Paris and the place of the city in "À la recherche du temps perdu"(In Search of Lost Time). The Musée Carnavalet has brought together around 280 works, some of which exhibited here for the first time, ranging from paintings, photographs, manuscripts, posters, fashion accessories and architectural models to furniture, archival footage, excerpts from film adaptations and sound recordings, which bring to life the Paris of Marcel Proust and his novel "À la recherche du temps perdu". The first part of the exhibition explores the Paris of Marcel Proust. Marcel Proust was born on 10 July 1871 in the rue de La Fontaine, in Paris’ 16th arrondissement, and died on 18 November 1922 in an apartment in rue Hamelin, not far from the Arc de Triomphe. The exhibition traces the houses where he lived and the salons, cafés and theatres that he frequented and even the shops where he bought flowers and the pharmacy where he procured the medication against his asthma. As can be seen on a wall sized map of Paris, Proust spent most of his life on the “rive droit”, the right bank of the Seine. The exhibition includes various photographs and portraits of Marcel Proust, of his friends and of the people that inspired the characters in "À la recherche du temps perdu": Laura Hayman, who was the inspiration for Odette de Crécy, Robert de Montesquiou, the alleged model for baron de Charlus, and the countess Greffulhe, the duchess of Guermantes in the novel. Proust died after completing the draft of the last volume of "À la recherche du temps perdu", but before being able to edit the proofs of the last three volumes. The exhibition includes the proofs of some pages of "À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs"*,* the second volume of "À la recherche du temps perdu", which shows the extensive changes that Proust made. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/03/proust-un-roman-parisien-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/03/proust-un-roman-parisien-3.jpg) Marcel Proust. Un roman Parisien The second part of the exhibition is a journey through the fictional Paris of "À la recherche du temps perdu". For even though part of the novel is set in the fictional towns of Combray and Balbec, the real setting of the novel, which provides both its historical and geographical location, is Paris at the turn of the 20th century. Like Proust himself the main characters of the novel dwelled in Paris’s rive droite. The hôtel of Charles and Odette Swann is situated at the Place de l’Étoile, while the Guermantes lived in the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Each room of the second part of the exhibition focuses on a different volume of the novel, a different set of characters and a different part of Paris, from the grands boulevards to the Bois de Boulogne. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/03/gervex-soiree-pre-catalan-detail-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/03/beraud-la-victoria-1.jpg) Henri Gervex, Une soirée au Pré Catalan, 1909 (detail) (left); Jean Béraud, La Victoria, 1880 (right) The Paris of Marcel Proust, with its focus on the aristocracy and the beau monde, is quite different from the London of Charles Dickens. The Paris in "À la recherche du temps perdu" is a highly aestheticized, fetishized and poetized Paris. It is a state of mind, more than a city of brick and steel. If the general subject of the novel is time, Proust endowed space with the same power of reminiscence. Or to quote the final words of "Du côté de chez Swann", which I won’t attempt to translate into English: “Il suffisait que Mme Swann n’arrivât pas toute pareille au même moment, pour que l’Avenue fût autre. Les lieux que nous avons connus n’appartiennent pas qu’au monde de l’espace où nous les situons pour plus de facilité. Ils n’étaient qu’une mince tranche au milieu d’impressions contiguës qui formaient notre vie d’alors; le souvenir d’une certaine image n’est que le regret d’un certain instant; et les maisons, les routes, les avenues, sont fugitives, hélas, comme les années.” "Marcel Proust. Un roman Parisien" is a wonderful exhibition that is not to be missed. If you can’t make it to the exhibition, the accompanying catalogue is a real treasure trove as well, with even more material. I should add that the Musée Carnavalet, which reopened in 2021 after an extensive renovation by Chatillon Architects in collaboration with Snøhetta, is well worth a visit in itself. If you stroll through Le Marais and wonder at the beautiful garden and building behind the iron gates, do turn the corner into the rue de Sévigné and visit the museum. **Marcel Proust. Un roman Parisien** is at the Musée Carnavalet in Paris until 10 April 2022. I highly recommend the album "La Sonate de Vinteuil" by Maria & Nathalia Milstein, with music by Camille Saint-Saëns, Claude Debussy, Reynaldo Hahn and Gabriel Pierné, which evokes Proust’s musical universe. ### Baselitz. The Retrospective URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/02/19/baselitz-the-retrospective/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:30:55.000Z I’ve never been a big fan of the work of Georg Baselitz. I’ve always considered his inverted paintings a gimmick. This is why I initially skipped the Baselitz retrospective at the Centre Pompidou. But, with some time to kill I visited the exhibition after all. I don’t regret doing so, because over the course of a career spanning almost six decades Baselitz created some impressive paintings. Georg Baselitz was born Hans-Georg Kern in 1938 in Deutschbaselitz, a small town in Sachsen, Germany. He was expelled from art school in East Berlin for experimenting with modern art. After moving to West Berlin in 1958, three years before the wall, he adopted the name of his former hometown, Baselitz. It was here that he discovered the work of Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollock, Philip Guston and Willem De Kooning, and artists like Jean Dubuffet and Chaïm Soutine, whose work greatly influenced De Kooning. Like other German artists Baselitz could never escape Germany or being German. In his paintings from the 1960s the ruins of war are everywhere, in his subject matter, the colours and the thick layers of paint. "[Die großen Freunde](https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/ressources/oeuvre/zlWYund?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1965) shows two figures, their clothes torn apart, standing in a ruined landscape. One of the highlights from this period is a rather uncharacteristic painting, which shows four bald-headed figures against a dark reddish-brown background. The title, "Oberon", points to the mythic king of the elves and fairies in Shakespeare’s *Midsummer Night’s Dream*. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/02/baselitz-oberon.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/02/baselitz-weiblicher-akt-liegend.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/02/baselitz-mannlicher-schwarzer-akt.jpeg) Georg Baselitz: Oberon, 1963-64 (left); Weiblicher Akt Liegend, 1977 (middle); Männlicher schwarzer Akt, 1977 (right) In 1969 Baselitz adopted the upside-down motif, which would become his trademark style. Some of these paintings, which border on abstraction, still look fresh and powerful. Baselitz rose to fame during the neo-expressionist boom of the 80s alongside German painters like Markus Lüpertz, A.R. Penck, Walter Dahn and Albert Oehlen, who together were often referred to as the “neue Wilden”. Their work features prominently in the collections of German and Dutch museums of contemporary art. By that time Baselitz had already created some of his best works. His work from the 80s seems like a reiteration. During this time he also started created sculptures, inspired by the African sculptures which he collects. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/02/baselitz-pompidou-2.jpg) Georg Baselitz, Oil on canvas The work created during the 1990s and 2000s looks like a dime a dozen abstract art to me. Huge canvases with a lot of oil on canvas in large strokes. In the early 2000s Baselitz began making what he calls his “remix” paintings, in which he revisits earlier themes and repaints them in a different manner and different color palette. While the idea is interesting enough the result is not so. ![Baselitz. The Retrospective, Centre Pompidou](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/02/baselitz-pompidou-3.jpg) Baselitz. The Retrospective at the Centre Pompidou. Final Room. The exhibition ends on a high note with a series of paintings that appear to reflect on the ageing body. These works have the same urgency as some of his best work from the 60s and 70s. The sculptures created during this period also impress with their physical presence. **Baselitz. The Retrospective** is at the Centre Pompidou, Paris until 7 March 2022. ### Ubuntu, un rêve lucide URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/02/18/ubuntu-un-reve-lucide/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:29:35.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/02/ubuntu-un-reve-lucide-2.jpg) Daniel Otero Torres, Si no bailas conmigo, no haga parte de tu revolución (2021) "Ubuntu, un rêve lucide" at the Palais de Tokyo takes its title from the Bantu languages of South Africa. It is sometimes translated as "I am because we are”. It is a philosophical concept found in various African languages and cultures that invokes the place of the individual within the community, as well as the links between different peoples. During the 1950s and 1960s period of decolonialisation the term was used to refer to an African humanism. The notion of ubuntu was later popularized by Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu during the 1990s transition to democracy in South Africa to promote national reconciliation. The concept also features in the work of numerous African artists, writers and musicians such as Fela Kuti and Mariam Makeba. The exhibition Ubuntu, un rêve lucide, curated by Marie-Ann Yemsi, brings together some twenty artists whose works bring the Ubuntu philosophy to life. This is perhaps most evident in the installation by Kudzanai Chiurai, created in collaboration with Khanya Mashabela, "Library of Things We Forgot to Remember", a large space where visitors can chill out on couches while listening to music or poetry readings, or contemplate the photos and collages that adorn the walls. Metaphorically, the concept of Ubuntu can also be seen in the amazing knotted sculptures of Frances Goodman, made out of fake nails and the installation Suar a Camisa by Jonathas de Andrade, a collection of 120 colorful t-shirts. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/02/ubuntu-un-reve-lucide-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/02/ubuntu-un-reve-lucide-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/02/ubuntu-un-reve-lucide-5.jpg) Frances Goodman (left), Richard Kennedy (middle), Kudzanai Chiurai (right) I enjoyed the vibe of the exhibition, with paintings, sculptures, installations, video, photos, collages and music. Stand-out for me were the exuberant paintings by Richard Kennedy and the sculptures of Frances Goodman. Ubuntu, un rêve lucide is part of a larger program, *Six continents ou plus*, which also comprises a Sarah Maldoror retrospective and exhibitions by Maxwell Alexandre, Jonathan Jones, Aïda Bruyère and Jay Ramier. Together these exhibitions show that the Palais de Tokyo is one of the most vibrant spaces for contemporary art in Paris, if not Europe. **Ubuntu, un rêve lucide** is at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris until 20 February 2022. ### Das Gehirn in Kunst und Wissenschaft URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/02/13/das-gehirn-in-kunst-und-wissenschaft/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:28:17.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/05/gehirn-kunst-wissenschaft-2.jpg) The exhibition Das Gehirn in Kunst und Wissenschaft (The Brain in Art and Science) at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn was much larger than I had expected. It is both a cultural history of neuroscience and an exploration of the interaction between art and science. The exhibition organizers unearthed a wealth of fascinating artworks and cultural artifacts including original drawings by Rámon y Cajal and Brodmann. It is hard to believe that the latter’s scribblings form the basis for decades of brain mapping. The exhibition starts with a simple and straightforward question: what’s inside your head? The quest for an answer to this question is illustrated by a hook used by ancient Egyptians to remove the brain before mummification and by some contemporary MRI scans, computer drawings and brain models. There is much to enjoy. The exhibition jumps between art and science, between artworks and scientific models. Occasionally the boundaries between the two blur, as in the [drawings by Rámon y Cajal](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/science/santiago-ramon-y-cajal-beautiful-brain.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), some of which could easily double as an artwork. The exhibition touches upon a variety of topics, from dreams and mental illnesses to optical illusions and the workings of memory. The latter is illustrated by a project by the designer Gianluca Gimini. Gimini approached people on the street asking them to [draw a men’s bicycle by heart](https://www.gianlucagimini.it/portfolio-item/velocipedia/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). While everyone knows what a bicycle looks like drawing one is surprisingly difficult, as shown by the sketches included in the exhibition. Gimini then went one step further by rendering the drawings in 3D as if they were real. It goes without saying that it would be impossible to ride any of the resulting designs. This project also raises important questions about the nature of memory and perception. It’s a bit unfortunate that the exhibition doesn’t travel to other cities. It deserves to be seen in for example, London, New York or Paris. But if you can’t make it to the exhibition, it is accompanied by a catalogue that is also available from bookstores. **Das Gehirn in Kunst und Wissenschaft** is at the Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn until 26 June 2022. ### Adam, Eva und die Schlange. Werke aus der Sammlung Hoffmann URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/02/12/adam-eva-und-die-schlange-werke-aus-der-sammlung-hoffmann/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:27:27.000Z ![Works from the Schenkung Sammlung Hoffmann at the Bundeskunsthalle Bonn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/02/sammlung-hoffmann-2.jpg) Works from the Schenkung Sammlung Hoffmann at the Bundeskunsthalle Bonn At the last minute I visited the exhibition Adam, Eva und die Schlange. Werke aus der Schenkung Sammlung Hoffmann at the [Bundeskunsthalle](https://www.bundeskunsthalle.de/sammlung-hoffmann.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in Bonn. Even though the number of daily covid infections is still sky high I took the gamble to venture outside again. I’m glad I did because the exhibition is truly superb. Erika and Rolf Hoffmann, who died in 2001, started collecting contemporary art in the 1960s. Over the years their collection grew to some 1200 works by artists such as Frank Stella, Pipilotti Rist, Marcel Broodthaers, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Jenny Saville, Mike Kelly, Bruce Nauman, Isa Genzken, Ernesto Neto, Christian Boltanski and Sigmar Polke. For years the couple organised private tours of the collection in their house in Köln and, as of 1997, in a converted factory building in the Sophie-Gips-Höfe in Berlin-Mitte. In 2018 Erika Hoffmann donated the collection to the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Dresden. The collection is highly subjective and private in nature. Erika and Rolf Hoffmann didn't see art as an investment, but were always on the lookout for new ideas and works that surprised or even slightly irritated them. As Erika Hoffmann says: “\[The work\] should be autonomous in form and content – that is to say, new; at the same time, it should also be contemporary and forward-looking, reflecting current problems of a changing society; challenging us intellectually as well as emotionally; showing idea and form as a unity; its realisation thus not conceivable other than as it is; retaining a residue we cannot explain – that is to say, persistently irritating; and finally, possessing power and urgency, great breath and density.” ![Works from the Schenkung Sammlung Hoffmann at the Bundeskunsthalle Bonn](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/02/sammlung-hoffmann-3.jpg) Works from the Schenkung Sammlung Hoffmann at the Bundeskunsthalle Bonn The exhibition at the Bundeskunsthalle consists of a selection of some 150 excellent works from the collection ranging from painting, photography and drawing to sculpture, installation and video art. As such it presents a comprehensive survey of modern and contemporary art. Many of the works on show are exhibited for the first time. The exhibition also presents a number of reconstructions of how the works were originally exhibited in Erika and Rolf Hoffmann’s dwellings in Köln and Berlin. One room juxtaposes works by El Lissitzky and other Russian avant-garde artists with contemporary works by Frank Stella and Georg Herold. Another room brings together kinetic art and works by artists from the zero group. I was delighted to see such a large collection of artworks many of which I hadn't seen before. Unfortunately there was no exhibition catalogue so I have to make do with some of the snapshots I took. **Adam, Eve and the Serpent. Works from the Schenkung Sammlung Hoffmann** is at the Bundeskunsthalle Bonn until 13 February 2022 ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/01/30/further-reading-85/ Last updated: 2023-02-06T11:00:25.000Z After Omicron, [some scientists foresee](https://www.science.org/content/article/after-omicron-some-scientists-foresee-period-quiet?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ‘a period of quiet’. But... COVID-19: [endemic doesn’t mean harmless](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00155-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Association Marcel Duchamp and the Centre Pompidou have launched an online [Marcel Duchamp research portal](https://www.duchamparchives.org/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with more than 18,000 documents and 50,000 images. [Ulysses at 100](https://www.ft.com/content/609d5d0d-b666-4af8-af39-82ddaf5f28de?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): the birth of the modern. Martha C. Nussbaum on [not hating the body](https://libertiesjournal.com/articles/on-not-hating-the-body/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Alex Ross on [Thomas Mann’s brush with darkness](https://t.co/w8oqXmL4At?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Andreas Reckwitz on the [sociology of loss](https://www.merkur-zeitschrift.de/2022/01/03/verlust-und-moderne-eine-kartierung/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (in German). A recent book surveys [different styles](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/01/13/prove-it/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) than can be used to prove a single theorem. [Neural noise](https://www.quantamagazine.org/neural-noise-shows-the-uncertainty-of-our-memories-20220118/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) shows the uncertainty of our memories. How the [physics of resonance](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-the-physics-of-resonance-shapes-reality-20220126/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) shapes reality. The same phenomenon by which an opera singer can shatter a wineglass also underlies the very existence of subatomic particles. What an extreme ultraviolet ([EUV](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv40Viz-KTc&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)) lithography system looks like (from the outside). Designed and manufactured by the pride of Dutch technology firms, ASML. [Joan Didion](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/02/10/our-lady-of-deadpan-didion-pinckney/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1934-2021). A [guide](https://t.co/YxRUvt1CLI?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to Joan Didion's books. [100 ways](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/01/marginal-gains-100-ways-to-improve-your-life-without-really-trying?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to slightly improve your life without really trying. ### The Best Books of 2021 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/12/31/the-best-books-of-2021/ Last updated: 2025-02-23T17:36:16.000Z This year I bought more books than I read so the pile of books that I want to read has grown even further. I did manage to read one book per week on average and that includes the 1,200 page Die Verwandlung der Welt by Jürgen Osterhammel. ### The Best of the Best Jürgen Osterhammel: Die Verwandlung der Welt. Eine Geschichte des 19\. Jahrhunderts Giulia Foscari \[Ed.\]: Antarctic Resolution Merlin Sheldrake: Entangled Life Jürgen Kaube: Hegel’s Welt P.M.S. Hacker: The Intellectual Powers Jürgen Osterhammel’s panoramic global history of the nineteenth century would top the list in any year. It is astonishing in breadth and scope. The same goes for P.M.S. Hacker's four volume study in philosophical anthropology. ### Best Art and Photography Giulia Foscari \[Ed.\]: Antarctic Resolution Juergen Teller: Donkey Man and Other Stories Christine Y Kim and Rujeko Heckley \[Eds.\]: Julie Mehretu Jessica Wynne: Do Not Erase. Mathematicians and Their Chalkboards Because of the Covid-19 pandemic I was unable to travel to the US so I missed the Julie Mehretu retrospective organised by the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The Marian Goodman bookstore in Paris was so kind as to get me a copy of the exhibition catalogue. *Donkey Man and Other Stories* provides a retrospective of Juergen Teller’s work of the past thirty or so years. I don’t actually “like” all of his work, but his photographs serve as a reminder to look differently and at different things. It is subtitled *Editorial Works Volume I* which suggests that there will be another volume at some point. Jessica Wynne’s *Do Not Erase* is a tribute to the chalkboard. I was happy to see that she included an interview with each of the mathematician’s whose chalkboard she pictured. Last but not least *Antarctic Resolution* is a 1000 page interdisciplinary compendium of Antarctica. Encyclopedic in scope and with contributions by authors from numerous disciplines it documents the continent’s geography, cultural and architectural history, geopolitical significance and scientific relevance. ### Best Fiction Tove Ditlevsen: The Copenhagen Trilogy Annie Ernaux: Les années Maggie O’Farrell: Hamnet Clemens J. Setz: Der Trost runder Dinge Nicolas Mathieu: Leurs enfants après eux Knowing that *The Copenhagen Trilogy* is actually an autobiography makes it all the more heartbreaking. I’d been planning to read something by Clemens J. Setz for quite a while. When I learned that he had been awarded the 2021 Georg Büchner Preis I got myself a copy of his latest short story collection. Upon finishing it I instantly read another of his short story collections. He is indeed one of the most interesting German writers of the moment and I look forward to reading more of his work. *Les années* (The years) by Annie Ernaux is a masterpiece. I loved the let's call it auto-socio-biographic style and again will be reading more of her work. ### Best Philosophy P.M.S. Hacker: The Intellectual Powers *The Intellectual Powers. A Study of Human Nature* is the second volume of P.M.S. Hacker’s study in philosophical anthropology. I have yet to read the third volume, *The Passions*, but in my view this quartet is one of the most significant contributions to philosophy of the 21st century so far. There is much that I disagree with, but Hacker has thrown down the gauntlet. ### Best History Jürgen Osterhammel: Die Verwandlung der Welt. Eine Geschichte des 19\. Jahrhunderts I used the second lockdown to finally read *The Transformation of the World* by Jürgen Osterhammel. I’ve got little to add to the praise that it has received. It is a phenomenal book, dense with information with nuggets of insight on every page. ### Best Science Merlin Sheldrake: Entangled Life Matthew Cobb: The Idea of the Brain Joseph Henrich: The Weirdest People in the World I greatly enjoyed Merlin Sheldrake’s mind-bending journey into the hidden universe of fungi. As Matthew Cobb writes in the introduction to *The Idea of the Brain*, “despite the tsunami of brain-related data being produced by laboratories around the world, we are in a crisis of ideas about what to do with all the data, about what it all means.” ### Best Economics Philippe Aghion: Le pouvoir de la destruction créatrice Possibly the best case for the Schumpeterian notion of creative destruction. ### Best Biography Jürgen Kaube: Hegel’s Welt When I studied philosophy the general tenet regarding a philosopher’s biography was Heidegger’s famous statement that “our only interest is that he was born at a certain time, that he worked, and that he died”. However, I’ve since come to think that to understand the work of a philosopher it certainly helps to understand the time at which he or she lived and worked. Jürgen Kaube’s excellent *Hegel’s Welt* (Hegel’s World) is both a biography of and introduction to Hegel and a lively portrait of the time in which he lived. ### Most Disappointing Ottessa Moshfegh: My Year of Rest and Relaxation Ben Lerner: The Topeka School David Foster Wallace: Girl with Curious Hair *My Year of Rest and Relaxation* has received near universal critical and popular acclaim, but I found it thoroughly disappointing. It could have been a good novel. The starting point is interesting, but the execution is just incredibly poor. Like *A Little Life* by Hanya Yanagihara, which I also found massively disappointing, it is completely overdone. The third volume of *The Copenhagen Trilogy* by Tove Ditlevsen is the real thing. *Infinite Jest* remains one of my favourite novels, but like *Brief Interviews with Hideous Men* I found *Girl With Curious Hair* pretty bad. I quite enjoyed Ben Lerner’s *10:04* but was underwhelmed by *Leaving the Atocha Station*. Based on the good reviews I picked up *The Topeka School*, but like so much contemporary American literature I found it of no interest. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/12/05/further-reading-84/ Last updated: 2023-02-25T11:49:10.000Z Fifty years of the [brain’s sense of space](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03010-7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [H wie Habermas](https://www.wiko-berlin.de/wikothek/multimedia/h-wie-habermas?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Special edition of the Zeitschrift für Ideengeschichte. The [Webb Space Telescope](https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-matters-so-much-20211203/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) will rewrite cosmic history. If it works. An interview with [Jean-Luc Nancy](https://www.thewhitereview.org/feature/interview-with-jean-luc-nancy/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Der ganze Text der [Büchnerpreisrede](https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/clemens-j-setz-georg-buechner-preis-woyzeck-karl-krall-denkende-tiere-pferde-1.5457889?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) von Clemens J. Setz. [Dossieronline.at Vol. 5](https://unipub.uni-graz.at/dossier/periodical/titleinfo/6635076?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is entirely dedicated to Clemens J. Setz. A [new model of learning](https://www.quantamagazine.org/brain-bursts-can-mimic-famous-ai-learning-strategy-20211018/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) centers on bursts of neural activity that act as teaching signals — approximating backpropagation, the algorithm behind learning in AI. Brain neural patterns and the [memory function of sleep](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abi8370?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Sleep](https://www.science.org/content/article/if-alive-sleeps-brainless-creatures-shed-light-why-we-slumber?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is not just for the brain. How ‘[sleep misperception](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02942-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)’ fools people into thinking they don’t sleep. Research on slumbering volunteers reveals the surprising stage when we feel most deeply asleep. Revolving around Lou Reed and John Cale, Todd Haynes’s [documentary](https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2021/11/18/a-ride-on-the-velvet-underground/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on the avant-garde rock band is itself an art project in the spirit of Andy Warhol’s Factory. David Wallace-Wells on the hidden health toll of [polluted air](https://lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n23/david-wallace-wells/ten-million-a-year?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Hyun Song Shin on [blockchain technology and decentralised finance](https://www.bis.org/speeches/sp211117.htm?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). More [here](https://www.bis.org/publ/work976.htm?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and [here](https://www.bis.org/publ/work924.htm?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Kwame Anthony Appiah [reviews](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/12/16/david-graeber-digging-for-utopia/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *The Dawn of Everything* by David Graeber and David Wengrow. Must we find our future in the past? People [mistake](https://www.pnas.org/node/1008179?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) the internet’s knowledge for their own. “Using Google to answer general knowledge questions artificially inflates peoples’ confidence in their own ability to remember and process information and leads to erroneously optimistic predictions regarding how much they will know without the internet.” The [thought gap after conversation](https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-94729-001?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): Underestimating the frequency of others’ thoughts about us. “After conversations, people continue to think about their conversation partners. They remember their stories, revisit their advice, and replay their criticisms. But do people realize that their conversation partners are doing the same?” [Telling time](https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1063/PT.3.4229?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in Tokugawa Japan. “In 17th-century Japan, (..) people divided their day into 12 unequal hours, following an ancient Chinese system introduced in Japan in the 7th century. Daylight and darkness were each split into six equal parts, no matter what the season. The daylight hours grew longer in the summer and shorter in the winter, with the reverse occurring for the nighttime hours.” Most [illustrations of butterflies](https://www.emilydamstra.com/please-enough-dead-butterflies/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) are wrong. “Butterflies that are alive and going about their business of flying and nectaring do not typically hold their forewings too far forward of their head. In life, the way a butterfly holds its wings is variable, but it is uncommon for most species that I’ve encountered to hold their forewings in the manner of pinned specimen.” ### Georges Braque. Inventor of Cubism URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/11/25/georges-braque-inventor-of-cubism/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:25:37.000Z Of all the various -isms Cubism is one of my favourites. And yet, I have never really warmed to Georges Braque (1882-1963), even though he played a major role in the development of Cubism. After visiting the excellent exhibition “[Georges Braque. Inventor of Cubism](https://www.kunstsammlung.de/en/braque/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)” at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf I think I finally understand why. The exhibition focuses on the years between 1906 and 1914\. During this period Georges Braque and his friend Pablo Picasso revolutionized painting by fragmenting the pictorial space and the forms of objects. In the course of development, they would abandon the idea of a fixed viewer’s vantage point and a uniform space and source of light. The exhibition shows how Braque’s style changed from fauvism to what is now referred to as proto-cubism, analytical cubism and synthetic cubism. In 1908 Braque abandoned the bright colours of Fauvism and changed his palette to muted earth tones like grey, brown, green and ochre as can be seen in "[Trees at L’Estaque](https://www.smk.dk/en/highlight/trees-at-lestaque-1908?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1908). This is precisely the spectrum for which I’m colour blind. It’s not that I don’t see any colours, I have trouble distinguishing between certain colours and I have difficulty naming them. One moment I may label a colour brown and the next moment I may label the same patch of colour green. Because I see the colours differently I also see the composition differently. And that is probably why I never quite liked Braque as much as I like Picasso. Somewhere around 1912 and 1913 Braque expanded his palette again. His paintings become more colourful and foreground and background are more clearly defined. It is no coincidence that the final paintings in the exhibition are among my favourites. Around this time Braque also began to use thick layers of paint with sand mixed in, which gave his paintings a distinct texture while also enhancing the spatial composition. The relief of layers of paint makes the representational motifs appear as contoured forms, as in "Nature morte à la pipe (Le Quotidien du Midi)" (1914), but for that you would need to see the actual painting, not a reproduction. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/braque-port-d-anvers.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/braque-le-portugais.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/braque-still-life-pipe.jpeg) Georges Braque: Le Port d’Anvers, 1906 (left); Le Portugais, 1911-12 (middle); Nature morte à la pipe (Le Quotidien du Midi), 1914 (right) In 1912 Braque found some imitation wood-grain wallpaper in a paint store, which he liked so much that he cut out some pieces and glued them onto [one of his charcoal drawings](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/490612?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Thus the “papier collé” was born. He went on to create many more, using newspaper clippings, sheet music and pages from program leaflets, which he arranged into complex compositions while adding drawn elements. Shortly afterwards Picasso would adopt the same technique and develop it further. Because of their fragility the “papiers collés” are rarely exhibited and I was happy to see some. "Georges Braque. Inventor of Cubism" is an exemplary exhibition. It shows how Braque developed cubism, step by step, and how he continued experimenting with new techniques. But to really appreciate his work you probably should not be colour blind, like me. **Georges Braque. Inventor of Cubism** is at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen K20, Düsseldorf until 23 January 2022. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/ishihara-plate-13-s.jpg) Don't tell me there's actually a number in here somewhere ### Museum Küppersmühle URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/11/21/museum-kuppersmuhle/ Last updated: 2021-12-18T16:25:12.000Z The MKM Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst is located in a historic grain mill on the Duisburg harbour front that was originally converted into a museum by Herzog & de Meuron in 1999\. Herzog & de Meuron have now created an extension to the museum, which adds about 2,500 square metres of exhibition space. The Museum Küppersmühle is best known for its staircase. The extension has added another staircase that rivals the original. Herzog and de Meuron's [initial design](https://www.herzogdemeuron.com/index/projects/complete-works/301-325/301-mkm-museum-kueppersmuehle-extension.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) for the extension, which envisioned an illuminated cube balanced on the silo towers, was truly spectacular, but too expensive. The Museum Küppersmühle has some great works by Anselm Kiefer and Gerhard Richter in its collection. ![Museum Küppersmühle](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/museum-kuppersmuhle-1.jpg) Museum Küppersmühle staircase in the extension ![Museum Küppersmühle](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/museum-kuppersmuhle-2.jpg) Looking up ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/museum-kuppersmuhle-3.jpg) Looking up ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/museum-kuppersmuhle-4.jpg) Looking down ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/museum-kuppersmuhle-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/museum-kuppersmuhle-6.jpg) Looking up inside the space marked by the silo towers ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/museum-kuppersmuhle-7-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/museum-kuppersmuhle-8-1.jpg) The collection of the Museum Küppersmühle consists primarily of post-war German art ![Museum Küppersmühle](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/museum-kuppersmuhle-9.jpg) The original staircase ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/museum-kuppersmuhle-10.jpg) The columns on the ground level of the silo towers, which mark the transition from old to new. From here you can look up (see above) ### Andreas Gursky at the Museum Küppersmühle URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/11/21/museum-kuppersmuhle-andreas-gursky/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:23:53.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/gursky-exhibition-1.jpg) The reopening of the Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst in Duisburg was a good reason to visit the Andreas Gursky retrospective, while the Andreas Gursky retrospective was a good reason to visit the recently reopened Museum Küppersmühle. Museum Küppersmühle is located in a historic grain mill on the Duisburg harbour front which was originally converted into a museum by Herzog & de Meuron in 1999\. Herzog & de Meuron have now created an extension to the museum, which adds about 2,500 square metres of exhibition space. Museum Küppersmühle is best known for its staircase and the extension adds another beautiful staircase that rivals the original. The Andreas Gursky retrospective consists of 60 works spanning nearly four decades, starting with early works from the Ruhrgebiet, taken during and shortly after his studies at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf with Bernd and Hilla Becher. Andreas Gursky is best known for his monumental, billboard size photographs. But he actually started out by taking photos of a [gas cooker](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/1980/gasherd?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1980), a [storage room](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/1981/abstellraum?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1981), a [mountain pass](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/1984/klausenpas?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1984) and a [flyover](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/1989/duisburg-bruecke-1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1989). At some point Gursky began making large panoramas and blowing them up to monumental proportions. As a matter of fact these large pictures are digitally enhanced collages of multiple photos. "[Paris, Montparnasse](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/1993/paris-montparnasse?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1993) for example, one of Gursky’s most famous pictures, shows all apartments in the apartment block designed by Jean Dubuisson in 1959\. It was taken from different vantage points and then edited together into a single image in post-production. What Gursky has done is to overcome the frustration of not being able to capture the building in its entirety in a single photograph, of not being able to capture the experience of seeing this immense façade in a single photograph. By printing the picture at scale it too becomes imposing though not as imposing as the actual building. Gursky’s work is thus mimetic on two fronts: the image and the experience. (I am aware that this reading is inspired by Deleuze and Lyotard. I don’t have time for a more elaborate analysis, so this review remains tentative and cursory). Gursky’s pictures are incredibly detailed. Everything is in equal focus. Works like "[Kreuzfahrt](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/2020/kreuzfahrt?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (2020) and "[Amazon](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/2016/amazon?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (2016) have to be seen in a museum gallery. A reproduction in a book or on screen doesn’t do them justice. In a number of recent works Gursky has taken this process one step further. "[Review](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/2015/rueckblick?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (2015) shows four German chancellors seen from behind sitting in front of a Barnett Newman painting. This moment never happened. The image is a composition, much like classic paintings, except that Gursky used digital graphics editing software to compose his images. I don’t find these works convincing. "[Politik II](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/2020/politiker-ii?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (2020) shows German politicians against the background of large clock at five to twelve. I get it. But it’s pretty banal. Gursky’s success as an artist can in part be attributed to a number of classic images of the "[Chicago Mercantile Exchange](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/1997/chicago-mercantile-exchange?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1997), the "[Chicago Board of Trade](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/1999/chicago-board-of-trade-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1999), the "[Hong Kong Stock Exchange](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/1994/hong-kong-boerse-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (2000) and the "[Kuwait Stock Exchange](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/2008/kuwait-stock-exchange-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)", that every hedge fund wants to have in its office. Unfortunately for Andreas Gursky most trading floors have closed. Like every photographer Gursky also makes “normal” photographs such as this one taken in "[Ibiza](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/2016/ibiza?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (2016) and this portrait of "[A and E](https://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/2019/a-und-e?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (2020). These photos show that Andreas Gursky is a highly accomplished photographer with a keen eye for composition. My favourite works are his pictures from the 90s and 00s which showcase hypermodernism and capitalism at its apex. In these works everything comes together: concept, technique, content and execution. **Andreas Gursky** is at Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst, Duisburg until 30 January 2022 ### Anne Imhof: Natures Mortes URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/24/anne-imhof-natures-mortes/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:22:05.000Z ![Anne Imhof: Natures Mortes, Palais de Tokyo (2021)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/anne-imhof-natures-mortes-1.jpg) Scene from Anne Imhof: Natures Mortes at the Palais de Tokyo I was lucky to obtain a ticket for one of the final performances of Anne Imhof’s Natures Mortes at the Palais de Tokyo. The performance lasted a full four hours, which I spent watching the performance and walking around the exhibition. Had I known in advance how good the exhibition would be I would have booked a separate ticket for the exhibition. I could easily have spent four hours just wandering around the Palais de Tokyo taking in all the artworks and installations. The performance consisted of twenty or so fashionably dressed young people sitting, standing, walking, crawling, running, dancing, singing, screaming and doing things like pouring candle wax or water onto another person. All this in various settings. There were skaters, a falconer and bikers. And ohh there was also loud live speed metal with Igor Cavalera, formerly of Sepultura, on drums and Anne Imhof’s long time collaborator Eliza Douglas, who signed for the sound design, on guitar. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/anne-imhof-natures-mortes-10.jpg) Scene from Anne Imhof: Natures Mortes at the Palais de Tokyo Of course, neither a description, nor a photo or a video does justice to a performance. Performance art has to be experienced. That’s the whole point. Performance art is about intensity. Performance art is someone combing her hair again and again and again and again until you want to say “stop it, enough”. Performance art is someone sitting on a chair staring at a wall or someone rearranging a chair and a table for hours on end. None of this sounds particularly interesting if you read the description. Indeed performance art can also be pretty boring. But if it is intensely boring it becomes interesting again. There were many moments of great intensity in Natures Mortes. At first I didn’t want to break the spell by taking photos, but in the end I did take a few snapshots. I was very happy with my new Fujifilm X100V. Both the lens and the sensor are amazing, allowing me to take decent photos at ISO 3200 or even 6400 and with the lens wide open. The choreographed sections were not that good, then again there is not much that you can do on a concrete floor and in the middle of a crowd. The Palais de Tokyo is one of my favourite contemporary art venues. I love the stripped down architecture by Lacaton & Vassal. While I’d been there many times since its opening in 2002 this was the first time I got to see the building’s labyrinthine catacombs, which had been opened and stripped bare at the request of Anne Imhof (or so I read somewhere). The Palais de Tokyo invited Anne Imhof to create an exhibition as part of its “Carte Blanche” series. The result is a polyphonic *Gesamtkunstwerk* bringing together architectural interventions, paintings, drawings, music, installations, video and performance art. The exhibition consists of a selection of works that Anne Imhof has created in recent years. Unfortunately I only had time to watch a brief fragment of a recording of "SEX", a performance by Anne Imhof at Tate Modern. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/anne-imhof-natures-mortes-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/anne-imhof-natures-mortes-3.jpg) Anne Imhof: Natures Mortes at the Palais de Tokyo Imhof asked for the graffiti covered glass facade of a Turin office building to be installed. These glass panes function as a wall, frame and screen dividing the upper floors of the Palais du Tokyo into corridors and a maze of cubicles. Anne Imhof also asked for works by thirty other artists to be included in the exhibition, from Francis Picabia, Sigmar Polke, Cy Twombly and Mike Kelley to contemporaries such as Wolfgang Tillmans, David Hammons and Mohamed Bourouissa. The exhibition thus doubles as a group show. I loved the installation of the rarely exhibited "Axial Age" (2005-7) by Sigmar Polke, which consists of seven paintings which alter under the influence of light and which in itself would have warranted a visit to the exhibition. Also included was a drawing by Piranesi, which resembled the catacombs of the Palais de Tokyo. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/anne-imhof-natures-mortes-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/anne-imhof-natures-mortes-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/anne-imhof-natures-mortes-6.jpg) Descending into the catacombs of the Palais de Tokyo In the performance the spaces became settings for various events and tableaux vivants. The main performance led the audience through some of the spaces while at the same time some of the other performers, who appeared to communicate with each other by texting on their phones, were present in some of the other spaces. As an aside, you could easily tell performers from audience, because the latter were masked and the former were not, because yes, the pandemic isn’t over yet. Indeed, I’m happy to have attended the performance, but admit to having been a bit nervous in advance. However, everyone’s COVID-pass was checked upon entering. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/anne-imhof-natures-mortes-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/anne-imhof-natures-mortes-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/anne-imhof-natures-mortes-9.jpg) Left: Forgot Artist & Title; Middle: Mohamed Bourouissa: The Ride (2017); Right: Eliza Douglas: Untitled (2020) Natures Mortes is open to interpretation. You can think of the exhibition layout as the levels in a video game. The spaces themselves are at once installations, scenes and runways, but they can also be thought of as an arena or a playing field where people and ideas meet. This interpretation is enhanced by the boxing ball that is installed in one room and which refers to an early piece by Anne Imhof. Another room, the floor of which was littered with empty cans and pizza boxes, consisted of a sofa in front of a screen that showed a video game, which again enhances the idea of a meeting place. I admit that it was all very fashionable, the graffiti, the music, the 90s grunge and metal t-shirts, the VR headsets donned by some of the performers. Anne Imhof is one of today’s most popular artists. The exhibition and performance were sponsored by Burberry, which also organised a VIP performance and after party. I once read that David Bowie used his fame to do what he believed in. The same applies to Anne Imhof. This kind of installation and performance would not be possible without corporate sponsors. I wish I'd had more time to wander around in the exhibition spaces. I wish I had arrived earlier so that I would have been one of the first to enter the performance. I wish I could have seen it under different circumstances. But I'm happy to have been able to visit the exhibition and the performance at all. It was one of the most inspiring exhibitions I've seen in recent years. ![Anne Imhof: Natures Mortes, Palais de Tokyo (2021)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/anne-imhof-natures-mortes-11.jpg) Scene from Anne Imhof: Natures Mortes at the Palais de Tokyo ![Eliza Douglas at Anne Imhof: Natures Mortes, Palais de Tokyo (2021)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/anne-imhof-natures-mortes-12.jpg) Eliza Douglas at Anne Imhof: Natures Mortes at the Palais de Tokyo **Anne Imhof: Natures Mortes** is at the Palais de Tokyo until 24 October 2021. Note: In case it isn’t blatantly obvious, I took the photos, but the artworks and the performance are of course © the artist! ### Musée d’Orsay Revisited URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/24/musee-dorsay-revisited/ Last updated: 2021-10-31T18:44:51.000Z I had been planning to revisit the Musée d’Orsay for years, but I never came around to doing so. I had completely forgotten just how large it is and I was glad that I had scheduled an entire morning for my visit. As a matter of fact, half a day was not enough to visit the collection and the temporary exhibitions, it was just that after three hours I was tired and wanted to give my mind some rest. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/renoir-bal-du-moulin-de-la-galette.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/toulouse-lautrec-femme-de-profil.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/toulouse-lautrec-femme-boa-noir.jpeg) Auguste Renoir, **Bal du moulin de la Galette (1876) (left), Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Femme de profil (1876) (middle), Femme au boa noir (1892)* The Musée d’Orsay is home to many famous paintings by Courbet, Monet, Renoir, Manet, Cézanne, Gauguin, Degas and Van Gogh, not to forget Bonnard, Pissarro, Redon, Sisley, Vuillard, Seurat and Toulouse-Lautrec. Indeed, the collection of Van Gogh’s, while relatively small, is worth a visit alone. I was once again struck by how wonderful, how amazing Van Gogh is. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/van-gogh-docteur-gachet.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/van-gogh-chambre-arles.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/van-gogh-chaumes-cordeville.jpeg) Vincent van Gogh: **Le Docteur Paul Gachet (1890) (left),* **La Chambre de Van Gogh à Arles (1889) (middle),* **Chaumes de Cordeville à Auvers-sur-Oise (1890) (right)* One of the joys of visiting a large museum like the Musée d’Orsay, the Louvre or the Metropolitan Museum of Art is discovering lesser known but interesting works of art. For example, I loved “Schneelandschaft” (1904) by Cuno Amiet. It is a figurative painting, in the sense that Amiet sought to represent a snowy mountain landscape with a solitary skier. But because the scene itself is near abstract the resulting painting is as well. I was also intrigued to discover that more than a century ago someone adopted the same composition as I myself sometimes like to do when photographing a landscape. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/cuno-amiet-schneelandschaft.jpg) Cuno Amiet, Schneelandschaft (1904) I’m not a big fan of William Bouguereau and French academicism, but it was fun to see the paintings that I would normally pass by, because they are so over the top. It is also interesting to contrast these paintings with impressionist and post-impressionist works. I skipped the furniture collection and saved the two temporary exhibitions until last. Paul Signac is best known as one of the principal practitioners of pointillism. Throughout his life he assembled an interesting collection of works by his friends and contemporaries, which forms the focus of one of the temporary exhibitions. Pointillism is one of the few art movements that I don’t get. Impressionism, yes. Fauvism, yes. Cubism, definitely. But pointillism? I just don’t get it. But “Modjesko, Soprano Singer” (1908) by Kees van Dongen, one of his signature fauvist paintings, on loan from the Museum of Modern Art, New York is great. Another temporary exhibition took as its theme the interaction between cinema and the arts at the turn of the 20th century, but by that time I was so tired that I merely strolled through the various rooms. I wish I’d had some energy left to closely look at the material gathered for this exhibition. Perhaps I should have taken a break at one of the museum restaurants. ### Bourse de Commerce Pinault Collection URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/24/bourse-de-commerce-pinault-collection/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:20:18.000Z I’d been looking forward to visiting the Pinault Collection at the Bourse de Commerce ever since I read about it being under construction. I’ve had the website bookmarked for years. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic the opening was postponed, but summer 2021 it finally opened. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I was quite disappointed, both by the works on show and the architecture. The location, next to Les Halles and close to the Louvre and the Centre Pompidou, is perfect, but I don’t think the building lends itself that well to an art museum. The Bourse de Commerce is a circular building, originally constructed between 1763 and 1767 as a site for the storage and trade of grain. In 1802 the wooden dome, which had been erected in 1782, was destroyed by fire. It was replaced by an iron dome. The corn exchange was closed in 1873 and in 1885 the building was assigned to the Commodities Exchange. In 2016, after years of neglect, François Pinault acquired a 50-year lease on the building and the right to transform the site into an exhibition space for contemporary art. Pinault commissioned Tadao Ando to oversee the building’s transformation. The resulting structure is not among Ando’s best. The building doesn’t offer much by way of architectural opportunities and it would have been best to just renovate the structure, as France’s director of historic buildings and studio NeM did with particular care for detail. Ando meanwhile erected a 10-meter high concrete wall along the perimeter of the former trading floor which also functions as a staircase to the building’s upper level. Like all of Ando’s concrete walls it is a beautiful wall. The question is what it is doing there. Circular walls don’t lend themselves to hanging confining the central hall to sculptures and installations. It currently houses some melting sculptures by Urs Fischer, which are the crowd pleaser of the opening exhibition. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/pinault-collection-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/pinault-collection-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/pinault-collection-4.jpg) Melting candle wax sculptures by Urs Fischer (left and middle) and the upper galeries of the Bourse de Commerce As to the inaugural collection presentation I don’t recall seeing anything noteworthy, just room after room of mostly figurative paintings by the likes of Peter Doig, Marlene Dumas, Martin Kippenberger and, yawn, Luc Tuymans. I don’t know what considerations went into creating this selection. I would imagine that Pinault and his team of curators would pick the best and most interesting works for the inaugural exhibition while creating some interesting contrasts and perspectives. I find it hard to believe that Pinault doesn’t have any more interesting works in his collection, which apparently consists of over 10,000 works by 400 artists. I also find it hard to believe that these are all works that Pinault himself is passionate about. But perhaps he keeps the works he loves most in his own house(s) or office. ### The Morozov Collection. Icons of Modern Art URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/24/the-morozov-collection-icons-of-modern-art/ Last updated: 2024-02-06T17:38:20.000Z In 2017, at the last minute, I visited the exhibition of the [Shchukin Collection](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/05/icons-of-modern-art-the-shchukin-collection) at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. I was enthralled and inspired by the wealth of works on show. The Fondation Louis Vuitton has now followed up with the Morozov Collection, the second in its Icons of Modern Art series, bringing together some 200 works from the French and Russian modern art collection of the brothers Mikhaïl Morozov (1870-1903) and Ivan Morozov (1871-1921). It is in fact the first time the collection is brought together after having been distributed across the Hermitage and Pushkin museums. The exhibition had to be postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but at the end of September it finally opened. Afraid that travelling might become difficult during winter if and when Covid cases start to rise again, I had secured a ticket for mid October. The Morozov Collection is an excellent exhibition and yet I was somewhat underwhelmed, largely because it pales somewhat compared with the Shchukin Collection. This is because Shchukin was the more adventurous collector. Shchukin amassed a large number of works by Picasso and also acquired numerous works by Russian artists Malevich, Tatlin, Popova and Rodtchenko. I should add that Ivan Morozov did purchase the first Picasso to enter Russia, the wonderful “The Harlequin and his Companion” (1908). He also acquired no fewer than 18 Cézannes. It is always a joy to see some excellent paintings by Matisse, Renoir, Cézanne, Monet and Van Gogh, especially long-hidden gems such as “The Sea at Saintes-Maries” (1888) and “The Prison Courtyard, Saint-Rémy” (1890) by Vincent van Gogh. The latter stands out among Van Gogh’s late work and has been given its own room. It was also interesting to see the paintings of the Russian artists who were inspired by the works that the Morozov brothers (and Shchukin) took with them from Paris. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/ivan-morozov-by-serov.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/matisse-fruit-bronze.jpeg) Valentin Serov, **Portrait of Ivan Morozov* (1910) (left), Henri Matisse, **Fruit and Bronze* (1910) (right) Ivan Morozov had himself portrayed in front of what I imagine one of his favourite paintings, “Fruit and Bronze” (1910) by Henri Matisse. What I find interesting about this portrait is that, in order to paint it, Valentin Serov had to partially reproduce a painting by Matisse. The painting hangs next to the original painting by Matisse and another work by Matisse, “Still Life with the Dance” (1909), in which Matisse reproduced part of one of his own paintings, "The Dance". Another wall of the same room is occupied by Matisse’s Moroccan Triptych, which radiates cobalt, ultramarine and turquoise. I can imagine Matisse found himself in paradise when he visited Morocco, with its blue houses and colourful markets. **The Morozov Collection. Icons of Modern Art** is at the Fondation Louis Vuitton until 3 April 2022. ### Links My review of [Icons of Modern Art: The Shchukin Collection](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/05/icons-of-modern-art-the-shchukin-collection/) at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/10/further-reading-83/ Last updated: 2023-02-06T11:05:59.000Z [Tokyo Street Theatre](https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2021/07/23/tokyo-street-theater/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Together, the careers of Shame Tomatsu and Daido Moriyama span Japan’s postwar experience. What unites the two photographers, above all, is their central protagonist: the city. The invisible addiction: [is it time to give up caffeine?](https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/jul/06/caffeine-coffee-tea-invisible-addiction-is-it-time-to-give-up?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Excerpt from *This Is Your Mind on Plants: Opium-Caffeine-Mescaline* a new book by Michael Pollan. Ben Lerner on [W.G. Sebald](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/10/21/wg-sebald-storyteller/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). W.G. Sebald’s books suggest we are powerless to remember adequately and powerless to forget. Interview with [René Pollesch](https://www.zeit.de/2021/37/volksbuehne-berlin-rene-pollesch-intendant-theater?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (in German). Interview with Slavoj Zizek on his [third book about the pandemic](https://www.zeit.de/2021/36/slavoj-zizek-philosoph-buecher-schreiben-veroeffentlichung-corona-pandemie?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Work on earth’s climate and other complex systems earns [Nobel Prize in Physics](https://www.quantamagazine.org/pioneering-climate-modelers-earn-nobel-prize-in-physics-20211005/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Medicine Nobel Prize](https://www.quantamagazine.org/medicine-nobel-prize-goes-for-temperature-and-touch-discoveries-20211004/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) goes to temperature and touch discoveries. Mathematicians prove [melting ice stays smooth](https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-prove-melting-ice-stays-smooth-20211006/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Mathematicians now have a complete understanding of the complicated equations that model the motion of free boundaries, like the one between ice and water. Michael Wood on [Paul Celan](https://lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n15/michael-wood/this-happens-every-day?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Highlights from the Spring 2022 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/10/highlights-from-the-spring-2022-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2021-12-12T17:35:26.000Z As always these are some of the creations that I found interesting. Wearability is not my chief concern, although I do look out for creations that could make a costume in a dance performance. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/comme-des-garcons-spring-22-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/comme-des-garcons-spring-22-2.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/comme-des-garcons-spring-22-3.jpeg) Comme des Garçons. Interesting as always, but not something to wear to the office or supermarket unless you're Roisin Murphy ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/NoirKeiNinomiya-Spring-22-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/NoirKeiNinomiya-Spring-22-2.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/NoirKeiNinomiya-Spring-22-3.jpeg) Noir Kei Ninomiya, my favourite designer of the moment, did not disappoint ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/Yohji-Yamomoto-Spring-22-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/Yohji-Yamomoto-Spring-22-2.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/Rick-Owens-Spring-22-1.jpeg) I loved the hair in the Yohji Yamamoto runway show (left and middle) and the dresses. Another futuristic outfit by Rick Owens (right) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/LOEWE-spring-22-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/LOEWE-spring-22-2.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/Issey-Miyake-Spring-22-1.jpeg) Loewe (left and middle) also interesting hair and Issey Miyake (right) that could be a costume ### Ein Volksfeind URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/03/ein-volksfeind/ Last updated: 2024-01-01T18:02:44.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/volksfeind-1.jpeg) *Ein Volksfeind* is one of the showpieces of Thomas Ostermeier and the Schaubühne. It premiered in 2012 and has been part of the repertoire ever since. It is also frequently shown on tour. I was glad I finally had a chance to see it. *Ein Volksfeind* (An Enemy of the People) is a play by Henrik Ibsen in which a doctor discovers that the drinking water in the town in which he lives is contaminated. He wants to publish his findings in the local newspaper to inform his fellow citizens. Before long the whole town including his brother, the mayor of the town, and his father in law turn against him. If it becomes known that the water is contaminated tourists would stop visiting the hotel and spa on which the local economy drives, risking the loss of many jobs. Relocating the pipeline which feeds the town is costly and would involve raising taxes. It is easy to see why the piece has such popular appeal: scenes like this play out around the world. Like most productions by Thomas Ostermeier and the Schaubühne Berlin, *Ein Volksfeind* has a high production value. A lot of work has gone into every detail. I loved the set design. It must take quite some time to recreate it for every performance. The cast is great. Christoph Gawenda shines in his role as Dr Stockmann. I don’t want to give too much away in case you haven’t seen the production yet, but there is one scene which calls for audience participation. I attended the performance just after the lockdown and so there were some references to corona and the vaccination debate. I was happy to see that the audience was more diversified in its opinions than one might expect. **Links** My review of [*Das Leben des Vernon Subutex 1*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/03/das-leben-des-vernon-subutex-1/) directed by Thomas Ostermeier. My review of [*Hamlet*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2010/02/06/schaubuehne-berlin-hamlet/) directed by Thomas Ostermeier. My review of [*Die Ehe der Maria Braun*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2010/05/03/thomas-ostermeier-die-ehe-der-maria-braun/) directed by Thomas Ostermeier. ### Das Leben des Vernon Subutex 1 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/03/das-leben-des-vernon-subutex-1/ Last updated: 2024-01-01T17:56:57.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/vernon-subutex-schaubuehne-3.jpg) Over the years I have seen numerous successful stage adaptations of novels. Even so I remain a bit skeptical of putting novels on stage. It often comes down to reducing the novel to the dialogues and monologues. There is a reason that in classical times the literary domain was divided into three major genres: lyric, epic and drama (\*). The theatre doesn't tell anything. It shows. In principle a novel can do without people, although in practice very few novels do. The theatre can’t. A novel can describe a landscape, a scene or a room, the theatre can only show it. The opening scene of *Das Leben des Vernon Subutex 1*, an adaptation by Thomas Ostermeier of the award-winning novel of the same title by Virginie Despentes, confirmed my doubts. A narrator who stood slightly apart from the main scene introduced the main character of the novel, Vernon Subutex, and how he ended up in the situation he finds himself in. This to me seems a bit of a stopgap. I was quickly won over though, mostly by the inventive set design and by Joachim Meyerhoff, who is phenomenal in his role as Vernon Subutex. I wish I recalled all his deadpan remarks to casually throw into a conversation. I should add that the novel lends itself to a stage adaptation. Each chapter consists of a monologue, or perhaps rather a rant, by a different character. I had recently read the novel, which was a lot better than I expected. Virginie Despentes really manages to get inside the mind of her characters. She's also unafraid to portray some uncongenial characters. The novel tells the story of Vernon Subutex, a former record store owner, who is kicked out of his flat and of the people he stays with for a few nights, before ending up on the street. There's also a subplot, because Vernon Subutex owns the recording of a self-interview by a recently deceased rock star, which a lot of people are interested in. Because of its rich cast of characters the novel gives a vivid portrayal of contemporary France. The stage resembles a turn table, which turns around at every scene change. One side shows alternately a living room or a bar, while the other side is occupied by a band, which plays covers of 70s and 80s punk songs at concert volume. The set thus also serves as a metaphor for Vernon Subutex’s former record store, Revolver. It also creates a bit of a party atmosphere. Indeed, one scene portrays a party at which Vernon Subutex serves as a dj. At more than five hours the performance is quite long, but it doesn’t feel like it, largely because of the musical intermezzos and because there is always something happening on stage. It was a joy to be back in a theatre again and to see a live performance. Leave it to the Germans to ensure that the whole machinery of checking everyone’s proof of vaccination or negative Covid test and entering and exiting the theatre runs smoothly. (\*) I am familiar with so-called postdramatic theatre in which the text is no longer the central element and empathy or *Einfühlung* is no longer the driving emotion. However, I often wonder what is postdramatic about postdramatic theatre. But this may be because most theatre productions that I have seen are labelled as postdramatic (Robert Wilson, Forced Entertainment, Romeo Castellucci and the Societas Raffaello Sanzio, Frank Castorf, René Pollesch, Jan Fabre, Nicolas Stemann, Heinner Goebbels, Falk Richter, Christoph Schlingensief and so on). ### Aletschgletscher Tour URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T17:23:59.000Z In 2014 I hiked along the [Aletschgletscher](www.ivarhagendoorn.com/aletschgletscher/) from Bergstation Bettmerhorn to Märjelensee. In the distance I could see some tiny spots moving on the glacier. I thus assumed that it would be possible to do a guided glacier hike. This year I finally booked a guided tour on the glacier. As you can see I was very lucky with the weather. It was absolutely spectacular and way surpassed my expectations. It's only when you're on the glacier that you realize how big it really is. I now want to do the two-day tour from Jungfraujoch to Märjelensee with an overnight stay at the Konkordia hut. In 2025 I hiked the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) from Bettmerhorn to Eggishorn, a ridge trail which offers spectacular views of the Aletsch glacier and the surrounding mountains. ![View from somewhere on the middle of the Aletschgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-10.jpg) The view from somewhere on the middle of the Aletschgletscher. In the distance the Jungfrau ![Aletschgletscher crevasses](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-11.jpg) Crevasses on the Aletschgletscher ![Aletschgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-12.jpg) The Aletschgletscher consists of hills and valleys that you cannot really see from above ![Aletschgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-13.jpg) To reach the middle of the glacier you have to cross an area with crevasses and rocks. These are the dark bands that you see [from above](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/). ![Aletschgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-14.jpg) ![View from the Aletschgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-15.jpg) View from the middle of the Aletschgletscher. In the distance the Jungfrau. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-16.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-17.jpg) The guide explained that the rocks tip towards the south because that's the part of the ice that melts first ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-18.jpg) ![Melt water lake on the Aletschgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-19.jpg) I was surprised to find this lake of melt water on the glacier. It's a big lake by the way. ![View from the Aletschgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-20.jpg) View from the Aletsch glacier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-21.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-22.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-23.jpg) Crevasses on the Aletsch glacier ![A valley on the Aletsch glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-24.jpg) There are valleys and hills ON the glacier A glacier hike is one of the closest things to being on another planet (not that I've been on another planet). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-25.jpg) ![Aletschgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-26.jpg) ![Hikers on the Aletschgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-27.jpg) Another group to add some perspective ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-29.jpg) ![Deep crevasses in the Aletschgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-28.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-30.jpg) Another valley on the glacier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-31.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-32.jpg) I can't wait to go back when I look at these photos ![Aletschgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-33.jpg) One more view from somewhere on the middle of the glacier ![Aletschgletscher crevasses](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/aletsch-gletscher-34.jpg) And one more photo of the crevasses ### Related Posts **More glaciers!** [Gornergletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher-revisited/), [Svellnossbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/), [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/), [Glacier du Tour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/), the [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the [Russell Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/) and the [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/). **More Swiss Alps awesomeness!** The [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/). The [Glacier Trail Saas-Fee](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-saas-fee/). The hike to [Oeschinensee and Blüemlisalp](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/). The hike from [Schynige Platte via Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/). The hike to the [Schönbielhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schonbielhutte/) and the [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/). The [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the Aletschgletscher. ### Die Kunst der Gesellschaft 1900–1945 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/09/19/die-kunst-der-gesellschaft-1900-1945/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:18:29.000Z The Neue Nationalgalerie reopened this summer after an extensive, six-year refurbishment led by British architect David Chipperfield, who also presided over the rebuilding of the Neues Museum. The Neue Nationalgalerie, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, is a modernist masterpiece, an icon of twentieth-century architecture, albeit slightly dysfunctional. I only found out by accident that the Neue Nationalgalerie had just reopened, - I didn't even know it had been closed -, and I was lucky to be able to book a ticket. The Neue Nationalgalerie is also home to a rich collection of modern art. The opening exhibition "Die Kunst der Gesellschaft 1900-1945" showcases highlights from the collection. Like any good collection presentation it offers a new perspective on the collection. "Die Kunst der Gesellschaft" is an exemplary exhibition in this respect. It shows works by Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Paul Klee and other usual suspects alongside lesser known artists such as Hannah Höch, Georg Muche and Nadesha Udalzowa. I discovered some real gems. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/09/kunst-der-gesellschaft-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/09/kunst-der-gesellschaft-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/09/kunst-der-gesellschaft-3.jpg) Nadesha Udalzowa, Selbstporträt mit Palette, 1915 (left); Georg Muche (middle); Otto Dix, Die Skatspieler, 1920 (right) The exhibition is thematically organized. The emphasis is on German artists, the Neue Nationalgalerie is a German museum after all. Upon browsing the catalogue when I got home it occurred to me that I had completely forgotten to return to some of the sculpture exhibits. So if you’re planning on visiting the exhibition, don’t forget the sculptures. Also not to be missed is the exhibition "Die Neue Nationalgalerie. Ihr Architekt und ihre Baugeschichte", which tells the history of the building and the work of its architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The exhibition has been enhanced with works by contemporary artists Isa Genzken and Veronika Kellndorfer. I quite like the collages Mies van der Rohe did as architectural studies. **Die Kunst der Gesellschaft 1900-1945** is at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin until 2 July 2023. ### Michael Stevenson: Disproof Does Not Equal Disbelief URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/09/18/michael-stevenson-disproof-does-not-equal-disbelief/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:13:39.000Z ![Michael Stevenson: Serene Velocity in Practice: MC510/CS183](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/serene-velocityin-practice-1.jpg) Michael Stevenson: Serene Velocity in Practice: MC510/CS183 With an hour to kill in Berlin Mitte I thought I’d drop by at the KW Institute for Contemporary Art. A lucky choice. While the exhibitions "Zeroes and Ones" and "BPA" were of little interest, to me at least, the Michael Stevenson retrospective "Disproof Does Not Equal Disbelief" was excellent. I particularly liked the installation "Serene Velocity in Practice: MC510/CS183" (2017-19), which occupies the KW Institute’s main hall. It is conceptual, but unlike much conceptual art it is rich in ideas and well executed. It reminded me of the work of Jason Rhoades and the later works that William Forsythe created for The Forsythe Company. "Serene Velocity in Practice: MC510/CS183" consists of two seminar rooms. One references Mission Class 510 or MC510, a course taught by John Wimber at the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena in the early 1980s. CS183 was the code for a startup course taught by Silicon Valley entrepreneur and venture capitalist Peter Thiel at Stanford University’s Faculty of Computer Science in 2012\. Both Wimber and Thiel believed in radical change, which requires abandoning old ways of thinking and doing. Both courses developed a cult following. One room consists of a number of tables with what look like strategic war games and two custom made chairs. In the other room are plastic chairs on wheels with arm rest tables, aircraft tyres, airline blankets and various other objects. Each of the objects has been designed and crafted with a lot of attention to detail creating an excess of meaning. The installation demands to be deciphered. There is a strong sense that everything is there for a reason, yet its meaning remains elusive. In his work Michael Stevenson explores the juncture of economy, technology, education and religion. The installation "Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare" (2014-21) was also quite interesting, but "Serene Velocity in Practice: MC510/CS183" was definitely the highlight of the exhibition. When I was about to leave the KW I decided to go back one more time to the main hall to check whether I hadn’t overlooked anything. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/10/serene-velocityin-practice-3.jpg) Michael Stevenson: Serene Velocity in Practice: MC510/CS183 **Michael Stevenson: Disproof Does Not Equal Disbelief** is at the KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin until 19 September 2021. ### Links: [Exhibition walk through](https://vimeo.com/592767535?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Michael Stevenson and curator Anna Gritz. [Interview](https://darrenknightgallery.com/assets/File-Items/2018.Mousse.Magazine-MICHAEL-STEVENSON-BARBARA-CASAVECCHIA-S.pdf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Michael Stevenson about *Serene Velocity in Practice: MC510/CS183*. ### Boros Collection URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/09/17/boros-collection/ Last updated: 2024-11-29T17:15:30.000Z The Boros Collection is the private collection of contemporary art by Karen and Christian Boros, the founder of a German advertising agency. It is housed in a converted WWII era air-raid shelter in Berlin-Mitte, in former East Berlin, that subsequently served as a prison, a warehouse for tropical fruit and a techno club. In 2003 Karen and Christian Boros acquired the bunker to convert it into an exhibition space and a private residence. The couple now live in a glass penthouse on top of the bunker. The Boros Collection had been high on my Berlin to do list since I first read about it. Contemporary art in a former bunker? Count me in. The [Boros Collection](https://www.sammlung-boros.de/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) can be visited by appointment only and in small groups and only on Fridays and during the weekend. I was disappointed that photography is not allowed, all the more so because there are photos online by people who visited during Berlin Art Week and apparently ignored the ban. Photography for me is a way of engaging with the world. It forces me to focus my attention and to look more closely. Of course, photos also serve as a memory aid and that for me is particularly relevant when visiting a museum. Most art museums now allow photography. I understand that it can disturb the sanctity of a space. But if people want to take selfies in front of an artwork let them. The guided tour is an hour and a half of art gallery sales talk, which made me wonder whether Boros is also an art dealer, like Charles Saatchi, and whether the whole purpose of the exhibition is to preserve or enhance the market value of the artists included in the collection. The tour also didn’t leave time to visit all the rooms and to just contemplate a work or an installation without the chatter of the guide. I found most of the artworks included in the third collection presentation of little or no intrinsic interest. It was all just a dime a dozen contemporary art. There was nothing that stood out, but of course I didn’t have time to explore the exhibition on my own. What IS interesting about the presentation is the space. Traces of the building’s previous uses remain visible. Against a background of a stained graffiti covered concrete walls the works on show take on a different dimension. So I’m in two minds: I don’t regret visiting the Boros Collection, I just wish I had been able to wander around on my own to contemplate the works on show and take some photos. ### Alexander Calder. Minimal/Maximal at the Neue Nationalgalerie URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/09/17/alexander-calder-minimal-maximal/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:10:07.000Z The Neue Nationalgalerie reopens with a retrospective of Alexander Calder, the American sculptor best known for his mobiles. The juxtaposition of Calder’s organic forms and Mies van der Rohe’s modernist architecture is a masterstroke. The curves of Calder’s larger works and the fragility of his smaller works form a perfect contrast with the steel frame and the austere marble walls of the Neue Nationalgalerie’s light-flooded grand hall. I didn’t know that Calder produced a lot of small scale works, some of which fit onto the palm of a hand. Like his larger mobiles they are a joy to see. There is a lightness to his work, both literally and metaphorically, that is often wanting in modern or contemporary art. By rare exception two mobiles are set into motion at a regular interval. I was lucky to catch one demonstration. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/09/calder-minimal-maximal-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/09/calder-minimal-maximal-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/09/calder-minimal-maximal-3.jpg) Alexander Calder at the Neue Nationalgalerie **Alexander Calder Minimal/Maximal** is at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin until 13 February 2022. ### Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:53:00.000Z Upon seeing a photo of the Oeschinensee in Wanderlust Europe I put it on top of my list for my next trip to Switzerland. The Oeschsinensee is indeed one of the most idyllic sites in Switzerland and the hike to the Blüemlisalphütte is awesome. I had a late start and I didn’t want to miss the last cable car back to Kandersteg so I didn’t go all the way to the Blüemlisalphütte. I had originally planned to do this hike the next day, but because of the weather forecast I had to bring it forward by one day. I’m glad I did, because the weather was perfect and the next day was cloudy and rainy. However, it did mean I had to get up at 6am in order to be in Kandersteg at 9:30\. And then I still had to drop off my luggage at my hotel and get to the cable car station. But it was all worth it, as you can see. What's more, I now have a reason to go back one day. ![Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp-1.jpg) Upon turning the corner at the Oberbärgli hut and restaurant after a 400m ascent an awesome panorama opens up. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp-2.jpg) The trail to the Blüemlisalphütte I am sometimes asked how you get to the top: well, step by step. ![Blüemlisalpgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp-3.jpg) The Blüemlisalp glacier. This is why I hiked several hours. ![Blüemlisalpgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp-4.jpg) In the distance the Blüemlisalphütte, but unfortunately this is where I had to return so as to make it back to the cable car station in time and still have enough time to take some photos along the way. ![Blüemlisalpgletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp-5.jpg) The Blüemlisalpgletscher on a clear day What a glorious location to eat a piece of fresh apricot pie! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp-7.jpg) The same view with some cows in the foreground ![Oeschinensee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/oeschinensee-8.jpg) The beautiful Oeschinensee ![Oeschinensee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/oeschinensee-9.jpg) The tiny spots on the lake are boats that you can rent at the restaurant ![Oeschinensee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/12/oeschinensee-10.jpg) View from the shore of the Oeschinensee ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/), [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/), [Schönbielhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schonbielhutte/), [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/), [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/). ### Berlinde de Bruyckere: Engelenkeel URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/08/07/berlinde-de-bruyckere-engelenkeel/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T17:03:06.000Z Vulnerability, fragility, tenderness, suffering, transience these are the words that come to mind when considering the work of Berlinde de Bruyckere. I’ve been a big fan of Berlinde de Bruyckere since I saw a large scale [retrospective](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2005/01/31/berlinde-de-bruyckere-retrospective/) of her work at De Pont Museum in Tilburg in 2005\. I have since visited [various](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/04/12/berlinde-de-bruyckere-sculptures-and-drawings-2000-2014/) [other exhibitions](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2012/10/27/philippe-vandenberg-and-berlinde-de-bruyckere-at-museum-de-pont/) of her work. So I was delighted when I read that the Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht would organize a major exhibition of her work. The exhibition was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but perhaps because of corona her work now resonates even more. The exhibition consists of work from the period 2014 up to now and includes two sculptures, "Sjemkel I" and "Arcangelo II", that were created during the pandemic. Both sculptures represent angels. They are covered by old, worn out blankets and are standing on their toes, as if ready to take flight. Like all of De Bruyckere’s work the exhibition is heavy with symbolism. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/08/berlinde-de-bruyckere-2021-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/08/berlinde-de-bruyckere-2021-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/08/berlinde-de-bruyckere-2021-4.jpg) Berlinde de Bruyckere, No Life Lost II (left), Arcangelo I (middle), Aletheia, on-vergeten (right) Perhaps the most harrowing work is "No Life Lost II" (2015), which consists of three horse corpses piled on top of each other. The head of one horse has been covered by a piece of cloth. It made me think of the countless horses that perished in wars over the past centuries. The final room is filled by a large scale installation, "Aletheia, on-vergeten" (2019), a reconstruction of the workshop where De Bruyckere obtains her animal skins. The title is a reference to Martin Heidegger, in whose later work aletheia stands for disclosure or unconcealedness. With this work De Bruyckere reveals what is normally hidden from view. The only thing that is missing is the penetrating smell of a tannery. ![Berlinde de Bruyckere, It Almost Seemed a Lily V](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/08/berlinde-de-bruyckere-2021-5.jpg) Berlinde de Bruyckere, It Almost Seemed a Lily V (2018), detail **Berlinde de Bruyckere: Engelenkeel** (Angel’s Throat) is at the Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht until 3 October 2021. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/07/18/further-reading-82/ Last updated: 2023-02-06T11:19:13.000Z Newly detailed [nerve links between brain and other organs](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/06/newly-detailed-nerve-links-between-brain-and-other-organs-shape-thoughts-memories-and?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) shape thoughts, memories, and feelings. [The landscapes inside us](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/07/01/wayfinding-landscapes-inside-us/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Essay/book review by Robert Macfarlane. “Our navigational ability as a species is closely connected to our ability to tell stories about ourselves that unfold both backward and forward in time.” [Interview](https://www.quantamagazine.org/melanie-mitchell-trains-ai-to-think-with-analogies-20210714/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Melanie Mitchell. The [mystery](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-mystery-at-the-heart-of-physics-that-only-math-can-solve-20210610/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) at the heart of physics that only math can solve. The accelerating effort to understand the mathematics of quantum field theory will have profound consequences for both math and physics. *What Is a Complex System?* by James Ladyman and Karoline Wiesner [reviewed](http://www.thebsps.org/reviewofbooks/kinney-on-ladyman-and-wiesner/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by David Kinney. The long reach of [family ties](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/373/6552/274?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). How scientists are embracing [NFTs](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01642-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Mathematicians welcome [computer-assisted proof](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01627-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in ‘grand unification’ theory. Proof-assistant software handles an abstract concept at the cutting edge of research, revealing a bigger role for software in mathematics. *The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution* by Richard Wrangham [reviewed](http://www.thebsps.org/reviewofbooks/planeronwrangham/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Ronald J. Planer. [White matter and human behavior](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/372/6548/1265?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Hysterical Girl](https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000007026836/hysterical-girl.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Excellent Oscar nominated short documentary. ### Bruce Nauman at the Stedelijk Museum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/07/11/bruce-nauman-at-the-stedelijk-museum/ Last updated: 2024-02-06T17:46:51.000Z ![Bruce Nauman, Musical Chairs](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/08/bruce-nauman-musical-chairs.jpg) Bruce Nauman, Musical Chairs (1983) I’d been looking forward to the Bruce Nauman retrospective at the Stedelijk Museum. Like so many exhibitions it had been postponed because of the pandemic. At the first opportunity I travelled to Amsterdam to see the show. I couldn’t help being slightly disappointed, not because of the quality of the work, but because the exhibition appears to be a pared down version of the one at Tate Modern in 2020, enhanced by works from Dutch collections. Evidently, I had been hoping to discover new works by one of my favorite artists, but I enjoyed seeing works that I was already familiar with. After all, it had been years since I’d seen them. I particularly enjoyed seeing "Clown Torture" (1987) again, although enjoy may not be the right word. On a number of screens it shows a clown exposed to various forms of mild torture. One clown gets a bucket of water on his head when he opens a door, while another clown gets ever more desperate when he gets stuck in a linguistic loop: Pete and Repete were sitting on a fence, Pete fell off. Who’s left? Repete. Pete and Repete… I tried to write it down in such a way as to not make it too obvious. It is hilarious but also painful to watch. I also enjoyed seeing the original version of "Good Boy, Bad Boy" (1985). [Raw Materials](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/12/12/bruce-nauman-raw-materials/) at Tate Modern only included the audio. It consists of two monitors showing an actor presenting a monologue. Because the screens are side by side it looks like a dialogue in which the speakers ignore each other. At the entrance of the exhibition an early video shows Nauman washing his hands with water and soap, a work that suddenly has become highly topical. **Bruce Nauman** is at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam until 24 October 2021. ### Links My review of [Bruce Nauman: Raw Materials](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/12/12/bruce-nauman-raw-materials/) at Tate Modern. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/06/06/further-reading-81/ Last updated: 2023-02-06T11:19:31.000Z Trip frequency is key ingredient in [new law of human travel](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01355-7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The [universal visitation law of human mobility](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03480-9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). After COVID-19 successes, researchers push to [develop mRNA vaccines for other diseases](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01393-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Millions of electric cars are coming. [What happens to all the dead batteries?](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/05/millions-electric-cars-are-coming-what-happens-all-dead-batteries?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Carlo Rovelli](https://www.ft.com/content/c528600b-8d6b-41be-ade1-f2781ab5284e?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and the physics of lockdown: ‘Not moving is paradise’. The art market often works in secret. Here’s [a look inside](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/opinion/nft-art-market.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Albert-Laszlo Barabasi on the NFT art market. [How a California acid trip made Michel Foucault a neoliberal](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-05-24/review-how-a-california-acid-trip-made-michel-foucault-a-neoliberal?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Review of *The Last Man Takes LSD: Foucault and the End of Revolution* by Mitchell Dean and Daniel Zamora. “It all goes back, strangely, to a trip the French thinker took to left-wing California — and a trip he took once he got there.” The paranoid style in [Adam Curtis](https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2021/05/08/the-paranoid-style-in-adam-curtis/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The [future of fracking](https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2021/05/05/the-future-of-fracking/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ‘It’s like the embers in a barbecue pit.’ [Nuclear reactions are smoldering again at Chernobyl](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/05/nuclear-reactions-reawaken-chernobyl-reactor?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Scientists have begun to decipher the [subtle signs](https://www.quantamagazine.org/seismic-data-helps-scientists-forecast-volcanic-explosions-20210601/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that reveal how explosive a volcanic eruption is going to be. [52 fragrances](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/t-magazine/fragrances-perfumes-guide.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and how to think about them. ### Children of Men URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/06/05/children-of-men/ Last updated: 2023-12-29T19:50:55.000Z I recently watched "Roma", Alfonso Cuarón’s wonderful semi-autobiographical take on early-1970s Mexico City, which reminded me that I still had the dvd of "Children of Men" lying around somewhere, unwatched and wrapped in plastic. It seems even more topical now than when it was released in 2006. "Children of Men" is a dystopian sci-fi thriller set in 2027, which still seemed far away in the future in 2006, but is little more than five years from now. This is worth keeping in mind when thinking about 2030 or 2040\. The film tells the story of Theo, played by Clive Owen, a bored civil servant, who is asked by a former lover, played by Julianne Moore, who is the leader of an anti-government resistance group, to help bring a pregnant woman to safety. Humanity has been struck by an infertility pandemic and the youngest person on earth was born in 2009\. On their way to safety they encounter violence, betrayal and kindness. As Slavoj Žižek [comments](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbgrwNP%5FgYE&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), the storyline is pretty banal. What makes "Children of Men" interesting is the background. The film is set in the UK, which has been disrupted by climate change, nuclear accidents and rising inequality. Borders are closed and illegal immigrants are held behind fences and transported to ghettos where they are forced to survive under horrid conditions, occasionally beleaguered by heavily armed security forces. The film opens with a bomb blast, a terrorist attack on a coffee shop, which now looks eerily familiar. The streets of London seem only slightly more shabby than they are now and are crowded by rickshaw drivers, which again doesn’t look all that different from the Uber and Deliveroo couriers that now drive around London. What makes "Children of Men" unnerving to watch is that it comes uncomfortably close to reality. Many people will have forgotten it by now, but in August 2011 London was the scene of riots, with shops looted and buildings set on fire. And that was before Brexit, Trump, France's yellow vest protests and the Syrian refugee crisis. I don’t have a solution to the climate crisis, the refugee crisis and the shimmering economic crisis either. I still believe that the refugees who try to make their way to Europe, the US or Australia would much rather stay in their homeland with their family and friends. They flee because they are desperate and risk their lives in doing so because they don’t see any other way out. The political focus should be on the systemic conditions which force them to flee. In the meantime refugees and illegal immigrants should be offered a more humane treatment, which of course is easy for me to say. ### Jürgen Kaube: Hegels Welt URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/05/23/juergen-kaube-hegels-welt/ Last updated: 2024-01-21T09:07:53.000Z I never thought I’d ever say this, but I greatly enjoyed reading a book about Hegel. I also finally understand what Hegel was trying to do in his *Phänomenologie des Geistes* ("Phenomenology of Spirit") and his *Wissenschaft der Logik* ("The Science of Logic"). In the preface to the *Phenomenology of Spirit* Hegel famously wrote “The truth is the whole”, which sounds a lot better in the German original “Das Wahre ist das Ganze”. It is one of those gnomic statements that analytical philosophers like to make fun of and that I struggled with as a student. But as Jürgen Kaube explains in his excellent Hegel biography *Hegels Welt*, even a simple observation such as “This is a glass of water” rests on numerous premises. The statement is not simply true if it is indeed a glass of water and not a cup of coffee or a vase of flowers, as analytical philosophy would have it. For what kind of water are we talking about? H2O, mineral water or tap water? Tap water presupposes the existence of a whole system for its distribution and laws for maintaining and enforcing quality standards. This in turn presupposes a means of measuring drinking water quality and so on. And let’s not forget the provenance of the glass and the history of glass making. There is an entire world contained in a glass of water. This is what Hegel means when he claims that “the truth is the whole”. As Kaube observes, we never just think. We always think of something. Unlike walking or swimming, thinking requires a subject, a problem or a question. We don’t just think of something either, we think of that something as something, as ridiculous for instance or as worth thinking about. When we think of something we do so using concepts such as true, many, here, there, difference, negation, love, becoming and so on. What Hegel means by the science of logic is the study of these concepts. It is therefore not to be confused with the post-Fregean notion of logic. A key aspect of thinking, according to Hegel, is that it negates. But why does every concept contain a negation? As Kaube explains, if a leaf is green, it’s not yellow or brown. The situation is serious, not funny and it's not harmless either. Or as Jean-Luc Nancy writes in *Hegel. The Restlessness of the Negative*, a thing is only a thing other than all other things. Whenever we identify, classify, differentiate, compare or analyze something we negate it. And because we can err in doing so, thinking itself is also open to negation. The way Kaube explains it, it suddenly makes sense, or rather, more sense than when I read Hegel himself. In *Hegels Welt* Kaube presents a panoramic view of the political, social, scientific and technological revolutions that occurred during Hegel’s lifetime (1770-1831), from the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era to the invention of the steam engine and the hot-air balloon, all of which shaped Hegel’s thinking. In October 1806 Hegel witnessed Napoleon entering the city of Jena, the day before he would lead his army into a crushing defeat of the Prussian army. Hegel famously referred to Napoleon as “die(se) Weltseele (..) auf einem Pferde sitzend” (\*). He himself had narrowly managed to send his only copy of the *Phenomenology of Spirit* to a publisher in Bamberg, just before French troops ransacked Jena. Jürgen Kaube writes with flair and a subtle sense of humor. As Kaube observes: “There are many sentences in Hegel's work that have become quotation classics. His style was to introduce readers to the extreme possibilities of the German language, not least the possibility of losing the governing verb over long periods to then suddenly come up with a short, cutting and figurative turn of phrase” (my translation \*\*). In 1797, at the age of 22 Hegel’s old friend Schelling had already published several well-received articles and was considered one of the rising stars in German philosophy. His other friend from his youth, Friedrich Hölderlin, had just finished *Hyperion*, which today is considered one of his most famous works. And what did Hegel do? Hegel read. Of course, eventually all his reading would find its way into his writings and he would come to tower above his contemporaries. But his thinking had a long gestation process. Today Hegel is primarily a figure of historical interest, although his ideas live on in the work of thinkers such as Slavoj Žižek and Alain Badiou. In *Hegels Welt* Jürgen Kaube does an excellent job explaining why Hegel matters. Hegel sought to capture the world in thinking. As Jean-Luc Nancy writes in *Hegel. The Restlessness of the Negative*, Hegel does not ask why there is something rather than nothing nor how our knowledge is possible. His thinking consists in exposing and explicating what is real in it (in Hegel’s words “Auslegung des Absoluten”). Exposition, explication or interpretation is the “self-exposition of the absolute and (..) the display of what is” (\*\*\*). Knowing, therefore, is not a representation (Vorstellung), but a presentation (Darstellung). In that sense Hegel was ahead of his time, since many cognitive neuroscientists today still speak of the brain representing this or that. I still wouldn’t recommend reading Hegel himself, because like many of his contemporaries I consider his work practically unreadable. (\*) “Den Kaiser - diese Weltseele - sah ich durch die Stadt zum Rekognosieren hinausreiten; es ist in der Tat eine wunderbare Empfindung, ein solches Individuum zu sehen, das hier auf einem Punkt konzentriert, auf einem Pferde sitzend, über die Welt übergreift und sie beherrscht.” Kaube, Jürgen. *Hegels Welt*. Berlin: Rowohlt, p. 180. (\*\*) “In Hegels Werk gibt es viele Sätze, die zu Zitierklassikern geworden sind. Sein Stil war es, die Leser über Seiten hinweg mit extremen Möglichkeiten der deutschen Sprache bekannt zu machen, nicht zuletzt mit der Möglichkeit, in langen Perioden das regierende Verb zu verlieren, um dann ganz plötzlich kurz, schneidend und bildhaft zu werden.” Kaube, Jürgen. *Hegels Welt*. Berlin: Rowohlt, 2020, p. 320. (\*\*\*) Nancy, Jean-Luc. *Hegel. L’inquiétude du négatif*. Paris: Hachette, 1997, p. 16-20\. It has been translated as *Hegel. The Restlessness of the Negative*. Minneapolis: The University of Minnesota Press, 2002. ### Boyhood URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/05/01/boyhood/ Last updated: 2023-12-29T19:47:30.000Z I’m still catching up on the films that I’ve been wanting to watch for quite some time but that, for whatever reason, I didn’t come around to. I know, it’s only an investment of two hours or so, if you watch at home, but that means that I do have to schedule two hours of uninterrupted time. And I find it easier to grab a book. "Boyhood" is easily one of the most original films of the decade if not of all time. It follows Mason, played by Ellar Coltrane, as he grows up from age five to 18, from his first days at primary school to moving to college. Director Richard Linklater shot one episode every year. And so we see Mason, his sister Samantha, played by Linklater’s daughter Lorelei, and his parents, played by Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke, age as the years pass by. "Boyhood" is extraordinary in its ordinariness. I’ve been so conditioned by watching films that throughout the film I was expecting something terrible to happen. But the worst that happens is a divorce and an abusive stepfather. Not that that isn’t terrible enough in the life of a child. But there are no car crashes, no chases and no murders. Speaking of ordinariness, at some point Mason’s father changes his vintage sports car for a boring mini-van and on a visit to the Christian parents of his father’s second wife, Mason is given a bible and a gun as a birthday present. But rest assured: the gun doesn’t go off. So much could have gone wrong during the filming. The production required a long-term commitment from the cast and this alone demands admiration. Above all "Boyhood" is a wonderful, moving coming-of-age story. It made me feel nostalgic for my own childhood and adolescence. At some point in the film one of his teachers asks Mason, by then an aspiring photographer, who he wants to be, what he wants to do with his life. The question is directed to Mason, but also to the viewer. Watch this movie, if you haven't already, and think about your childhood dreams and what became of them. It's never too late. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/boyhood-1.jpeg) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/04/27/further-reading-80/ Last updated: 2023-05-28T10:21:10.000Z Adding is favoured over subtracting in [problem solving](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00592-0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “A series of problem-solving experiments reveal that people are more likely to consider solutions that add features than solutions that remove them, even when removing features is more efficient.” [What’s next for physics’ standard model?](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01033-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Muon results throw theories into confusion. Anomalies to fundamental theory have physicists trying to concoct new explanations. [Large-scale origami](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00971-7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) locks into place under pressure. Inflatable, metre-scale origami structures have been designed to transform from flat structures into expanded forms and then to lock into their new shape. This technology opens the way to the use of large origami structures for engineering. [The hidden crisis beneath our feet](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/372/6540/344?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “Groundwater is the primary water source for billions of people and for nearly half of irrigated agriculture, yet its inconspicuous presence has allowed groundwater to elude effective governance and management in countless regions around the world. Consequently, more than half of the world's major aquifers are being depleted, some of them at an alarming pace.” How [Maxwell’s demon](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-maxwells-demon-continues-to-startle-scientists-20210422/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) continues to startle scientists. [Transcript](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/30/podcasts/ezra-klein-podcast-ted-chiang-transcript.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Ezra Klein interviews Ted Chiang. More Ted Chiang: [Why computers won’t make themselves smarter](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/why-computers-wont-make-themselves-smarter?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). John Banville on [Van Gogh’s letters](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/05/13/van-gogh-letters-his-own-worst-enemy/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Eclipsed by fame](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/04/29/stephen-hawking-eclipsed-by-fame/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). James Gleick reviews *Hawking Hawking: The Selling of a Scientific Celebrity* by Charles Seife. “There’s a scientific story to tell about Stephen Hawking, but most of his later life served to conceal it.” And a [review](https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/stephen-hawking-celebrity-physicist-flaws?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Philip Ball. “Hawking’s life is worth celebrating, but if we make it a myth then it becomes just a story onto which we can project our anxieties and fantasies. He deserved better.” Sarah Chihaya [reviews](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/04/29/mieko-kawakami-all-over-desire/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *Breasts and Eggs* the bestselling novel by Mieko Kawakami. It's on my list. [Words and other violence](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/04/29/jenny-erpenbeck-words-other-violence/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Daniel Mendelsohn on the work of Jenny Erpenbeck. I’ve only read *Aller Tage Abend* (*The End of Days*), which I consider one of the best novels of the past 20 years. ### Highlights from the Fall 2021 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/04/11/highlights-from-the-fall-2021-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2021-04-11T10:34:22.000Z Noir Kei Ninomiya presented another fascinating imaginative collection. Some of the designs from the Comme des Garçons collection could be straight out of an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland by Robert Wilson. Just as last season Rick Owens was the only designer, or at least the only designer I surveyed, to incorporate face masks into his designs. As always I only look for designs that I find interesting or inspiring from a theatrical perspective. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/04/NOIR-KEI-NINOMIYA-FW21-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/04/NOIR-KEI-NINOMIYA-FW21-2.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/04/NOIR-KEI-NINOMIYA-FW21-3.jpeg) Noir Kei Ninomiya ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/04/Comme-des-Garcons-FW21-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/04/Comme-des-Garcons-FW21-2.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/04/Comme-des-Garcons-FW21-3.jpeg) Comme des Garçons ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/04/RAF-SIMONS-FW21-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/04/RICK-OWENS-FW21-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/04/louis-vuitton-FW21-1.jpeg) Raf Simons (left), Rick Owens (middle), Louis Vuitton (right) ### Valerie Trouet: Tree Story URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/04/10/valerie-trouet-tree-story/ Last updated: 2023-02-14T15:08:41.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/tree-rings-3.jpg) After reading an interview with Valerie Trouet I instantly ordered a copy of her book *Tree Story. The History of the World Written in Rings*. It is one of those books that made me wonder why I didn’t think of it myself. I knew that you can estimate the age of a tree by counting its tree rings. I also knew that tree rings tell something about the weather during a particular year. Thus an 800 year old tree might tell us something about the climate conditions during the past 800 years. Now if you were to find a tree preserved underneath a glacier or an old wooden table dating back to the 14th or 13th century you could take the information contained in the tree rings to go back further in time. And so the field of dendrochronology was born. I’m simplifying enormously here, but this is the basic idea. This way scientists have been able to construct a continuous timeline going back more than 12,000 years in time. Indirectly tree rings can also tell more about historical events. The period from 1211 to 1225, when Genghis Khan was at the height of his power, coincided with a 15-year period of above-average rainfall, as can be gleaned from tree rings from that time and region. It follows that Genghis Khan was able to expand his empire because, for a period of more than ten years, abundant grasslands provided food for his cavalry. By combining different disciplines it is thus possible to piece together a fuller picture of recent history. Trouet discovered that during the 17th century there was a sixty year period with relatively few hurricanes in the Caribbean, because the temperature on Earth was slightly lower due to reduced solar activity (the so-called [Maunder Minimum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maunder%5FMinimum?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)). This period coincided with a golden age for piracy, possibly because fewer ships were lost to hurricanes. *Tree Story* is a fascinating book, blending popular science, cultural history and travelogue as Trouet takes the reader along on her trips into the field. I do however have a feeling that the biggest advances in dendrochronology are already behind us. There is a limit to how far back in time one can go using this method. There’s also only so much information contained in tree rings. There are, for example, no traces of nitrogen, sulphur and phosphor in wood and so it is not possible to use tree rings to study air pollution. There are of course still countless opportunities for building additional datasets from different geographic regions. So the field is still very much alive. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/04/05/further-reading-79/ Last updated: 2023-11-19T14:00:01.000Z [Whose Dance Is It Anyway? Property, Copyright and the Commons](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0263276420925534?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “Until recently, dance was not considered to warrant copyright protection because it existed only as a live performance that was not fixed in a ‘tangible medium of expression’. Not being an object, it could not be property. But the more we try to fold dance into existing modes of copyright and conventional notions of property, the more it resists, upsetting the core assumptions of Locke's social contract theory. Legal scholars argue that the expansion of copyright protection shrinks the public domain. While copyright has become more important for dancers and choreographers who wish to control the appropriation of their work that is now made available to millions of end-users online, it also potentially restricts them from engaging in a dialog with other dancers or building on inspiring dance moves across communities. This paper investigates notions of property that rely on both the commons and individual personhood in the context of dance.” An [interview with Jean-Luc Nancy](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0263276420962200?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on literature, philosophy and the present. [What is life?](https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-is-life-its-vast-diversity-defies-easy-definition-20210309/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Its vast diversity defies easy definition. [Is philosophy an art?](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/03/25/philosophy-an-art-jonathan-ree-witcraft/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) John Gray reviews *Witcraft* by Jonathan Rée. On [readers relationship with fictional characters](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/03/25/character-people-we-know-best/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Sasa Stanisic [reviews](https://www.zeit.de/kultur/literatur/2021-03/lana-bastasic-fang-den-hasen-sasa-stanisic-rezension?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *Catch the Rabbit* by Lana Bastasic. [Triangulating math, Mozart and Moby-Dick](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/06/science/math-gresham-sarah-hart.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Awful but joyful](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/03/25/tove-ditlevsen-awful-but-joyful/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Review of the *Copenhagen Trilogy* by Tove Ditlevsen, which is on my reading list. Avi Wigderson and László Lovász won the [Abel Prize](https://www.quantamagazine.org/avi-wigderson-and-laszlo-lovasz-win-abel-prize-20210317/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) for their work developing complexity theory and graph theory, respectively, and for connecting the two fields. Review of a [biography](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/04/08/philip-roth-biography-theater/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of Philip Roth. [Review](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/04/08/ernst-cassirer-symbolic-animal/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of a new English translation of Ernst Cassirer’s *The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms*. Decades-long quest reveals [details of the proton’s inner antimatter](https://www.quantamagazine.org/protons-antimatter-revealed-by-decades-old-experiment-20210224/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Imaginary numbers](https://www.quantamagazine.org/imaginary-numbers-may-be-essential-for-describing-reality-20210303/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) may be essential for describing reality. [Odontoblast TRPC5 channels signal cold pain in teeth](https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/13/eabf5567?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Teeth are composed of many tissues, covered by an inflexible and obdurate enamel. Unlike most other tissues, teeth become extremely cold sensitive when inflamed. The mechanisms of this cold sensation are not understood. Here, we clarify the molecular and cellular components of the dental cold sensing system and show that sensory transduction of cold stimuli in teeth requires odontoblasts." ### The 10 Exhibitions That Influenced Me Most URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/02/28/the-10-exhibitions-that-influenced-me-most/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T15:12:57.000Z Now that museums are closed I feel kind of empty and deprived of some of my lifeblood. And so in a bout of nostalgia I thought I’d list the ten exhibitions, which shaped how I think about art and gave meaning and direction to my life. If there is a constant it is probably an associative, non-hierarchical way of looking at art. According to [Jean-Hubert Martin](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/05/29/carambolages-grand-palais/) this way of looking at art is typical of how artists approach art. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/energieen-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/energieen-2.jpg) **Energieën/Energies** (1990) was a seminal group exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, which included works by 16 artists including Bruce Nauman, Sigmar Polke, Rem Koolhaas, Issey Miyake, Anselm Kiefer, Robert Wilson, Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons and Cindy Sherman. Each artist had been given a single room. The exhibition design by Anthon Beeke was quite spectacular. I remember that you had to take of your shoes to enter the Issey Miyake room. Some of the artists included in the show are still among my favourite artists. Even though I had already visited all art museums in The Netherlands I consider this my entrance into the world of contemporary art, design, fashion and architecture. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/physical-self-2.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/physical-self-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/physical-self-4.jpeg) Peter Greenaway, The Physical Self (1991) **Peter Greenaway: The Physical Self** (1991). In 1991 the Boijmans-Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam gave carte blanche to Peter Greenaway to curate an exhibition. The result was The Physical Self, an inquiry into the human body, its functions and mechanisms, across time. The exhibition is best known for including nude models of various ages and body types who were standing, sitting or lying in the classic poses of a painter’s model inside a glass case. But what I remember most is the original and highly theatrical exhibition design. Artworks and artifacts from the museum’s entire collection, which stretches from the Middle Ages to the present and which also includes industrial design, were arranged in an associative rather than historical manner. A black and white photo of a hand by John Coplans was displayed against the backdrop of a wall of gloves. A sculpture of a figure on a horse was presented next to a number of bicycles. Magritte’s *The Red Model*, a painting of boots in the shape of feet, was displayed against a backdrop of shoes above a sculpture of steel floor plates by Carl Andre. To get close to the painting you had to walk on the steel plates, which was Andre’s intention, but which most visitors are hesitant to do. The exhibition ended at the toilets with a work by Claes Oldenburgh. I was there at the opening. A few weeks before it closed I went to see it again early in the morning and had the entire exhibition almost to myself. It still sends shivers down my spine when I think back to it. Like *Energieën*, *Portrait Still Life Landscape* and *Memories of the Blind* this was a defining moment in my life. **Robert Wilson: Portrait Still Life Landscape** (1993). In 1993 the Boijmans-Van Beuningen Museum invited Robert Wilson to curate an exhibition. The exhibition consisted of three sections, Portrait, Still Life and Landscape. In Portrait objects from the museum’s collection were displayed behind chicken wire on ceiling high industrial shelves. Oddly, I now use the same galvanized steel storage system as bookshelves. Still Life consisted of ten rooms in which different objects were brought together in a theatrical scene. A sculpture by Rodin stood on a floor covered with leaves, *Landscape with a girl skipping* by Salvador Dali was displayed in a sand filled room, while three of Donald Judd’s galvanized steel boxes were displayed behind a 19th century lace scarf. Landscape was almost a show with seats, a soundscape and changing lights that lasted about five minutes or so except that it featured Degas’ dancer and some lizard sculptures. At the time both exhibitions by Peter Greenaway and Robert Wilson were criticized because they subjected the works on show to an authorial vision. But the same can be said of standard chronological presentations. Furthermore, the absence of information about a work is an invitation to take a close look at the object on display and not the name of the artist and the title. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/coypel-allegorie-erreur.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/fantin-latour-autoportrait.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/suvee-invention-drawing.jpg) Antoine Coypel: Allégorie de l'Erreur (left), Henri Fantin-Latour: Self-Portrait (middle), Joseph Benoit Suvee: The Invention of the Art of Drawing (right) **Mémoires d’aveugle. L’autoportrait et autres ruines** (1990-91) was a small but intriguing exhibition at the Louvre curated by Jacques Derrida. Derrida presented a close-reading of a number of paintings and drawings around the themes of vision, blindness and self-representation and their relation to painting and drawing. As Derrida argues, drawing is itself “blind”: as an act rooted in memory and anticipation, drawing necessarily replaces one kind of seeing (direct) with another (mediated). The exhibition and the accompanying catalogue were a real eye-opener. The signed copy of the catalogue with a dedication by Jacques Derrida is one of my most cherished possessions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/visage-decouvert-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/visage-decouvert-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/visage-decouvert-3.jpg) A Visage Découvert, Fondation Cartier (1992) **[À Visage Découvert](https://www.fondationcartier.com/en/exhibitions/visage-decouvert?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)** (1992) and **[Azur](https://www.fondationcartier.com/en/exhibitions/azur?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)** (1993) were group shows at the Fondation Cartier in Jouy-en-Josas on the outskirts of Paris, which is where it was located before it moved to the premises designed by Jean Nouvel at Boulevard Raspail. Both exhibitions included an eclectic mix of artworks and artifacts from around the world exploring the face, as opposed to the portrait, in the case of À Visage Découvert and the infinite and the absolute in the case of Azur. Both exhibitions were an invitation to look for similarities and differences and to reflect on the theme of the exhibition. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/03/richter-lesende.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/03/richter-rain-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/03/richter-eisberg-1982.jpg) Gerhard Richter Lesende (left), Rain 2 (middle) and Iceberg (right) **Gerhard Richter Peinture|Painting, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris** (1993). At the time this was the largest retrospective of Richter's work to date. In the years since I have visited various other retrospectives and gallery shows of his work and I own a number of catalogues. I once had the privilege of exchanging a few words with him at a gallery opening. I love Richter's abstract paintings, but what attracts me in his body of work is the fact that he paints both figurative and abstract paintings and paintings that blur the boundary between figurative and abstract. I often find myself taking a photo and then realizing afterwards that Richter made a painting of a similar scene. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/sensation.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/sensation-2.jpg) Sensation was shown at the Royal Academy, London and the Brooklyn Museum, New York **Sensation. Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection** (1997) was a sensation. It was a kick in the butt. Suddenly contemporary art was cool and fashionable. Most of the artists included in the show have since fallen into oblivion, while a few others have risen to fame, but at the time it all felt fresh and invigorating. I remember sensing a strong Just do it atmosphere. While others, myself included, were pondering what to do, these artists just did it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/crane-gall.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/boilly-etudes-expression.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/metropolis-maria.jpg) **L’âme au corps. Arts et sciences 1793-1993** (1993) was a landmark exhibition at the Grand Palais. Focusing on representations of the human body it explored the interconnections between science and the visual arts from the 18th century to the present. The exhibition thus brought together my passion for art and my interest in science. Years later I would return to some of the works I had seen in this show in my PhD thesis about Dance, Aesthetics and the Brain. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/02/la-ville-art-architecture-1.jpg) La Ville. Art et Architecture en Europe 1870-1993 at the Centre Pompidou **La Ville. Art et Architecture en Europe 1870-1993** (1993) was another landmark exhibition which covered the entire fifth floor of the Centre Pompidou. It ended, appropriately, with a view over Paris. It brought together paintings, architectural drawings and historical documents, which showed how artists and architects envisioned the city. Architecture and urbanism have long been one of my main side interests. I have seen many other great exhibitions such as [Icons of Modern Art: The Shchukin Collection](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/05/icons-of-modern-art-the-shchukin-collection/) (2016), the [Friedrich Christian Flick Collection](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/10/17/friedrich-christian-flick-collection/) (2004), [Anschool](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2005/05/15/thomas-hirschhorn-anschool/) by Thomas Hirschhorn, the first large scale retrospective of [Berlinde de Bruyckere](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2005/01/31/berlinde-de-bruyckere-retrospective/), [Content](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/03/28/oma-amo-rem-koolhaas-content/) by Rem Koolhaas, [Beauty and Waste in the Architecture of Herzog & De Meuron](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2005/01/30/beauty-and-waste-in-the-architecture-of-herzog-and-de-meuron/) and many many more. But this is a list of the exhibitions that influenced me, not a list of the best exhibitions I've ever seen. All exhibitions are from the 90s and the list therefore seems to reinforce the notion that the most influential events occur in your adolescence and twenties. In my case this is only partially true. I first travelled to California, Utah and Asia in the next decade and it wasn't until 2013 that I made my first glacier walk and took up hiking in earnest. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/02/21/further-reading-78/ Last updated: 2023-11-19T13:58:37.000Z Moralischer Universalismus in Zeiten politischer Regression. [Jürgen Habermas im Gespräch](https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/0340-0425-2020-1-7.pdf?download%5Ffull%5Fpdf=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) über die Gegenwart und sein Lebenswerk. [Against “relevance” in art](https://harpers.org/archive/2020/11/making-meaning-garth-greenwell/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “My discomfort with our current use of 'relevance' as a term of judgment is that it conceals its criteria, and that those criteria are not aesthetic, but social and political. I worry that if we make such 'relevance' not just one among other judgments we might make about art, but a condition of our interest, we have made that condition purely about the explicit, discursive content of art, its subject matter. In doing so, we devalue the elements of a work that, to my thinking, properly distinguish it as art; we deny the importance of form.” [Federico Fellini and the lost magic of cinema](https://harpers.org/archive/2021/03/il-maestro-federico-fellini-martin-scorsese/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Essay by Martin Scorsese. Jeff Koons [teaches](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhICVnfwcpE&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) art and creativity. George Perec's [isle of tears](https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2021/02/10/georges-perecs-isle-of-tears/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Review](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/02/25/intrepid-navigators-birds-migration/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of three new books on bird cognition by Robert O. Paxton. *What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing—What Birds Are Doing, and Why* by David Allen Sibley; *The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think* by Jennifer Ackerman; and *Flights of Passage: An Illustrated Natural History of Bird Migration* by Mike Unwin and David Tipling. [Beauty and the brutalists](https://www.ft.com/content/56088f69-cb96-4344-86c2-23d383274013?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): Why the most maligned style in history should be preserved. [What dust from space tells us about ourselves](https://t.co/LW6NTCQJjY?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “If it wasn’t for the dust, our universe would be a pretty mundane place... The dust links stars with everything else, with all the planets, all the living things on those planets. It’s the dust that’s responsible, ultimately.” Growing [inventory of black holes](https://www.quantamagazine.org/new-black-holes-offer-physicists-a-radical-probe-of-the-cosmos-20210217/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) offers a radical probe of the cosmos. One black hole is nice, but astrophysicists can do a lot more science with 50 of them. A [brief cultural history](https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/postures-of-transport?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of arm chairs and rocking chairs. ### Jean-Luc Godard URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/01/30/jean-luc-godard/ Last updated: 2023-01-22T15:25:44.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/godard-3-xl.jpg) With The Netherlands once again under lockdown and museums, theatres and cinemas closed, I thought I’d organize my own Jean-Luc Godard mini retrospective, which I had been planning for quite some time. A bout de souffle (1960) and Pierrot le fou (1965) are my favourite Godard films by far and are among my favourite films of all time. They still look fresh and modern today. Pierrot le fou is also hilariously funny. I enjoyed Vivre sa vie and Bande à part. They are also amazing historical documents of Paris in the 1960s. Of course, I love the dance scene and the Louvre scene in Bande à part. I did not quite like Le Mépris, widely regarded as one of Godard’s best films, although I loved the scenes shot at Casa Malaparte. Alphaville (1965) is interesting, but it didn’t quite engage me. Weekend (1967), which was inspired by Julio Cortázar’s short story La autopista del Sur (The Highway to the South), I found quite unpleasant to watch. I didn’t watch any films from Godard’s “political” period, which spans the years between 1968 and 1980. I enjoyed Éloge de l'amour (2001) and Goodbye to Language (2014), mostly because of their experimental visual style. I still need to watch Histoire(s) du Cinéma. ### The Best Books of 2020 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/12/26/the-best-books-of-2020/ Last updated: 2025-02-23T17:36:27.000Z The pile of books that I bought but still have to read is growing at about the same pace as I read. This year I read some of the books that I'd been looking forward to at the end of last year, when I browsed the end of year lists of various newspapers and magazines. Next year I'll be reading some of the books that I'm currently bookmarking. Judea Pearl: The Book of Why Armin Nassehi: Muster. Theorie der digitalen Gesellschaft Jacques Rancière: Aisthesis I've read various books and academic papers about causality and *The Book of Wh*y by Judea Pearl was a real eye-opener. Yes, there is progress in philosophy. This book should be compulsory reading for all university students in all disciplines. *Muster* by Armin Nassehi is a highly insightful analysis of digital society and deserves to be translated into many languages. Jacques Rancière is one of the few philosophers who takes dance as an art form seriously. *Aisthesis* is yet another intriguing book. ### Best Art and Architecture BIG: Formgiving Pepe Karmel: Abstract Art. A Global History Sjeng Scheijen: The Avant-Gardists. The Russian Revolution in Art 1917-1935 Nathalie Heinich: Le paradigme de l'art contemporain I wish I had travelled to Copenhagen to visit *Formgiving* the exhibition, now even more so than at the end of last year. I'd been hoping that the exhibition would travel to another city, Paris, London or Rotterdam. But at least there's now a wonderful book. *Abstract Art. A Global History* is a fascinating new take on the history of abstract art (but with some glaring omissions). *The Avant-Gardists* is an interesting history of the Russian avant-garde, Malevich, Tatlin, El Lissitzky and others. Nathalie Heinich argues that contemporary art constitutes a paradigm different from modern art. It leans a bit too heavily on *Seven Days in the Art World* by Sarah Thornton, an interesting book as well by the way, but I agree with most of her argument. ### Best Fiction Ted Chiang: Exhalation Ted Chiang: Stories of Your Life and Other Stories I greatly enjoyed *Exhalation* so I instantly read *Stories of Your Life and Other Stories* as well. I don't quite understand why these novels are classified as science fiction. Some stories are on par with the best Borges and Calvino. I also enjoyed the trilogy by Rachel Cusk and *Herkunft* by Sasa Stanisic. ### Best Non Fiction Robert MacFarlane: Underland Paul J. Steinhardt: The Second Kind of Impossible ### Best Book by Ali Smith This year I read three books by Ali Smith, *Artful*, *Spring* and *Hotel World*. I loved them all but if I have to pick a favourite I'd pick *Hotel World*. Next year I plan to read three more books by Ali Smith. ### Most Disappointing Sander Kollaard: Uit het leven van een hond Lydia Davis: Collected Stories *Uit het leven van een hond* won a major Dutch literary award so I decided to also read it. Boring and stupid would still be too much praise. It just shows the group think of Dutch critics. I was unimpressed when I read the collected stories of Lydia Davis earlier this year. As a matter of fact I'd completely forgotten I'd read it and noticed it while browsing the list of books I'd read this year. Utterly forgettable. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/12/26/further-reading-77/ Last updated: 2023-11-19T13:58:54.000Z The [black hole information paradox](https://t.co/4BPg0YW3H1?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) comes to an end. [What is an individual?](https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-is-an-individual-biology-seeks-clues-in-information-theory-20200716/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Biology seeks clues in information theory. A new theorem maps out [the limits of quantum physics](https://t.co/mwZ8jgSltE?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Scientists uncover the [universal geometry of geology](https://www.quantamagazine.org/geometry-reveals-how-the-world-is-assembled-from-cubes-20201119/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I've been fascinated by patterns in nature from snow flakes and crystals to mud cracks for as long as I can remember. The [simple math problem](https://t.co/j8ay0xfP5k?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) we still can't solve. Resist the temptation. Michael Cunningham on [Virginia Woolf’s literary revolution](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/23/books/review/michael-cunningham-on-virginia-woolfs-literary-revolution.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The [social life of forests](https://t.co/HYLQmo2hA2?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). And a portrait of the scientist who inspired one of the characters in *The Overstory* by Richards Powers. Physicists pin down [nuclear reaction](https://t.co/o2E9GYgwtg?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from moments after the Big Bang. How [neutral theory](https://t.co/cANTi7DXnc?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) altered ideas about biodiversity. [30 Jahre danach: Die zweite Chance](https://www.blaetter.de/ausgabe/2020/september/30-jahre-danach-die-zweite-chance?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Merkels europapolitische Kehrtwende und der innerdeutsche Vereinigungsprozess. Essay by Jürgen Habermas. [English translation](https://www.blaetter.de/en/2020/09/year-30-germanys-second-chance?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Brain cell DNA [refolds itself to aid memory recall](https://t.co/gV5yNK8tQS?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Suffering, unfaltering Manet. [Review](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/12/03/suffering-unfaltering-manet/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Manet and Modern Beauty: The Artist’s Last Years* an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, May 26–September 8, 2019; and the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, October 8, 2019–January 12, 2020. Valeria Luiselli [reviews](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/11/19/dorothea-lange-things-as-they-are/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *Dorothea Lange: Words & Pictures* an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, February 9–September 19, 2020. The [work of Paul Celan](https://t.co/vHvUwpxoDi?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is now available in English in its entirety. I read much of his work (in German) when I studied philosophy as part of a course on Derrida. The year in [math and computer science](https://t.co/8D9CD6WeTW?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The year in [biology](https://t.co/4kBV6G5LP6?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The year in [physics](https://t.co/IUOvd9z785?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The year in science](https://t.co/5Pbezn4D0h?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Another [year in science](https://t.co/Wf3IKVlglf?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### A Single Man URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/11/21/a-single-man/ Last updated: 2023-12-29T19:44:49.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/a-single-man-1.jpg) I just read "A Single Man", the novel by Christopher Isherwood, because I love the film adaptation directed by Tom Ford so much. I was hoping to read the film’s beautiful final monologue in its original form, because it never fails to bring me to tears, but to my surprise it doesn’t occur in the novel. It therefore must be something Tom Ford and script writer David Scearce added. It doesn’t happen often, but for once I actually like the film better than the novel. That is largely because the film is so stylish. Colin Firth and Julianne Moore are perfectly cast as George Falconer and his close friend Charlotte (Charley) Roberts. And the blonde girl who sits front row at his lecture is so pretty. The house where the character George lives in the film [actually exists](https://www.camillabellini.com/en/schaffer-residence-the-house-of-a-single-man-by-tom-ford/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and was designed in 1948 by John Lautner. When I googled it I even found out that a few years ago it was on the market. I love so called [desert modernism](https://www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.com/blog/post/an-inside-look-at-desert-modernism/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and I once went looking for some houses around Palm Springs only to discover that they were on gated private roads. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/10/25/further-reading-76/ Last updated: 2020-11-08T16:19:39.000Z [Spoken in Jest](https://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/spoken-in-jest-on-the-lasting-importance-of-georges-perec/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): On the lasting importance of Georges Perec. Seeing our own reflection in [the birth of the self-portrait](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/25/arts/durer-self-portrait.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Lushly illustrated [profile of Barbara Kruger](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/19/t-magazine/barbara-kruger.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) for the *New York Times T Magazine*. A picture of change for a world in constant motion. Close reading of a [print by Hokusai](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/07/arts/design/hokusai-fuji.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Artist Makoto Azuma and designer Kei Ninomiya describe their showstopping [floral collaborations](https://www.ft.com/content/194b991f-9172-421b-ad87-499537eabe72?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Keith Jarrett confronts [a future without the piano](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/21/arts/music/keith-jarrett-piano.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). An [iPad studio tour](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/arts/design/bruce-nauman-ipad-art.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) finds Bruce Nauman pushing limits. I look forward to the upcoming retrospective. Ed van der Elsken at the Rijksmuseum: [an exhibition full of surprises](https://www.ft.com/content/a752e0e6-c9ad-4d46-8d22-94308b5c3a68?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [China after covid](https://lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v42/n20/wang-xiuying/china-after-covid?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Refreshing take on what's happening in China by Wang Xiuying. [Review](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/08/20/climate-emergency-130-degrees/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of Our Final Warning: Six Degrees of Climate Emergency by Mark Lynas. "If we stay on the current business-as-usual trajectory, we could see two degrees as soon as the early 2030s, three degrees around mid-century, and four degrees by 2075 or so. If we’re unlucky with positive feedbacks…from thawing permafrost in the Arctic or collapsing tropical rainforests, then we could be in for five or even six degrees by century’s end." ### Tim Rutherford-Johnson: Music After the Fall URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/10/24/tim-rutherford-johnson-music-after-the-fall/ Last updated: 2025-10-05T19:58:54.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/ensemble-intercontemporain-2.jpeg) Ensemble Intercontemporain In recent years I’ve become increasingly interested in contemporary music, for lack of a better word. I enjoyed reading "[The Rest Is Noise](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/11/24/alex-ross-the-rest-is-noise/)" by Alex Ross, which is essentially a collection of stories about “Modern” music from the first half, or rather the first three-quarters, of the twentieth century, and I was eager to read more about late twentieth and early twenty-first century music, the music that I'm now listening to a lot. Since "Music After the Fall" by Tim Rutherford-Johnson was the top listed book on amazon I ordered a copy. Rutherford-Johnson has the book begin in 1989, the year the Berlin Wall came down. This choice is rather arbitrary, as Rutherford-Johnson also admits, and the book doesn’t really make clear that in music there is also a before and after 1989, or perhaps I missed it. Not that it really matters. The book has to start somewhere and Rutherford-Johnson also discusses composers who can be said to belong to a previous age, such as Stockhausen, Reich and Nono. There is a wealth of information in "Music After the Fall" and I enjoyed reading it. There is, however, surprisingly little about music as such and a lot about the social, economic, political and geographic context in which music is created and to which composers respond. I should add that this is also what Rutherford-Johnson describes as his aim in the introduction, which is to look at the whole ecosystem of new music. While I found this interesting to read it also left me wanting, because the context is not different from that in which theatre directors, choreographers and indeed artists in general operate and with which I’m all too familiar. Perhaps what I would like to read is obvious to anyone with a passing knowledge of classical or contemporary music. Perhaps I should take a music composition class to learn what I would like to know. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/musical-score-1.jpeg) What does this mean? Is there a right and a wrong way to play it? The book contains a couple of sample pages from musical scores of which I would have liked more. Consider the picture above. What does this mean? How does one play this? Is there a right and a wrong way to play it? And who is to judge? And why does a composer choose to compose music this way? I have the feeling that I’m missing something here. Rutherford-Johnson does well to place contemporary music in a wider cultural context and also discusses artists who primarily work in other disciplines but either cross over into music or use music in their work. [Ryoji Ikeda](https://www.ryojiikeda.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), for example, is both a visual and a sound artist. I know him mainly for his video installations, which come with a soundtrack, but he has also released a number of recordings, both as a solo artist and together with Dumb Type. I'd like to add one critical note. Tim Rutherford-Johnson is a London-based music journalist and critic, as it says on the book’s back cover, and that shows. I was surprised that the Ensemble Intercontemporain only gets mentioned twice and the Ensemble Modern and the Klangforum Wien only once, even though they are among today's premier contemporary music ensembles and also frequently commission emerging composers to create new work. The Asko/Schönberg Ensemble doesn’t get mentioned at all. There is no mention either of the Ernst von Siemens Musikpreis, one of the most important awards in contemporary music and a good starting point if you want to discover new music, or various important international festivals, such as the Donaueschinger Musiktage, arguably the oldest and most important new music festival, or the Holland Festival, which in 2019 staged a three day marathon performance of a large portion of Stockhausen’s "LICHT" cycle. I know that this was after the book was published and I only mention it to underline the fact that the Holland Festival is still of some cultural significance. There is, however, a lot about the British music scene in "Music After the Fall" and the book would be better titled something like “Music Before Brexit. Modern Composition and Culture in the UK”. "Music After the Fall" comes with an extensive recommended listening list, which I found very helpful and which I’ve systematically explored with the help of YouTube. Despite the above reservations I can highly recommend "Music After the Fall" if you'd like to read more about the contemporary music scene. ### Update: I have since read “[Modern Music and After](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/09/17/paul-griffiths-modern-music-and-after/)” by Paul Griffiths, which is the book that I'd been looking to read. ### Links [The Best Classical Music YouTube Channels](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/02/09/the-best-classical-music-youtube-channels/) ### Highlights from the Spring 2021 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/10/24/highlights-from-the-spring-2021-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2020-11-29T19:19:28.000Z In little more than a few seasons Noir Kei Ninomiya has become one of my favorite designers. His Spring 2021 collection again features some innovative, highly theatrical and deeply romantic designs. I was glad to see that some designers had opted for a runway show again. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/NOIR-KEI-NINOMIYA-SS21-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/NOIR-KEI-NINOMIYA-SS21-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/NOIR-KEI-NINOMIYA-SS21-3.jpg) Noir Kei Ninomiya ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/Rick-Owens-SS21-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/Rick-Owens-SS21-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/Rick-Owens-SS21-3.jpg) Rick Owens ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/Yohji-Yamamoto-SS21-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/Yohji-Yamamoto-SS21-2.jpg) Yohji Yamamoto ### Cabane d'Arpitettaz URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-d-arpitettaz/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T22:10:57.000Z I'd originally planned to hike to the Lac d'Arpitettaz and depending on whether I had good legs to then continue to the Cabane d'Arpitettaz. It was a perfect day and I felt good so I hiked all the way to the hut. The Cabane d'Arpitettaz is situated at the foot of the Weisshorn and in front of the Blanc de Morning and its glacier at an elevation of 2,786 metres. Since Zinal is at 1,675 metres this means climbing (and descending) more than 1,100 metres. Unfortunately the next day the weather changed so the Cabane du Grand Mountet will have to wait until another time. **Update**: I made it to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/)! ![Morning Glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-d-arpitettaz-trail-1.jpg) The hike to the Cabane d'Arpitettaz affords spectacular views of the Morning Glacier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-d-arpitettaz-trail-2.jpg) ![Morning Glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-d-arpitettaz-trail-3.jpg) Another capture of the Blanc de Morning and its glacier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-d-arpitettaz-trail-4.jpg) The trail ends here. This is behind the Arpitettaz hut ![View from the trail to the Cabane d'Arpitettaz](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-d-arpitettaz-trail-5.jpg) The wiew from the trail to the Cabane d'Arpitettaz. This was where I made a short break to eat the apricot pie I'd bought in Zinal ![Lac d'Arpitettaz](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-d-arpitettaz-trail-6.jpg) The Arpitettaz Lake ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the fabulous hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/), the hike from [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/), the hike to the [Schönbielhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schonbielhutte/), the hike to the [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/), the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Kunstmuseum Basel URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/10/03/kunstmuseum-basel/ Last updated: 2024-06-02T16:40:52.000Z I had originally planned to spend a day and a half in Basel, but because the weather was nice I spent an extra day in Zermatt, leaving me with only an evening and a morning in Basel. And so I only had time to visit one museum. I decided to visit the Kunstmuseum Basel, which for some reason I had skipped when, in 2005, I spent a long weekend in Basel. At the time I only visited the Fondation Beyeler, the Tinguely Museum and the Schaulager. In the meantime the Kunstmuseum Basel has been expanded. It now consists of three venues. The collection of contemporary art is housed in a separate building, a short walk from the two main buildings, thereby exemplifying the thesis put forth by Nathalie Heinich in *Le paradigme de l’art contemporain*. According to Heinich contemporary art is not so much art that is created now, but an entirely different paradigm. I was delighted to finally visit an art museum again. The Kunstmuseum Basel has a large and interesting collection of artworks covering the entire period from the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the present. Its collection grew over the centuries thanks to donations from wealthy local merchants, a tradition which continues to this day as showcased by the gifts and acquisitions of the past four years. Ever since I visited the exhibition *Mémoires d’Aveugle* (Memories of the Blind) curated by Jacques Derrida at the Louvre I have been fascinated by self-portraits. The *Self-Portrait at the Easel* (1548) by Catharina van Hemessen is an excellent example of the questions raised by Derrida. The painter painted herself painting herself. Interestingly in the painter portrayed in the painting is not looking at what she is painting, she looks towards a point to the left of the viewer. She is therefore as it were painting blindly. But while painting this self-portrait Catharina van Hemessen had to look at the painting, and not at an image of herself in a mirror. In the act of painting she was thus painting from memory. There is a lot more to be said about this fascinating painting and I now want to reread the entire book by Derrida. ![Catharina van Hemessen, Self-Portrait at the Easel (1548)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/01/catharina-van-hemessen-self-portrait.jpg) Catharina van Hemessen, **Self-Portrait at the Easel* (1548) Earlier this year I read a fascinating book about the [Russian avant-gardists](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/04/05/the-avant-gardists-the-russian-revolution-in-art-1917-1935/) and so I was pleased to see some works by El Lissitzky and other early 20th century classical modernists. As Sjeng Scheijen argues in *The Avant-Gardists*, El Lissitzky was one of the first abstract artists who didn't develop abstract painting himself, like Mondriaan, Kandinsky and Malevich, but who adopted it as a student. His work thus shows that abstract art was not an end point or a degree-zero of painting, as the famous black square by Malevich is sometimes taken to symbolize, but instead marked a new beginning, offering opportunities for taking art into new directions. I love the spatial composition in the work of El Lissitzky, László Moholy-Nagy and Jean Dubuffet (below). These works set my mind into motion, but in an entirely different way than Renaissance and 19th century paintings. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/01/kunst-museum-basel-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/01/kunst-museum-basel-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2021/01/kunst-museum-basel-4.jpg) Works by El Lissitzky (left), Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (middle) and Jean Dubuffet (right) After seeing so many fascinating artworks I was a bit underwhelmed by the Isa Genzken retrospective at the contemporary art venue. ### Cabane de Moiry URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T22:12:46.000Z The hike to the Cabane de Moiry is a relatively easy way to get a taste of the high mountains. The trail starts at an elevation of 2,350 metres and climbs to 2,825 metres. Better still, in summer there's a direct bus from Zinal via Grimentz to the parking at the glacier lake. Unfortunately, it is not possible to hike much further than the hut. When I did the hike in 2015 the glacier and the mountains were obscured by clouds. I waited for about an hour for the fog to clear but in the end I decided to descend again. This time I had more luck with the weather. ![View of the Glacier de Moiry from the Cabane de Moiry trail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-de-moiry-trail-1.jpg) I'd like to go back in 2025 or 2030 to see how far the glacier has retreated in the intervening years ![Glacier de Moiry](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-de-moiry-trail-2.jpg) In the top left corner the destination: the Cabane de Moiry ![View of the Glacier de Moiry from the Cabane de Moiry](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-de-moiry-trail-3.jpg) The Moiry Glacier as seen from the Cabane de Moiry. That hole in the glacier wasn't there in 2015\. It indicated that the glacier is slowly "dying". Once the upper part is disconnected from the lower part, the lower part will no longer be "fed" by ice from the upper part. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-de-moiry-trail-4.jpg) Looking to the other side of the glacier from the Cabane de Moiry ![View from the Cabane de Moiry trail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-de-moiry-trail-5.jpg) The Cabane de Moiry trail offers amazing views. It was worth going back ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-de-moiry-trail-6.jpg) Because it looks nice in black and white ![View along the Cabane de Moiry trail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/cabane-de-moiry-trail-7.jpg) In the top left corner the Cabane de Moiry. It is possible to descend all the way down to the glacier lake. ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the fabulous hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/), the hike from [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/), the hike to the [Schönbielhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schonbielhutte/), the hike to the [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/), the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Chamanna da Boval URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T17:05:38.000Z The trail from Morteratsch to the Chamanna da Boval hut is a relatively easy but wonderful hike. It offers amazing views of the Morteratsch Glacier, the Pers Glacier and the surrounding mountains. As you can tell from the photos I was lucky with the weather. The glaciers around St Moritz are at an elevation of around 3,000 meter and are therefore vulnerable to climate change. I wonder how much will remain ten years from now (= 2020). ![Chamanna da Boval trail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-da-boval-trail-1.jpg) The Morteratsch glacier as seen from the trail to Chamanna da Boval ![Morteratsch glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-da-boval-trail-2.jpg) This is near the end of the trail. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-da-boval-trail-3.jpg) ![Pers Glacier, Isla Persa](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-da-boval-trail-4.jpg) The Pers Glacier with the Isla Persa to the right and Piz Palü in the distance ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-da-boval-trail-5.jpg) This is why I love hiking in the mountains ![Morteratsch glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-da-boval-trail-6.jpg) The Morteratsch glacier has retreated quite far ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), the hike to [Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/), the hike to the [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/), the hike from [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the hike to the [Plans de Bertol](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/plans-de-bertol/), the hike to the [](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/)[Chamanna da Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/) and the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the spectacular [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Chamanna Coaz URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T17:07:54.000Z The hike from Corvatsch Mittelstation Murtèl across Fuorcla Surlej to Pontresina is one of the top hikes in St Moritz. As you can tell from the photos it was a perfect day. Since this was my first day in the mountains I forgot to apply sunscreen to all exposed skin, and not for the first time. I didn't go all the way to the Chamanna Coaz. I had a late start, because I first took the gondola to the Corvatsch Bergstation. From Hotel Roseg it is still a good hour and fifteen minutes to Pontresina. Unfortunately, I found out too late that you can rent a mountain bike at Hotel Roseg. There are no signs at the hotel and it didn't occur to me to inquire. So that is two lessons learned. ![View of Piz Bernina and Tschierva Glacier from Fuorcla Surlej](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-coaz-trail-1.jpg) Glorious view of the Piz Bernina and the Tschierva Glacier from Fuorcla Surlej ![Piz Bernina and Piz Roseg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-coaz-trail-2.jpg) Piz Bernina and Piz Roseg ![Sella Glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-coaz-trail-3.jpg) The trail affords spectacular views of Piz Roseg and the Sella Glacier. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-coaz-trail-4.jpg) In the bottom right corner on the cliff the Chamanna Coaz hut ![Piz Roseg and Sella Glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-coaz-trail-5.jpg) Another capture of the Sella Glacier. Did I already mention that the views are spectacular? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-coaz-trail-6.jpg) The trail to the Chamanna Coaz ![Bernina Group as seen from Corvatsch Bergstation](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/chamanna-coaz-trail-7.jpg) The Bernina Group as seen from Corvatsch Bergstation ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), the hike to [Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/), the hike to the [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/), the hike from [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the hike to the [Plans de Bertol](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/plans-de-bertol/), the hike to the [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the spectacular [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Munt Pers URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munt-pers/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T15:18:51.000Z The trail from Diavolezza at an elevation of 2,978 metres to Munt Pers at an elevation of 3,206 metres is one of the most popular trails in St Moritz. On a good day it offers stunning views of the Piz Palü, Piz Bernina and the Pers Glacier. The glaciers around St Moritz are at a relatively low elevation and are therefore vulnerable to climate change. I wonder how much will be left ten years from now (= 2020). ![Piz Bernina as seen from the trail to Munt Pers](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/munt-pers-trail-1.jpg) Piz Bernina as seen from the trail to Munt Pers. The rock to the left is called Crast' Agüzza ![Piz Bernina as seen from the trail to Munt Pers](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/munt-pers-trail-2.jpg) Piz Bernina as seen from the trail to Munt Pers ![Pers Glacier as seen from the trail to Munt Pers](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/munt-pers-trail-3.jpg) The Pers Glacier and Piz Palü as seen from the trail to Munt Pers ![Piz Bernina as seen from the trail to Munt Pers](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/munt-pers-trail-4.jpg) I can't get enough of these views and selecting a favourite photo is always a challenge ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), the hike to [Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/), the hike to the [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/), the hike from [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the hike to the [Plans de Bertol](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/plans-de-bertol/), the hike to the [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna da Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/) and the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the spectacular [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Hörnlihütte URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hornlihutte/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T17:30:05.000Z On glorious morning in September 2014 I hiked the [Matterhorn Glacier Trail](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/matterhorn-glacier-trail/) from Trockener Steg to Schwarzsee. I didn't have time to also hike up to the Hörnlihütte at the foot of the Matterhorn, because I had to catch a train to Zürich for my flight back home. In 2020 I was in the vicinity of [Zermatt](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/zermatt/) again and with one day to spare and a good weather forecast I decided to give it another try. The hike to the Hörnli Hut is probably one the most popular trails in Zermatt and as a consequence it is quite crowded. I even noticed a number of people in jeans and trainers. The trail is relatively easy, some sections even come with metal stairs. Just beware that the Hörnli Hut is situated at an elevation of 3,260 metres. The views of the surrounding mountains are pretty awesome. I must say that I prefer the much less popular hike to the [Schönbielhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schonbielhutte/). The (new) Rothornhütte is [still](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wisshornweg/) on my list. ![Hörnli Trail Panorama](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/hornli-trail-1.jpg) View of the Zinalrothorn and the Aschhorn from the start of the Hörnli Trail ![Hörnli Trail Panorama](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/hornli-trail-2.jpg) The view stays pretty much the same as you ascend, but what's not to like? ![Zinalrothorn as seen from the Hörnli Trail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/hornli-trail-3.jpg) Zinalrothorn as seen from the Hörnli Trail ![Hörnli Trail Panorama](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/hornli-trail-4.jpg) I always enjoy watching clouds form in the mountains as long as they aren't rain clouds ![Hörnli Trail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/hornli-trail-5.jpg) Looking down somewhere along the Hörnli Trail ### Related Posts **More awesome hikes in the Swiss Alps!** The [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/), the hike to the Monte Rosa Hut across the [Gornergletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher/), the hike to the [Cabane du Grand Mountet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-du-grand-mountet/), the hike to the [Cabane de Moiry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/cabane-de-moiry/), the hike to [Oeschinensee Blüemlisalp](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/oeschinensee-bluemlisalp/), the hike to the [Schreckhornhütte](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schreckhornhutte/), the hike from [Schynige Platte to Faulhorn to First](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/schynige-platte-faulhorn-first/), the hike to the [Plans de Bertol](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/plans-de-bertol/), the hike to the [Chamanna da Boval](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-da-boval/) and the [Chamanna da Coaz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/chamanna-coaz/) and the [UNESCO Höhenweg](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/unesco-hohenweg-bettmerhorn-eggishorn/) along the spectacular [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/08/02/further-reading-75/ Last updated: 2024-02-24T13:51:21.000Z What artist [Paul McCarthy](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-06-03/coronavirus-shutdown-artist-paul-mccarthy-hammer-drawing-instagram?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) has drawn and learned from Instagram in the pandemic. [Center-Stage for Tacita Dean](https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2018/09/16/center-stage-for-tacita-dean/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Verblendet vom Augenblick](https://www.zeit.de/2020/25/corona-krise-staat-risikopolitik-andreas-reckwitz?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Die Corona-Krise wurde panisch zum ungeheuren Epochenbruch stilisiert. In Wahrheit erleben wir etwas anderes: Der Staat erfindet sich gerade neu – indem er Risikopolitik betreibt. Essay by Andreas Reckwitz. Die Corona-Krise hält der modernen Gesellschaft einen Spiegel vor und offenbart ihre Defizite, sagt der Soziologe Andreas Reckwitz. [Ein Gespräch](https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/politik-gesellschaft/verluste-muessen-artikuliert-werden-duerfen-li.86049?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) über das Ende der traditionellen Mittelklasse, den neuen starken Staat und ostdeutsche Entwertungserfahrungen. Jessica Riskin [reviews](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/07/02/just-use-your-thinking-pump/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *The Scientific Method: An Evolution of Thinking from Darwin to Dewey* by Henry M. Cowles. [Review](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/07/02/michelangelo-he-made-stone-speak/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Michelangelo, God’s Architect: The Story of His Final Years and Greatest Masterpiece*. [The scandal of our drug supply](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/07/23/scandal-drug-supply-bottle-lies/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Review of *Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom* by Katherine Eban. [Magh Mela](https://restofworld.org/2020/india-magh-mela/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), an annual Hindu pilgrimage and festival that draws millions of people in a single day. "Each year, devotees from all across the country congregate at the spot where the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers converge at Prayagraj in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. There, devotees dip in the water, which they believe cleanses them of their sins." [Review](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/07/23/leila-slimani-family-values/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of Adèle, The Perfect Nanny, Sex and Lies and Le Pays des Autres. 1er Partie: La guerre, la guerre, la guerre by Leila Slimani. [What trade wars tell us](https://www.ft.com/content/f3ee37e0-b086-11ea-a4b6-31f1eedf762e?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Martin Wolf reviews *Trade Wars Are Class Wars* by Matthew Klein and Michael Pettis. "The imbalances that caused the eurozone crisis, the debt explosions in the US and peripheral Europe, and again in post-financial-crisis China go back to two fundamental failures: the distribution of income away from the bulk of the population towards wealthy elites and the unique global role of the dollar." (..) "If we do not recognise and respond to these challenges, we may find ourselves persistently mired in the world of imbalances and trade wars. This is not a good place to be. We should escape." ### Proposition 5.2 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/proposition-5-2/ Last updated: 2022-01-19T18:54:13.000Z Concept & Choreography: Ivar Hagendoorn Dancer: Saskia de Vries Music: J.S. Bach - Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1\. Prelude No. 8 In E Flat Minor Costume: Issey Miyake Date: 2020 Proposition 5.2 from Six Propositions, a series of improvised choreographic miniatures. Each proposition is improvised based on a fixed set of choreographed phrases mixed with everyday movements and a number of techniques for their transformation and recombination and spatial and dynamic organisation. A different iteration. Another iteration. If you watch each iteration you will notice the "variation in structure" and the "structure in variation". I still plan to make an edit with four different takes in one frame. ### Proposition 4.1212 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/proposition-4-1212/ Last updated: 2024-09-29T15:08:13.000Z Concept & Choreography: Ivar Hagendoorn Dancer: Saskia de Vries Music: John Cage - Works of Calder 1 Costume: Issey Miyake Date: 2020 Proposition 4.1212 from Six Propositions, a series of improvised choreographic miniatures. Proposition 3.1 and 4.1212 are improvised based on a fixed set of choreographed "Cunningham" phrases mixed with everyday movements and a number of techniques for their transformation and recombination and spatial and dynamic organisation. A different iteration. Another iteration. If you watch each iteration you will notice that it is improvised based on the same choreographic material. ### Proposition 3.1 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/proposition-3-1/ Last updated: 2022-01-19T18:54:59.000Z Concept & Choreography: Ivar Hagendoorn Dancer: Saskia de Vries Music: Kaija Saariaho - Moss Garden of the Saiho-ji Costume: Issey Miyake Date: 2020 Proposition 3.1 from Six Propositions, a series of improvised choreographic miniatures. Proposition 3.1 and 4.1212 are improvised based on a fixed set of choreographed "Cunningham" phrases mixed with everyday movements and a number of techniques for their transformation and recombination and spatial and dynamic organisation. A different iteration. Another iteration. If you watch each iteration you will notice the "variation in structure" and the "structure in variation". ### Proposition 2.202 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/proposition-2-202/ Last updated: 2022-01-19T18:55:17.000Z Concept & Choreography: Ivar Hagendoorn Dancer: Saskia de Vries Music: Sunn O))) - Aghartha (excerpt) Date: 2020 Proposition 2.202 from Six Propositions, a series of improvised choreographic miniatures. Proposition 2.202 is improvised based on an infinite collection of everyday movements and a number of techniques for their transformation and recombination. A different iteration with Music for the film 'Sculpture by Lipton' 1 by Morton Feldman playing in the background. Our studio comes complete with a Steingraeber & Söhne E-272 Concert Grand Piano. ### Proposition 1.21 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/proposition-1-21/ Last updated: 2024-04-02T17:57:54.000Z Concept & Choreography: Ivar Hagendoorn Dancer: Saskia de Vries Music: Gérard Pesson - Nembutal (Une Berceuse Pour Jean Genet) Date: 2020 Proposition 1.21 from Six Propositions, a series of improvised choreographic miniatures. Each proposition is improvised based on a fixed set of choreographed phrases mixed with everyday movements and a number of techniques for their transformation and recombination and spatial and dynamic organisation. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/05/24/further-reading-74/ Last updated: 2024-02-24T13:53:08.000Z Das Virus ändert alles, aber es ändert sich nichts. [Ein Essay von Armin Nassehi](https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2020-05/corona-massnahmen-lockerungen-kontaktverbot-lockdown-social-distancing?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Man kann an diesen Krisenfolgen sehr deutlich sehen, wie fragil diese so stabile Gesellschaft immer schon war und wie sehr sie auf Kante genäht ist: Sie scheint in ihrer dynamischen Stabilität davon abhängig zu sein, dass es weitergeht wie bisher. Nicht weil sie so stabil ist, ist es schwer in die Dynamik der Gesellschaft einzugreifen, sondern weil diese Stabilität so sehr von sensiblen Konstellationen abhängig ist." "Je ne crois pas aux déclarations du genre 'rien ne sera plus jamais comme avant'" [Essay by Michel Houellebecq](https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/lettres-d-interieur/lettres-d-interieur-04-mai-2020?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Nous ne nous réveillerons pas, après le confinement, dans un nouveau monde ; ce sera le même, en un peu pire." [Die Zukunft nach Corona](https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/buecher/themen/die-zukunft-nach-corona-ein-essay-von-michel-houellebecq-16761890.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (German translation). [A tour through the exhibition](https://www.metmuseum.org/metmedia/video/collections/modern/gerhard-richter-exhibition-tour?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Gerhard Richter: Painting After All at The Met Breuer. Review of [Gerhard Richter: Painting After All](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/05/14/gerhard-richter-master-unknowing/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Frank Ramsey. [The man who thought too fast](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/04/the-man-who-thought-too-fast?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The environmental price of fast fashion](https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-020-0039-9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "In this Review, we identify the environmental impacts at critical points in the textile and fashion value chain, from production to consumption, focusing on water use, chemical pollution, CO2 emissions and textile waste. (..). On the basis of these environmental impacts, we outline the need for fundamental changes in the fashion business model, including a deceleration of manufacturing and the introduction of sustainable practices throughout the supply chain, as well a shift in consumer behaviour — namely, decreasing clothing purchases and increasing garment lifetimes." Between home and work: [Commuting as an opportunity for role transitions](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract%5Fid=2714478&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). This is exactly how I view commuting and why I don't like working from home. It's also why I never liked casual Fridays. I like there to be a strict distinction between office and home. Die moderne Kunst war immer ein Versprechen auf Radikalität. Was aber, [wenn sich die Wirklichkeit nun selbst auf ungeahnte Weise radikalisiert?](https://www.zeit.de/2020/18/moderne-kunst-radikalitaet-wirklichkeit/komplettansicht?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Still Life](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cover-story/cover-story-2020-05-04?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Amazing cover for the New Yorker by Chris Ware. [Igor Levit is like no other pianist](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/18/igor-levit-is-like-no-other-pianist?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Revealing animal emotions](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6486/33?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Dolensek et al. used machine learning to objectively investigate stereotyped facial expressions and their neuronal correlates in mice in response to emotionally salient stimuli." [Sword-wielding scientists](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/sword-wielding-scientists-show-how-ancient-fighting-techniques-spread-across-bronze-age?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) show how ancient fighting techniques spread across Bronze Age Europe. Shrewd water use helped South America’s first empire thrive. [So why did a drought destroy it?](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/shrewd-water-use-helped-south-america-s-first-empire-thrive-so-why-did-drought-destroy?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Ariane Mnouchkine: [Half a century building utopia](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/14/theater/ariane-mnouchkine-archive.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Will Cirque du Soleil Rise Again?](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/17/world/canada/cirque-du-soleil-coronavirus-debt.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) “No one had ever modeled what we would do if we lost 100 percent of our revenue”. Add Cirque du Soleil to the list of companies destroyed by private equity (and USD 1 billion of debt). Michael Pollan on [the US food supply chain](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/06/11/covid-19-sickness-food-supply/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "There’s still plenty of food coming from American farms, but no easy way to get it where it’s needed." ### Highlights from the Fall 2020 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/04/19/highlights-from-the-fall-2020-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2020-11-29T20:23:33.000Z With hindsight it is quite astonishing and perhaps even somewhat disconcerting that the fall 2020 ready-to-wear runway shows took place at all. At the time of the Milan fashion shows the coronavirus was already spreading across Northern Italy. Nevertheless the fashion circus descended onto Milan and then travelled on to Paris. Noir Kei Ninomiya presented yet another amazing collection. I'm a big fan of Junya Watanabe and his FW collection didn't disappoint. The collections by Matty Bovan and Undercover draw on the same deconstructionist aesthetic, which I happen to like, even after all those years. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/noir-kei-ninomiya-fw20-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/noir-kei-ninomiya-fw20-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/noir-kei-ninomiya-fw20-3.jpg) Noir Kei Ninomiya ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/junya-watanabe-fw20-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/junya-watanabe-fw20-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/junya-watanabe-fw20-3.jpg) Junya Watanabe ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/matty-bovan-fw20-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/Undercover-FW20-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/11/richard-quinn-fw20-1.jpg) Matty Bovan (left), Undercover (middle), Richard Quinn (right) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/04/05/further-reading-73/ Last updated: 2020-04-13T09:06:50.000Z Moralischer Universalismus in Zeiten politischer Regression. [Jürgen Habermas im Gespräch über die Gegenwart und sein Lebenswerk](https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/0340-0425-2020-1-7/moralischer-universalismus-in-zeiten-politischer-regression-juergen-habermas-im-gespraech-ueber-die-gegenwart-und-sein-lebenswerk-volume-48-2020-issue-1?page=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Is barbarism with a human face our fate?](https://critinq.wordpress.com/2020/03/18/is-barbarism-with-a-human-face-our-fate/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Interesting essay by Slavoj Zizek. [Human brain activity during memory](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6482/1131?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Together, these data demonstrate that human episodic memory is encoded by specific sequences of neural activity and that memory recall involves reinstating this temporal order of activity." [A reality check on big data](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41433-019-0682-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Neuroscience needs some new ideas](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00913-9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A history of the metaphors behind brain research faces a dark past and disquieting future. Review of *The Idea of the Brain: A History* by Matthew Cobb. Always Narrating: [The Making and Unmaking of Umberto Eco](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/always-narrating-the-making-and-unmaking-of-umberto-eco?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The Individual Person at the Center: [An Interview with Julia Kristeva](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-individual-person-at-the-center-an-interview-with-julia-kristeva/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Acceleration of evolutionary spread](https://www.pnas.org/content/111/46/E4911?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by long-range dispersal. "We show that even rare long-range jumps can transform the spread of simple epidemics from wave-like to a very fast type of “metastatic” growth. More generally, our approach can be used to describe how new evolutionary variants spread and thus improves our predictive understanding of the speed of Darwinian adaptation." [Is it worth the effort?](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6484/1300?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) "Westbrook et al. clarify the role of dopamine by showing that increasing an otherwise weak dopamine signal shifts attention toward the rewarding outcome, resulting in greater readiness to perform cognitive effort to reach the goal." [Research on the cerebellum](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00636-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) yields rewards. "The cerebellum has mostly been associated with learning from errors. The discovery that the cerebellum is also involved in reward-driven learning in monkeys implies a previously unappreciated role in cognition." [3400-year-old ballgame court ](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/3400-year-old-ballgame-court-unearthed-mountains-mexico?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)unearthed in mountains of Mexico. A strange equality in his grandiosity: [On craft and Milan Kundera](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/a-strange-equality-in-his-grandiosity-on-craft-and-milan-kundera/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). On Milan Kundera and his use of the editorial omniscient point of view. I enjoyed reading Kundera's philosophical musings in the form of a novel when I was at university. But I lost interest after reading *Immortality*, because his work appeared to have come to a close. [Igor Levit in the attention economy](https://van-us.atavist.com/winner-takes-all?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). *Der Spiegel*'s Italy correspondent on a search for [the source of Italy's malaise](https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/country-on-the-brink-a-search-for-the-source-of-italy-s-malaise-a-43adf0e8-bfab-4f8c-9340-3f7f3059babe?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Arundhati Roy on [the rise and rise of the Hindu Nation in India](https://caravanmagazine.in/politics/rise-and-rise-of-hindu-nation?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). It makes me sad. India could be an amazing country, but it is held back by its political and legal system and religious divisions. [Werner Herzog](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/23/magazine/werner-herzog-interview.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) has never thought a dog was cute. A very, very brief [introduction](https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/immanuel-kant-what-lies-beyond-the-senses/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to the work of Immanuel Kant. [Insights into human genetic variation and population history](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6484/eaay5012?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from 929 diverse genomes. [Mit ihm sind wir modern](https://www.zeit.de/kultur/literatur/2020-03/friedrich-hoelderlin-dichter-geburtstag-corona-zeiten?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Friedrich Hölderlin Zum 250\. Geburtstag. Jerry Saltz [writes](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/books/review/how-to-be-an-artist-jerry-saltz.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): “If you’re an aspiring artist, I want you to remember: Nothing happens when you’re not working. But anything can happen if you are.” ### The Avant-Gardists. The Russian Revolution in Art, 1917-1935 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/04/05/the-avant-gardists-the-russian-revolution-in-art-1917-1935/ Last updated: 2024-06-18T19:56:52.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/04/russian-avant-garde-stedelijk-1.jpg) *The Avant-Gardists. The Russian Revolution in Art, 1917-1935* by Sjeng Scheijen is a fascinating account of the rise and fall of a group of artists who revolutionised art, but who were eventually crushed by the Soviet state. Drawing on previously inaccessible archives Sjeng Scheijen has created a vivid portrayal of this extraordinary period in the history of modern art. I read it in Dutch, but an English translation is forthcoming. It may seem politically naive now, but many of the Russian avant-gardists embraced the Bolshevik revolution. They had been rejected by the old czarist system and many genuinely believed that their work aligned with the ambition of the Bolsheviks to establish a new society. For a brief moment some artists, including Kazimir Malevich and Vladimir Tatlin, became officials within the newly established state institutions. They set out to reform art academies and other art institutions, but it didn't take long for opposition to take hold, in part because numerous traditionalists still held powerful positions, in part because the bolsheviks favoured art that would appeal to the masses and that could serve as propaganda. Less than a year after the Russian revolution the avant-gardists would once again be marginalized. Some, such as Chagall and Kandinsky, emigrated, others were prosecuted or murdered, yet others adapted to the whims of the new rulers so as to continue working. Today the work of Malevich, Tatlin and El Lissitzky belongs to the canon of modern art. Their work is included in the collections of the world's major museums of modern art. What one doesn't see from merely looking at the artworks is the struggle that went into creating these works, the enthusiasm with which the Russian avant-gardists explored new forms and the tenacity with which they fought for their ideas, despite growing opposition. It is this that Sjeng Scheijen masterfully depicts in *The Avant-Gardists*. As Sjeng Scheijen points out, El Lissitzky was one of the first abstract artists, if not the first, who didn't develop abstract painting himself, like Mondriaan, Kandinsky and Malevich, but who adopted it as a student. This may not sound like a great merit, but it shows something else. Abstract art was not an end point, the culmination of a path to ever greater abstraction or simplification, it marked a new beginning and offered opportunities for developing a novel and personal style, as can be seen in the work of abstract artists of later generations, such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, Agnes Martin, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, Lucio Fontana and Gerhard Richter to name but a few. I have long been an admirer of the work of Malevich and El Lissitzky. Many years ago I saw a large retrospective of the Russian avant-garde at the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt. When the exhibition travelled to Amsterdam I went to see it a second time. I have since visited various other exhibitions of the Russian avant-garde. I love the spatial composition in the work of Malevich and El Lissitzky. But above all else to me the work the Russian avant-gardists attests to the freedom and power of the imagination. ### Update The book has now been published in English translation as: *The Avant-Gardists: Artists in Revolt in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union 1917-1935* (Thames & Hudson, 2024). ### Musée Marmottan-Monet URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/03/08/musee-marmottan-monet/ Last updated: 2023-01-23T19:45:11.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/04/Monet-Pont-de-l-Europe-Gare-Saint-Lazare.jpg) Claude Monet, Le Pont de l'Europe-Gare Saint-Lazare (1877) Even after more than 25 years of travelling to Paris I still haven't visited every art museum. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I had never even heard of the [Musée Marmottan-Monet](https://www.marmottan.fr/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The Musée Marmottan-Monet is housed in a townhouse in the 16th arrondissement of Paris near the Bois de Boulogne. In 1966 Michel Monet, Claude's second son and only heir, bequeathed his collection of his father's work to the Musée Marmottan, thereby creating the world's largest collection of works by Claude Monet. The museum was subsequently renamed Musée Marmottan-Monet. The museum also houses a large collection of works by [Berthe Morisot](https://www.marmottan.fr/en/collections/berthe-morisot/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), who deserves to be a lot better known, by which I mean that I hadn't heard of her before and wish I did. *Le jardin à Bougival* (1884) is a wonderful painting. I visited the museum in order to see the exhibition Tyson/Monet: A Question of Painting, the second instalment in a series of Unexpected Dialogues whereby a contemporary artist is invited to create work in response to the work of Claude Monet. Keith Tyson is one of my favourite artists so I was eager to see the exhibition while I was in Paris. The exhibition was quite small and only featured four works by Tyson, but it was interesting to see his work alongside *Le Pont de l’Europe, La Gare Saint-Lazare* (1877) by Claude Monet, an amazing painting that I don't recall having seen before and which looks very contemporary. I thought I knew the work of Monet, but seeing a large collection of his work was a revelation. I didn't know just how close to abstraction some of his later work is, such as *La Maison de Giverny vue du Jardin aux Roses* (1922-24). From 13 April to 21 August 2022 the Musée Marmottan-Monet organizes an exhibition exploring the history of the representation of [emotion in painting](https://www.marmottan.fr/en/expositions/the-theatre-of-emotions/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). This exhibition was postponed from 2020 because of the corona pandemic. I am happy to see that it has been rescheduled. I've added it to my agenda. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/02/16/further-reading-72/ Last updated: 2020-02-16T13:37:45.000Z ‘That Single Fleeting Moment’: [Merce Cunningham in images](https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2020/01/11/that-single-fleeting-moment-merce-cunningham-in-images/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Review](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/coincidences-chance-and-champignons/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Diary: How to Improve the World (You Will Only Make Matters Worse)* by John Cage; *Changes. Notes on Choreography* by Merce Cunningham; and *Love, Icebox Letters from John Cage to Merce Cunningham*. Karl Ove Knausgaard [profiles Anselm Kiefer](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/magazine/anselm-kiefer-art.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) for the New York Times Magazine. [The pace of modern culture](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-019-0802-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Using time-series methods, \[the authors show\] that much of modern culture is shaped by either stabilizing or directional forces or both and that these forces partly regulate the rates at which different traits evolve. (..) In sum, \[the\] results demonstrate the deep unity of the processes and patterns of cultural and organic evolution." [Ancient West African foragers](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-1929-1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in the context of African population history. "We infer an Africa-wide phylogeny that features widespread admixture and three prominent radiations, including one that gave rise to at least four major lineages deep in the history of modern humans." An [ant colony has memories](https://aeon.co/ideas/an-ant-colony-has-memories-that-its-individual-members-dont-have?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that its individual members don’t have. [The long road to fairer algorithms](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00274-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "To identify and mitigate discriminatory relationships in data, we need models that capture or account for the causal pathways that give rise to them. Here we outline what is required to build models that would allow us to explore ethical issues underlying seemingly objective analyses." [How ‘Big Law’ Makes Big Money](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/02/13/how-big-law-makes-big-money/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Adam Tooze reviews *The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality* by Katharina Pistor. [Why fossil fuel producer subsidies matter](https://t.co/DydJFAFfvA?amp=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Clever analysis taking into account accelerated depreciation of new capital investment, which boosts cash flow at the start of a project making it easier to invest in new oil fields thereby lowering oil prices and increasing oil consumption. Ian Johnson on [How China’s rise has forced Hong Kong’s decline](https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2019/11/26/how-chinas-rise-has-forced-hong-kongs-decline/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "This decline is about more than economics. Hong Kong once had a cachet that few cities could match: the home of Bruce Lee, Wong Kar-wai, and Eileen Chang—a bucket-list destination perched on a fault line of global politics. (..) In reality, the city has lost its global allure." It's been more than ten years since I last visited Hong Kong. I'd love to go back one day, but I'm afraid I agree with this assessment: Hong Kong failed to reinvent itself. Every solution creates a problem. [Wind turbine blades can’t be recycled](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-02-05/wind-turbine-blades-can-t-be-recycled-so-they-re-piling-up-in-landfills?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), so they’re piling up in landfills. [Essay](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/02/27/marie-ndiaye-devourer/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on and review of the work of Marie NDiaye. Thirteen tips for engaging with physicists, [as told by a biologist](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03960-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Twelve tips for engaging with biologists, [as told by a physicist](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03961-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Brancusi at BOZAR URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/01/12/brancusi-at-bozar/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T16:51:16.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/01/brancusi-lizica-codreano.jpg) Lizica Codreano dancing to Les Gymnopédies by Erik Satie in Brancusi's studio I had originally planned to skip the Brancusi retrospective, currently at BOZAR in Brussels, and to only visit the Keith Haring Haring retrospective, because I once visited a Brancusi exhibition at the Centre Pompidou. But when I did a quick online search I found out that was in 1995\. I knew that it was a long time ago, but I didn't recall that it was that long ago. A good time to refresh my memory therefore. Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957) was born in a small village in Romania. He attended the School of Arts and Crafts in Craiova and later enrolled at the National School of Fine Arts in Bucharest. In 1903 he traveled to Paris, where he trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts for two years before entering the workshop of Rodin as an assistant. He left after only two months to pursue his own interests, noting that “nothing grows under the shadow of big trees.” Brancusi went on to produce works that would change the face of modern sculpture. Rather than modelling clay like his contemporaries, Brancusi carved his work directly from wood or stone, or cast it in bronze. Over the years his work became increasingly reductive as he sought to render the essence of an object, rather than its exterior and accidental form. He sought to do the same with movement. His bird sculptures don't resemble a bird, but seek to capture the act of taking flight, the ascension into the sky. Brancusi once said that "if one has reproduced nature realistically it is not creation. An artist must create." The retrospective shows that he himself was true to his sense of what it means to be an artist. The exhibition is arranged chronologically, starting with his first surviving works. I actually quite liked these early works, because from one side they look like an ordinary piece of rock, whereas from the other side you can see a face appear. Understandably many key works are missing. In recent years auction prices for the work of Brancusi have skyrocketed. In 2017 a bronze head sold for USD 57.4 million. A year later another sculpture sold for USD 71 million at Christie's setting a record for the artist. Even so, the organizers managed to bring together a large and diverse collection of works, including "The Kiss" and "Sleeping Muse", which give an excellent overview of Brancusi's work and career. The exhibition consists not only of sculptures and drawings, but also brings together photos and film fragments that Brancusi made of his work and his contemporaries such as Man Ray, Erik Satie, Tristan Tzara and Marcel Duchamp. In 1922 Brancusi invited the Romanian dancer Lizica Codreanu to his studio to perform among his sculptures in costumes that he had designed for the occasion. Brancusi also designed the pedestals for many of his sculptures, which raises the question where the sculpture begins and ends. Brancusi himself also liked to place his works directly on the floor or on a table in his studio alongside ordinary objects, but of course such irreverence is now unthinkable, which is a shame, really. I enjoyed the exhibition and yet, partly because it was quite crowded, it didn't do justice to the works on show. The bird needs to fly and I would love to see it in a serene space like the Chichu Art Museum or the Benesse House Museum in Naoshima. **Constantin Brancusi** is at BOZAR, Brussels until 2 February 2020. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/brancusi-atelier.jpeg) Brancusi's atelier in Paris ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/12/29/further-reading-71/ Last updated: 2020-02-16T10:34:05.000Z [Why the laws of physics are inevitable](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-simple-rules-bootstrap-the-laws-of-physics-20191209/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "To an astonishing degree, nature is the way it is because it couldn’t be any different." [A time to fast](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/362/6416/770?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). It’s not just what you eat, but when you eat it—and periods of fasting may have some distinct health benefits. "The underlying physiological processes involve periodic shifts of metabolic fuel sources, promotion of repair mechanisms, and the optimization of energy utilization for cellular and organismal health." What’s next for psychology’s embattled field of [social priming](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03755-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? [Why deep-learning AIs are so easy to fool](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03013-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Review](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/12/19/inventing-ballet-souls-single-file/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Marius Petipa: The Emperor’s Ballet Master* by Nadine Meisner. Emotion semantics show [both cultural variation and universal structure](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6472/1517?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "It is unclear whether emotion terms have the same meaning across cultures. \[The authors\] examined nearly 2,500 languages to determine the degree of similarity in linguistic networks of 24 emotion terms across cultures. There were low levels of similarity, and thus high variability, in the meaning of emotion terms across cultures." [Scale-free networks well done](https://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.1.033034?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "We bring rigor to the vibrant activity of detecting power laws in empirical degree distributions in real-world networks. We first provide a rigorous definition of power-law distributions, equivalent to the definition of regularly varying distributions that are widely used in statistics and other fields." The authors conclude that "real-world scale-free networks are definitely not as rare as one would conclude based on the popular but unrealistic assumption that real-world data come from power laws of pristine purity, void of noise, and deviations." John Farrell on [why literature professors turned against authors](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/why-literature-professors-turned-against-authors-or-did-they/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) — or did they? [Earliest hunting scene in prehistoric art](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1806-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Here we describe an elaborate rock art panel from the limestone cave of Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4 (Sulawesi, Indonesia) that portrays several figures that appear to represent therianthropes hunting wild pigs and dwarf bovids; this painting has been dated to at least 43.9 ka on the basis of uranium-series analysis of overlying speleothems. This hunting scene is—to our knowledge—currently the oldest pictorial record of storytelling and the earliest figurative artwork in the world." The Three-Body Problem and beyond. [A Q&A with Liu Cixin](http://blogs.nature.com/futureconditional/2016/08/19/the-three-body-problem-and-beyond-a-qa-with-liu-cixin/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Meaning and mayhem](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/12/19/mafia-meaning-mayhem/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Roberto Saviano on the language and symbols used by the mafia. [Detecting and quantifying causal associations](https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/11/eaau4996?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in large nonlinear time series datasets. "Here, we introduce a novel method that flexibly combines linear or nonlinear conditional independence tests with a causal discovery algorithm to estimate causal networks from large-scale time series datasets." [Even what doesn’t happen is epic](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v40/n03/nick-richardson/even-what-doesn-t-happen-is-epic?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Review of *The Three-Body Problem* and two other novels by Cixin Liu. *The Three-Body Problem* "is one of the most ambitious works of science fiction ever written. The story begins during the Cultural Revolution and ends 18,906,416 years into the future. There is a scene in ancient Byzantium, and a scene told from the perspective of an ant. The first book is set on Earth, though several of its scenes take place in virtual reality representations of Qin dynasty China and ancient Egypt; by the end of the third book, the stage has expanded to encompass an intercivilisational war that spans not only the three-dimensional universe but other dimensions too." What developers should know about networks. Part one: [The physical layer](https://tashian.com/articles/what-developers-should-know-about-networks/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The best science images of the year: [2019 in pictures](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03839-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Longreads [best of 2019](https://longreads.com/2019/12/09/longreads-best-of-2019-all-of-our-no-1-story-picks/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The scientific events that shaped the decade](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03857-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Cixin Liu: The Three-Body Problem URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/12/28/cixin-liu-the-three-body-problem/ Last updated: 2023-02-14T18:57:55.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/three-body-problem-cover.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/dark-forest-cover.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/deaths-end-cover-1.jpeg) I don’t usually read science fiction novels, but after reading rave reviews I decided to pick up a copy of Cixin Liu's *The Three-Body Problem*. It is indeed a marvelous novel and after finishing the first volume I also ordered the second and third volume of the trilogy, *The Dark Forest* and *Death’s End*, which I found even better. The trilogy as a whole is actually titled *Remembrance of Earth’s Past*, but it is often referred to as *The Three-Body Problem* series. The three volumes were originally published in China in 2006, 2008 and 2010\. *The Three-Body Problem* spans multiple decades and by the end of the third volume we’re several million years into the future. By that time we’ve also crossed into higher dimensions. Cixin Liu pulls it all off with ease. The first half or so of *The Three-Body Problem* is set against the backdrop of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and I must say that I found some sections a bit hard-going. But let’s not forget that *The Three-Body Problem* is a Chinese novel that was written for a Chinese readership, [not for a global audience](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2011/02/04/tim-parks-on-mcnovels-and-the-globalization-of-literature). Ye Wenjie is an astrophysics student who witnesses how her father is beaten to death by Red Guards. She herself is sent to a labour camp. After being betrayed by a journalist whom she had befriended she is sent to prison. There she is recruited by the Chinese military to work at a secret site, whose true purpose is the search for extraterrestrial life, or so Ye Wenjie discovers at some point. She develops a way to send messages further into the universe than was hitherto possible by using the sun as an amplifier. Some eight years later Ye receives a message from a planet called Trisolaris, which urges her not to respond or else she will disclose her location in the universe. Without telling anyone about her discovery, Ye, disillusioned by her marriage and humanity at large, responds anyway and invites the aliens to come to Earth. Some years later Ye, now a university professor, meets with Mike Evans, a wealthy radical environmentalist who believes that Earth would be better off without humans. Ye confides in Evans and tells him about the message she received some years earlier. Evans uses his wealth to construct an observatory station and upon receiving a message from Trisolaris he sets out to establish a secret society, the Earth-Trisolaris Organization (ETO), with Ye Wenjie as its leader, to welcome the aliens. Eventually and unsurprisingly ETO splits into three rival factions, each with their own agenda and attitude towards the Trisolarans. The *Three-Body Problem*, the first volume of the trilogy, takes its title from a problem in classical mechanics which consists of [the problem of determining the motion of three celestial bodies](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-three-body-problem/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) moving under no influence other than that of their mutual gravitation. This matters because the aliens that Ye Wenjie inadvertently makes contact with come from a planet that has three suns, which is why it is referred to as Trisolaris. As a consequence its climate is erratic. Brief stable eras unexpectedly give way to chaotic eras with extreme droughts during which days can last years. Its inhabitants have evolved the capacity to dehydrate to survive periods of drought and extreme heat. When the Trisolarans learn that planet Earth has just one sun they decide to migrate, never mind that Earth is already occupied. Fortunately for humanity Trisolaris is four light years away, and given the speed with which Trisolarans travel this gives us four hundred years to prepare for their arrival. There is an important metaphor in here. For the extreme weather events, from hurricanes to heat and drought, that are both intensifying and becoming more frequent, can be seen as an indication that Earth’s climate is entering a chaotic phase. The story of Ye Wenjie is interspersed with that of Wang Miao, a nanotechnologist enlisted by the police to help solve a series of mysterious murders of several prominent scientists. Wang discovers that they were all members of a secret society who played a virtual reality game called Three Body, which is set on a planet whose climate randomly switches from stable to chaotic eras. Wang infiltrates the society and solves the game when he realizes that the planet is orbited by three suns, which causes the climate to behave as it does. Wang tells the police what he has learned during the secret society’s meetings and Ye Wenjie is arrested. Documents found by the police reveal that a large invasion fleet is on its way and will reach Earth in approximately 400 years. The documents also reveal that the Trisolarans possess highly advanced technology, which includes subatomic AI devices called sophons, some of which have already been sent to Earth and keep a check on further advances in fundamental physics by disrupting the operation of particle accelerators. This is where the first volume ends. The second volume, *The Dark Forest*, introduces a number of new plot lines and characters, one of whom will also become a central character in the third volume of the trilogy, *Death’s End*. In both the second and the third volume the story also gains pace as Cixin Liu introduces ever more fantastic elements. I really liked to concept of the Wallfacers. To coordinate Earth’s defense against the attack of the Trisolarans the UN has established a Planetary Defense Council. This council in turn has appointed four “Wallfacers” who are granted unprecedented rights and resources to develop a defense strategy, which they are to keep secret, because the sophons cannot read minds. This of course leads Trisolaris and its human allies of ETO to appoint three “Wallbreakers”. One of the wallfacers is Luo Ji, a Chinese “cosmic sociologist” and a former student of Ye Wenjie, who is appointed because, for unknown reasons, he is perceived as a threat by the Trisolarans, who have put him on a hit list. Luo Ji is a proponent of the Dark Forest theory of the universe, which basically states that, because one doesn't know in advance whether an alien civilization is a friend or a foe, it is best to keep one's own location in the universe secret and if technology allows it, to strike first and ask questions later. By threatening to reveal the location of Trisolaris, which might lead to its destruction by an even more technologically advanced civilization, Luo Ji is able to ward off Earth’s imminent destruction. As a proof of concept Luo has the location of a distant star broadcast to the entire universe, which years later is indeed destroyed by an unknown high-speed object. But of course Luo Ji's tenure doesn't last forever. The Dark Forest hypothesis and the stable era that lasts for the duration of Luo Ji's tenure as wallfacer, can again be read as a metaphor for our current predicament. It is only during periods in which there are no geopolitical risks that one can benefit from economic prosperity and have the luxury to indulge in pacifism. I also liked the idea, first introduced in *The Dark Forest*, that characters can go into hibernation to be awakened again several years or centuries into the future. This allows Cixin Liu to jump through time and have characters re-appear later in the story. *Death’s End*, the third book in the trilogy, is my favourite novel in the series, because it demands the greatest stretch of the imagination. Perhaps rather surprisingly the first chapter is set in 15th century Constantinople. It then switches to the time when Ye Wenjie first made contact with Trisolaris, before moving on to the time of *The Dark Forest* and beyond. Cixin Liu has neatly named the different times at which the story is set the Common Era, the Crisis Era, the Deterrence Era, the Broadcast Era, the Bunker Era and the Galaxy Era. As we move from the Broadcast Era to the Bunker Era and finally the Galaxy Era, Cixin Liu takes ever greater flights of fancy eventually taking us to other galaxies and micro-universes. On this journey the reader is accompanied by a couple of characters, which guarantee the storyline’s continuity. The *Three-Body Problem* trilogy is heavy on scientific concepts and Cixin Liu has gone to great lengths to create a fictional universe that is at least internally consistent. Apart from physics and mathematics there is also a fair amount of game theory, especially in the storyline of the Wallfacers and the Swordholder. Ultimately *The Three-Body Problem* trilogy is an inspiring and optimistic novel as Cixin Liu imagines all kinds of technological breakthroughs on the horizon. As such *The Three-Body Problem* is also an invitation to dream. Wouldn’t it be great to travel to a far corner of the universe at near light-speed or to enter a slowly fading four-dimensional fragment of space? ### The Best Books of 2019 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/12/26/the-best-books-of-2019/ Last updated: 2024-07-28T17:43:10.000Z ### Best Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art Georg W. Bertram: Kunst als menschliche Praxis Andreas Reckwitz: Die Erfindung der Kreativität I've read many books and papers about aesthetics and the philosophy of art. In Kunst als menschliche Praxis Georg W. Bertram offers a refreshing take on art and aesthetics. I believe an English translation is forthcoming. In Die Erfindung der Kreativität (The Invention of Creativity) Andreas Reckwitz shows, among other things, how art has become the model of creativity, instead of, say, engineering. ### Best Non-Fiction David Reich: Who We Are and How We Got Here Serhii Plokhy: Chernobyl. History of a Tragedy Adam Tooze: Crashed. How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World The study of ancient human genomes and what it reveals about human population dynamics is one of the scientific stories of the past decade. Crashed by Adam Tooze is one of the best books about the financial crisis. Tooze not only discusses the financial crisis of 2007-8 and the lead-up to the crisis, but also the European sovereign debt crisis, which as he rightly argues was an aftershock of the crisis of 2007-8\. I share his dismay at how it was handled by EU politicians. ### Best Fiction Richard Powers: The Overstory ### Best Science Fiction Cixin Liu: The Three-Body Problem Trilogy Last year I read the first volume and I'd originally planned to read the third volume next year, but I couldn't resist the temptation. It's that good. ### Best Graphic Novel Chris Ware: Rusty Brown I have to say though that some of the windows are very small. ### Best Photography Tim Walker: Shoot For the Moon ### Best Poetry Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer: Idyllen With Idyllen Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer shows that poetry isn't dead and can be a relevant art form. Yes, it is possible to write classical poetry about current affairs. ### Most Disappointing Michel Houellebecq: Sérotonine The yellow vest movement in France and the farmer protests in the Netherlands show that Michel Houellebecq remains one of today's most prescient authors. However, as a novel I found Sérotonine more of the same. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/11/23/further-reading-70/ Last updated: 2024-02-24T13:49:58.000Z Martin Scorsese [explains](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/martin-scorsese-marvel.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) why he said that Marvel movies aren’t cinema. "Many of the elements that define cinema as I know it are there in Marvel pictures. What’s not there is revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger. Nothing is at risk. The pictures are made to satisfy a specific set of demands, and they are designed as variations on a finite number of themes." [Dueling brain waves](https://www.quantamagazine.org/dueling-brain-waves-anchor-or-erase-learning-during-sleep-20191024/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) anchor or erase learning during sleep. [Deep sleep drives brain fluid oscillations](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6465/572?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Rhythmic fluid flows in deep sleep may allow communication and clearance of waste products. [Melting with tenderness](https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/melting-with-tenderness/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Vladimir Nabokov on Apostrophes. An interview with Bernard Pivot first broadcast 30 May 1975. [Who needs literature?](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/who-needs-literature/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Essay, first published in 1963, by Isaac Bashevis Singer winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978\. "Why invent things when nature and life supply so many strange events? I sometimes fear that all of humankind may sooner or later come to my conclusion: that reading fiction is a waste of time." [The world in a song](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6468/944?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Building on a new collection of song recordings and ethnographies from around the world called the Natural History of Song database, the authors find that not only is music universal (in the sense of existing in all sampled cultures) but also that similar songs are used in similar contexts around the world." [Attraction to the recent past in aesthetic judgments](https://jov.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2753404&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): A positive serial dependence for rating artwork. "In conclusion, we found a serial dependence for aesthetic judgment of artwork, with aesthetic ratings of participants biased toward the recent past." [The Church, intensive kinship, and global psychological variation](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6466/eaau5141?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Scientists debate [the origin of cell types in the first animals](https://www.quantamagazine.org/scientists-debate-the-origin-of-cell-types-in-the-first-animals-20190717/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Theories about how animals became multicellular are shifting as researchers find greater complexity in our single-celled ancestors. [Robust evidence of declines in insect abundance and biodiversity](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03241-9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Data are mounting that document widespread insect losses. A long-term research project now provides the strongest evidence of this so far. Computers evolve [a new path toward human intelligence](https://www.quantamagazine.org/computers-evolve-a-new-path-toward-human-intelligence-20191106/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Neural networks that borrow strategies from biology are making profound leaps in their abilities. Is ignoring a goal the best way to make truly intelligent machines? After millions of games, [machine learning algorithms found creative solutions and unexpected new strategies](https://www.quantamagazine.org/artificial-intelligence-discovers-tool-use-in-hide-and-seek-games-20191118/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that could transfer to the real world. [The myth and magic of generating new ideas](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/the-myth-and-magic-of-generating-new-ideas?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Mathematician Dan Rockmore on how to get the mind in motion. I too often get ideas when I’m hiking or in a dream-wake state. [Moles have one of the most unusual walks on Earth](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/10/moles-have-one-most-unusual-walks-earth?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). And we only found out in 2019. Bad dog? [Think twice before yelling, experts say](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/bad-dog-think-twice-yelling-experts-say?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [A better way to convert dog years to human years](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/here-s-better-way-convert-dog-years-human-years-scientists-say?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [In the halls of mountain kings](http://www.lapsuslima.com/in-the-halls-of-the-mountain-kings/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). On the etymology of the word "fairy". Global impacts of thawing Arctic permafrost may be [imminent](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/10/global-impacts-thawing-arctic-permafrost-may-be-imminent?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Rembrandt-Velázquez: Dutch and Spanish Masters at the Rijksmuseum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/11/17/rembrandt-velazquez-dutch-and-spanish-masters/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T16:47:02.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/rembrandt-velazquez-2.jpg) Velázquez **Female Figure* (left) and Rembrandt **An Old Woman Reading* (right) The exhibition "Rembrandt-Velázquez: Dutch & Spanish Masters" brings together works by Rembrandt and Velázquez and their contemporaries. The exhibition is pretty amazing thanks in large part to a number of phenomenal works on loan from other museums and private collections. Rembrandt and Velázquez were direct contemporaries, but they never met or encountered each other's work. It is worth noting that the Netherlands and Spain were at war for much of the period. The Eighty Years' War, in which the (protestant) Dutch Republic battled for independence from the (catholic) Kingdom of Spain lasted from 1568 to 1648 and coincides with the life of Rembrandt (1606-1669) and Velázquez (1599-1660) as well as Frans Hals (1582-1666) and Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664). The exhibition pairs some 60 canvases by 17th century Dutch and Spanish artists. Spanish transcendence vs Dutch earthiness, catholicism vs protestantism, naturalism vs realism, formal vs informal. The latter shows in the pairing of "Flowers in a Glass Vase" (1668) by Juan de Arellano, a formal arrangement of flowers, and "Vase with Flowers" (1700) by Rachel Ruysch in which the flowers are more loosely arranged. It also shows in the pairing of two life-size double portraits of married couples by Velázquez and Rembrandt. Next to Velázquez's stiff and stately portrait of Doña Antonia de Ipenarrieta y Galdos and Don Diego del Corra y Arellano, Rembrandt's portrait of Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit looks energetic and joyous. Even though the exhibition is relatively small there is much to enjoy. From the wonderful "[Saint Paul the Hermit](https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/saint-paul-the-hermit/034011e2-0773-4f0c-ab86-7d5cf2723a25?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1635-1640) by Jusepe de Ribera to Jan Asselijn’s powerful "[The Threatened Swan](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (ca. 1640-1650). Seeing Velázquez’s "Buffoon with Books" (1640) and Rembrandt’s "Self-Portrait as the Apostle Paul" (1661) on their own is a joy, seeing them side by side is pure bliss. The only miss, in my view, is the face-off between Rembrandt's "The Syndics" (De Staalmeesters) (1662) and Velázquez's "Vulcan’s Forge" (1630), in which Rembrandt comes out as the clear winner. Far more interesting is the pairing of Rembrandt's "An Old Woman Reading" (1655) with Velázquez's "Female Figure (Sibyl with Tabula Rasa)" (ca. 1648). Velázquez shows a young woman in her prime, Rembrandt a wrinkled old woman whose face seems to be illuminated by the pages. I also really liked the pairing of the amazing "[Finis Gloriae Mundi](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Valdes%5FLeal%5F-%5FFinis%5FGloriae%5FMundi.jpg?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (ca. 1670-1672) by Juan de Valdés Leal, which shows a half-rotten corpse covered with insects, with Frans Hals's "[The Regents of the Old Men's Almshouse](https://www.franshalsmuseum.nl/en/art/regents-of-the-old-mens-alms-house/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1664) to the left and his "[The Regentesses of the Old Men's Almshouse](https://www.franshalsmuseum.nl/en/art/regentesses-of-the-old-mens-alms-house/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1664) to the right. One of the more surprising pairings is the combination of Vermeer’s "Little Street" (1658) and Velázquez’s "View of the Gardens of the Villa Medici in Rome" (around 1630 or 1650). It is an invitation to look for differences and similarities in content and technique. Velazquez shows a laundress throwing sheets over a balustrade, Vermeer shows three women engaged in various household chores. Velázquez's brushstrokes are loose, whereas Vermeer's are precise. Both capture a simple scene, a moment in time, so unspectacular that you wonder why they bothered to paint it. But perhaps that is the reason why. Perhaps they wanted to apply their skills to something unnoteworthy, to see if they could make it noteworthy. In that both Velázquez and Vermeer succeeded. **Rembrandt-Velázquez: Dutch & Spanish Masters. Dialogues on reality and eternity, religion and beauty** is at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam until 19 January 2020. ### Rijksmuseum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/11/17/rijksmuseum/ Last updated: 2019-11-17T17:00:54.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/jan-toorop-de-zee.jpg) Jan Toorop, *The Sea* (1887) It's been years since I last visited the Rijksmuseum. I had completely forgotten how large it is. It is not as large as the Louvre or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but you can easily spend a full day exploring the museum and still not see everything. There's a lot more to the Rijksmuseum than Rembrandt, Vermeer and the other 17th century Dutch masters. The museum houses a small but exquisite collection of Asian art and a large collection of furniture, costumes, glass, ceramics, vintage photographs, weapons and ship models. Once again I was amazed by the stunning [model of the William Rex](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/search/objects?p=8&ps=12&st=Objects&ii=6&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com#/NG-MC-651,87), a late 17th century Dutch warship, measuring 410 cm by 542 cm by 205 cm, which captivated me when I first visited the Rijksmuseum as a child. Because the collection of 17th century art is so good it is easy to overlook the collection of 19th century art, which includes a self portrait by Vincent van Gogh and works by the artists of The Hague School and the Amsterdam Impressionists Isaac Israëls and George Hendrik Breitner, for whom I've always had a weak spot. When visiting a large museum like the Rijksmuseum it is always good to have a strategy so as not to drown in the abundance of works on display. On this visit I skipped the entire ground floor, which houses the special collections and art from 1100-1600, the 18th century wing and the top floor which covers the period from 1950 to 2000\. I also decided to pay special attention to Still Lifes and Landscapes. Many Dutch landscapes have a low horizon dominated by a vast sky with billowing cumulus clouds. A good example is [View of Haarlem from the Northwest, with the Bleaching Fields in the Foreground](https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/gezicht-op-haarlem-uit-het-noordwesten-met-de-blekerijen-op-de-voorgrond/BAGhNjUcIKTw4g?hl=nl&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (ca. 1650-1682) by Jacob Isaacksz van Ruisdael. About two thirds of the painting is sky and clouds. To get the view in this painting Van Ruisdael actually had to climb a dune in nearby Bloemendaal. What I find interesting about these type of paintings is that, if you leave out the foreground, you are left with a near abstract composition. It is the foreground that makes the sky recognisable as such.\* The reason I find this interesting is that it shows that 17th century painters were technically capable of making abstract paintings. However, to do so required a conceptual leap that wasn't made until the 20th century. By the end of the 19th century various painters painted works that were near abstract, such as the amazing seascape [The Sea](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-4226?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1887) by Jan Toorop, also in the Rijksmuseum collection. Sure enough you can discern the horizon which marks the division between the sky and the sea. But the waves are a riot of brush strokes. Painted partly with a brush and partly with a palette knife the painting predates the technical experiments by 20th century artists. It is discoveries like these that make visiting a museum like the Rijksmuseum such a joy. I plan to go back soon to visit the wings that I skipped. ### Links \* In the 1970s Gerhard Richter painted a number of [cloud paintings](https://www.gerhard-richter.com/en/art/paintings/photo-paintings/clouds-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), which border on abstraction. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/10/27/further-reading-69/ Last updated: 2019-10-27T14:03:41.000Z Novelist Cormac McCarthy’s tips on [how to write a great scientific paper](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02918-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Jessica Wynne is working on a book with [photos of mathematicians’ blackboards](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/23/science/mathematicians-blackboard-photographs-jessica-wynne.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to be released next year. [Curation as creation](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/10/24/harald-szeemann-curation-creation/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). On the life and work of Harald Szeemann and the rise and vulgarization of the practice of curating. I'm lucky to have seen his final exhibition, [La Belgique Visionnaire](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2005/04/17/la-belgique-visionnaire). Sadly Szeemann passed away the day the exhibition was supposed to open. [With category theory, mathematics escapes from equality](https://www.quantamagazine.org/with-category-theory-mathematics-escapes-from-equality-20191010/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Equality is a strict relationship — either two things are equal, or they are not. The concept of equivalence is more subtle and may be a better fit for large swaths of mathematics. [Machines beat humans on a reading test. But do they understand?](https://www.quantamagazine.org/machines-beat-humans-on-a-reading-test-but-do-they-understand-20191017?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Of course, the question is what it means to understand something. Unfortunately, none of the scientists appear to have read *Truth and Method* by [Hans-Georg Gadamer](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/gadamer/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A *Science* [special issue on language and the brain](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6461?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Internal models of sensorimotor integration](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-019-0500-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) regulate cortical dynamics. The authors propose that cognitive control can be understood in terms of principles of motor control: 1) control, 2) simulation, and 3) estimation. Short [video](https://youtu.be/0vKCLJZbytU?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of an octopus changing colour while sleeping, possibly because the octopus is dreaming. [Natural Selection](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/natural-selection/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). New entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, which replaces the previous entry. Footnotes to Plato is a TLS Online series appraising the works and legacies of the great thinkers and philosophers. [Derrida](https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/jacques-derrida-problems-presence/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) defines the “metaphysics of presence” as “the enterprise of returning ‘strategically’, ‘ideally’, to an origin or to a priority thought to be simple, intact, normal, pure, standard, self-identical, in order then to think in terms of derivation, complication, deterioration, accident, etc”. Global warming has made an iconic Andean peak [unrecognizable](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/09/global-warming-has-made-iconic-andean-peak-unrecognizable?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). “Today, the idea born on Chimborazo—that the physical environment shapes life's grand patterns—is giving scientists an intellectual framework for understanding a phenomenon Humboldt himself could not have anticipated: how human-driven climate change is transforming life.” [John Updike Redux](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v41/n19/patricia-lockwood/malfunctioning-sex-robot?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "He wrote like an angel, the consensus goes, except when he was writing like a malfunctioning sex robot." I've only read one of his novels and don't understand the praise. Arundhati Roy on [the tragedy of Kashmir](https://caravanmagazine.in/conflict/echoes-of-fascism-in-kashmir-valley?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Thierry Mugler Couturissime URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/10/26/thierry-mugler-couturissime/ Last updated: 2025-08-10T11:30:50.000Z Occasionally, I see a retrospective that makes me appreciate an artist more than I did before visiting the exhibition. "Thierry Mugler Couturissime" is one of those occasions. I only became interested in fashion in the early 90s. At the time I was drawn to the work of Japanese designers like Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto and the conceptual designs of Martin Margiela. Thierry Mugler was too flashy for me. But over the years I have changed (and so has Thierry Mugler) and I now recognize that, like Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo, he too was exploring what a dress or a garment can be. Thierry Mugler actually trained as a dancer and at the age of 14 he joined the Ballet de l'Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg. Had I known this before I might have paid more attention to his work. While still engaged as a dancer he took classes in interior architecture at the École supérieure des arts décoratifs in Strasbourg. In 1969, at the age of 25, he moved to Paris, where he began work as a stylist. In 1973 he presented his first collection followed in 1978 by the opening of his first Paris boutique. During the 1980s and 1990s he rose to prominence, creating looks that would come to define the era. Mugler was known for his extravagant fashion shows, which he directed himself and for which he casted not only supermodels but also actors, singers, porn stars, drag queens and elderly and oversized models. He was well ahead of his time. His [20th anniversary show](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/10/26/thierry-mugler-couturissime/%E2%80%98The%20Woodstock%20of%20Fashion%E2%80%99:%20Remembering%20Thierry%20Mugler%E2%80%99s%20Most%20Legendary%20Show%20https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/01/t-magazine/thierry-mugler-1995-show.html) at the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris was completely over the top, featuring male go-go dancers, a striptease, a live performance by James Brown and 300 looks that ran the gamut from tailored suits to a fembot full-body metal and Plexiglass catsuit. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/thierry-mugler-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/thierry-mugler-2.jpg) In 2002, after skipping a haute couture collection, Thierry Mugler resigned from his own fashion label. As Mugler commented in various interviews, he was tired of the relentless schedule of creating multiple collections per year and missed the theatre. He moved to Berlin and went on to create costumes for Zumanity by Cirque du Soleil and for the 2009 world tour of Beyoncé. In 2014 he co-directed The Wyld, a cabaret show, in Berlin. Today, Thierry Mugler is perhaps best known for his perfume line and for the music video for [Too Funky](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ2DVwSVIIo&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by George Michael, which features some of his classic designs and which Mugler [co-directed](https://www.numero.com/en/fashion/manfred-thierry-mugler-iris-van-herpen-george-michael-beyonce-dior?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (George Michael had asked him to direct the video, but during the shooting Michael tried to oust him and he took control of the editing himself, hence the question mark in the final shot). In recent years Mugler has made some kind of a comeback, with some of today's stars wearing his vintage designs in music videos or at gala performances. The current retrospective is a long-overdue tribute to his work. Unfortunately, *Couturissime* is one of those exhibitions enveloped in semi-darkness: black ceilings, black or dark blue walls, dark floors and spotlights aimed at the mannequins. This is a real shame. Better lighting would have made the designs come out much better. Even so it was a joy to see how richly detailed some of his designs are and how much craftsmanship went into the making. The *La Chimère* gown from the haute couture FW 1997-1998 collection took months to make and is reputedly one of the most expensive haute couture dresses ever made. I've never quite understood the criticism that some of these outfits are unwearable. Of course, they are unsuitable to wear to the office or to go shopping in, but you don't go hiking in a suit or high heels either. There are so many different occasions to dress for and a theatre performance or a music video are just some such occasions. If you're thinking of going to the exhibition, beware that it is hugely popular, so you're best of going early in the morning or late in the afternoon on a weekday. If you can't make it to the exhibition, you can buy the accompanying [catalogue](https://www.phaidon.com/store/fashion-and-pop-culture/thierry-mugler-couturissime-9780714879413/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (while it's available). **Thierry Mugler Couturissime** is at the Kunsthal Rotterdam until 8 March 2020 and will travel on to the Kunsthalle München from 3 April to 30 August 2020, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris from 30 September 2021 to 24 April 2022 and the [Brooklyn Museum](https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/thierry%5Fmugler?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in New York from 18 November 2022 to 7 May 2023. ### Links [1997 Fashion Big Bang](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/05/26/1997-fashion-big-bang/) at the Palais Galliera in Paris. [Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/28/iris-van-herpen-sculpting-the-senses/) at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. [Dolce & Gabbana. Du Coeur à la Main](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/03/29/dolce-gabbana-at-the-grand-palais/) at the Grand Palais in Paris. ### Joost Swarte Overal/Everywhere URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/10/25/joost-swarte-overal-everywhere/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T16:43:31.000Z Joost Swarte (1947) is a Dutch cartoonist, designer and architect who enjoys cult status in the Netherlands, France and the US, at least among readers of *The New Yorker* magazine. For years some of Swarte's postcards have adorned my bookshelf. The exhibition Joost Swarte "Overal/Everywhere" at the Kunsthal Rotterdam presents a selection from the work Swarte has produced over the past fifty years: from his first ventures into comics to his recent work for *The New Yorker* and an album celebrating the artists of De Stijl. The exhibition is long overdue: in 2014 the Cartoon Museum Basel already honoured Joost Swarte with a career retrospective. Joost Swarte originally studied industrial design, but he quickly switched to comics and cartoons. In 1976 Swarte curated an exhibition of Tintin creator Hergé's work. In the exhibition catalogue Swarte coined the term klare lijn or ligne claire ("clear line") to describe Hergé's style. Although Swarte is the first to acknowledge that there is more to Hergé's genius than the use of clear strong lines. The term took on a life of its own and today Joost Swarte is one of the foremost representatives of the ligne claire. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/joost-swarte-love-stories.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/joost-swarte-new-york.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/joost-swarte-tourists.jpg) Swarte never wrote albums, like Hergé, or graphic novels, like Chris Ware. Much of his work consist of a single panel, which tells the story. For this reason Swarte has become a frequent contributor to *The New Yorker*. Over the past twenty years Swarte has made more than 450 illustrations for *The New Yorker*, including many covers, which were recently collected in *New York Book*. Swarte's work is noted for its bold lines, geometric compositions, in which foreground and background are given equal weight, its monochrome colours and subtle irony. He specialises in what one might call humour at second sight. The exhibition is called "Everywhere", because Swarte's work is everywhere, at least in the Netherlands. It's just that few people associate his work with his name. Swarte has designed stamps, the plastic bag of one of the largest book stores in Amsterdam (why didn't I keep one?), album covers and the stained glass windows of a swimming pool. In 1996-1998 together with Dutch architectural practice Mecanoo, Joost Swarte designed De Toneelschuur, a theatre in Haarlem, which opened in 2003. The exhibition shows how in a matter of years Swarte developed his own signature style, which he then elaborated and refined. As always I particularly enjoyed comparing the initial sketches with the final illustration, as this shows the artist's mind at work. One of the key aspects of the creative process is discarding what is merely good for what is better. **Joost Swarte Overal/Everywhere** is at the Kunsthal Rotterdam until 19 January 2020. ### Links You can buy (signed) prints by Joost Swarte at [Griffioen Grafiek](https://www.griffioen-grafiek.nl/shop/artist/joost%5Fswarte.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). They [ship around the world](https://www.griffioen-grafiek.nl/info/about%5Fus.html?lan=english&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)! [Interview](https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/joost-swarte-illustration-new-yorker-131117?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Joost Swarte on the occasion of the publication of New York Book. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/joost-swarte_le-corbusier.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/joost-swarte_piet-mondriaan.jpg) Joost Swarte: Portrait of Le Corbusier (left) and Piet Mondriaan (right) ### Exploding Head Syndrome URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/10/13/exploding-head-syndrome/ Last updated: 2024-01-21T10:38:42.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/schutz-head-1.jpg) Dana Schutz, To Have a Head (2017) For as long as I can remember I've heard a loud noise just before falling asleep, not every night, but every few days. Usually the noise is so loud that I instantly wake up. It then takes a while before I fall asleep again, this time without hearing a loud noise. On rare occasions I hear another loud noise the second time I fall asleep. The noise is typically accompanied by a dream image. Thus, what I hear is an explosion, a balloon popping, a thunder clap, a gun shot, something falling and hitting the floor, a door slamming shut, whether a front door or the door of a car and so on. Occasionally I also see rapid flashes of light. A few years ago I learned that there is a name for this phenomenon: [exploding head syndrome](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079214000227?via%3Dihub&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I never thought of myself as having a syndrome, because I don't recall not hearing the noise every once in a while. The cause of the symptom is still unknown. Various hypotheses have been put forward, but researchers still grope in the dark. I may be in good company. The French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) famously reported having three successive dreams in the night of 10 November 1619 that provided him with a mission in life: to reform all knowledge, beginning with philosophy. After lying awake for two hours following his first dream, just as he fell asleep, Descartes "had a new dream in which he believed he heard a sharp and shattering noise, which he took for a clap of thunder. The fright it gave him woke him directly, and after opening his eyes he perceived many sparkling lights scattered about the room. The same thing had often happened to him at other times…" ### Links Otaiku A. I. (2018). [Did René Descartes Have Exploding Head Syndrome?](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5886445/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). *Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine*, *14*(4), 675-678. Sharpless B. A. (2014). [Exploding head syndrome](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079214000227?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). *Sleep Medicine Reviews*, 18(6), 489-493. ### Dreamparture URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/dreamparture/ Last updated: 2024-04-02T17:55:14.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/dreamparture-still.jpg) Concept & Choreography: Ivar Hagendoorn Dancer: Veronika Kolomazníková Music: Julia Kent Date: 2019 Video temporarily offline ### Aurora URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/aurora/ Last updated: 2024-04-02T17:56:30.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/04/aurora-still.jpg) Concept & Choreography: Ivar Hagendoorn Dancers: Veronika Kolomazníková, Alex Negron, Saskia de Vries, Rebecca Lillich Music: Sunn O))) Date: 2019 Short teaser/rehearsal excerpt for a new piece. This was the fourth iteration. Video temporarily offline ### Things Gone and Things Still Here URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/things-gone-and-things-still-here/ Last updated: 2022-01-19T19:06:25.000Z Concept & Choreography: Ivar Hagendoorn Dancers: Veronika Kolomazníková, Alex Negron, Saskia de Vries Music: Kaija Saariaho Date: 2019 Short teaser/rehearsal excerpt for a new piece. This was the fifth iteration. ### Highlights from the Spring 2020 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/10/06/highlights-from-the-spring-2020-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2019-10-27T17:52:50.000Z I loved the Spring 2020 ready-to-wear collection by Noir Kei Ninomiya. As far as I'm concerned every single one of the designs was a highlight. Kei Ninomiya is the latest protégé of Rei Kawakubo to make a name for himself. Kei Ninomiya studied French literature at Aoyama University in Tokyo and then began his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. During a summer break he applied for a job at Comme des Garçons. After four years as a pattern maker, Kawakubo suggested that Ninomiya showed his work under his own name. I also liked the collections by Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe's combination of deconstructed trench coats and printed leggings and Thom Browne's straight out of Alice in Wonderland crinolines. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/noir-kei-ninomiya-spring-2020-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/noir-kei-ninomiya-spring-2020-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/noir-kei-ninomiya-spring-2020-rtw-3.jpg) Noir Kei Ninomiya ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/comme-des-garcons-spring-2020-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/comme-des-garcons-spring-2020-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/comme-des-garcons-spring-2020-rtw-3.jpg) Comme des Garçons ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/junya-watanabe-spring-2020-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/junya-watanabe-spring-2020-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/thom-browne-spring-2020-rtw-1.jpg) Junya Watanabe (left and middle) and Thom Browne (right) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/08/31/further-reading-68/ Last updated: 2019-10-13T11:27:00.000Z Bloomberg [special issue](https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2019-periodic-table-elements-issue?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on the periodic table and the elements. [Excerpt](https://emergencemagazine.org/story/the-understory/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from *The Understory* by Robert Macfarlane. [Machine behaviour](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1138-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). And an [interview](https://www.quantamagazine.org/iyad-rahwan-is-the-anthropologist-of-artificial-intelligence-20190826/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Iyad Rahwan, director of the the Center for Humans and Machines at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, who coined the term Machine behaviour. [A day in the life of a tree](https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-tree?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/08/05/how-mosquitoes-changed-everything?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator* by Timothy C. Winegard. The insect 'apocalypse' in the U.S. is driven by [a 50x increase in toxic pesticides](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/insect-apocalypse-under-way-toxic-pesticides-agriculture/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Dark-energy mapper](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02424-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) will reconstruct 11 billion years of cosmic history. If *Sapiens* were a [blog post](https://neilkakkar.com/sapiens.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Useful summary if you've read the book. J.M Coetzee on [Australia’s shame](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/09/26/australias-shame/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), i.e. the camps where asylum-seekers who try to reach Australia by boat are detained. ### Alex and Saskia at Het HEM (2) URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/alex-and-saskia-at-het-hem-2/ Last updated: 2025-12-29T10:27:36.000Z Het HEM is a spectacular new exhibition space in a former munition factory near Amsterdam, which opened in June 2019\. The cast brass plates are a permanent installation by [RAAAF](https://www.raaaf.nl/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Dancers: Alex Negron and Saskia de Vries. This was the second photo shoot. The [first shoot](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/alex-and-saskia-at-het-hem-1/) was a try-out. We liked the location so much that we went back a second time. **Update**: Het HEM permanently closed in 2024\. We got there shortly after it opened. The trip from Amsterdam Central Station by ferry was actually quite nice, but it was already clear to us that most people would be reluctant to make the journey, especially during bad weather. And then of course in 2020 the COVID 19 pandemic hit. ![Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-24.jpg) Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-36.jpg) Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-26.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-27.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-29.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-30.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-32.jpg) ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-31.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-34.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-37.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-28.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-23.jpg) Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Saskia de Vries](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/alex-saskia-hem-35.jpg) Saskia de Vries at Het Hem ![Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-22.jpg) Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-38.jpg) Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/09/saskia-de-vries-41.jpg) One more, because I love that location and the pose ![Saskia de Vries at Het Hem](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/09/saskia-de-vries-43.jpg) And another one for the same reason ### Biography URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/about/biography/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T18:20:21.000Z Thank you for visiting my website and for taking an interest in what I do. This site will guide you through the pantheon of my thinking, the corridors of my world and the corners of my ever expanding universe. I am a [choreographer](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance), [photographer](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos) and [researcher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/research). When I'm not in the studio working on a new dance production or sitting behind my computer editing photos or writing a research paper, I like to go hiking in some [remote](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-1/) or [not so remote](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark) part of the world. I'm also an [avid reader](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/almost-every-book-i-have-ever-read/). As for indulgences I'm a tea aficionado and a bean-to-bar chocolate snob. I was born in the year The Beatles broke up and Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix died and on the same day of the year as Andy Warhol was born and Velázquez died. I am 2 meters or 6'6" tall and weigh about 80 kg, depending on the season. I studied econometrics, philosophy and comparative literature at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, Leiden University and University College London ending up with a Master's degree in all three. I also have [PhD](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YL4QUd130mL2Kp7wOTS51WalVYzyL7Nb/view?usp=sharing&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in cognitive neuroscience. I'm proficient in English, German and French. I once was proficient in Spanish, but I haven't spoken it for years. I also master a number of programming languages to a varying degree. I wish Python had been around when I was at university, it would have made my life so much easier. My [research](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/research) applies insights from philosophy, cognitive neuroscience, experimental psychology and sociology to the study of art in general and dance and choreography in particular. In recent years my research has shifted to the intersection of artificial intelligence, cognitive (neuro) science and philosophy. The focus is still on art, aesthetics and creativity. My artistic work arises from the friction between my formal interests in pattern formation and algorithmic design on the one hand and my predilection for dirty realism on the other. In 2004 I created a full evening choreography for the former Ballett Frankfurt, [*Communications from the Lab*](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/communications-from-the-lab). I've also created a number of site specific [dance installations](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/field-study-no-1). I'm currently working on a new mixed programme which will premiere some time in the not too distant future. My choreographic work and my research into the cognitive underpinnings of dance and choreography goes hand in hand with a reflection on what dance, choreography and indeed art is or can be. My ideas in this regard have been inspired by the work of Jacques Rancière, Thierry de Duve, Gilles Deleuze, Jean-François Lyotard, Georg Bertram and Alain Badiou. I have presented my work and research at festivals and conferences in Los Angeles, Toronto, Boston, Berlin, New York, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Porto, Cologne, Madrid, Amsterdam, Bologna and various other cities around the world. In 2001 I was a visiting artist and scientist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. In 2008/09 I was an associate researcher in the department of Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience at Tilburg University during which time I finished my book on [dance, aesthetics and the brain](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/research/dance-aesthetics-and-the-brain). For several years I worked as a visiting professor in the now discontinued Master of Choreography program at the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem, The Netherlands, where I taught a course in critical theory and dance practice. I'm also honored to have been a guest speaker at the Medicine & the Muse Summer School at Stanford University. This site is an incomplete record of my work and ideas. As with all my work it is a continuous work in progress. If you want to know more about me, read the [FAQ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/about/faq) or check out the various entries in the [blog](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog) section from which you can infer more about me than I'd like you to know. If you've got any comments, questions or suggestions regarding my work, my research or any other aspect of my life, do not hesitate to [contact](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/contact) me. ### Media [Interview](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/ivar-hagendoorn-entretien-2018.pdf) in the special edition of French magazine *Sport & Vie* (No. 49, December 2018), "La Danse, comme on n'en parle jamais". ### Exploring Levels of Musical Complexity URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/08/09/exploring-levels-of-musical-complexity/ Last updated: 2019-09-02T19:30:45.000Z Wired recently invited pianist and composer [Nahre Sol](https://www.nahresol.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to demonstrate different levels of piano composition. Nahre Sol has a popular [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8R8FRt1KcPiR-rtAflXmeg/videos?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) where she uploads videos explaining piano technique, composition and improvisation. In this video, starting with a simple melody, [Happy Birthday](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy%5FBirthday%5Fto%5FYou?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), Nahre Sol leads the viewer through 16 techniques to create increasingly complex variations on a theme. I was reminded of *[Musica Ricercata](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HB6ZkeR7rc&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)* by György Ligeti. After listening to Nahre Sol's exposition I understand the piece much better. In my choreographic work I use various similar techniques to create complexity. ### Alex and Saskia at Het HEM URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/alex-and-saskia-at-het-hem-1/ Last updated: 2025-12-29T10:29:39.000Z Het HEM is a spectacular new exhibition space in a former munition factory near Amsterdam, which opened in June 2019\. The cast brass plates are a permanent installation by [RAAAF](https://www.raaaf.nl/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Dancers: Alex Negron and Saskia de Vries. This was the first photo shoot. We liked the location so much that we went back for a [second photo shoot](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/alex-and-saskia-at-het-hem-2/). **Update**: Het HEM permanently closed in 2024\. We got there shortly after it opened. The trip from Amsterdam Central Station by ferry was actually quite nice, but it was already clear to us that most people would be reluctant to make the journey, especially during bad weather. And then of course in 2020 the COVID 19 pandemic hit. ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-2.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-4.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-3.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-5.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-7.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-9.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-8.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-10.jpg) Alex Negron & Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ![Saskia de Vries at Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/alex-saskia-hem-12.jpg) Saskia de Vries at Het HEM ### Bark URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/bark/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T22:22:57.000Z A selection of close-ups of the bark of trees in the forest near where I live. I love the intricate patterns. ![Bark of an old birch](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/07/bark-2.jpg) Bark of an old Birch ![Bark of an old birch](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/07/bark-3.jpg) Bark of an old Birch ![Bark of a Scots Pine](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/07/bark-4.jpg) Bark of a Scots Pine ![bark](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/07/bark-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/07/bark-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/07/bark-7.jpg) Bark of an Oak (left) ![bark](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/07/bark-8.jpg) Bark of a Scots Pine The photo below is a close-up of an old chestnut (?) tree in the Las Médulas World Heritage Site near the town of Ponferrada in Spain. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/bark-9.jpg) An old chestnut (?) tree in Spain ### Het HEM URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/08/02/het-hem/ Last updated: 2019-10-05T08:39:52.000Z ![Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/het-hem-5.jpg) I recently visited [Het HEM](https://hethem.nl/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), a spectacular new exhibition space near Amsterdam, which opened last June. Het HEM is located in a former munition factory overlooking the Noordzeekanaal (North Sea Canal), which connects the port of Amsterdam and the North Sea. The building has been converted into an exhibition space by OMA. Many original details have been left intact, including some of the graffiti. It is an amazing space and I plan to go back soon to do a photo shoot with some dancers. The easiest way to get to [Het HEM](https://hethem.nl/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is by ferry from Amsterdam Central Station, which takes about 30 minutes. On a sunny afternoon in the middle of summer the ferry ride doubles as a tour of the port of Amsterdam. I'm not sure whether I would enjoy it as much on a cold and rainy evening in February. The cast brass plates are an installation by [RAAAF](https://www.raaaf.nl/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/het-hem-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/het-hem-3.jpg) ![Het HEM](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/het-hem-4.jpg) ### Hong Kong URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hong-kong/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T10:33:51.000Z I first visited Hong Kong spring 2006\. I arrived late in the afternoon. As we drove through Kowloon I got all excited. I wanted to shout to the driver to stop the bus there and then so I could get out and take some photos. When I reached my hotel in Causeway Bay I dropped my luggage in my room, grabbed my camera and rushed outside to get to Wan Chai. I was so busy taking photos that evening that I almost forgot to have dinner. I had an amazing time and November that year I went back for a longer visit. Spring 2007 I was lucky to spend a few more days in Hong Kong. I've been meaning to go back for years, but for various reasons I haven't done so yet. Maybe this year. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/hong-kong-24.jpg) View of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon ![Hong Kong](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-1.jpg) ![Hong Kong Gage Street Market](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-5.jpg) ![Hong Kong Neon Lights](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-4.jpg) Hong Kong neon lights by day ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-11.jpg) Fish sellers at a "wet" market. The fish are kept alive in the small bowls and killed upon request after purchase. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-19.jpg) A collection of animal body parts ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-20.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-16.jpg) Hong Kong Street Markets ![Drying Fish In Tai O](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-13.jpg) Drying Fish In Tai O ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-6-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-17-2.jpg) Hong Kong By Night ![Hong Kong Kowloon](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-18.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-14.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-15.jpg) ![Hong Kong Density](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-23.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/09/hong-kong-21.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hong-kong-22-2.jpg) Dirty Realism ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-36.jpg) ![Hong Kong Urban Density](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-31.jpg) Urban density ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-34.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-27.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-28.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-45.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-24.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-41.jpg) More dirty realism ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-44.jpg) Hong Kong street food ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-46.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-29.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-38.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-30.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-40.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-42.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-43.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-33.jpg) The above photo was taken from the bus to the airport on my first trip to the city. I found it hard to say goodbye. So I wanted to take one more photograph. It turned out pretty well. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/hong-kong-50.jpg) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/07/28/further-reading-67/ Last updated: 2019-09-22T07:57:54.000Z [Dancing with the Ancients](https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2019/07/20/dancing-with-the-ancients/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Review of the exhibition “Hymn to Apollo: The Ancient World and the Ballets Russes” at NYU’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. The [number of roles in theatre plays has decreased over time](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0362331919300655?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Note that cast size is different from the number of roles. Baumol cost disease is one reason for increased costs. [Time is running out for sand](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02042-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Sand and gravel are being extracted faster than they can be replaced. Monitor and manage this resource globally, urge Mette Bendixen and colleagues. [How digital advertising markets really work](https://prospect.org/article/how-digital-advertising-markets-really-work?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The [lineages of the first humans](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01374-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to reach northeastern Siberia and the Americas. Exotic particles called [pentaquarks](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/06/exotic-particles-called-pentaquarks-may-be-less-weird-previously-thought?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) may be less weird than previously thought. [Deep learning has a terrible carbon footprint](https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613630/training-a-single-ai-model-can-emit-as-much-carbon-as-five-cars-in-their-lifetimes/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Training a single AI model can emit as much carbon as five cars in their lifetimes. Predators affect competitors’ coexistence through [fear effects](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01712-7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Ancient molecules reveal [surprising details](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/06/ancient-molecules-reveal-surprising-details-origins-bizarre-sloths?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on origins of ‘bizarre’ sloths. [Extremophiles](https://aeon.co/essays/extremophiles-and-life-in-the-most-unlikely-of-places?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and life in the most unlikely of places. Federico Varese on *Salvator Mundi* and [the unreality of the art market](https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/salvator-mundi-da-vinci-art/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A [Q&A](https://www.quantamagazine.org/edward-o-wilson-finds-hope-in-selfless-ants-and-ecology-studies-20190515/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with Edward O. Wilson. ### Dubai URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dubai/ Last updated: 2025-12-29T12:15:27.000Z I first visited Dubai in December 2012\. As I didn't have time to do everything I wanted to do, that is, to photograph every site I wanted to photograph, I went back in March 2013\. Dubai is a fascinating city that defies belief. To learn more about the city I read *Dubai. The Story of the World's Fastest City by* Jim Krane. As Krane writes, "you have to stretch your imagination to absorb the reality." As George Saunders wrote in 2005, in an essay about Dubai, "Don't be afraid to be confused. Try to remain permanently confused. Anything is possible. Stay open, forever, so open it hurts, and then open up some more, until the day you die, world without end, amen." ![The Skyline of Dubai By Night](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-1.jpg) The skyline of Dubai by night from the rooftop bar of my hotel On my first trip to Dubai I was staying in a hotel in the skyscraper to the left, the one with the "R". I noticed a hotel with a rooftop bar and swimming pool on the other side of the road. So on my second trip I booked a room in that hotel to take this photo. I probably could just have gone to the rooftop bar as well without staying in the hotel, but anyway. ![Dubai cityscape from the viewing platform at the Burj Khalifa](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/dubai-2.jpg) Dubai view from the viewing platform at the Burj Khalifa ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-5.jpg) ![Dubai Marina](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-8.jpg) Dubai Marina ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-12.jpg) ![Dubai](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-13.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-15.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-16.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-17.jpg) ![Dubai density](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-18.jpg) Dubai density ![Dubai Marina Skyscrapers](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/dubai-19.jpg) Skyscrapers in Dubai Marina ### Los Angeles URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/los-angeles/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T10:25:17.000Z The first time I visited Los Angeles I hated it. The second time I liked it. The third time I loved it. Los Angeles is difficult to crack. You really need a car to explore the city, which I didn't have on my first visit. There is no centre as in Paris or New York. It is more a collection of neighbourhoods. But if you take your time it is in fact an amazing city. I also found it far more inspiring than "beautiful" cities such as Florence or Venice, where everything is presented on a plate. I can't wait to go back. ![Los Angeles Downtown](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/los-angeles-1.jpg) Coming soon? Maybe. Downtown Los Angeles ![Downtown Los Angeles](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-3.jpg) Downtown Los Angeles ![Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-2.jpg) Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-5.jpg) Vernon, Los Angeles ![Trees in full bloom in downtown LA](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/los-angeles-31.jpg) Yes, trees in full bloom in downtown LA ![Dirty realism in downtown LA](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-9.jpg) Dirty realism in downtown LA ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-11-1.jpg) Someone must have taken care to give this mannequin this melancholic facial expression ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-10.jpg) Across downtown Los Angeles you could (can?) find these street stalls selling magazines ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-14.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-8.jpg) Oakwood, Los Angeles ![View of downtown Los Angeles](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-12.jpg) View of downtown Los Angeles from the roof of a parking space at USC ![Koreatown, Los Angeles](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-13.jpg) Koreatown, Los Angeles ![Inglewood Oil Field, Los Angeles](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-16.jpg) The Inglewood Oil Field in Los Angeles is still operational ![Inglewood Oil Field, Los Angeles](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/los-angeles-34.jpg) The Inglewood Oil Field in Los Angeles. I found it photogenic. The people living across the oil field probably not so. ![Looking down S. Figueroa St to downtown LA](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/los-angeles-35.jpg) Looking down S. Figueroa St to downtown LA ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-17-1.jpg) Dirty realism in Little Venice ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/los-angeles-33.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/los-angeles-32.jpg) The owner of a vintage clothes store got creative (left), so did the owner of a drug store (right) ![Venice, Los Angeles](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/los-angeles-18.jpg) Venice, Los Angeles ### New York URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/new-york/ Last updated: 2025-12-29T14:29:45.000Z I first visited New York in the late 90s, which of course was a childhood dream come true. I still remember how thrilled I was when I got out of the bus, which took me from Newark International Airport to Manhattan. Finally I set foot in New York! I have been back many times since, but I still get excited whenever I'm in Manhattan. The photos included here were all taken in 2013 when I revisited many of the places I'd visited on previous occasions with my newly acquired Canon 5D Mark III. As you can see I was very lucky with the weather when I visited the Empire State Building, since a rain shower had washed the dust particles from the air. ![View of Manhattan from the Empire State Building](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-2.jpg) View of Manhattan from the Empire State Building On a clear day the views from the observation deck at the Empire State Building are nothing short of stunning. Even though I've been there several times, each time with a better camera, I'd love to go back one day now that I have an even better camera and lens. ![Manhattan seen from the Empire State Building](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-1.jpg) View of Manhattan from the viewing platform at the Empire State Building ![Night view of Manhattan from the Empire State Building](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-3.jpg) Night view of Manhattan from the Empire State Building ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-6.jpg) View of Midtown Manhattan from Rooseveldt Island Rooseveldt Island is another one of my favorite spots in New York. The views of Midtown Manhattan are amazing. I like to take the cable car: It's a fun ride and it offers great views as it departs from Manhattan. You do have to be quick when taking photos. ![Old Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-4.jpg) Old Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-13.jpg) Dirty realism in New York ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-19.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-16.jpg) The view from the Museum of Modern Art ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-14.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-15.jpg) Do look up ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-17.jpg) Across Manhattan you can find these stacked mechanical parking lots. I stopped to watch a car being moved to its designated spot. I do wonder how long it takes to retrieve your car. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-10.jpg) Brooklyn we go hard ![View of Manhattan from the Empire State Building](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-20.jpg) Looking down from the viewing platform of the Empire State Building ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-18.jpg) Street signs in Mid Town ![Manhattan in black and white](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/new-york-21.jpg) Manhattan in black and white ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/new-york-25.jpg) View of Lower Manhattan from Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park The views of Lower Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge Park are just awesome. It's a perfect lunch spot on a beautiful day like this. ### Introduction URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/research/introduction/ Last updated: 2023-11-14T19:33:45.000Z What is so interesting about watching some people move about on an empty stage? Why are some books, songs, photos and performances better than others? Why are we filled with awe when we walk into an immense space? Why do some pieces of music give us the chills? Why are we sometimes moved to tears when we watch a movie or finish a novel? And how do artists create a work that fills readers, viewers or listeners with awe, joy or melancholy? Does it require a special talent or is it a matter of chance? I believe that one can address these and other questions belonging to the realm of aesthetics by combining insights from philosophy, psychology and cognitive neuroscience. I am fully aware that even a synthesis of psychology, philosophy and neuroscience will only tell part of the story. A sociologist might point out that what a person thinks is always a function of the group or social class to which he or she belongs. An anthropologist might comment that although people are the same in their basic propensities, when it comes to art and aesthetic judgement differences in language and culture cannot be discounted. Still, I believe that an interdisciplinary approach has more explanatory power than each of these disciplines alone. Initially my focus was on the cognitive and neural underpinnings of dance and choreography, but over time my research has shifted to more general questions regarding art, aesthetics and the brain. In recent years the focus of my research has shifted towards the intersection of cognitive science, artificial intelligence and philosophy. The focus is still on dance and creativity. Ultimately I dream of developing a system capable of learning high level concepts, which can be used to generate dance phrases, that is, an AI version of my improvisation techniques. Such a system would also need to be capable of exercising some form of aesthetic judgment. I should add that my research is still in its infancy. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/07/happy-intersection.jpg) My research grew out of a dissatisfaction with contemporary aesthetics on the one hand and with the work of the handful of neuroscientists who have written about art on the other. Whereas philosophers tend to ignore recent insights from psychology and cognitive neuroscience most neuroscientists and psychologists are oblivious of contemporary aesthetics and ignore much of what is and has been happening in contemporary art. My own approach therefore differs from much of what is presented under the heading of neuroaesthetics. Neuroscientists who write about art tend to confine their analysis to the perceptual system and to focus on beauty. This is the majority view of art. Even art and dance critics often praise a work when it is beautiful and denounce it when it isn't. But art does not have to be beautiful. It doesn't have to entertain either. It doesn't have to be anything as long as it is something. It can be boring to watch, yet interesting to see. Such is the paradoxical logic of aesthetic judgement. My research starts from three observations: that there are various patterns in art; that art can cause various effects in an observer; and that there are patterns in people's responses to art. The central thesis in my research is that there is a relationship between a work's aesthetic properties and an observer's aesthetic experience, broadly conceived as the totality of thoughts, feelings, memories and associations occasioned by the observation of an object’s or event’s formal, aesthetic, symbolic or expressive properties. An artist seeks to manipulate these properties so as to achieve a desired experience, whether awe, confusion, interest or boredom. I believe that the principles that govern art and aesthetic experience and that give rise to patterns in both artworks and people’s response to art, can be described in the form of rules or algorithms. This has long been a footnote or an afterword in my work, but it is currently at the forefront of my research. My thinking has been influenced by post-structuralist philosophy, most notably the work of Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Jean-François Lyotard and Jacques Rancière, though in recent years my thinking has gravitated more towards the later Wittgenstein. Jacques Derrida’s playful questioning of texts and artworks remains a source of inspiration though. Another major influence on my thinking is complexity theory. One of the central tenets in complexity theory is that the interaction of a set of simple rules can give rise to complex behaviour. Such behaviour is often termed emergent, because its seeds cannot be found in any of the individual rules, but only in their interaction. ### Publications URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/research/publications/ Last updated: 2026-01-17T14:22:02.000Z A selection of my publications. Most of them are in English, some are in Dutch or German. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2019). [**An Agile Mind in an Agile Body**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-oup-2019.pdf). In: Midgelow, V.L. \[ed.\], *The Oxford Handbook of Improvisation in Dance*. Oxford University Press, 749-61\. [**Download PDF**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-oup-2019.pdf). Hagendoorn, I.G. (2012). [**Zin en Onzin in de Neuroaesthetica**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-ce-2012.pdf). *Cultuur + Educatie* 34, 96-107\. (Sense and Nonsense in Neuroaesthetics, in Dutch). [**Download PDF**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-ce-2012.pdf). Hagendoorn, I.G. (2012). Introduction to the special issue on Dance and Cognitive Science. *Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences*, 11 (1), 1-3. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2012). [**Inscribing the body, exscribing space**](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11097-011-9238-7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). *Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences*, 11 (1), 69-78. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2011). *Dance, Aesthetics and the Brain*. Tilburg: Tilburg University. "The Book". This is the academic version. I'm still half planning to revise it for a general audience. Please note that I have revised many of my earlier views. [Download PDFhagendoorn-dance-aesthetics-brain.pdf4 MBdownload-circle](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-dance-aesthetics-brain.pdf "Download") Hagendoorn, I.G. (2010). [**Dance, Language and the Brain**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-ijart-2010.pdf). *International Journal of Art and Technology*, 3 (2/3), 221-234\. [**Download PDF**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-ijart-2010.pdf). Hagendoorn, I.G. (2010). [**Dance, Choreography and the Brain**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-oup-2010.pdf). In: Melcher, D. and Bacci, F. \[eds.\]. *Art and the Senses*. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 499-514\. [**Download PDF**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-oup-2010.pdf). Hagendoorn, I.G. (2008). [**Ontsnappen aan de armoede**](http://www.academischeboekengids.nl/abg/do.php?a=show%5Fvisitor%5Fartikel&id=772&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). *De Academische Boekengids* 71 (in Dutch). Review of: Gregory Clark: A Farewell to Alms. A Brief Economic History of the World; Paul Collier: The Bottom Billion. Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It; and Dani Rodrik: One Economics, Many Recipes. Globalization, Institutions and Economic Growth. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2005). **Einige methodologische Bemerkungen zu einer künftigen Neurokritik des Tanzes**. In: Fenger, J. and Birringer, J. Tanz im Kopf/Dance and Cognition *Jahrbuch Tanzforschung* 15. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2005). **Dance Perception and the Brain**. In: McKechnie, S. & Grove, R. \[eds.\]. Thinking in Four Dimensions. Melbourne: Melbourne University Publishing. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2004). [**Some speculative hypotheses about the nature and perception of dance and choreography**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-jcs-2004.pdf). *Journal of Consciousness Studies* 11 (3/4), 79-110\. [**Download PDF**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-jcs-2004.pdf). Hagendoorn, I.G. (2004). [**De wereld als wiskundig netwerk**](http://www.academischeboekengids.nl/abg/do.php?a=show%5Fvisitor%5Fartikel&id=315&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). *De Academische Boekengids* 46 (in Dutch). Introduction to the mathematics of networks by way of a review of: Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, Linked. The new science of networks; Mark Buchanan, Nexus. Small worlds and the groundbreaking science of networks; Steven Strogatz, Sync. The emerging science of spontaneous order and Duncan Watts, Six Degrees. The science of a connected age. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2004). **Towards a Neurocritique of Dance**. *BalletTanz Jahrbuch*. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2003). [**Cognitive dance improvisation. How study of the motor system can inspire dance (and vice versa)**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-leonardo-2003.pdf). *Leonardo* 36 (3), 221-227\. [**Download PDF**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-leonardo-2003.pdf). Hagendoorn, I.G. (2003). [**The dancing brain**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-cerebrum-2003.pdf). Cerebrum 5 (2), 19-34\. [**Download PDF**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-cerebrum-2003.pdf). Hagendoorn, I.G. (2002), [**Emergent patterns in dance improvisation and choreography**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-iccs-2002.pdf). In: Minai, A.A. and Bar-Yam, Y. \[Eds.\]. Unifying Themes in Complex Systems Vol. IV. Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Complex Systems, 183-195\. [**Download PDF**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-iccs-2002.pdf). Hagendoorn, I.G. (2002), [**Einige Hypothesen über das Wesen und die Praxis des Tanzes**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-tjb-2002.pdf). In: Klein, G. and Zipprich, Ch. \[eds\]. *Tanz Theorie Text*. Hamburg: LIT Verlag, 429-444 (In German). [**Download PDF**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-tjb-2002.pdf). Hagendoorn, I.G. (2001). [**Building Bridges**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-tics-2001.pdf). *Trends in Cognitive Sciences* 5 (12), 548-549\. Review of: K. Pfenninger and V. Shubik \[eds.\] (2001). The Origins of Creativity. [**Download PDF**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-tics-2001.pdf). ### RAYGUN: The Bible of Music & Style URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/06/09/raygun-the-bible-of-music-and-style/ Last updated: 2025-04-06T15:16:02.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/david-carson-raygun-covers.jpg) RAYGUN covers by David Carson I first discovered RAYGUN in 1994, while browsing magazines at Zwemmer, a legendary bookstore in London specializing in art, design and photography. At the time I was into deconstruction and RAYGUN seemed to be the typographic and graphic design equivalent of deconstruction in architecture. RAYGUN was founded in 1992 in Malibu, Los Angeles by Marvin Scott Jarrett with the intention of creating a platform for the kind of alternative music and street style that wasn't covered by other magazines. Led by art director David Carson RAYGUN quickly established itself as one of the most innovative magazines around. There was no strict format and each issue was essentially different. RAYGUN's anarchic treatment of typography, page layout, graphics and photography still stands out to this day. RAYGUN came to drive the culture that it had set out to document. It featured photography by Corinne Day, Rankin and Wolfgang Tillmans, contributions by the likes of Spike Jonze and articles on the Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, The Pixies, Radiohead, PJ Harvey and other era defining bands and artists. David Carson left the magazine after three years in 1995\. In 1997, Chris Ashworth and Amanda Simmons took over as art directors, putting the magazine once more at the forefront of graphic design. In January 2000, Jarrett shut the magazine down. The times had changed and the magazine had lost its edge. Jarrett went on to co-found Nylon, with a totally different visual style. [RAYGUN: The Bible of Music & Style](http://www.roxanezargham.com/design/raygun-the-bible-of-music-style?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), compiles the best covers, fashion shoots and interviews from its 8-year history. Even though some content now looks like a testament to the mid 90s, the spirit of experimentation that speaks from nearly every page I still find inspiring. Brian Eno once said that the first Velvet Underground record sold only 30,000 copies in its first five years, but that everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band. It's the same with RAYGUN: everyone who saw it wanted to become a graphic designer. Heck, for some time even I aspired to be a graphic designer. I installed Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator on my computer and even designed some flyers. The first instalments of my website were also indebted to David Carson and Chris Ashworth. ### Dance, Aesthetics and the Brain URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/research/dance-aesthetics-and-the-brain/ Last updated: 2026-01-19T18:01:47.000Z In 2005, after years of playing in small clubs, the American rock band OK Go gained worldwide recognition when the music video for their song *A Million Ways* became a surprise hit on YouTube. In the video the four band members perform a simple dance in the lead singer’s backyard. The video was filmed in one take on a borrowed camera, cost less than 10 dollar to make and was allegedly released without the band’s record label’s knowledge or consent. Summer 2006 the band followed up their success with another low-budget video for the song *Here It Goes Again*. It shows the band members performing an intricate dance routine on eight treadmills that had been lined up in a spare room of choreographer Trish Sie’s apartment. The video proved to be even more popular than their previous release. Within one week of being posted on YouTube it had been watched more than one million times. With more than 50 million views for a while it was one of the most popular videos on YouTube. The fact that a video has been viewed 50 million times does not mean that 50 million people have seen it or that those who have seen it have watched it in its entirety. Even so, these numbers are significant, if only because there are countless clips on YouTube with far less views. *Here It Goes Again* reached number 38 in the Billboard Hot 100 and number 36 in the U.K. Singles Chart so the single didn’t sell that many copies. This suggests that it is the video that people want to see and not the song they want to hear. The four band members look like ordinary 30-something guys. It therefore seems unlikely that there will be many viewers who watch the band’s music videos just to see the guys. And so, in the absence of any other factors that might explain the popularity of the videos for *A Million Ways* and *Here It Goes Again*, we are left with the conclusion that people enjoy watching the dance. The popularity of music videos featuring extensive dance routines dispels the myth that dance is a minor art. The opposite is true. Of all the arts music, film and dance are the most popular. I know that *The Lord of the Rings*, *The Da Vinci Code* and *The Little Prince* have sold more than 80 million copies around the world and I know that the Musée du Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Modern and London’s National Gallery attract millions of visitors every year. But none of this comes close to the popularity of the music videos for Michael Jackson’s *Thriller* or Beyoncé’s *Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)*, which, as of this writing, has been viewed more than 150 million times and that only includes the official views on YouTube. Why would people be watching these videos if they didn’t enjoy watching the dance? And why would music videos, which, after all, are intended to promote the song and the artist, include a choreographed dance number if people didn’t enjoy watching it? If you’re reading this book, chances are I don’t need to convince you that dance is worthy of reflection, that it can be captivating, thrilling, moving and awe-inspiring and yes, I am the first to admit, boring, stupid and downright silly. It is worth remembering though that there is more to dance than *Swan Lake*, Cunningham technique, ballroom dancing and tribal rituals and that there are many people who don’t like dance, or rather, think they don’t like dance. Many of my friends and colleagues, who would never consider attending a dance performance, got a kick out of the video for *Here It Goes Again*. Millions of people around the world were enthralled by the martial arts scenes in *The Matrix* (1999) and *Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon* (2000), which, of course, are perfectly choreographed dance sequences. I am pretty sure that the same people would be blown away by William Forsythe’s *Enemy in the Figure* (1989), one of the most exhilarating contemporary dance performances. But what is so fascinating about watching one or several people move about on a stage or a small window on your computer screen? Why are people thrilled after a performance of William Forsythe’s *In the Middle Somewhat Elevated* (1987), Jiří Kylián’s *Falling Angels* (1989) and Pina Bausch’s *Sacre du Printemps* (1975)? Why do people laugh during a performance by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo? Why are people moved, some of them to tears, by William Forsythe’s *Quintett* (1993) or Pina Bausch’s Café Müller (1978)? Why do some people leave after about twenty minutes during a performance of *The Show Must Go On* (2001) by Jérôme Bel and why do others consider it interesting? Why are the music videos for *Here It Goes Again*, *Thriller* and *Single Ladies* so popular? I believe that we can address these and other questions by analysing the mental capacities that are exercised when people watch a dance performance and by investigating the neural conditions that facilitate and constrain those capacities. However, doing so requires that we suspend any preconceived notions of art and look beyond conventional aesthetic concepts such as beauty, taste and style and instead focus on the multiple effects watching a dance performance has on a viewer. It is a fact that people laugh when they are amused, that they cry when they are moved, that they lose their sense of time when they are captivated by a performance, a novel or a movie and that they are temporarily filled with glee when, at the end of a novel, they suddenly understand that there were two killers, not one. People may not be moved, thrilled and fascinated at all times and to the same degree, but these are additional facts that can be established. The study of attention, emotion and cognition and their neural underpinnings is the province of psychology and cognitive neuroscience. It follows that psychology and cognitive neuroscience can also illuminate empirical questions in relation to art and aesthetics. The present inquiry rests on two central claims. First, art and aesthetic experience are governed by implicit and explicit rules, some of which have their roots in human psychology and brain function. Second, there is a duality between a work’s aesthetic properties and an observer’s aesthetic experience, provisionally understood as the totality of thoughts, feelings, memories and associations occasioned by the observation of an object’s or event’s formal, aesthetic, symbolic or expressive properties. It follows that we may learn more about the nature of aesthetic properties by studying the components of aesthetic experience and that, conversely, we may learn more about the nature of aesthetic experience by studying a work’s aesthetic properties. This is an excerpt from my book "Dance, Aesthetics and the Brain". An academic [pre-print](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-dance-aesthetics-brain.pdf) was published in 2011\. I'm still half planning to one day totally revise it for a general audience. ### Publications Hagendoorn, I.G. (2011), *Dance, Aesthetics and the Brain*. Tilburg: Tilburg University. [**Download full text**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-dance-aesthetics-brain.pdf). Please note that I have revised many of my earlier views as expressed in some of the publications below. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2011), [**Dance, Choreography and the Brain**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-oup-2010.pdf), in: Melcher, D. and Bacci, F. \[eds.\], Art and the Senses. Oxford University Press, pp. 499-514. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2010), [**Dance, Language and the Brain**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-ijart-2010.pdf). International Journal of Art and Technology, 3 (2/3), pp. 221-234. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2004), [**Some speculative hypotheses about the nature and perception of dance and choreography**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-jcs-2004.pdf), Journal of Consciousness Studies 11, 3/4, pp.79-110. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2003), [**The dancing brain**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-cerebrum-2003.pdf), Cerebrum 5 (2), pp. 19-34. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2002), ‘[**Einige Hypothesen über das Wesen und die Praxis des Tanzes**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-tjb-2002.pdf)’, in Tanz Theorie Text, Klein, G. en Zipprich, Ch. (red.) Hamburg, LIT Verlag, pp. 429-444. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/05/11/further-reading-66/ Last updated: 2019-08-28T18:50:16.000Z [Why science needs philosophy](https://www.pnas.org/content/116/10/3948?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The day the earth died](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/08/the-day-the-dinosaurs-died?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A young paleontologist may have discovered a record of the most significant event in the history of life on Earth. [What are the limits of deep learning?](https://www.pnas.org/content/116/4/1074?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [In defence of the black box](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6435/26?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Group formation and cohesion of active particles with visual perception–dependent motility](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6435/70?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Cats know their names](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01067-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) — whether they care is another matter. [Using physics to make sense of the brain's tangled networks](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/04/physicist-trying-make-sense-brain-s-tangled-networks?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The Dutch East India Company was richer than Apple, Google and Facebook combined](https://dutchreview.com/culture/history/how-rich-was-the-dutch-east-india-company/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Whether that was/is a good thing is another matter. [Brain implants that let you speak your mind](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01181-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A brain–computer interface device synthesizes speech using the neural signals that control lip, tongue, larynx and jaw movements, and could be a stepping stone to restoring speech function in individuals unable to speak. [Stadium shows in the age of mechanical reproduction](https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2019/05/02/1556769649000/Stadium-shows-in-the-age-of-mechanical-reproduction/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Excellent post by ftalphaville. As rock bands age and audience tastes shift, stadium acts may soon be a thing of the past. [The new physics needed to probe the origins of life](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01318-z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Stuart Kauffman has a new book out in which he elaborates on the thesis put forth in his book *At Home in the Universe*, which I greatly enjoyed when it came out. "In a way that only he can, Kauffman has asked the questions we need to solve the mystery of life and its origins. But there is much work for the next generation to do to answer them." Just in case you missed the hype, another good [primer on bitcoin](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v41/n08/donald-mackenzie/pick-a-nonce-and-try-a-hash?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Donald Mackenzie. [Brains speed up perception by guessing what’s next](https://www.quantamagazine.org/brains-speed-up-perception-by-guessing-whats-next-20190502/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Your expectations shape and quicken your perceptions. This has always been a central tenet of my own research as well. A new model that explains the effect suggests it’s time to update theories about sensory processing. ### Cognitive Dance Improvisation URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/research/cognitive-dance-improvisation/ Last updated: 2026-01-19T18:03:57.000Z To facilitate the real-time composition of movement sequences dancers and choreographers have developed numerous dance improvisation techniques from simple behavioural tasks, such as drawing imaginary figures with different parts of the body, to problem solving tasks that require one to translate a word or a phrase into movement, such as separate the wheat from the chaff, make angels out of devils, spicy and water. A key difference between these techniques and other approaches to dance improvisation is that these techniques involve the exercise of one’s cognitive capacities. In contact improvisation, for example, the impetus for a movement is physical and may originate in the pull of another dancer or the removal of support. In what I have termed **cognitive dance improvisation** the movements are typically determined by rules, techniques or directives. The dancers are required to know and to be able to explain what they do. Ideally, different observers should be able to agree on whether a task has been accomplished and different dancers should arrive at comparable results. My research is motivated by the observation that, when freely improvising or just dancing around dancers often get stuck. Habits, mannerisms and various kinds of behavioural predispositions may lead one to unconsciously make the same choices and fall back into a pattern. I should add that there is nothing intrinsically ‘bad’ about a motor pattern. It can also be evidence of a personal style. A pattern is ‘bad’ when you are unaware that you tend to make the same choices in certain situations and are unable to avoid making the same movement choices. I have sought to gain a better understanding of this phenomenon and to come up with some ideas on how to avoid it. Unconscious motor patterns are a property of the motor system. Think of folding your arms, getting dressed in a particular order, brushing your teeth and so on. Similarly a dancer may have a standard way of getting up from the floor. Patterns also occur as a corollary or byproduct of one's body posture and body configuration during the execution of a movement sequence. Think of what to do with the hands, the head, the arms etc. when you're moving another part of the body. Recent advances in neuroscience have greatly enhanced our understanding of how new movements are learned and how habits are formed, although perhaps it is better to say that scientists are becoming ever better in describing the many problems that are not yet understood, since nearly every experiment raises new questions about the structure and function of the central nervous system. Neuroscientists have also begun to explore the roots of creativity. Together these advances offer a new window into dance improvisation. Inspired by my readings into the neural mechanisms of human movement and by the work of William Forsythe, I have developed various methods for generating movements and defining a sequential and/or hierarchical structure within a sequence of movements, which draw on the implicit properties of the motor system and the 'motor schemas' that constitute our action repertoire. If we could make the implicit rules that guide our behaviour explicit we could attain a new, higher degree of freedom: what was unconscious has now become a conscious choice. For example, a default property can be seen as a specific instance of a range of movements, while a solution to a particular behavioural problem can be generalised to other body configurations. ### Publications Hagendoorn, I.G. (2019). [An Agile Mind in an Agile Body](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-oup-2019.pdf). In: Midgelow, V.L. \[ed.\], *The Oxford Handbook of Improvisation in Dance*. Oxford University Press. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2003). [Cognitive dance improvisation. How study of the motor system can inspire dance (and vice versa)](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-leonardo-2003.pdf). *Leonardo* 36 (3), 221-227. ### Links [Proposition 5.2](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/proposition-5-2/) as well as [Proposition 3.1](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/proposition-3-1/) and [Proposition 4.1212](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/dance/proposition-4-1212/) are good examples of my approach to dance improvisation. I've uploaded different "iterations", as I like to call them, of the same piece so you can see that it is improvised, but that the choreographic material is the same. ### Algorithmic Dance Improvisation URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/research/algorithmic-dance-improvisation/ Last updated: 2023-11-14T19:41:29.000Z For years I have included a footnote or an epilogue in my publications in which I speculated about the possibility of improvising robots. In theory any of my dance improvisation techniques can be implemented in robotics or a three dimensional avatar. They are rooted in the properties of the motor system. If a human "agent" can learn them, then so can an artificial agent. At least, in principle. At the moment there is still a wide gap between theory and practice, in part because it is not yet fully understood how the human brain learns and controls movement. I am no stranger to artificial intelligence. In the early 90s when I was at university, neural networks were all the rage. For one course I implemented the back propagation algorithm, which is still at the heart of current deep learning algorithms, in an effort to model the stock market. Unfortunately, at the time data were sparse and computers were slow and even simple simulations would take hours to complete. Often I would run my simulations overnight, only to find out the next morning that there was an error in my code. Not much has changed in that respect, as researchers' ambitions grow in line with computing power. In 2001, when I was a visiting artist/scientist at the University of Southern California I made a feeble attempt to implement some of my improvisation techniques on an avatar. But nothing came of it. Largely for lack of trying, because I quickly discovered that the technology wasn't ready yet for my ideas. Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in computer capacity and data availability. At the turn of the century self-driving cars were the stuff of science fiction, now they are driving the streets of Silicon Valley. Humanoid robots, too, are becoming increasingly sophisticated and one can only imagine what they will be capable of ten or twenty years from now. The technological advances of the past few years have breathed new life into my dream of creating a robot or an avatar capable of creating a sequence of movements. To be sure, recent advances notwithstanding, the field of AI is still in its infancy. It is also unclear how much of recent progress is due to advances in computing power and how much to fundamental breakthroughs. Much of the current excitement in AI boils down to a technique called deep learning, which can be traced back to an idea first published in 1986 (the back propagation algorithm that I also toyed with). So it will take some time before autonomous dancing robots will take over. Ongoing advances in AI will also have profound implications for how we think about art and creativity in general and dance and choreography in particular. What does it mean for how we look at dance in general and dance improvisation in particular if a robot were to improvise? Most people would consider improvisation a creative act. But if a robot were to improvise would that mean that the robot is creative? And if one doesn’t consider the robot itself creative, but for example its developers, why would one consider a human dancer creative? Only because he or she is human? ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/03/31/further-reading-65/ Last updated: 2019-08-28T18:49:58.000Z [Complex societies precede moralizing gods throughout world history](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1043-4.epdf?author%5Faccess%5Ftoken=ziGhOukLjNhglzp5OQS7zNRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0NQWry6dYOGQyA-bXzKgwmdXZYf33tBHVXgtelJ8x%5F2ZXq913jlDnDq%5F3acJoAlImUSHS6l-mh4t0NQq1Iotn3BW3%5FCPTAV35352sfHH1dRaA%3D%3D&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Contrary to previous predictions, powerful moralizing ‘big gods’ and prosocial supernatural punishment tend to appear only after the emergence of ‘megasocieties’ with populations of more than around one million people. Moralizing gods are not a prerequisite for the evolution of social complexity, but they may help to sustain and expand complex multi-ethnic empires after they have become established." [Walking helps us think](https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/walking-helps-us-think?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I'm an avid hiker myself and I couldn't agree more. [Weekend recovery sleep fails to prevent metabolic dysregulation during a repeating pattern of insufficient sleep and weekend recovery sleep](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822%2819%2930098-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Good to know, but I'd already sort of come to the same conclusion based on personal experience. [The hipster effect: Why anti-conformists always end up looking the same](https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613034/the-hipster-effect-why-anti-conformists-always-end-up-looking-the-same/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Complexity science explains why efforts to reject the mainstream merely result in a new conformity. And then the story took [an interesting twist](https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/07/hipsters-all-look-same-man-inadvertently-confirms?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), confirming the theory. The French philosopher and sociologist Jean Baudrillard made the same point in the late 80s arguing that people who seek to set themselves apart from the capitalist system buy the symbols that define the counterculture to which they seek to belong, thereby perpetuating the logic of the culture that they seek to separate themselves from. [The freedom of the novel](https://www.eurozine.com/the-freedom-of-the-novel/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). An interview with Javier Cercas. [Alexander von Humboldt: the graphic novel](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00958-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I greatly enjoyed Andrea Wulf's biography of Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) *The Invention of Nature*. To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Humboldt’s birth this year, Wulf has teamed up with artist Lillian Melcher to create *The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt*, a graphic work of non-fiction depicting Humboldt’s five-year exploration of Latin America as a young man. I also [eat the same lunch everyday](https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/03/eating-the-same-thing-lunch-meal/584347/?utm%5Fsource=feed), with some minor variations. For example, one day I may eat rye bread, the next day spelt or whole wheat, all sourdough by the way, but always with cheese. I also eat more or less the same breakfast every morning and I rotate the vegetables I have for dinner. [“Is this really the best and highest use of the Silicon Valley innovation ecosystem?”](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/03/what-happened-uber-x-companies/584236/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Eine Eurozentrische Geschichte des Kapitalismus. Gefangen in der Kritik der Kapitalismuskritik](https://www.merkur-zeitschrift.de/2019/02/19/eine-eurozentrische-geschichte-des-kapitalismus-gefangen-in-der-kritik-der-kapitalismuskritik/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Ancient switch to soft food gave us an overbite](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/03/ancient-switch-soft-food-gave-us-overbite-and-ability-pronounce-f-s-and-v-s?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and the ability to pronounce ‘f’s and ‘v’s. [Men who lived in Spain 4500 years ago left almost no male genetic legacy today](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/03/men-who-lived-spain-4500-years-ago-left-almost-no-descendants-alive-today?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [A Blizzard of Prescriptions](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v41/n07/emily-witt/a-blizzard-of-prescriptions?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Review of *Dopesick* by Beth May; *American Overdose. The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts* by Chris McGreal and *Dreamland. The The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic* by Sam Quinones. [Our mysterious cousins—the Denisovans—may have mated with modern humans as recently as 15,000 years ago](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/03/our-mysterious-cousins-denisovans-may-have-mated-modern-humans-recently-15000-years-ago?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [This fungus has wiped out more species than any other disease](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/03/fungus-has-wiped-out-more-species-any-other-disease?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The infectious disease that has devastated the most biodiversity is a fungal killer of amphibians ### Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/03/24/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse/ Last updated: 2023-12-29T19:43:35.000Z "Spider-Man. Into the Spider-Verse" is one of the most innovative and visually stimulating films I've seen in a long time. I love how the filmmakers incorporated the comic book style into a movie frame. Some scenes are a total riot of colours, bordering on abstract art. This is the kind of film that I could watch multiple times. There's just so much attention to detail. ### Links The [first nine minutes of the movie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzH4rV08TLI&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Even the opening titles are innovative and well, marvellous. This is so cool. [How animators created the Spider-Verse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-wUKu%5FV2Lk&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I could easily watch an hour long making-of documentary. ### Highlights from the Fall 2019 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/03/10/highlights-from-the-fall-2019-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2019-10-27T19:22:07.000Z A few outfits that caught my eye while browsing the fall 2019 ready-to-wear collections. As always I look for dramatic possibilities. I don't really care much about wearability. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/thom-browne-fall-2019-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-2019-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/comme-des-garcons-fall-2019-rtw-1.jpg) Thom Browne (left), Noir Kei Ninomiya (middle), Comme des Garçons (right) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/prada-fall-2019-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/prada-fall-2019-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/yohji-yamamoto-fall-2019-rtw-1.jpg) Prada (left and middle), Yohji Yamamoto (right) ### Emergent Choreography URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/research/emergent-choreography/ Last updated: 2026-01-19T18:05:03.000Z When I first became interested in complexity theory in the early 90s I could instantly see how it might apply to dance, although it took some time to work out my ideas. The basic motivation is that a choreographer can only overlook a certain amount of complexity, which is why the spatial organization of most choreographed ballets is more or less the same. With more time it is possible to create more intricate patterns, but even then the spatial variability is limited by the fact that relations between dancers have to be communicated to the dancers. One of the tenets of complexity theory is that a central governing agent is not necessary for the emergence of intricate patterns or cooperative behaviour. However, simply transferring the rules that govern, for instance the flocking of birds or traffic jams, to dance doesn't work. These rules only apply under certain conditions. One would therefore have to develop rules specific to dance. Perhaps I should emphasize that EVERY choreography is governed by a set of IMPLICIT rules. By making those rules EXPLICIT their hidden potential in the form of alternative forms of organization can be revealed. So far I have not explained what I mean by either "complex" or a "complex system". A complex system can be defined as a system in which many different components interact, whereby the properties of the individual components do not fully explain the properties of the system as a whole. A principal characteristic of complex systems is the coupling between component parts and system, or between individual and group. When I speak of complex I have a specific definition in mind, which derives from the notion of algorithmic complexity. The algorithmic complexity of an object is defined as the length of the shortest program (or description) which generates the object. Take the following sequences of numbers: 000000000000 and 010101010101\. The first sequence can be succinctly described as a sequence of twelve zeroes while the second sequence can be described as six alternating 0's and 1's. Now consider the following sequence, which also consists of twelve digits: 001011110110\. Presumably the shortest possible description of this sequence is the sequence itself. This last sequence can therefore be said to be the most complex. If we apply this definition to movements it follows that constantly moving every conceivable part of the body may at first look complex, but is in fact quite simple: the task move every conceivable part of the body will produce a series of sequences that all look more or less the same. It's like watching a can of worms. But why does complexity matter? This is where my interest in complex systems, self-organization and neuroaesthetics come together. In general it has been argued and demonstrated that people tend to find novel and complex objects and scenes interesting, as long as it is not too complex or totally novel. The more complex a system becomes, the more information is needed to describe it, in terms of a choreography: the more instructions one has to give to the dancers. With more time it is possible to create more complex works, but even then there are limits as to what can be tried out. Although history provides a starting point each individual will first have to arrive at the complexity of previous works before being able to transcend it. The literature on complex systems offers a different paradigm for bringing about complexity. This is what I have termed Emergent Choreography. The collective motion of birds, fish and bacteria and the movements of crowds of people can be described with models consisting of a set of simple rules guiding the behaviour of each individual agent and its interactions with other agents. Simply applying these rules to dance and choreography only gets you so far. It works for having crowds assemble and disperse, but that is about it. Instead of applying complexity theory to dance, one would have to develop a complexity theory of dance. My own approach is to extract rules from the interaction of the dancers and to then generalize and re-insert those rules back into the dance and to see where a conflict or a "decision void" arises. ### Publications Hagendoorn, I.G. (2002), [Emergent patterns in dance improvisation and choreography](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/content/files/2026/01/hagendoorn-iccs-2002.pdf). In: Minai, A.A. and Bar-Yam, Y. \[Eds.\]. Unifying Themes in Complex Systems Vol. IV. Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Complex Systems, 183-195. Hagendoorn, I.G. (2004), De wereld als wiskundig netwerk. *De Academische Boekengids* (in Dutch). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/02/26/further-reading-64/ Last updated: 2019-10-05T18:28:19.000Z Interesting [interview with Yngve Slyngstad](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-02-02/norway-s-1-trillion-man-talks-brexit-china-and-big-tech?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), the CEO of Norway's sovereign wealth fund. He presides over USD 1,000 billion and for that reason alone is worth listening to. As Nassim Taleb would say he has skin in the game. Main take away: ignore the noise and focus on the long term. Technology is the driver of economic growth. [A World Without Clouds](https://www.quantamagazine.org/cloud-loss-could-add-8-degrees-to-global-warming-20190225/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A state-of-the-art supercomputer simulation indicates that a feedback loop between global warming and cloud loss can push Earth’s climate past a disastrous tipping point in as little as a century. As I've written before, I believe that the do-nothing scenario is too optimistic. [Why zebras have stripes](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/02/zebra-stripes-confuse-biting-flies-causing-them-abort-their-landings?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Zebra stripes confuse biting flies, causing them to abort their landings. But do they have white or black stripes? [The universal decay of collective memory and attention](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-018-0474-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Using data on the citation of academic articles and patents, and on the online attention received by songs, movies and biographies, the authors describe the temporal decay of the attention received by cultural products. They show that, once the temporal dimension of the decay is isolated, the attention received by cultural products decays following a universal biexponential function. [The Star of the Silken Screen](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/02/21/andy-warhol-star-silken-screen/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). David Salle on Any Warhol. [Gut bacteria linked to mental well-being and depression](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/363/6427/569?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "A study of two large groups of Europeans has found that several species of gut bacteria are missing in people with depression. The researchers can't say whether the absence is a cause or an effect of the illness, but they showed that many gut bacteria could make substances that affect nerve cell function, and maybe mood." [It's over.](https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2019-02/hongkong-china-volksrepublik-sonderverwaltungszone-kommunistische-partei-bevoelkerung/komplettansicht?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The mainlandization of Hong Kong. [The new needle skyscrapers in Manhattan](https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/05/super-tall-super-skinny-super-expensive-the-pencil-towers-of-new-yorks-super-rich?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I still don't understand why anyone would want to live on the 70th or 80th floor. [The biological basis of mental illness](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00521-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Adrian Woolfson reviews *Good Reasons for Bad Feelings: Insights From the Frontier of Evolutionary Psychiatry* by Randolph M. Nesse, a study on the role of evolution in conditions such as depression and anxiety. Many years ago I read an intriguing article by Randolph Nesse, *Why We Get Sick*, in which he expounds his theory of “Darwinian medicine”. I'm curious to read this follow-up. [Patricia Lockwood travels through the internet](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v41/n04/patricia-lockwood/the-communal-mind?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Human evolution’s ties to tectonics](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00213-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Review of *Origins: How The Earth Made Us* by Lewis Dartnell. Added to my pile. [Missing the Dark Satanic Mills](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/09/27/factory-missing-dark-satanic-mills/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Review of *Behemoth: A History of the Factory and the Making of the Modern World* by Joshua B. Freeman. I've added it to my wish list. An[ extract ](https://www.eurozine.com/a-time-of-debt/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)from Adam Tooze’s book *Crashed*. [Sleep science](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/08/science-of-sleep/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). In the era of screens sleep is crucial. [Harold Brodkey: Yesterday’s Genius](https://brickmag.com/harold-brodkey-yesterdays-genius/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I enjoyed some of the stories in *Stories In an Almost Classical Mode* so I laboured through *The Runaway Soul* after picking up a copy at a discount a year or so after it was published. I don't recall whether I actually finished it or put it aside and planned to finish it some time. It reminds me that authors and artists in general who are heralded during their life can vanish into oblivion after their death. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/02/03/further-reading-63/ Last updated: 2019-08-28T18:37:51.000Z Is ancient DNA research [revealing new truths or falling into old Traps?](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/magazine/ancient-dna-paleogenomics.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Robots - like people - [use ‘imagination’ to learn concepts](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/01/robots-people-use-imagination-learn-concepts?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The paper](http://robotics.sciencemag.org/content/4/26/eaav3150?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) sounds promising. Foundations Built for a [General Theory of Neural Networks](https://www.quantamagazine.org/foundations-built-for-a-general-theory-of-neural-networks-20190131/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Neural networks can be as unpredictable as they are powerful. Mathematicians are beginning to reveal how a neural network’s form will influence its function. Nicolas Carr reviews [*The Age of Surveillance Capitalism*](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/thieves-of-experience-how-google-and-facebook-corrupted-capitalism/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Shoshana Zuboff. Millions of people around the world [rely on water from retreating glaciers](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/01/15/climate/melting-glaciers-globally.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Poons v. Koons](https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2019/01/19/poons-v-koons-the-art-of-the-price-of-everything/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): The Art of *The Price of Everything*. John Kay on [the concept of the corporation](https://www.johnkay.com/2019/01/21/the-concept-of-the-corporation-2/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Emerging evidence suggests that [the brain encodes abstract knowledge in the same way that it represents positions in space](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-brain-maps-out-ideas-and-memories-like-spaces-20190114/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Speculative, but interesting. [The microbiome and the brain](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/health/microbiome-brain-behavior-dementia.html??ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Bacteria in the gut may influence the brain and behavior, perhaps even playing a role in dementia, autism and other disorders. [Robot reveals how ancient reptile ancestor moved](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00186-x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Scientists use a combination of x-ray video, computer modelling and robotics to reanimate 280-million-year-old fossil. *The New York Times* takes [a closer look at the recent polar vortex's cold winds](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/01/30/science/polar-vortex-extreme-cold.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Good graphics. [Interview with philosopher Frederick Eberhardt](https://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/causal/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about causality. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/01/13/further-reading-62/ Last updated: 2019-08-28T18:29:21.000Z Brief [interview with Albert-László Barabási](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-network-theorist-seeks-universal-laws-of-success/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about his new book, *The Formula*, which lists five universal laws of success, based on an analysis of a vast amount of data from a variety of fields. I look forward to reading the book. [Erratic motion of north magnetic pole forces experts to update model that aids global navigation.](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00007-1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) "The most recent version of the model came out in 2015 and was supposed to last until 2020 — but the magnetic field is changing so rapidly that researchers have to fix the model now." [Ocean warming is accelerating](https://t.co/DVgIaKl1eD?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), a new study shows. Frankly, I think even the "business-as-usual" climate scenario is too optimistic. Steven Strogatz [reflects on AlphaZero and the future of AI](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/science/chess-artificial-intelligence.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "As machines become ever faster, and humans stay put with their neurons running at sluggish millisecond time scales, another day will follow when we can no longer keep up. The dawn of human insight may quickly turn to dusk. (..) We did pretty well without much insight for the first 300,000 years or so of our existence as Homo sapiens. And we’ll have no shortage of memory: we will recall with pride the golden era of human insight, this glorious interlude, a few thousand years long, between our uncomprehending past and our incomprehensible future." [The conceptual limits of machine learning](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00083-3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "The question of ‘learnability’ — whether an algorithm can extract a pattern from limited data — is linked to a paradox known as the continuum hypothesis." Think tickets in London's West End are overpriced? [A breakdown of the costs proves they’re not a rip-off](https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/2018/think-west-end-tickets-overpriced-breakdown-costs-proves-theyre-not-rip-off/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I should add that these are commercial shows. It is simply impossible to break even on a contemporary dance or theatre performance. [Sleep expert Matthew Walker on the secret to a good night’s rest](https://www.ft.com/content/e6ccdcac-133d-11e9-a581-4ff78404524e?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). *Why We Sleep* was one of my favourite books of 2018. [“What New York Was Like in the Early ’80s”](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/t-magazine/24-hours-new-york-city-1980s-life.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Part of a *NY Times Style Magazine*'s issue on [New York 1981-1983: 36 Months That Changed the Culture](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/04/17/t-magazine/new-york-1980s-culture.html?module=inline&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in which 36 writers, artists, fashion designers, musicians and more reminisce about the era. [Tattoos are copyrighted](https://t.co/IcMfN8V7t4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "What many people don’t realize, legal experts said, is that the copyright is inherently owned by the tattoo artist, not the person with the tattoos." *The Financial Times* architecture critic Edwin Heathcote on [how radical 1960s architecture got it so wrong](https://t.co/VzhBVpPdKj?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) written on the occasion of the presentation of a [book documenting the work of Archigram](https://circapress.com/books/architecture/archigram/dennis-crompton?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "The most radical thing to do today would be to begin to forget these seductive images and instead insist on the re-use and adaptation of existing structures." I should add that Archigram's output is a visual treat. But as Heathcote writes, we need new images of the future. [180,000 forgotten photos reveal the future of Greenland’s ice](https://www.nature.com/news/180-000-forgotten-photos-reveal-the-future-of-greenland-s-ice-1.20335?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Archaeologists in Egypt have made an [exciting tomb discovery](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-46580264?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) \- the final resting place of a high priest, untouched for 4,400 years. Film footage from Paris [from around 1890](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjDclfAFRB4&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with speed corrected, image stabilized and sound added. [Longform's Best of 2018](https://longform.org/lists/best-of-2018?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### The Best Albums of 2018 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/12/30/the-best-albums-of-2018/ Last updated: 2019-11-02T18:24:37.000Z A disappointing year as far as I'm concerned, but the three albums that I do like are outstanding. Low: Double Negative Anna Þorvaldsdóttir: Aequa Wang Lu: Urban Inventory Pitchfork's list of [the top 50 albums of 2018](https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-50-best-albums-of-2018/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The best albums of 2018 according to [Dutch music critics](http://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/2018.htm?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The [100 best albums of 2018](http://tedgioia.com/bestalbumsof2018.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) according to Ted Gioia. ### FAQ URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/about/faq/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T17:11:08.000Z ### What is it about? It is not "about" something, it "is". ### What is the relationship between your artistic work and your research? In my choreographic work I just do whatever I feel like. Obviously, my work is informed by my research, just as my research is informed by my experience as a choreographer and photographer, but it is not an illustration of my research. Ultimately, like every other artist, I want to create something that I myself am pleased with. Since I'm very critical and hardly ever satisfied with my own work I keep on trying and experimenting. ### Why dance? As much as I enjoy listening to music and as much as I enjoy reading I never felt like making music or writing a novel. I also enjoy good food, but I never felt like becoming a chef either. I grew up with experimental theatre and contemporary art, but it wasn't until I was at university that I became interested in dance. One day I saw a performance by William Forsythe and it was as if I saw my own thoughts materialized on stage. At some point I decided to try and put my thoughts onto stage myself. ### Which artists or thinkers influenced you most? I would have to divide this into different periods to make some kind of intellectual itinerary. Pending that: William Forsythe, Jacques Derrida, Merce Cunningham, Rem Koolhaas, Georges Perec, David Foster Wallace, Gerhard Richter, Rei Kawakubo, Pina Bausch, David Carson, Frank Castorf, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Jacques Rancière, Stephen Shore, William Eggleston, Daido Moriyama, Wolfgang Tillmans, Robert Wilson and Thomas Ostermeier. ### Didn't (..) already do that? I don't claim that my work is 100% original. Of course, the whole notion of originality is one of the most contentious concepts in contemporary aesthetics. In everything I do, whether I'm creating a dance performance or taking photographs, I follow my own fascinations. However, there are always other people who share the same fascinations. My way of working is constantly evolving. And yes, I know that William Forsythe has developed many improvisation techniques, that John Zorn used games in some of his work, that Pina Bausch presented the dancers with lists of questions and that countless artists in various fields have used cut and paste techniques of some kind. ### How would you describe your work? Between baroque modernism and dirty realism. I once coined the term pro-formalism to describe my approach to dance and choreography, because everything is done by the book and according to the rules, but that was a joke. ### Is it all improvised? Yes and no. The individual movements are based upon a set of choreographed phrases, everyday movements and a number of improvisation techniques. The spatial and temporal organisation and the interaction between the dancers are also based upon a set of rules or instructions. However, the dramaturgy as well as the lighting, the music, the costumes and the set design are all set. Thus, the beginning and the end may be set, even though dancer A may emerge from the left in one performance and from the right in the next. There are also different scenes or sections. The order of the scenes may again be set or interdependent (e.g. if certain phrases are performed in the third scene, this determines what happens in the fifth or sixth scene). Since the "input" as well as the rules and techniques differ from one piece to another, every piece has a distinct signature. Since the individual movements are improvised, or at least up to a point, each performance is singular. ### Did you ever take dance lessons yourself? No, I never took any dance classes. I never took a photography course either. Everything I learned, I learned by closely studying the work of artists I admire and by experimenting myself. I did have the privilege of being able to watch the creation and rehearsals of several productions by William Forsythe. ### Did you ever consider working with amateur dancers? I did, but when I'm working on a project I prefer to work with professional dancers. The reason is twofold. An amateur can do something good and surprising by chance. A professional can be consistently good and occasionally brilliant. You can watch plenty of amateur dancers on YouTube. People who pay to attend a performance or visit a gallery want to experience something they can't experience on YouTube or elsewhere. To achieve that you need to work with professionals. ### What is your favourite city? Paris, because it has so many cultural institutions and because there are good bakeries around every corner and of course many excellent chocolate shops. ### What are your favourite travel destinations? I consider myself lucky to have been able to travel to some of the places that were once on my bucket list, from [Angkor Wat](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/angkor-thom/) to [Iceland](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/iceland/) and from [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/) to [Jordan](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/petra/). There are still a number of places that I'd love to visit. No matter which other places I will visit the U.S. South West and Utah in particular will always remain in my top three. I also love Switzerland, not just because of the Alps, but also because of the friendly atmosphere and the many cultural institutions. Despite the weather I also love [Norway](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/). ### What event changed your life? I guess that would have to be the first time I attended a dance performance or perhaps the first time I saw the Ballett Frankfurt perform. Otherwise, I remember seeing the Comme des Garçons Spring 1992 ready-to-wear collection, which came as a shock of recognition. Suddenly a lot of things that had been lingering somewhere in the back of my mind fell into place. Shirts can have sleeves of different length, buttons don’t have to be evenly spaced, fabrics can be mixed etc. In 2001 I visited some of the National Parks in California. I'd always been more of a city dweller, but since then I've become an outdoor enthusiast and an avid hiker. A few years ago I did a glacier hike, which totally blew my mind. It's the closest thing to being on another planet. Since then I try to visit at least one glacier every year. ### What, if anything, do you regret most? In general I would say I regret taking too much risk when I shouldn't have and not taking enough risk when I should have. ### What advice would you give your younger self? Don't be shy. Stop wasting your time. Go out more. Invest your time and energy in projects with a large upside. Do what you can do now and what might become more difficult when you grow older. ### The Best Books of 2018 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/12/29/the-best-books-of-2018/ Last updated: 2024-07-28T17:42:46.000Z ### Biggest Book of the Year Rem Koolhaas: [Elements of Architecture](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/12/25/rem-koolhaas-elements-of-architecture/) At more than 2,500 pages and with a weight of approximately 4 kilo [Elements of Architecture](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/12/25/rem-koolhaas-elements-of-architecture/) is the biggest book of the year. ### Best Fiction Fernando Aramburu: Patria Francesco Pecoraro: Life in Peacetime Guzel Yakhina: Zuleikha ### Most Moving Guzel Yakhina: Zuleikha The book is full of moving scenes, but the ending, although a variation on other classic (movie) endings, is perfect and heartbreaking. I just can't get it out of my head. ### Best Book I Wish I Had Read Years Ago Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise ### Best Book About Dinosaurs Steve Brusatte: The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs Summer 2017 I visited the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Canada, which brought out the little boy in me. I'd never seen so many dinosaur fossils before. The book by Steve Brusatte is an excellent summary of the state of the art in dinosaur research. ### Best Physics Carlo Rovelli: The Order of Time Philip Ball: Beyond Weird As with all books about cutting edge physics I would need to read both books a second time to properly digest the material. ### Best Non-Fiction Andreas Reckwitz: Die Gesellschaft der Singularitäten Die Gesellschaft der Singularitäten is by far the best and most complete analysis of contemporary society that I have read. ### Most Eye-opening Menno Schilthuizen: Darwin Comes to Town. How the Urban Jungle Drives Evolution A reminder that even when it comes to my immediate surroundings there is so little that I know. ### Most Useful Matthew Walker: Why We Sleep If I would have to recommend one book it would be Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, because it is the most useful book I've read this year. Caffeine has an average half-life of five to seven hours. Thus, if you have a cup of coffee (or tea) at 8:00 p.m., by 2:00 a.m. about 50 percent of its caffeine content may still be active and circulating through your brain. After reading this I resolved to no longer drink tea after 6:00 p.m. As a result the quality of my sleep has improved. ### Best Book About Wittgenstein That Is(n't) About Wittgenstein David Markson: Wittgenstein's Mistress Thomas Bernhard: Korrektur ### Most Disturbing Peter Wadhams: A Farewell to Ice A Farewell to Ice is a deeply disturbing and depressing book. Because of various feedback effects global warming will continue even if humanity were to drastically cut emissions now. Peter Wadhams ends on an optimistic note, arguing that there is still time for drastic action. It's just that I don't share his optimism. ### Most Disappointing Lisa Halliday: Asymmetry I understand why Asymmetry appeals to many critics and readers: a storyline about the relationship between a young aspiring writer and a successful elderly writer who resembles Philip Roth and another storyline about a US/Iraqi citizen who is wrongly detained at Heathrow airport, but I found it too formulaic. ### Favourite Artists URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/about/favourite-artists/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T17:23:13.000Z ### Visual Art [Gerhard Richter](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/12/31/gerhard-richter-fondation-louis-vuitton/) [Berlinde de Bruyckere](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/25/berlinde-de-bruyckere-city-of-refuge-iii/) [Nicolas de Staël](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/25/nicolas-de-stael-at-the-musee-d-art-moderne-de-paris/) [Anna-Eva Bergman](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/06/18/anna-eva-bergman-voyage-vers-l-interieur/) [Julie Mehretu](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/27/julie-mehretu-ensemble-at-the-palazzo-grassi/) Jason Rhoades Bruce Nauman Piet Mondrian Pablo Picasso [Henri Matisse](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/04/26/matisse-grand-palais/) [Vincent van Gogh](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/21/steven-naifeh-and-gregory-white-smith-van-gogh-the-life/) [M.C. Escher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2026/01/25/escher-monnaie-de-paris/) Theaster Gates Keith Tyson [Pierre Huyghe](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/27/pierre-huyghe-liminal-at-the-punta-della-dogana/) [Sophie Calle](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/11/26/sophie-calle-at-the-musee-picasso/) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/02/gerhard-richter-november.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/mehretu-retropistics-2001.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2020/02/jason-rhoades-tijuanatanjierchandelier.jpg) Gerhard Richter (left); Julie Mehretu (middle); Jason Rhoades (right) ### Dance [William Forsythe](https://www.williamforsythe.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Merce Cunningham [Pina Bausch](https://www.pina-bausch.de/de/person/6/pina-bausch?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Sasha Waltz and Guests](https://www.sashawaltz.de/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Jiri Kylian](http://www.jirikylian.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker Trisha Brown [Ohad Naharin](https://batsheva.co.il/en/home?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/eidos-telos-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/pina-fruehlingsopfer.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kylian-click-pause-silence-2.jpg) Left: William Forsythe, Eidos:Telos; Middle: Pina Bausch, Das Frühlingsopfer; Right: Jiri Kylian, Click-Pause-Silence ### Literature Georges Perec Thomas Bernhard Fernando Pessoa James Joyce Ali Smith David Foster Wallace Jorge Luis Borges Vladimir Nabokov Italo Calvino Annie Ernaux ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/stephen-shore-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/saul-leiter-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/eggleston-8.jpeg) Left: Stephen Shore; Middle: Saul Leiter; Right: William Eggleston ### Photography Stephen Shore William Eggleston Daido Moriyama [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/08/17/wolfgang-tillmans-at-the-centre-pompidou/) [Juergen Teller](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/01/06/juergen-teller-i-need-to-live/) Peter Lindbergh Saul Leiter [Tim Walker](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/12/02/tim-walker-wonderful-things/) Walker Evans Lee Friedlander [Edward Burtynsky](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2024/10/13/edward-burtynsky-extraction-abstraction/) Albert Watson ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/david-carson-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/anthon-beeke-leonce-en-lena-1979.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/ed-fella-poster-4.jpg) Left: David Carson; Middle: Anthon Beeke; Right: Ed Fella ### Graphic Design David Carson [Anthon Beeke](https://anthonbeeke.nl/en/category/work/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Ed Fella [Paula Scher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/18/paula-scher-type-is-image-at-the-pinakothek-der-moderne/) Peter Saville Tomato Bruce Mau ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/cdg-1992-spring-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/cdg-2011-fall-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jw-2017-fall-1.jpg) Left: Comme des Garçons; Middle: Comme des Garçons; Right: Junya Watanabe ### Fashion Comme des Garçons Junya Watanabe Noir Kei Ninomiya Issey Miyake Martin Margiela Yohji Yamamoto Thom Browne [Rick Owens](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/10/19/rick-owens-temple-of-love-at-the-palais-galliera/) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/the-twist-2.jpg) The Twist by BIG in Kistefos, Norway ### Architecture OMA|Rem Koolhaas BIG|Bjarke Ingels Group Peter Zumthor Snøhetta Lebbeus Woods Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa|SANAA Daniel Libeskind [Herzog & De Meuron](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2005/01/30/beauty-and-waste-in-the-architecture-of-herzog-and-de-meuron/) [Le Corbusier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2007/07/28/le-corbusier-the-art-of-architecture/) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/ensemble-intercontemporain-22.jpeg) ### Classical & Contemporary Music Gérard Grisey Pierre Boulez György Ligeti John Cage Tristan Murail Helmut Lachenmann Brian Ferneyhough Rebecca Saunders Clara Iannotta Chaya Czernowin György Kurtag Frédéric Chopin Enno Poppe ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/01/mulholland-drive-2.jpeg) ### Film Wong Kar-Wai Park Chan-wook David Lynch [Wes Anderson](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/04/06/wes-anderson-at-the-cinematheque-francaise/) Michael Haneke Hou Hsiao-hsien Jean-Luc Godard ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/ostermeier-richard-3.jpg) Thomas Ostermeier, Richard III ### Theatre Thomas Ostermeier Nicolas Stemann Frank Castorf Tim Etchells ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/remain-in-light.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/hail-to-the-thief.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/burial-untrue.jpg) ### Pop/Rock/Jazz/Dance/Metal Radiohead Talking Heads Keith Jarrett Frank Zappa Nick Cave Burial Tool Massive Attack Kamasi Washington ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/12/mehretu-congress.jpeg) Julie Mehretu, Congress (2003) ### Rem Koolhaas: Elements of Architecture URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/12/25/rem-koolhaas-elements-of-architecture/ Last updated: 2025-10-05T14:46:13.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/elements-of-architecture-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/elements-of-architecture-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/elements-of-architecture-3.jpg) Like Umberto Eco, Georges Perec and Jorge Luis Borges I am a sucker for lists, lexicons, archives and wunderkammers. Lists are a means of creating order within the infinity of possibilities. They are an attempt to grasp the incomprehensible. Unlike a definition, which seeks to describe the essence of an object or event, a list describes its traits, features, attributes, qualities, dispositions, capacities, idiosyncrasies, manners, tendencies and so on and thereby makes it understandable and tangible. [As Umberto Eco said](https://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/spiegel-interview-with-umberto-eco-we-like-lists-because-we-don-t-want-to-die-a-659577.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on the occasion of an exhibition about lists at the Louvre, which he curated, we like things that seem limitless, we like lists because we don't want to die. Rem Koolhaas, too, loves lists, as will be clear from books such as *S, M, L, XL*, *Content,* *Al Manakh* and the *Harvard Guide to Shopping*. [Elements of Architecture](https://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/architecture/all/04634/facts.rem%5Fkoolhaas%5Felements%5Fof%5Farchitecture.htm?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is his latest and most encyclopaedic project. Coming in at more than 2,500 pages and weighing almost 4 kilogram, Elements of Architecture takes bigness to another level. Elements of Architecture is a revised and expanded edition of the catalogue of the [2014 Venice Architecture Biennale](https://www.archdaily.com/527803/rem-koolhaas-elements-uncovering-architecture-s-origins-assuring-its-future?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) curated by Rem Koolhaas and draws on research by two Harvard Graduate School of Design studios. It is a truly wonderful book. So far I have only perused it. I plan to systematically browse it, section by section and page by page, but not in numerical order, of course. The book is divided into 15 sections, each of which covers the multiple ways in which an architectural element such as window, stair, wall, ceiling and floor, has been conceptualised throughout history and across geography. This makes the book a real treasure trove. The writing style is matter of fact and slightly ironic, making it a joy to read. The book was designed by Dutch graphic designer Irma Boom, who is best known for her book designs. The book is printed on the kind of paper that telephone directories used to be printed on to limit their size and that is still used for medicine information leaflets. The spline splits in the middle so that every page falls flat despite the book's thickness. The introduction sits in the middle or the centre of the book. Each page has two numbers, one corresponds to the ‘element’ and one refers to its place in the book as a whole. But why a book and not a website with a searchable database you may wonder? The problem with web design is that the technology is still very much in flux and needs to be constantly upgraded. Twenty years from now you can still read a book, just as you can still browse 1995's *S, M, L, XL* today, but what will the internet look like twenty or fifty years from now? ### Links Review of Rem Koolhaas|OMA: Content ([the book](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/03/28/rem-koolhaas-oma-amo-content/)) Review of OMA|Rem Koolhaas: Content ([the exhibition](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/03/28/oma-amo-rem-koolhaas-content/)) Architecture and Urban Planning in China. [A Lecture by Rem Koolhaas](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2006/06/16/architecture-and-urban-planning-in-china-a-lecture-by-rem-koolhaas/). Review of [OMA in The Hague](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2006/07/17/oma-in-the-hague/). ### Favourite Books URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/about/favourite-books/ Last updated: 2025-01-31T13:42:56.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/11/book-cover-collage-4.jpg) These are the books that I loved when I first read them, that influenced my thinking in one way or another and that continue to linger in the back of my mind. Georges Perec: La vie. Mode d'emploi David Foster Wallace: Infinite Jest Vladimir Nabokov: Pale Fire Claude Lévi-Strauss: Tristes Tropiques James Joyce: Ulysses Lewis Carroll: Alice in Wonderland Roberto Calasso: The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony Don DeLillo: Underworld Djuna Barnes: Nightwood Marcel Proust: À la recherche du temps perdu Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosophische Untersuchungen Fernando Pessoa: Selected Poems Uwe Johnson: Jahrestage Jorge Luis Borges: Labyrinths/Fictions/The Aleph F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby Vasily Grossman: Life and Fate Thomas Bernhard: Alte Meister Thomas Bernhard: Das Kalkwerk Italo Calvino: If On a Winter's Night a Traveller Mark Z. Danielewski: House of Leaves Olivier Rolin: L'Invention du monde Virginia Woolf: Mrs Dalloway J.G. Ballard: The Atrocity Exhibition Ali Smith: How To Be Both David Mitchell: Cloud Atlas Tom McCarthy: Remainder Nicholson Baker: The Mezzanine Michel Houellebecq: Les Particules Elémentaires John Fante: Ask the Dust Malcolm Lowry: Under the Volcano Cees Nooteboom: Rituelen W.F. Hermans: Nooit meer slapen W.G. Sebald: Austerlitz Junot Díaz: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Helen Macdonald: H Is for Hawk Mikhail Shiskin: The Light and the Dark Joe Brainard: I Remember Spinoza: Ethics Ted Chiang: Stories of Your Life and Others Ted Chiang: Exhalation [Almost Every Book I Have Ever Read](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/almost-every-book-i-have-ever-read) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/12/09/further-reading-61/ Last updated: 2019-08-28T18:13:13.000Z Jeremy Saltz, art crtic for *New York Magazine*, on [how to be an artist](https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/jerry-saltz-how-to-be-an-artist.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Some of Earth’s first animals are spilling out of Canadian rocks](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/some-earth-s-first-animals-including-mysterious-alien-looking-creature-are-spilling-out?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Summer 2017 another one of my dreams came true when I visited the original Burgess Shale at the Walcott Quarry. I also visited the [Royal Tyrrell Museum](http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), which brought out the little boy in me. I'd never seen so many dinosaur fossils before. Spider silk is five times stronger than steel—now, [scientists know why](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/spider-silk-five-times-stronger-steel-now-scientists-know-why?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Humpback whale songs undergo [a ‘cultural revolution’ every few years](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/humpback-whale-songs-undergo-cultural-revolution-every-few-years?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The insect apocalypse](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/27/magazine/insect-apocalypse.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is real. And yes, I too remember that when I was a child the windscreen of my father's car used to be full of crushed insects. [The prophet of envy](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/12/20/rene-girard-prophet-envy/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). On the life and work of René Girard. [Opioid Nation](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/12/06/opioid-nation/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Review of four new books on the US opioid crisis. There are now to different crises: a prescription drugs crisis and a street drugs crisis. [Review](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/12/06/debussy-music-without-destination/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Debussy: A Painter in Sound* by Stephen Walsh. Mark Galeotti on [(Mis)Understanding Russia’s two ‘hybrid wars’](https://www.eurozine.com/misunderstanding-russias-two-hybrid-wars/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I found this essay quite illuminating. [Choc is everywhere](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/21/nyregion/new-york-storefronts-mystery-font.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (and not just in New York). “There’s no denying that Choc has become a typographical shorthand for Asian-themed restaurants. Imagine a sushi bar adorned in Helvetica, and it may not seem as authentic, or as appetizing.” [Global warming will happen faster than we think](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07586-5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) as three trends will combine to hasten it, warn Yangyang Xu, Veerabhadran Ramanathan and David G. Victor. [Greenland is losing ice at fastest rate in 350 years](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07617-1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Favourite Albums URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/about/favourite-albums/ Last updated: 2024-10-17T16:55:53.000Z These days I listen primarily to classical and contemporary music, but these are my favourite pop, rock, dance and metal albums that I still listen to from time to time. Talking Heads: Remain in Light Burial: Untrue Radiohead: Hail to the Thief Massive Attack: Blue Lines Tool: Lateralus Radiohead: OK Computer Radiohead: Amnesiac Nirvana: Nevermind Fever Ray: Fever Ray Massive Attack: Mezzanine Massive Attack: Protection Tricky: Maxinquaye Portishead: Dummy U2: The Joshua Tree Thom Yorke: Anima PJ Harvey: Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not Underworld: Second Toughest in the Infants U2: Achtung Baby Burial: Burial Brian Eno & David Byrne: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts Radiohead: Kid A Nirvana: In Utero LCD Soundsystem: LCD Soundsystem Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness REM: Automatic for the People REM: Green Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Push the Sky Away The Black Keys: El Camino Radiohead: In Rainbows Frank Zappa: Hot Rats Talk Talk: The Colour of Spring U2: The Unforgettable Fire Metallica: Master of Puppets Arcade Fire: Reflektor Arcade Fire: The Suburbs Thom Yorke: The Eraser Tool: 10,000 Days Sunn O))): Life Metal Antony and the Johnsons: I am a Bird Now Robyn: Body Talk Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring for my Halo David Sylvian: Secrets of the Beehive Manu Chao: Clandestino System of a Down: Mezmerize The White Stripes: Elephant Kamasi Washington: The Epic Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly ### György Ligety: Mysteries of the Macabre URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/11/25/gyorgy-ligety-mysteries-of-the-macabre/ Last updated: 2023-12-26T08:19:50.000Z While searching for some compositions mentioned in Alex Ross' "[The Rest Is Noise](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/11/24/alex-ross-the-rest-is-noise/)" I came across this excellent performance of György Ligeti's "Mysteries of the Macabre" by the formidable Barbara Hannigan and the Gothenborg Symphony Orchestra. "Mysteries of the Macabre" is a rare example of classical music that is both funny and interesting. The only other examples that I can think of are by Frank Zappa. ### Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/11/24/alex-ross-the-rest-is-noise/ Last updated: 2023-12-26T13:42:26.000Z *"*The Rest Is Noise. Listening to the Twentieth Century*"* by Alex Ross is an excellent book on 20th century classical music. I must confess that I was initially put off by the title. It sounds like a reactionary book by some conservative American music critic who thinks that all music from Schoenberg onwards is just noise. My prejudices were confirmed when, on a visit to a bookstore, I opened the book on a random page and noticed some disparaging remarks about Pierre Boulez and a reference to the "cultural largesse of the European welfare state". Eager to fill a gap in my knowledge, eventually I put aside my reservations and ordered the book, but because the paperback edition is quite voluminous and doesn't easily fit into a briefcase, it ended up on my bookshelf. I'm glad that I finally came around to reading it and now wish I had done so earlier. "The Rest Is Noise" provides an excellent overview of 20th century classical music. It is also a joy to read. I don't usually enjoy reading biographies, because they tend to be full of redundant details about non-essential periods in a person's life, but I found the many mini-biographies in "The Rest Is Noise*"* quite inspiring. As it turns out I'm not the only artist with a full-time job as a side job. I knew that Philip Glass worked as a taxi driver until after the premiere of "Einstein on the Beach*"*, but I was unaware that Steve Reich and various other composers also had side jobs until well into their career. Alex Ross does portray Pierre Boulez as the bogeyman of 20th century classical music. Boulez may well have been an obnoxious character in his youth, together with other music students he once disturbed a Stravinsky concert, but later in life he conducted some of the best Stravinsky recordings. Boulez also composed one of the greatest works of the late 20th century, "Pli selon Pli", which Ross doesn't mention. Surprisingly, Alex Ross fails to observe that the first performance of "The Rite of Spring" and countless other early 20th century compositions may well have sounded awful. It is commonly thought that the riots that ensued during the premiere of "The Rite of Spring" were precipitated by the composition. But perhaps the audience was offended by the performance. At the time most musicians were amateurs who had little time to rehearse a new work. As a result many premieres may well have been botched up. Today we can hear the works as they were intended. Ross also devotes an entire chapter to Benjamin Britten and spends various pages retelling the libretto of "Peter Grimes". Although some of Britten's operas have entered the repertory, in my humble opinion he is more of an ahistorical figure: he didn't make school like John Cage or Karlheinz Stockhausen. Then again, one could also say that Stockhausen is an ahistorical figure, since his music is hardly performed let alone listened to anymore. As Alex Ross rightly points out, classical music, or what is commonly referred to as classical music, is still very much alive. It can be heard in movie soundtracks, commercials and ringtones. Artists such as [Julia Kent](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlzUpBYD9mI&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and Maya Beiser breathe new life into the cello with the aid of electronics. Kelly Moran shows that John Cage didn't have the last word on music for prepared piano. And Pitchfork gave the first and second album by Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson a score of respectively 8.9 and 8.8. This [review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/08/27/the-sounds-of-music-in-the-twenty-first-century?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Alex Ross of a book by the British critic Tim Rutherford-Johnson "Music After the Fall: Modern Composition and Culture Since 1989", serves as a good 21st century postscript to "The Rest Is Noise". ### Links [Alex Ross](https://www.therestisnoise.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is a music critic for The New Yorker. At the end of the year he compiles a list of notable recordings, which I have found particularly inspiring. ### Update: I have since read “[Modern Music and After](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/09/17/paul-griffiths-modern-music-and-after/)” by Paul Griffiths and “[Music After the Fall](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2020/10/24/tim-rutherford-johnson-music-after-the-fall/)” by Tim Rutherford-Johnson. “Modern Music and After” is my favourite of the three. ### Favourite Dance Performances URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/about/favourite-dance-performances/ Last updated: 2023-12-25T10:58:08.000Z ![William Forsythe Eidos:Telos](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/eidos-telos.jpg) William Forsythe, **Eidos:Telos* (1995) William Forsythe: Eidos:Telos William Forsythe: Limb's Theorem William Forsythe: As a Garden in this Setting William Forsythe: The Loss of Small Detail William Forsythe: Quintett Pina Bausch: The Rite of Spring Pina Bausch: Café Müller Jérôme Bel: Véronique Doisneau William Forsythe: Impressing the Czar Jiri Kylian: Wings of Wax Jiri Kylian: Click-Pause-Silence Sasha Waltz: NoBody Sasha Waltz: Körper Sasha Waltz: Gezeiten Ohad Naharin: Secus William Forsythe: Artifact William Forsythe: The Vile Parody of Address Merce Cunningham: Biped Merce Cunningham: Ocean Trisha Brown: Glacial Decoy Pina Bausch: Palermo Palermo Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker: Rosas danst Rosas Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker: Achterland Wim Vandekeybus: What the Body Does Not Remember Jiri Kylian: 27'52" George Balanchine: Agon George Balanchine: Violin Concerto ### Favourite Theatre Performances URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/about/favourite-theatre-performances/ Last updated: 2024-11-20T10:33:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/bloody-mess-2-xl.jpg) Forced Entertainment, **Bloody Mess* Forced Entertainment: [Bloody Mess](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/09/19/forced-entertainment-bloody-mess) Luk Perceval: Ten Oorlog (Dutch version) Schlachten! (German version) Elevator Repair Service: [Gatz](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2006/06/11/elevator-repair-service-gatz) Deborah Warner: The Angel Project (New York) Frank Castorf: [Endstation Amerika](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/10/18/frank-castorf-endstation-amerika/) Einar Schleef: Salomé Robert Wilson: The Black Rider Frank Castorf: [Forever Young](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/10/17/frank-castorf-forever-young) Thomas Ostermeier: [Hamlet](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2010/02/06/schaubuehne-berlin-hamlet) Thomas Ostermeier: [Ein Volksfeind](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2021/10/03/ein-volksfeind/) Thomas Ostermeier: Richard III Romeo Castellucci: Giulio Cesare ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/11/18/further-reading-60/ Last updated: 2019-08-28T18:03:43.000Z Fascinating study: [Quantifying reputation and success in art](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/11/07/science.aau7224?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Drawing on a large database, which offers information on 497,796 exhibitions in 16,002 galleries, 289,677 exhibitions in 7568 museums, and 127,208 auctions in 1239 auction houses, spanning 143 countries and 36 years (1980 to 2016), the researchers were able to reconstruct the artistic career of 496,354 artists. "Early access to prestigious central institutions offered life-long access to high-prestige venues and reduced dropout rate. By contrast, starting at the network periphery resulted in a high dropout rate, limiting access to central institutions." [Transforming the global food system](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07094-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Can the predicted rise in global food demand by 2050 be met sustainably? The Art Institute of Chicago recently [uploaded more than 50,000 high-resolution images from their collection](https://www.w3schools.com/html/tryit.asp?filename=tryhtml%5Fdefault&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to their website, including reproductions of paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Andy Warhol, Edward Hopper and Pierre-Auguste Renoir [Tales from the Warhol Factory](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/style/andy-warhol-factory-history.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Friends and colleagues reminisce about the Factory years. [What if the placebo effect isn’t a trick?](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/magazine/placebo-effect-medicine.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Massive crater under Greenland’s ice [points to climate-altering impact in the time of humans](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/massive-crater-under-greenland-s-ice-points-climate-altering-impact-time-humans?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Largest [overhaul of scientific units](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07424-8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) since the French Revolution wins approval. [Review](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07292-2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Eyes to See: The Astonishing Variety of Vision in Nature* by Michael F. Land. Previously unpublished [interview](https://electricliterature.com/a-brand-new-interview-with-david-foster-wallace-71c03223294b?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with David Foster Wallace, previously unpublished in English that is. And [another interview with Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/karl-ove-knausgaard-the-duty-of-literature-is-to-fight-fiction?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Favourite Films URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/about/favourite-films/ Last updated: 2025-08-08T08:47:21.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/01/mulholland-drive-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/01/A-Bout-de-Souffle-1.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2025/01/fallen-angels-8.jpg) Mulholland Drive Fallen Angels À bout de souffle Pierrot le fou [The Great Beauty](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/10/17/the-great-beauty/) [Holy Motors](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/11/12/holy-motors/) Oldboy Pulp Fiction Blade Runner The Silence of the Lambs Vertigo 8.5 La dolce vita In the Mood for Love Koyaanisqatsi The Godfather I & II Caché Goodfellas The Big Lebowski The Truman Show Fight Club Pan's Labyrinth Enter the Void 2046 Festen Let the Right One In The Shawshank Redemption Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Natural Born Killers Spirited Away Ghost in the Shell Stalker Sans Soleil Three Colours: Blue, White, Red Dekalog Citizen Kane La notte Annie Hall Being John Malkovich [Blade Runner 2049](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/02/03/blade-runner-2049/) [Three Times](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2006/08/20/hou-hsia-hsien-three-times/) Ratatouille [The Wayward Cloud](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2006/06/10/the-wayward-cloud/) Songs from the Second Floor [Arrival](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/01/28/arrival/) Baraka Interstellar [Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2019/03/24/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse/) Parasite [Everything Everywhere All at Once](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/02/12/everything-everywhere-all-at-once/) [Decision to Leave](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2023/03/12/decision-to-leave/) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/11/04/further-reading-59/ Last updated: 2019-08-28T17:55:16.000Z Review of [*Darwin Comes to Town: How the Urban Jungle Drives Evolution*](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/11/08/concrete-urban-jungle-evolution/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Menno Schilthuizen. The Dutch edition, which was published this spring, has already won one literary award. [The big meltdown](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/11/antarctica-climate-change-western-peninsula-ice-melt-krill-penguin-leopard-seal/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). As the Antarctic Peninsula heats up, the rules of life there are being ripped apart. Alarmed scientists aren’t sure what all the change means for the future. Excellent reporting by *National Geographic*. [Interview with Bruno Latour](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/magazine/bruno-latour-post-truth-philosopher-science.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Profile of astrochemist and winner of the 2018 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics [Ewine van Dishoeck](https://www.quantamagazine.org/ewine-van-dishoeck-the-netherlander-who-traced-waters-origin-20181101/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), who has shown that the process of star and planet formation is intimately linked to the molecular makeup of the interstellar clouds that drape the galaxies. Boston Dynamics' robot dog can now perform [a short dance routine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHBcVlqpvZ8&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). And [Atlas can do Parkour](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LikxFZZO2sk&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Shred the Love. The Director's Cut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxkwRNIZgdY&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Definitely one of the defining artworks of our time. [On the appeal of Stoicism](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/almost-too-sober-on-the-appeal-of-stoicism?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Repackaging Stoicism in the 21st Century](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-repackaging-of-stoicism-in-the-21st-century?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I too find comfort in stoicism, although I agree with Hegel that the goal of philosophy is not peace of mind. [The world’s strongest MRI machines are pushing human imaging to new limits](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07182-7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Researchers look to scanners with 10.5-tesla magnets and beyond for unprecedented detail about the brain. I still remember the excitement when the first 5-tesla machines were introduced. [Can optical illusions fool Artificial Intelligence too?](http://en.ritsumei.ac.jp/news/detail/?id=278&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Spoiler: yes they can. ### Highlights from the Spring 2019 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/10/14/highlights-from-the-spring-2019-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2019-10-27T20:59:52.000Z I loved the spring ready-to-wear collections by Thom Browne and Matty Bovan. I know that these kind of deconstructed cut-and-paste patchwork designs were pioneered by Comme des Garçons, but it so happens that I love it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/thom-browne-spring-2019-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/thom-browne-spring-2019-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/thom-browne-spring-2019-rtw-3.jpg) Thom Browne ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/matty-bovan-spring-2019-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/matty-bovan-spring-2019-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/issey-miyake-spring-2019-rtw-1.jpg) Matty Bovan (left and middle), Issey Miyake (right) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/rick-owens-spring-2019-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/comme-des-garcons-spring-2019-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/noir-kei-ninomiya-spring-2019-rtw-1.jpg) Rick Owens (left), Comme des Garçons (middle), Noir Kei Ninomiya (right) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/10/14/further-reading-58/ Last updated: 2019-08-28T17:48:39.000Z Steve Mithen reviews [*Who We Are and How We Got Here*](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v40/n17/steven-mithen/neanderthals-denisovans-and-modern-humans?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by David Reich, which I'm eager to read (I'll wait for the paperback though). [Interview](https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/05/07/inenglish/1525683618%5F145760.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with the always interesting Jürgen Habermas. [Machine learning confronts the elephant in the room](https://www.quantamagazine.org/machine-learning-confronts-the-elephant-in-the-room-20180920/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Scientists have discovered [a new kind of neuron](http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/mysterious-new-brain-cell-found-people?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that is present in people but seems to be missing in mice. [Profile of and interview with Rick Owens](https://www.gq.com/story/rick-owens-is-still-out-there-john-jeremiah-sullivan-profile?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by John Jeremiah Sullivan. [A new way to capture the brain’s electrical symphony](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06694-6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Andy Warhol's photography archive](https://news.stanford.edu/2018/10/12/cantor-arts-center-stanford-libraries-collaborate-make-warhol-photography-archives-publicly-available/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is now available online. It contains over 130,000 photographs. [Your gut is directly connected to your brain](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/09/your-gut-directly-connected-your-brain-newly-discovered-neuron-circuit?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), by a newly discovered neuron circuit. Review of an exhibition and three new books by [William Eggleston](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/06/07/william-eggleston-moving-targets/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), one of my favourite photographers. The story of the [plastic bag](https://www.topic.com/american-beauties?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Interesting to read that there once was resistance against the use of plastic bags. A [new AI strategy](https://www.quantamagazine.org/new-ai-strategy-mimics-how-brains-learn-to-smell-20180918/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) mimics how brains learn to smell. Glad to have science on my side when it comes to neglecting my garden. [An alternative urban green carpet](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/362/6411/148?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) "Lawns exact environmental and economic costs, and given the environmental and economic impacts of climate change, it is time to consider new alternative “lawnscapes” in urban planning as beneficial and sustainable alternatives." [Brief introduction to Bertrand Russell](https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/bertrand-russell-science-philosophy/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), his life and his work. ### Favourite Animated Movies URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/about/favourite-animated-movies/ Last updated: 2026-01-17T14:50:12.000Z Michael Dudok de Wit: Father and Daughter Shaun Tan: The Lost Thing The Quay Brothers: Street of Crocodiles Chris Lavis and Maciek Szcerbowski: Madame Tutli-Putli Chris Landreth: Ryan Paul Berry: The Sandman Koji Yamamura: Mount Head David O'Reilly: Please Say Something Kunio Kato: La Maison en Petits Cubes Evert de Beijer: De Karakters Mark Baker: The Village Jan Svankmajer: Dimensions of Dialogue Wolfgang and Christoph Lauenstein: Balance Daniel Greaves: Manipulation Sylvain Chomet: The Old Lady and the Pigeons Suzie Templeton: Dog \* \* \* Spirited Away It's Such a Beautiful Day Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse Ghost in the Shell Wall-E Waltz with Bashir Toy Story Persepolis Akira Who Framed Roger Rabbit The Illusionist My Neighbour Totoro The Triplets of Belleville Pinocchio Bambi Watership Down ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/08/19/further-reading-57/ Last updated: 2019-08-28T17:41:39.000Z Tragic as they are many [wildfires](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/08/16/wildfires-california-burning/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) are directly or indirectly the result of human intervention. Efforts to contain small wildfires today may lead to huge uncontrollable wildfires in the future. [Physics needs philosophy](https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/physics-needs-philosophy-philosophy-needs-physics/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Interesting essay by Carlo Rovelli. Excerpt from the excellent [*Ghosts of the Tsunami*](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n03/richard-lloydparry/ghosts-of-the-tsunami?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Richard Lloyd Parry. [The economics of fishing the high seas](http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/6/eaat2504.full?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I have to confess that I enjoy eating fish, but reading about the fishing industry always makes me feel guilty. [The big melt](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/08/16/arctic-big-melt/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Review of two new books on the melting arctic. I just finished *A Farewell to Ice* by Peter Wadhams, another excellent book on the same topic. Yet another interesting [account of the discovery of CRISPR](https://www.1843magazine.com/features/how-to-edit-a-human?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The book by Jennifer Doudna is on my pile. [There is more to behavioral economics than biases and fallacies](http://behavioralscientist.org/there-is-more-to-behavioral-science-than-biases-and-fallacies/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I couldn't agree more. [Michel Houellebecq's sexual distopia](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/books/review/michael-houellebecqs-sexual-distopia.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). An alternative interpretation of the famous [gorillas in our midst](https://aeon.co/essays/are-humans-really-blind-to-the-gorilla-on-the-basketball-court?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) experiment. [Inside Facebook's wild early days](https://www.wired.com/story/sex-beer-and-coding-inside-facebooks-wild-early-days/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Rachel Kushner on [Cormac McCarthy's existential westerns](https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2018/07/cormac-mccarthy-s-existential-westerns?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Michael Freeden on [the contemporary role of political theory.](https://www.eurozine.com/the-passions-of-liberalism/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [While we sleep, our mind goes on an amazing journey](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/08/science-of-sleep/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Which reminds me, I had resolved to go to bed early. [Imaginary Meccano](https://www.eurozine.com/imaginary-meccano-chris-markers-playful-aesthetics/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): Chris Marker’s playful aesthetics. *[Düssel...](https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/07/19/dussel/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com).* Short story by Ian McEwan. ### Falljökull URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T10:56:06.000Z The Falljökull is an easily accessible outlet glacier of the Vatnajökull in Skaftafell National Park. To spread the risk I'd booked two full-day glacier hikes in Skaftafell National Park, one at the beginning of my first week in Iceland and one at the end of my second week. Unfortunately, the weather was drowsy and rainy on both days. It did make for moody photos though. ![Falljökull, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-1.jpg) ![Falljökull](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-5.jpg) ![Falljökull, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-7.jpg) ![Falljökull, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-12.jpg) The moss slowly absorbs the rock leaving a tiny soft ball of moss ![Falljökull, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-13.jpg) ![Falljökull Glacier, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-14.jpg) Falljökull in the mist ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-16.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-17.jpg) ![Falljökull](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/falljokull-15.jpg) A cloud descends on Falljökull ### Related Posts **More Iceland!** [Jokulsarlon](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jokulsarlon/), [Leirhnjúkur](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/leirhnjukur-lava-field/), [Reynisfjara](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reynisfjara/), [Hljóðaklettar](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hljodaklettar/), the [Námafjall geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/namafjall-hverir/), the [Seltún-Krýsuvík geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/seltun/) and around the [ring road](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/iceland/). **More glaciers!** [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/), [Gornergletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher-revisited/), [Svellnossbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/), [Glacier du Tour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/) and the [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/). ### Jokulsarlon URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jokulsarlon/ Last updated: 2025-08-13T13:38:52.000Z Jökulsárlón is a large glacial lake at the head of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier in Vatnajökull National Park. It is on the Ring Road between Höfn and Skaftafell. Jökulsárlón was one of the highlights of my trip to Iceland. When I woke up and saw the fog I knew that it would make for beautiful moody photos. ![Jökulsárlón](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jokulsarlon-1.jpg) The magnificent Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon ![Jökulsárlón](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jokulsarlon-2.jpg) At the last minute I booked a boat tour on the lagoon, which was way better than I expected ![Jökulsárlón](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jokulsarlon-3.jpg) ![Jökulsárlón](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jokulsarlon-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jokulsarlon-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jokulsarlon-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jokulsarlon-8.jpg) ![Jökulsárlón](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jokulsarlon-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jokulsarlon-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jokulsarlon-13.jpg) ![Jökulsárlón](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jokulsarlon-10.jpg) ![Jökulsárlón](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jokulsarlon-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/jokulsarlon-14.jpg) Amazing views whichever angle you look at it ### Links If you like these photos be sure to check out the photos I took at [Leirhnjúkur](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/leirhnjukur-lava-field/), [Reynisfjara](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reynisfjara/), [Hljóðaklettar](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hljodaklettar/), the [Námafjall geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/namafjall-hverir/), the [Seltún-Krýsuvík geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/seltun/) and the [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) glacier. **Update**: in 2025 I finally had an opportunity to visit the [Ilullisat Icefjord](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/ilulissat-icefjord-2/) and the [Disko Bay](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/disko-bay/) in Greenland. ### Hljóðaklettar URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hljodaklettar/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T11:00:04.000Z Hljóðaklettar is an area of bizarre looking basalt formations near Jokulsargljufur in the Vatnajökull National Park. It's an amazing area and I'm glad I made the (long) detour from Lake Myvatn via Husavik to get there. I could have taken the 862 but I didn't want to take any risks with my rental VW Golf. ![Close-up of some basalt columns in Hljóðaklettar, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hljodaklettar-1.jpg) Close-up of some basalt columns in Hljóðaklettar, Iceland A close-up of basalt columns in Hljóðaklettar. After reading about the area I was hoping to take some photos like this and I was glad I was able to do so. ![Hljóðaklettar](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hljodaklettar-2.jpg) One of several basalt formations in the area around Hljóðaklettar ![Rauðhólar, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hljodaklettar-3.jpg) The Rauðhólar or "red hills" are remnants of a cluster of pseudocraters just north of Hljóðaklettar ![Rauðhólar](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hljodaklettar-4.jpg) The Rauðhólar or "red hills" are remnants of a cluster of pseudocraters just north of Hljóðaklettar ![Hljóðaklettar](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hljodaklettar-5.jpg) A basalt cave in the area around Hljóðaklettar ![Close-up of some basalt columns in Hljóðaklettar, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hljodaklettar-6.jpg) Another close-up of basalt columns in Hljóðaklettar ![Hljóðaklettar](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hljodaklettar-7.jpg) I got all excited seeing these wonderful rock formations ![Hljóðaklettar](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hljodaklettar-8.jpg) ![Close-up of some basalt columns in Hljóðaklettar, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hljodaklettar-9.jpg) Another close-up of some basalt columns in Hljóðaklettar ### Related Posts **More Iceland!** [Jokulsarlon](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jokulsarlon/), [Leirhnjúkur](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/leirhnjukur-lava-field/), [Reynisfjara](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reynisfjara/), the [Námafjall geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/namafjall-hverir/), the [Seltún-Krýsuvík geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/seltun/) and the [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) glacier. ### Leirhnjúkur Lava Field URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/leirhnjukur-lava-field/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T11:03:14.000Z Leirhnjúkur is a volcanic area in the north of Iceland, near Myvatn, just off the Ring Road, with black and red lava fields, bubbling mud pools and volcanic craters. It is an amazing site. The last volcanic eruption took place in 1984 and some sections of the lava field still give off steam. Upon returning home I realized that I didn't explore the entire area. I guess I have to go back one day. ![Leirhnjúkur Lava Field](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/leirhnjukur-lava-field-1.jpg) The amazing Leirhnjúkur Lava Field ![Leirhnjúkur Lava Field](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/leirhnjukur-lava-field-2.jpg) Colourful volcanic rocks at the Leirhnjúkur Lava Field ![Leirhnjúkur Lava Field](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/leirhnjukur-lava-field-7.jpg) A volcanic crater at the Leirhnjúkur Lava Field ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/leirhnjukur-lava-field-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/leirhnjukur-lava-field-4.jpg) Volcanic rock formations at the Leirhnjúkur Lava Field ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/leirhnjukur-lava-field-6.jpg) You can tell that the lava was moving when it slowly cooled and solidified ![Leirhnjúkur Lava Field](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/leirhnjukur-lava-field-8.jpg) The same volcanic crater from a different angle ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/leirhnjukur-lava-field-9.jpg) These rocks are only a few years old and quite brittle ![Leirhnjúkur Lava Field](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/leirhnjukur-lava-field-10.jpg) Amazing rock formations at the Leirhnjúkur Lava Field ### Related Posts **More Iceland!** [Jokulsarlon](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jokulsarlon/), [Reynisfjara](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reynisfjara/), [Hljóðaklettar](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hljodaklettar/), the [Námafjall geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/namafjall-hverir/), the [Seltún-Krýsuvík geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/seltun/) and the [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) glacier. My review of "[Mountains of Fire. The Secret Lives of Volcanoes](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/06/06/clive-oppenheimer-mountains-of-fire/)" by Clive Oppenheimer. ### Námafjall Hverir URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/namafjall-hverir/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T11:11:25.000Z The Námafjall Geothermal Area, also known as Hverir, is located near Lake Mývatn. There are many smoking fumaroles and boiling mud pots in the area, surrounded by sulphur crystals of many different colours. This is one of the reasons why I was so eager to finally visit Iceland. It was very windy during my visit, and that is putting it mildly, but at least it was sunny and dry, which made the colours come out particularly well. ![Námafjall Hverir](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/namafjall-hverir-1.jpg) The Námafjall Hverir Geothermal Area ![Námafjall Hverir](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/namafjall-hverir-2.jpg) Steam vents at the Námafjall Geothermal Area The steam is hot by the way, it is steam after all, and smells of rotten eggs. ![Steam vents at the Námafjall Geothermal Area](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/namafjall-hverir-3.jpg) Steam vents at the Námafjall Geothermal Area ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/namafjall-hverir-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/namafjall-hverir-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/namafjall-hverir-6.jpg) I love those colours ![Námafjall Hverir](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/namafjall-hverir-7.jpg) ![Steam vents and mud pools at Námafjall Hverir](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/namafjall-hverir-8.jpg) Steam vents and mud pools at the Námafjall Geothermal Area I spent several hours exploring the area, despite the smell. ![Steam vents at the Námafjall Geothermal Area](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/namafjall-hverir-9.jpg) Steam vents at the Námafjall Geothermal Area ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/namafjall-hverir-10.jpg) I climbed to the top of the ridge above, which turned out to be a plateau. It was extremely windy up there, so I was forced to turn back, unable to make the round trip. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/namafjall-hverir-11.jpg) Seeing all those colorful rocks and mud pools was a childhood dream come true. ![Steam vents at the Námafjall Geothermal Area](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/namafjall-hverir-12.jpg) Steam vents at the Námafjall Geothermal Area ### Related Posts **More Iceland!** [Jokulsarlon](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jokulsarlon/), [Leirhnjúkur](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/leirhnjukur-lava-field/), [Reynisfjara](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reynisfjara/), [Hljóðaklettar](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hljodaklettar/), the [Seltún-Krýsuvík geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/seltun/) and the [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) glacier. ### Skaftafell National Park URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skaftafell/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T11:15:23.000Z I had arranged to spend two days in Skaftafell National Park: one for a full-day glacier hike on one of the nearby glaciers and one for a day hike. Unfortunately, the trail to Kristínartindar was closed. Since I always abide by park regulations even if it means missing out on some great photo opportunities I had to reschedule my plans for the day. But I'll be back. ![Skaftafellsjökull, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/skaftafell-1.jpg) Skaftafellsjökull The Skaftafellsjökull glacier is where the ice planet section of Interstellar was filmed. ![Skaftafellsjökull glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/skaftafell-2.jpg) Skaftafellsjökull glacier ![Skaftafellsjökull glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/skaftafell-3.jpg) Skaftafellsjökull glacier ![Skaftafellsjökull glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/skaftafell-4.jpg) Skaftafellsjökull glacier ![Svartifoss waterfall](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/skaftafell-5.jpg) The famour Svartifoss waterfall ### Related Posts **More Iceland!** [Jokulsarlon](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jokulsarlon/), [Leirhnjúkur](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/leirhnjukur-lava-field/), [Reynisfjara](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reynisfjara/), [Hljóðaklettar](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hljodaklettar/), the [Námafjall geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/namafjall-hverir/), the [Seltún-Krýsuvík geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/seltun/) and the [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) glacier. ### Reynisfjara URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reynisfjara/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T11:22:41.000Z With its black volcanic sands and unique rock formations Reynisfjara black sand beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Iceland. Located just off the Ring Road near Vik it is also one of the most visited sites in Iceland. I didn't come for the beach though, but for the extraordinary basalt formations. ![Reynisfjara, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/reynisfjara-7.jpg) Reynisfjara, Iceland I'm glad I also took the standard "tourist" shot. ![Reynisfjara basalt formation](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/reynisfjara-1.jpg) Close-up of basalt formation at Reynisfjara beach ![Reynisfjara basalt formation](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/reynisfjara-2.jpg) Close-up of basalt formation at Reynisfjara beach ![Reynisfjara basalt formation](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/reynisfjara-3.jpg) This and the above two photos is looking up inside a cave ![Basalt formations at Reynisfjara, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/reynisfjara-4.jpg) Frontal view of a basalt formation at Reynisfjara beach ![Basalt formation at Reynisfjara, Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/reynisfjara-5.jpg) Side view of a basalt formation at Reynisfjara beach ![The famous Reynisdrangar as seen from Reynisfjara beach](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/reynisfjara-6.jpg) The famous Reynisdrangar as seen from Reynisfjara beach ### Related Posts **More Iceland!** [Jokulsarlon](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jokulsarlon/), [Leirhnjúkur](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/leirhnjukur-lava-field/), [](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reynisfjara/)[Hljóðaklettar](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hljodaklettar/), the [Námafjall geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/namafjall-hverir/), the [Seltún-Krýsuvík geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/seltun/) and the [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) glacier. ### Seltun URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/seltun/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T11:27:01.000Z The Seltún-Krýsuvík geothermal area was my introduction to Iceland and to geothermal fields. It was surprisingly quiet, given that it is only a short drive from Keflavik Airport and Reykjavik and not far from the Blue Lagoon. I basically had the site almost to myself. There is a hike which leads up into the mountains from which you have great views of the surrounding area. ![Seltún Krýsuvík Geothermal Area](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/seltun-2.jpg) Steam at the Seltún Krýsuvík Geothermal Area ![Seltún Krýsuvík Geothermal Area](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/seltun-3.jpg) Seltún Krýsuvík Geothermal Area ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/seltun-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/seltun-5.jpg) The steam is hot, it is steam after all, and has a foul smell, that you instantly recognize and will never forget ![Seltún Krýsuvík Geothermal Area](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/seltun-6.jpg) Close-up of the colorful ground at the Seltún Krýsuvík Geothermal Area I love those colours! This is almost abstract art. ![Seltún Krýsuvík Geothermal Area](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/seltun-7.jpg) Close-up of the colorful ground at the Seltún Krýsuvík Geothermal Area ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/seltun-8.jpg) The mountains around Seltun ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/seltun-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/seltun-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/seltun-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/seltun-12.jpg) I was lucky that it was sunny, which brought out the colours quite well ![Seltún Krýsuvík Geothermal Area](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/seltun-13.jpg) When I look at these photos I want to go back to Iceland ### Related Posts **More Iceland!** [Jokulsarlon](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jokulsarlon/), [Leirhnjúkur](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/leirhnjukur-lava-field/), [Reynisfjara](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reynisfjara/), [Hljóðaklettar](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hljodaklettar/), the [Námafjall geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/namafjall-hverir/) and the [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) glacier. ### Iceland URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/iceland/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T11:37:00.000Z I had been planning to travel to Iceland for a long time, but my previous attempts failed because I could no longer book a hotel at every point on my itinerary. So this time around I booked well in advance, but even so I couldn't stay in every hotel of my choice. Unfortunately, as on many recent trips I had a lot of rain. Indeed, locals told me that the summer of 2018 was one of the wettest in recent history. Even so, I had a great time and I'm already planning a second trip (**Update**: The COVID-19 also derailed my plans. I would have loved to travel to Iceland to capture the volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula). The photos here are uncategorized and were taken across Iceland. ![Wreck of US Navy DC on the black beach at Sólheimasandur](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/iceland-21.jpg) The famous wreck of a US Navy DC on the black beach at Sólheimasandur The famous wreck of a US Navy DC on the black beach at Sólheimasandur. Beware: it's an uneventful two hour walk from the parking lot. ![Gunnuhver Geothermal Area](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-1.jpg) Clouds from a steam vent at the Gunnuhver Geothermal Area ![Gunnuhver Geothermal Area](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-2.jpg) Colourful mud pool at the Gunnuhver Geothermal Area ![Reykjanes coast](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-4.jpg) Where lava meets the sea. The coast of Reykjanes. ![Gjáin in the Þjórsárdalur valley in Iceland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-3.jpg) Gjáin, Þjórsárdalur valley Gjáin is a breathtakingly beautiful oasis in the Þjórsárdalur valley. I was told that it was a location for an episode of Game of Thrones. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-5.jpg) ![Sólheimajökull glacier](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-6.jpg) Sólheimajökull glacier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-8.jpg) Sólheimajökull glacier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-9.jpg) Somewhere between Egilsstaðir and Myvatn ![Hverfjall crater](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-11.jpg) Hverfjall crater I hiked the entire rim of the Hverfjall crater. It was extremely windy and I had great difficulty keeping on my feet. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-12.jpg) The Hverfjall crater from different angles ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-13.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-14.jpg) Lava formations near Dimmuborgir ![Dettifoss waterfall](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-15.jpg) Close-up of the mighty Dettifoss waterfall ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-17.jpg) A geothermal area in Landmannalaugar ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-18.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-19.jpg) Mysterious landscapes near Hengill (left) and Þórsmörk (right) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/iceland-20.jpg) Nothing to see here ### Related Posts **More Iceland!** [Jokulsarlon](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jokulsarlon/), [Leirhnjúkur](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/leirhnjukur-lava-field/), [Reynisfjara](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/reynisfjara/), [Hljóðaklettar](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hljodaklettar/), the [Námafjall geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/namafjall-hverir/), the [Seltún-Krýsuvík geothermal area](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/seltun/) and the [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) glacier. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/05/20/further-reading-56/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T20:26:09.000Z I love large, open spaces, but I, too, hate [open floor plans and kitchen islands](https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/05/the-curse-of-an-open-floor-plan/560561/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [A brief history of behavioural economics](http://review.chicagobooth.edu/behavioral-science/2018/article/behavioral-economics-nuts-nudges?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Richard Thaler. The long-awaited data release from the Gaia space observatory has spurred a [torrent of discoveries](https://t.co/KvN8NvQjbL?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about the history and nature of our galaxy. Some machine learning algorithms turn out to be surprisingly good at [predicting chaotic dynamic systems](https://www.quantamagazine.org/machine-learnings-amazing-ability-to-predict-chaos-20180418/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Neural networks, faced with a navigation challenge, [spontaneously evolved “grid cells”](https://t.co/hObgttYJyh?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) resembling those that help living animals find their way. Real-time pose estimation! In the browser! [Read the article.](https://t.co/B3yOG9X1yr?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [What makes a tree a tree?](https://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/living-world/2018/what-makes-tree-tree?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) A simple question to which there is no definitive answer. [The disappearing jobs of yesterday.](https://www.nation.co.ke/news/world/The-disappearing-jobs-of-yesterday/1068-4523804-5p4wf7/index.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) From street clerks to water vendors. [Judge the value of what you have by what you had to give up to get it.](https://t.co/GeWg71Qyug?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) More photos from [NASA's IceBridge expedition to the Antarctic.](https://t.co/cVfAjFyx72?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) A [new technique](https://t.co/0mKe8sdBx9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) can map brains quickly and with incredible detail: It traced the connections of 50,000 neurons in just two weeks. Recent fossil discoveries [challenge ideas about Earth's start](https://t.co/FH2kNgvW3c?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Freeman Dyson [reviews](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/05/10/the-key-to-everything/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies* by Geoffrey West. I'm sceptical about the application of the central idea to the growth of cities and companies: it misses too many other relevant variables and doesn't fit the data. [Everything is a machine. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um4jnbZakbA&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)One of the world's most successful hedge fund managers, Ray Dalio, is the best student Deleuze never had. Ian Buruma reviews [a new Daido Moriyama retrospective](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/04/19/daido-moriyama-stray-dog/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Lisa Randall answers the question: [What is dark matter?](https://t.co/GjC8DnfqNw?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The Triumph of Philanthropy. A new guide to a $700 billion industry.](https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/triumph-philanthropy?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I believe that collective issues are best addressed through taxation and with democratic accountability. Photographer Naoya Hatakeyama, best known for his photos of cities and the built environment, [discusses his work.](https://placesjournal.org/article/naoya-hatakeyama-the-photographer-and-architecture/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ### Kyoto URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/kyoto/ Last updated: 2025-12-29T10:12:24.000Z On my first trip to Japan I'd planned a day trip from Tokyo to Kyoto. As I soon discovered spending a day in Kyoto was way too short. So on my second trip to Japan I scheduled three days for Kyoto, which again was too short. ![Torii gates at Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-1.jpg) The rows of torii gates at Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto ![Nanzenji Temple, Kyoto](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-7.jpg) Nanzenji Temple, Kyoto ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-20.jpg) I find those narrow streets and alleys in Japan highly photogenic. To navigate those narrow streets even the cars are small. ![Nanzenji Temple, Kyoto](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-8.jpg) Nanzenji Temple, Kyoto ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-6.jpg) Fushimi Inari-taisha, Kyoto ![Tofukuji Temple, Kyoto](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-19.jpg) Tofukuji Temple, Kyoto ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-11-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-13.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-14.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-15.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-16.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-17.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-18.jpg) The photos in the gallery above were taken along the hike from Takao to Hozukyo, which is actually quite a nice hike. The hills surrounding Kyoto are really beautiful. ![Nanzenji Temple, Kyoto](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/kyoto-21.jpg) Nanzenji Temple, Kyoto ![Myoshin-ji Temple complex](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/kyoto-22.jpg) Myoshin-ji Temple complex ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/kyoto-22.jpg) My shoes outside a temple at the Myoshin-ji Temple complex ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/kyoto-23.jpg) The temple ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/02/kyoto-24.jpg) The Gion district at dusk. I did see some "maiko" walking down the street. ### Links More Japan! The [Tsukiji Fish Market](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tsukiji-fish-market/) before it closed for good, [Tokyo](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tokyo/), [Osaka](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/osaka/) and the amazing [Koyasan](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/koyasan/) or Mount Koya. ### Tokyo URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tokyo/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T14:29:05.000Z I first visited Tokyo spring 2006\. I greatly enjoyed it. Even so it wasn't until 2018 that I decided to go back. Unfortunately, on both occasions I lost precious time due to jet lag. I guess I have to go a third time. ![Tokyo](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-3.jpg) What I love about Tokyo ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/tokyo-25.jpg) ![Shinjuku, Tokyo](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-15.jpg) Urban density ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-2.jpg) Tokyo by night ![Shinjuku, Tokyo](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-16.jpg) Shinjuku, Tokyo ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-14.jpg) ![Tokyo neon lights at night](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-12-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-18-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/tokyo-27.jpg) Tokyo neon lights by night ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tokyo-19.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/tokyo-23.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/tokyo-25.jpg) The view from Tokyo Tower ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/tokyo-26.jpg) ### Related Posts **More Japan!** The [Tsukiji Fish Market](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tsukiji-fish-market/) before it closed, [Kyoto](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/kyoto/), [Osaka](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/osaka/), Koyasan and [Naoshima](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/naoshima/). ### Tsukiji Fish Market URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tsukiji-fish-market/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T14:27:29.000Z On my first visit to Tokyo, April 2006, I also visited the Tsukiji Fish Market. This was before it was overrun by crowds of tourists. I loved the hustle and bustle and the functional chaos of the place. When I visited again in April 2018 there were signs everywhere that photography was not allowed. I managed to snap a few shots in the after hours when the trading was done. I was lucky to be able to visit. The Tsukiji Fish Market was closed in October 2018 in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics. ![Tsukiji Fish Market](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tsukiji-fish-market-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tsukiji-fish-market-2-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tsukiji-fish-market-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tsukiji-fish-market-9.jpg) ![Tsukiji Fish Market](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tsukiji-fish-market-11.jpg) Now that's a small office ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tsukiji-fish-market-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tsukiji-fish-market-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tsukiji-fish-market-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tsukiji-fish-market-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tsukiji-fish-market-7.jpg) ![Tsukiji Fish Market](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/tsukiji-fish-market-15.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tsukiji-fish-market-8.jpg) This machine creates large ice blocks ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/tsukiji-fish-market-12.jpg) ### Osaka URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/osaka/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T22:26:36.000Z Osaka is Japan's second largest city. It has an entirely different atmosphere than Tokyo. Osaka is famous for its food scene. There are lots of casual restaurants and food stalls everywhere. ![A narrow alley lined with restaurants in Osaka](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/osaka-1.jpg) One of many narrow alleys lined with casual restaurants in Osaka ![Neon signs by day in Osaka](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/osaka-5.jpg) Neon signs by day in Osaka ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/osaka-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/osaka-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/osaka-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/osaka-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/osaka-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/osaka-7.jpg) There is nothing special about these photos. This is ordinary Japan. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/osaka-9.jpg) ![Osaka by night](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/osaka-10.jpg) Osaka by night as seen from the viewing platform at the Umeda Sky Building ### Related Posts **More Japan!** The [Tsukiji Fish Market](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tsukiji-fish-market/) before it closed for good, [Tokyo](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tokyo/), [Kyoto](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/kyoto/) and the amazing [Koyasan](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/koyasan/) or Mount Koya. ### Koyasan URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/koyasan/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T20:54:52.000Z Koyasan or Mount Koya is the site of a large temple settlement about 50km south of Osaka. One of the highlights of Koyasan is the Okuno-in, Koyasan's cemetery, a wonderful, mysterious forest lined with giant, several hundred year old Japanese cedar trees and over 200,000 tombstones and Buddhist memorials. I stayed overnight at one of the temples offering accommodation, which was an interesting way to get a more close-up view of life inside a Buddhist temple. Koyasan lies at an elevation of 800 meter above sea level. There's a cable car that leads from the nearest train station to the top. ![Okuno-in Koyasan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/koyasan-1.jpg) I heard footsteps behind me and quickly stepped aside to let the monks pass ![Koyasan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/koyasan-11.jpg) Same spot without the monks ![Koyasan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/koyasan-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/koyasan-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/koyasan-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/koyasan-6.jpg) The Okuno-in is a magical site. You can sense that it is a spiritual place. There are even tiny statues hidden inside trees. ![Okuno-in Koyasan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/koyasan-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/koyasan-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/koyasan-8.jpg) As you can see many statues are dressed in bibs and little knit caps. Some are even adorned with lipstick. These icons are called Jizos, or Jizo Bosatsu, named for a Bodhisattva divinity of Buddhism that has been part of Japanese culture for centuries. The caps and scarves are added to protect the divinity from the elements, while the bibs symbolize Jizo’s protection of children. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/koyasan-10-2.jpg) ### Related Posts **More Japan!** The [Tsukiji Fish Market](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tsukiji-fish-market/) before it closed for good, [Tokyo](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tokyo/), [Kyoto](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/kyoto/) and [Osaka](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/osaka/). ### Naoshima URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/naoshima/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T14:22:30.000Z I had been looking forward to visiting Naoshima and Teshima. Unfortunately, when I was there most pavilions at Teshima were closed. On top of that photography was not allowed at the pavilions and museums to preserve the sanctity of the sites. While I find this understandable it is still a shame. Naoshima itself is quite nice as well though. It is interesting to get a taste of rural Japan. Unfortunately, it was overcast most of the day. ![Naoshima](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/naoshima-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/naoshima-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/naoshima-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/naoshima-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/naoshima-1.jpg) A glimpse of the "real" Japan in Naoshima ### Related Posts **More Japan!** The [Tsukiji Fish Market](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tsukiji-fish-market/) before it closed for good, [Tokyo](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tokyo/), [Kyoto](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/kyoto/), [Osaka](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/osaka/) and the amazing [Koyasan](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/koyasan/) or Mount Koya. ### Van Gogh and Japan URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/04/08/van-gogh-and-japan/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T16:40:04.000Z If you're like me you're probably familiar with Vincent van Gogh's 1889 "Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear". But did you ever notice the picture in the background? Yes, that is indeed Mount Fuji. The exhibition "Van Gogh and Japan" at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam highlights the influence of Japanese art on Van Gogh. The exhibition includes an outstanding selection of works by Van Gogh, many of which are brought together for the first time since the centenary show in 1990, as well as a large collection of Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) by the likes of Hiroshige and Hokusai. Van Gogh first discovered Japanese prints in 1885 while working in Antwerp. A year later, after moving to Paris, Van Gogh became infatuated with Japan. He scooped up several hundred Japanese prints at a bargain from a German art dealer, initially with the idea of reselling them. When that didn't work out he held on to them, using them as inspiration for his own work. At first, Van Gogh just copied the prints in pencil and ink and as oil paintings. The exhibition opens with two such works, hung next to the originals by Hiroshige, "The Residence with Plum Trees" and "Sudden Evening Shower on the Great Bridge near Atake". Eventually, Van Gogh would supersede his examples and incorporate them into his own unique style. Halfway through the exhibition a multimedia presentation shows the various compositional elements which Van Gogh borrowed from Japanese art: \* Subjects cut-off at the edges of the picture \* A high or absent horizon \* Zooming in on details from nature \* Bright, flat areas of colour \* Bold contour lines \* Prominent diagonals \* A unique way of suggesting space, with emphasis on foreground and background I leave it to art scholars to decide whether each of these elements are truly unique to Japanese art and whether Van Gogh took them from Japanese art or some other source. After all, artists like Dürer also zoomed in on details from nature and I am sure one can find examples of Western paintings in which the horizon is placed either high or low. ![Vincent van Gogh The Sower](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/van-gogh-the-sower.jpg) Vincent van Gogh, **The Sower* (1888) Having first wandered through the exhibition I returned to look more closely with this list in the back of my mind. I now look at paintings like "The Sower" and "[Almond Blossom](https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0176V1962?v=1&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)", one of my favourite paintings by Van Gogh, with different eyes. Van Gogh, of course, never actually visited Japan and his vision of Japan remained an imaginative projection. Like every artist Van Gogh used art history and the work of his contemporaries as a grab bag. This shows in the delightfully irreverent way in which he treated the Japanese prints he acquired. Whereas every serious collector would have framed them Van Gogh just pinned them on a wall, occasionally spilling some paint on them, while working on a new canvas, as can be seen in the room dedicated to Van Gogh's collection of Japanese prints. After moving to Arles Van Gogh dreamed of establishing an artistic commune. As is well-known his dream was shattered. Seized by a psychosis Van Gogh cut off his own ear. He would never fully recover. Shortly after the event he painted a self-portrait which would become one of his most famous works. **Van Gogh and Japan** is at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam until 24 June 2018. ### More Vincent van Gogh [Van Gogh and the Olive Groves](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/08/van-gogh-and-the-olive-groves/) [Steven Naifeh & Gregory With Smith: Van Gogh. The Life](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2022/05/22/steven-naifeh-and-gregory-white-smith-van-gogh-the-life/) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/04/01/further-reading-55/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T20:16:25.000Z The LHCb Experiment has discovered [the "Humpty Dumpty" particle](https://t.co/Qo96j7EU4y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), predicted by INFN theorists more than 40 years ago. [Slavoj Zizek reviews *Blade Runner 2049*](http://thephilosophicalsalon.com/blade-runner-2049-a-view-of-post-human-capitalism/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [During learning](https://t.co/5Yevp1oHtO?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), the brain’s adaptability is limited by its own neural architecture and other hidden constraints. Research shows that [the role of luck in life success is far greater than people realize](https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/the-role-of-luck-in-life-success-is-far-greater-than-we-realized/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). People account for risk, but not for luck, which is the flip side of risk. [There should be luck managers just as there are risk managers.](http://www.collaborativefund.com/blog/ironies-of-luck/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ["Ironically, the issue of over-research has not been researched much."](https://t.co/jcAGhC7y5b?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Artists with a day job](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/t-magazine/art/artist-day-job.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Opium and its derivatives have “conquered contemporary America”.](https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/02/americas-opioid-epidemic.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) “If Marx posited that religion is the opiate of the people, then we have reached a new, more clarifying moment in the history of the West: Opiates are now the religion of the people.” Why being a loner [may be good for your health.](https://t.co/TdldQR3ujW?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) 7 years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster [photographer Moises Saman visits the exclusion zone.](https://t.co/O8DVVUTRxd?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) American author William Vollman also [recently visited the radioactive red zone](https://longreads.com/2018/04/10/as-innocuous-as-plant-no-1/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The Comme des Garçons Fall 2018 RTW collection](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2018-ready-to-wear/comme-des-garcons/slideshow/collection?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com#15) features some fabulous over-the-top dresses. Infectious diseases and tumors show surprising similarity in their long, variable incubation times. [Two mathematicians and a biologist think they know why.](https://t.co/ew3QDA2UmA?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The field of artificial intelligence is grappling with a replication crisis](https://t.co/oLYnp6jZDR?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), much like the ones that have afflicted psychology, medicine, and other fields over the past decade. The latest artificial intelligence systems start from zero knowledge of a game and grow to world-beating in a matter of hours. [But researchers are struggling to apply these systems beyond the arcade.](https://t.co/QOhqBc6svD?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The Abel Prize](https://t.co/CfhZHkCuIp?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), one of math’s highest honors, has gone to Robert Langlands. His namesake program has guided mathematical research for five decades. A [world history timeline](https://t.co/QnnvSjZSxF?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) showing the rise and fall of empires over the last 5,000 years. Geert Lovink on [distraction and its discontents](https://www.eurozine.com/distraction-and-its-discontents/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and the current state of social media. Review of the latest volume of Marcel Gauchet's [*The Advent of Democracy Series*](https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/age-of-emancipation-marcel-gauchet-democracy-review?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [A tour of India’s waste mountain](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-03012-y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). When I visited India I was astonished by the amount of garbage on the street and the throw-away culture. Thomas Nagel reviews [*As If: Idealization and Ideals*](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/04/05/as-if-kwame-anthony-appiah/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Kwame Anthony Appiah. [Should we mourn the death of the humanities?](https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2017/11/no-case-humanities/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [How Amazon’s bottomless appetite became corporate America’s nightmare.](https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-amazon-industry-displacement/?ref=hvper.com&utm%5Fsource=hvper.com&utm%5Fmedium=website) [Interview with Nobel laureate Jean Tirole](https://www.richmondfed.org/publications/research/econ%5Ffocus/2017/q4/interview?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Interview with Bruno Latour](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-critical-zone-of-science-and-politics-an-interview-with-bruno-latour/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com#!) about his latest book, *Facing Gaia: Eight Lectures on the New Climatic Regime*. [Review](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v40/n04/meehan-crist/besides-ill-be-dead?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities and the Remaking of the Civilised World* by Jeff Goodell. [Review](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/03/08/philip-roth-agonistes/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Why Write? Collected Nonfiction 1960–2013* by Philip Roth. ### Highlights from the Fall 2018 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/03/17/highlights-from-the-fall-2018-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2019-10-29T19:43:47.000Z I loved the fall 2018 RTW collection by Matty Bovan, who graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2015\. His graduate collection earned him the L'Oréal Professionel Creative Award and the LVMH Graduate Prize 2015, which included a year's placement as a Junior Designer at Louis Vuitton, under Nicholas Ghesquière. He's definitely one to watch. As always the Comme des Garçons collection featured some spectacular outfits. I also liked the collection by Noir Kei Ninomiya, another new name to watch. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/matty-bovan-fall-2018-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/matty-bovan-fall-2018-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/matty-bovan-fall-2018-rtw-3.jpg) Matty Bovan ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/comme-des-garcons-fall-2018-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/comme-des-garcons-fall-2018-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/noir-kei-ninomiya-fall-2018-rtw-1.jpg) Comme des Garçons (left and middle), Noir Kei Ninomiya (right) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/yohji-yamamoto-fall-2018-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/rick-owens-fall-2018-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/yohji-yamamoto-fall-2018-rtw-2.jpg) Yohji Yamamoto (left and right), Rick Owens (middle) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/02/18/further-reading-54/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T20:03:20.000Z A [new study](https://www.quantamagazine.org/scant-evidence-of-power-laws-found-in-real-world-networks-20180215/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) challenges one of the most celebrated and controversial ideas in network science: the proposition that most complex networks in the real world — from the World Wide Web to interacting proteins in a cell — are “scale-free.” The MIT [Introduction to Deep Learning](https://t.co/nhQNZ4hwuS?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is definitely one of the best courses of its kind currently available online. No longer writing, [Philip Roth still has plenty to say.](https://t.co/BSFFwfOoNf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Why paper jams persist.](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/why-paper-jams-persist?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Is the era of quantum computing here?](https://www.quantamagazine.org/tag/the-future-of-quantum-computing/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Interesting series of articles by *Quanta Magazine*. In four words: Don't believe the hype. [This data visualization overview table](https://t.co/JioXOveFnO?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is used by the *Financial Times* to decide which visualization to use. [Inside the Amazon's deforestation crisis.](https://t.co/R7ewXKTXvT?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Excellent piece of reportage. Makes me sad and angry. [Die Autokonzerne leiden unter eigenen Fehlern und krassen staatlichen Fehlanreizen.](https://www.nzz.ch/meinung/die-autokonzerne-leiden-unter-eigenen-fehlern-und-krassen-staatlichen-fehlanreizen-ld.1353592?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) "Der Staat sollte einen einfachen, verlässlichen und zeitlosen Ordnungsrahmen setzen, der vor allem eines ist: technologieneutral." [To this day, rongorongo remains a puzzle, an enigma, and a mirror for the folly of those who try to solve it.](http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/64/mikanowski.php?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) "Experts cannot even agree whether it is an alphabet, a syllabary, a mnemonic, or a rebus." The *New York Times* reviews three recent books about [science's inference problem](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/16/books/review/science-inference-data.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Blade Runner 2049 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/02/03/blade-runner-2049/ Last updated: 2023-12-29T19:42:43.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/blade-runner-2049.jpg) I admit that I was skeptical when I first read that there would be a sequel to "Blade Runner" as I didn't think there was any need for a sequel. But when I saw the [trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCcx85zbxz4&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I was quickly won over. Now that I have finally watched it all I can say is that "Blade Runner 2049" is quite simply an awesome movie. The cinematography is absolutely amazing. Whereas "Blade Runner" is drenched in rain, "Blade Runner 2049" is covered by dust. Global warming has taken its toll on planet Earth. I didn't realize it at first, but the city where Rick Deckard has taken refuge is Las Vegas. Like the original "Blade Runner 2049" raises various philosophical questions. Slavoj Žižek raises [a number of interesting points](https://thephilosophicalsalon.com/blade-runner-2049-a-view-of-post-human-capitalism/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to which I have little to add, or at least until I've watched it a second or third time. ### Links Slavoj Žižek, [Blade Runner 2049\. A View of Post-Human Capitalism](https://thephilosophicalsalon.com/blade-runner-2049-a-view-of-post-human-capitalism/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). *Los Angeles Review of Books*. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2018/01/28/further-reading-53/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T19:57:56.000Z Every memory leaves its own imprint in the brain, and [researchers are starting to work out what one looks like.](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-00107-4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Physicists' attempts [to classify all possible phases of matter.](https://www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-aim-to-classify-all-possible-phases-of-matter-20180103?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [What makes a perfect croissant.](http://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/PT.3.3828?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Why an old theory of everything is gaining new life.](https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-an-old-theory-of-everything-is-gaining-new-life-20180108/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [An animated introduction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spUNpyF58BY&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to the Fourier Transform. [The revolutionary ideas of Thomas Kuhn.](https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/scientific-revolutions-thomas-kuhn/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Is evolutionary science due for a major overhaul](https://aeon.co/essays/science-in-flux-is-a-revolution-brewing-in-evolutionary-theory?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) – or is talk of ‘revolution’ misguided? [Texting in ancient Mayan hieroglyphs.](https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2018/winter/feature/texting-in-ancient-mayan-hieroglyphs?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) What Unicode will make possible. Do we live in four dimensions, as relativity theory says, or ten, as string theory claims? [And what are dimensions anyway?](https://aeon.co/essays/how-many-dimensions-are-there-and-what-do-they-do-to-reality?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The stick is an unsung hero of human evolution.](http://nautil.us/issue/56/perspective/the-stick-is-an-unsung-hero-of-human-evolution?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Even so, my vote goes to fire and the wheel. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/12/30/further-reading-52/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T18:57:02.000Z A wonderful New Year short story by Ali Smith. [*I heard it on Classic FN*](https://www.ft.com/content/d947cbc0-e416-11e7-97e2-916d4fbac0da?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Mini documentary by the *New York Times* about [the last remaining speaker of Taushiro](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/26/world/americas/peru-amazon-the-end.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), a language that was spoken by a tribe that lived in the jungles of the Amazon basin in Peru. [*Lies*](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/12/21/lies/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A short story by JM Coetzee. [Why write fiction in 2017?](https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/12/12/write-fiction-2017?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Überrascht, verwirrt und beglückt.](http://www.zeit.de/2017/50/muehle-sloten-holland-besuch?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) German author Clemens Setz visits the Netherlands. Wer wissen will, wie man in der Diskussion über kulturelle Identität vernünftiger argumentieren kann, [sollte das Buch des französischen Philosophen Francois Jullien lesen.](http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/diskussion-um-identitaet-kritik-zum-neuen-buch-von-francois-jullien-a-1184721.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) "Einer seiner zentralen Vorschläge lautet schlicht, nicht mehr in Unterschieden zu denken, sondern in Abständen. Und, in einem zweiten Schritt, nicht mehr von kultureller Identität, sondern von kulturellen Ressourcen zu sprechen." [Super Goethe](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/12/21/super-goethe/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Review of *Goethe: Life as a Work of Art* by Rüdiger Safranski, best known for his monographs on Heidegger, Nietzsche and Schopenhauer. [What bullets do to bodies.](http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/gun-violence/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Profile of Amy Goldberg, a trauma surgeon based at Temple University Hospital in North Philadelphia, one of the deadliest of the 10 largest cities in the US, with a homicide rate of 17.8 murders per 100,000 residents in 2015. How climate change and disease [helped the fall of Rome.](https://aeon.co/ideas/how-climate-change-and-disease-helped-the-fall-of-rome?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [A brief history](https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/states-mind/person-ape?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of humans trying and failing to understand the minds of apes. Anthony Gottlieb on [the correspondence of René Descartes and Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia](https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/states-mind/ghost-and-princess?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "She saw that his account of causal interaction between a material body and a nonmaterial mind conflicted with his defence of the mechanical philosophy." ### The Best Books of 2017 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/12/30/the-best-books-of-2017/ Last updated: 2025-02-23T17:38:32.000Z ### Best Fiction Tom McCarthy: Remainder Vladimir Nabokov: Speak, Memory. An Autobiography Revisited Juli Zeh: Unterleuten Remainder is the only choreography in the form of a novel that I know of. I was chuckling throughout because after the first chapter I sort of expected how the novel was going to unfold and I was delighted when it did so. Unterleuten is one of the best contemporary German novels and a future classic. Fifty years from now it will be hailed as the defining novel of Germany in the years after the financial crisis. ### Most Useful Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths: Algorithms To Live By While I was already familiar with much of the material covered in the book it hadn't occurred to me to apply it to everyday situations. It has greatly enhanced my life. Highly recommended. ### Most Eye-opening Peter Wohlleben: The Secret Life of Trees I live close to a forest and I enjoy hiking. After reading this book I have a much better understanding of my surroundings. I will never look at a forest or a tree with the same eyes again. ### Best Science Carlo Rovelli: Reality Is Not What It Seems Siddhartha Mukherjee: The Gene. An Intimate History Reality Is Not What It Seems by Carlo Rovelli is indeed a superb book and a joy to read. The same goes for The Gene. An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Is this the golden age of non-fiction? ### Best Economics Sven Beckert: Empire of Cotton. A New History of Global Capitalism I have little to add to the praise that has already been heaped upon Empire of Cotton. ### Best Book About the USA Joshua B. Freeman: American Empire. The Rise of a Global Power, the Democratic Revolution at Home Two years ago I included a category Best Book About Russia so this year I thought I'd include a Best Book About the USA. American Empire is an excellent book and I learned a great deal about the post-war history of the US. Various recent developments turn out to have a long history. ### Most Disappointing Helen DeWitt: The Last Samurai Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Americanah *The Last Samurai* was recommended to me by two persons whose judgement I normally value. However, this time I have to disagree. I kept thinking that perhaps I was missing something. Anyone can copy something from a textbook or Wikipedia and since I speak multiple languages myself I wasn't impressed by DeWitt's showing off of her linguistic skills. *Americanah* demonstrates that sometimes it's best to ignore sales rankings and reviews, no matter how good. I'm tired of love stories and should simply have left it unread. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/12/26/further-reading-51/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T18:48:12.000Z MIT researchers overturn [old theories about how memories form and recall works.](https://t.co/16Bj5VnvcY?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Inequality in nature and society.](https://t.co/HYEdsOyAyB?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) "(..) chance alone will drive 1% or less of the community to dominate 50% of all resources in situations where gains and losses are multiplicative." [Interview with mathematician Corina Tarnita](https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-mathematician-who-decodes-the-patterns-stamped-out-by-life-20171220??ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) who deciphers patterns in the soil created by competing life-forms. Everything we know about black hole growth says [this one is too young to be so big.](https://t.co/dfToQeBq20?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [A literary tour of the U.S. with 50 State-set books](http://www.signature-reads.com/2017/11/take-literary-tour-states-50-books/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I've read quite a few. [Ideology is the original augmented reality](http://mitp.nautil.us/feature/271/ideology-is-the-original-augmented-reality?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Slavoj Žižek on how we fill gaps in our everyday experiences. [The radical chic of Rick Owens.](https://www.ft.com/content/577f117e-c92d-11e7-8536-d321d0d897a3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Is Spotify turning all music into muzak?](https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-problem-with-muzak-pelly?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I would say that it comes down to a change in the way in which people listen to music, e.g. while coding, cooking or commuting. Few people actually sit down to listen to music and those who do don't do so whenever they put on music. I'd add that listening habits are historical anyway. Who would have thought that Gary Shteyngart's *Super Sad True Love Story* would become reality so soon? [Inside China's vast new experiment in social ranking.](https://t.co/EmllIxCb36?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Erik Brynjolfsson and Tom Mitchell on [workforce implications of what machine learning can do](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/358/6370/1530.full?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Paul Levy [reviews five recent books about bread](https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/let-them-eat-bread/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) including the six-volume 2,642 page *Modernist Bread*. Further further reading: [Longreads Best of 2017.](https://t.co/ceYuL0YIGH?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ### The Best Albums of 2017 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/12/26/the-best-albums-of-2017/ Last updated: 2020-01-02T19:11:57.000Z Some of my favourite albums of the year and the ones that I expect to listen to for some time to come were classical recordings. I love Beatrice Rana's recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations. She makes the aria sound like Chopin. In no particular order: Hans Abrahamsen: String Quartets Beatrice Rana: Bach Goldberg Variations Debussy: Sonates and Trio Gérard Pesson: Blanc Mérité David Hudry: Durchgang Ben Frost: The Centre Cannot Hold LCD Soundsystem: American Dream The War on Drugs: A Deeper Understanding Maria and Nathalia Milstein: La Sonate de Vinteuil Pitchfork's list of the [top 50 albums of 2017](https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-50-best-albums-of-2017/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The best albums of 2017 according to [Dutch music critics](http://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/2017.htm?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The [100 best albums of 2017](http://tedgioia.com/bestalbumsof2017.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) according to Ted Gioia. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/12/03/further-reading-50/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T18:40:25.000Z The [full list of Massive Open Online Courses](https://qz.com/1120344/200-universities-just-launched-600-free-online-courses-heres-the-full-list/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) offered by over 200 universities around the world, including Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of California San Diego, McGill and ETH Zürich to name but a few. Scientists are unraveling [why certain glaciers are prone to surging abruptly.](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/358/6367/1120.full?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ECM’s catalog is finally streaming. [NY Times critics and contributors select 21 essential albums.](https://t.co/YWLx77WxJk?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The excellent *Quanta Magazine* [spoke with Edward Witten](https://www.quantamagazine.org/edward-witten-ponders-the-nature-of-reality-20171128??ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about his theory of everything and the strange connection between physics and math. Steven Mithen on [why our ancestors started farming.](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n23/steven-mithen/why-did-we-start-farming?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Author and US Army veteran Phil Klay on [war as a test of religious faith](https://theamericanscholar.org/tales-of-war-and-redemption/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com#.WiZV6bSdXUY). Phil Klay is the author of the excellent short story collection *Redeployment*, winner of the 2014 National Book Award for Fiction. Cool, [Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot can now do a backflip.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRj34o4hN4I&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/11/19/further-reading-49/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T18:34:31.000Z In case you didn't know already, [physics has demoted mass](http://nautil.us/issue/54/the-unspoken/physics-has-demoted-mass?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). It is no longer considered an intrinsic property. [An astonishing video shows CRISPR editing DNA in real time.](https://t.co/L1cfPoNvLV?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) There's more to [Edvard Munch](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/12/07/edvard-munch-norwegian-woods/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) than *The Scream*. Nietzsche's musings on his lost umbrella [raises deeper philosophical questions.](https://iainews.iai.tv/articles/the-philosophy-of-umbrellas-auid-912?access=ALL&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) While at university I read Derrida's *Spurs*, a masterclass in close reading. Dani Rodrik on [the fatal flaw of neoliberalism](https://t.co/UJeM9tqlIl?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): it's bad economics. In Antarctica, [two crucial glaciers accelerate toward the sea](https://t.co/T7v7MbCJDQ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Operation Icebridge](https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2017/11/08/operatie-icebridge-a1580233?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Astonishing photos of Antarctica. I've read many [good things](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/11/09/twin-peaks-small-town-noir/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about *Twin Peaks: The Return*. It's just that as with so many films and television series I haven't found the time to watch it yet. I'm planning a catch-up weekend. [Is it too late to save the world?](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/04/jonathan-franzen-too-late-to-save-world-donald-trump-environment?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Jonathan Franzen on one year of Trump's America. [A selection of photos](https://t.co/Y83akcHG08?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from one of my favourite photographers, Walker Evans. T.J. Clark on [the art of the Russian Revolution](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n22/tj-clark/reinstall-the-footlights?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Peer review: the end of an error?](https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/the-end-of-an-error-peer-review/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Tim Gowers on the pros and cons of “formal peer review” in mathematics and other fields. ### Dutch Masters from the Hermitage URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/11/12/dutch-masters-from-the-hermitage/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T16:36:57.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/paulus-potter-punishment-of-a-hunter.jpg) Paulus Potter, **Punishment of a Hunter* (1648-52) "Dutch Masters from the Hermitage" is a phenomenal exhibition and a rare chance to see some treasures from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. The exhibition opens with a small but exquisite painting by Rembrandt of a young woman with earrings (1657), one of six paintings by Rembrandt included in the exhibition. It is the promise of many great things to come. The first rooms of the exhibition are dedicated to painters who stood at the origin of the Golden Age of Dutch painting. A wall sized family tree nicely illustrates the relationships between the various painters. Rembrandt held a brief apprenticeship with Pieter Lastman, who also counted Jan Lievens among his pupils. Rembrandt in turn had various pupils who went on to become famous artists in their own right, including Gerrit Dou, Ferdinand Bol, Carel Fabritius and Nicolas Maes. At first I had to look hard to find Elijah in Abraham Bloemaert's "[Landscape with the Prophet Elijah in the Desert](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abraham%5FBloemaert%5F-%5FLandscape%5Fwith%5Fthe%5FProphet%5FElijah%5Fin%5Fthe%5FDesert%5F-%5FWGA2277.jpg?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1605-15). The painting is dominated by a tree and a wooden shed. In the distance one can see some mountains. The landscape is entirely imaginary. As far as I know Abraham Bloemaert never visited the Middle East. Indeed, apart from a three year stay in Paris he never left the Netherlands. In "Abraham on the Road to Canaan" (1614) Pieter Lastman depicts the moment God speaks to Abraham from the oak grove. Lastman does not actually paint God. He renders his appearance through rays of light that illuminate the faces of Abraham and his family. The grand hall is dominated by five paintings by Rembrandt, including the phenomenal "Portrait of an Old Jew" (1654). Rembrandt didn't care about prevailing conventions or fashion. As this portrait shows he meticulously observed his sitters and sought to bring them to life in painting. But as two paintings in the same room show both Gerrit Dou and Govert Flinck hold their own with their former master. Another highlight of the exhibition is "Punishment of a Hunter" (1648-52) by Paulus Potter (pictured above), which looks like a contemporary comic in the form of a painting. I can't think of any paintings like it. Besides household names the exhibition includes many hidden treasures. I found it amusing to see two paintings by Melchior d'Hondecoeter (1636-95) in which the same pelican has been copy-pasted. Even the pose is identical. It was also fascinating to see various examples of the mastery of light for which the painters of the Dutch Golden Age are famous. "Concert" (1626) by Hendrick ter Brugghen shows three people lit by a candle in the painting's bottom right corner. Not only did Ter Brugghen get the shadows right, he also got the white balance right, since the painting is cast in a reddish glow. The exhibition is just the right size, starting with an amuse in the form of Rembrandt's "Young Woman With Earrings", followed by an entrée, a main course and a dessert. For just when you think it can't get any better you encounter a portrait by Frans Hals and some domestic scenes by Gabriel Metsu, Gerard ter Borch, Pieter de Hooch and Jan Steen. I've now seen various exhibitions with treasures from the Hermitage. I guess it is about time I visit the Hermitage itself. **Dutch Masters from the Hermitage** is at the Hermitage Amsterdam through 27 May 2018. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/11/05/further-reading-48/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T18:27:27.000Z Astronomers say they’ve found [many of the universe’s missing atoms.](http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/10/astronomers-say-they-ve-found-many-universe-s-missing-atoms?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Spider genes](http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/10/spider-genes-put-new-spin-arachnids-potent-venoms-stunning-silks-and-surprising-history?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) put a new spin on arachnids’ potent venoms, stunning silks, and surprising history. [A conversation with Tim O'Reilly.](https://www.edge.org/conversation/tim%5Foreilly-reality-is-an-activity-of-the-most-august-imagination?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Islam and Economic Performance: Historical and Contemporary Links](https://sites.duke.edu/timurkuran/files/2017/09/Islam-Economic-Performance-Kuran-JEL-in-press.pdf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). New survey article by Timur Kuran, forthcoming in vol. 56 (2018) of the *Journal of Economic Literature*. [A conversation with Hélène Cixous](http://www.zeit.de/kultur/literatur/2017-10/helen-cixous-feminismus-frankreich-sprache?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (in German). [The Coming Software Apocalypse.](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/09/saving-the-world-from-code/540393/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Life after mercury poisoning.](https://mosaicscience.com/story/mercury-poisoning-minamata-disaster-environment?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Russia’s turbulent century of revolutions, from Lenin to Putin, [in less than 2,000 words.](https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2017/10/russia-s-turbulent-century-revolutions-lenin-putin?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Mata Hari wasn't a cunning spy after all.](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2017/11-12/mata-hari-history-killing/?curator=MediaREDEF&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) An essay on [the history of mathematical typography.](http://www.practicallyefficient.com/2017/10/13/from-boiling-lead-and-black-art.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Contrary to popular belief there never was a real tulip fever.](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/there-never-was-real-tulip-fever-180964915/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [How ether transformed surgery.](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-ether-transformed-surgery-from-a-race-against-the-clock/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Of course, [China, too](https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609038/chinas-ai-awakening/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), is investing heavily in AI. [A new history](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/10/a-brief-history-of-everyone-who-ever-lived/537942/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of the first peoples in the Americas. [Silicon Valley’s next target for disruption is socks](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-10-03/silicon-valley-s-next-target-for-disruption-is-socks??ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (yes, socks). Some of the [hiking models](https://www.stance.com/adventure-socks/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) are pretty cool by the way. I want some! ### Kein Licht URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/10/27/kein-licht/ Last updated: 2024-01-02T14:25:38.000Z ![Kein Licht](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/kein-licht-1.jpg) After reading a raving review of *Kein Licht*, an opera by Philipe Manoury, with texts by Elfriede Jelinek and directed by Nicolas Stemann I was eager to see it. I was unable to get a ticket for the final performance during the Ruhrtrienale, but I was lucky to still be able to get a first balcony ticket for a Saturday performance at the Opéra Comique in Paris. Now that I've seen it I'm left with that familiar feeling of happiness and sadness. It was funny, moving, interesting and inspiring and then it was all over. I wish I could replay it. I wish I remembered more of what I'd seen and heard. *Kein Licht* is the kind of music theatre production that is only conceivable in Germany or France and then only in the form of a co-production between various theatres and festivals and with additional support from numerous sponsors and donors. It was more than a year in the making, required months of rehearsals and was performed about two dozen times. *Kein Licht (2011/2012/2017)* is based on three texts by Elfriede Jelinek: [*Kein Licht*](https://www.elfriedejelinek.com/fklicht.htm?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (2011), [*Epilog?*](https://www.elfriedejelinek.com/ffukushima.htm?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (2012) and *Der Einzige, sein Eigentum (Hello darkness, my old friend)* (2017), which was written at the request of director Nicolas Stemann for the premiere of *Kein Licht*. The first two texts deal with the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The third text is a sarcastic commentary on Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement and his intention to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The theatrical work of Elfriede Jelinek is a collage of words and sentences without an obvious narrative structure. In the case of *Kein Licht* Jelinek makes the despair and the confusion following the Fukushima disaster felt. When I state that, following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, despair and confusion reigned, you take it for a fact, but you don't feel it. Elfriede Jelinek's texts are performative in that the confusion that you experience upon hearing or reading them is intended. Nicolas Stemann has directed many recent works by Elfriede Jelinek and in *Kein Licht* he succeeds once again in bringing her texts to life. With the stage design Stemann has pulled out all the stops. Unfortunately, the music was the weakest link of the entire production. Apart from the electronically enhanced trumpet solo in the opening scene I found it largely forgettable. The instrumental sections and the arias, while beautifully sung, were little more than background music. Caroline Peters and Nicolas Bormann were great as the two speakers. But the star of the show was [Cheeky](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVcIZFPHp0c&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), a little dog whose howling and barking was electronically altered to mesmerizing effect, creating lamenting, haunting sounds. ### Links [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwZMVwJ0%5F3k&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) for *Kein Licht*. [Excerpt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVcIZFPHp0c&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from *Kein Licht* starring Cheeky. ### Irving Penn at the Grand Palais URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/10/26/irving-penn-at-the-grand-palais/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T16:34:19.000Z Irving Penn: Passage is one of the first photo books I bought. I still remember the occasion. At the time my newspaper carried a section in its Friday books supplement with notable books on offer at bookstores across the Netherlands. One day it listed Passage, which a bookstore in The Hague had imported from the US, and which was described as a publishing gem and a must have for the price. I called the bookstore and asked them if they could reserve a copy, without actually knowing much about the book’s content. So early the next morning I got on a train to The Hague to buy a book. Even at a discount it exceeded my student budget, but I was glad I had been able to obtain a copy, because it is indeed a beautifully printed book and it turned out that I was not the only one who had called the bookstore. To celebrate the centenary of his birth the Grand Palais has organized a large retrospective of Irving Penn’s work. The exhibition was previously shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Even though I’m already familiar with his work I was eager to visit the exhibition. I’m happy I did, because I discovered a number of photos that I hadn’t seen before such as the below "Tarot reader" (1949) from a photo shoot for *Vogue*. In case you're wondering, the fashion model in the photo of the mouth with the bee is real and [the bee is alive](https://www.vogue.com/article/past-present-phyllis-posnick-irving-penn-1995-bee-stung-lips?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and survived the photo shoot. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/irving-penn-mouth.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/irving-penn-tarot-reader-1949.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/irving-penn-bee-1995.jpg) Irving Penn, Mouth (1986), Tarot Reader (1949), Bee (1995) [Irving Penn](https://irvingpenn.org/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1917-2009) is best known for his fashion work, celebrity portraits and his still lifes of food, animal skulls and cigarette buds. He originally aspired to be a painter and spent four years at the Philadelphia Museum and School of Industrial Art. He was frustrated by his attempts at drawing and painting and after buying his first camera he realized where his talents lay. In 1943 he was hired by Vogue to design covers, but before long he began taking fashion photographs for the magazine. He would continue doing so for the rest of his long productive life. In 1948 *Vogue* commissioned Penn to do a photo shoot with the fashion model Jean Patchett in Peru. The assignment finished Penn travelled on to Cuzco, where he rented a studio from a local photographer in order to photograph some of the townspeople. Penn was lucky that he arrived at a time when the town was flooded by people from across the region who came to Cuzco to trade goods and participate in festivities. As Penn recalled “When subjects arrived to the studio to be photographed, they found me instead of the proprietor. Instead of them paying me, I paid them for posing. A very confusing affair.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/irving-penn-cuzco-2.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/irving-penn-cuzco-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/irving-penn-cuzco-3.jpg) Irving Penn, Cuzco (1948) Penn photographed the locals in exactly the same way as he photographed artists and celebrities in New York. In three days he made more than 2,000 photographs, a selection of which would be published by Vogue in the following year, 1949\. It was the beginning of a lifelong interest in ethnography. From 1967 to 1971 Penn travelled to Morocco, Papua New Guinea, Nepal and other countries carrying with him a bespoke tent studio in which he would photograph locals. So before there was Jimmy Nelson there was Irving Penn. I know that these kinds of photos are now criticized for their Western gaze. But because Penn photographed all his subjects in the same way and under the same conditions, they could also be seen as evidence for a respectful democratic gaze. Of course, Penn was not an anthropologist and should not be judged as such. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/Irving-Penn-morocco-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/Irving-Penn-morocco-3.jpg) Irving Penn, Two Guedras, Morocco (1971) and Three Rissani Women with Bread, Morocco (1971) In the 1950s Penn made a series of pictures in Paris, London and New York, for which he invited tradesmen, - butchers, fishmongers, fire brigades, mailmen and so on -, to the studio exactly as they would dress for the job, bringing their tools of work. The resulting photos are reminiscent of the photos August Sander took in the 1920s and now serve as a fascinating historical document. Someone should do a similar series today of system architects, full stack developers and engineers. For years Irving Penn took photos for Issey Miyake, which bring out the graphic and sculptural quality of the designs. **Irving Penn** is at the Grand Palais, Paris until 29 January 2018\. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue, "Irving Penn: Centennial", which you can buy at your favourite bookstore, while stock lasts. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/irving-penn-miyake-1.jpg) Irving Penn for Issey Miyake ### Être moderne: Le MoMA à Paris URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/10/23/etre-moderne-le-moma-a-paris/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T16:32:25.000Z For the second time this century New York's Museum of Modern Art is using an expansion to send a selection of artworks abroad. In 2004 "Das MoMA in Berlin" was so popular that the Neue National Galerie was open around the clock during the exhibition's final days. "Être Moderne: le MoMA à Paris", which opened at the Fondation Luis Vuitton on 11 October, also has everything in it to become a blockbuster. The exhibition opens with a glorious display of works by Picasso, Cézanne, Brancusi, Kirchner, Duchamp, Klimt, Magritte, Mondrian, Dali, Beckmann and others. Also included are several industrial design objects, excerpts from Walt Disney’s first Mickey Mouse film "Steamboat Willie" (1928) and Sergey Eisenstein's "Battleship Potemkin" (1925) and propaganda posters from the USSR and the Spanish revolution. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/moma-a-paris-2.jpg) I was there. Roman Ondák, **Measuring the Universe*, 2007. This is followed by a room with some American postwar masterpieces, including the wonderful "Woman I" by Willem de Kooning and works by Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko. From hereon the exhibition focuses almost exclusively on American art, with rooms dedicated to minimalism, pop art and art from the 80s and 90s and the 21st century. The latter I found largely forgettable and a waste of exhibition space. I would have preferred a larger selection of minimalism, which now consists of works by Frank Stella, Carl Andre, Yvonne Rainer, Bruce Nauman and Ellsworth Kelly. A highlight of the exhibition are two large wall drawings by Sol Lewitt, which have been reproduced from instructions by the artist. Another highlight was the room dedicated to Cindy Sherman's “Untitled Film Stills” (1977-80). MoMA is renowned for its architectural collection, which is here represented by an amazingly detailed model of the "Lever House" (1950-52) by Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM for insiders), a drawing by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and an entire segment of the original curtain wall of the United Nations building. I was also delighted to see three early drawings by Rem Koolhaas, Madelon Vriesendorp and Elia and Zoe Zenghelis, which I only knew from *Delirious New York*. One room is dedicated to the site-specific installation performance "Measuring the Universe" (2007) by Roman Ondák. The work begins as an empty white gallery. As visitors enter the room, they are invited to stand against the wall and have an assistant mark off their height and label it with their first name and the date of their visit. As you can see I'm an outlier, though not by much. In my case the assistant had to get something to stand on. I would have liked to have visited again during the closing weekend to see whether my name was still an outlier. The exhibition is smaller than [Icons of Modern Art: the Shchukin Collection](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/05/icons-of-modern-art-the-shchukin-collection), which was at the Fondation Louis Vuitton earlier this year. It is also uneven. Surely MoMA has more interesting works than the two installations that now occupy the final two galleries. Even so "Être Moderne: le MoMA à Paris" is a great opportunity to see some excellent works of art and design and that, after all, is what art exhibitions are for. **Être moderne: Le MoMA à Paris** is on view at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris through 5 March 2018. ### Highlights from the Spring 2018 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/10/15/highlights-from-the-spring-2018-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2019-10-29T20:49:22.000Z I'm a long-time fan of Junya Watanabe. I also love the hair and make-up in his shows and the spring 2018 RTW collection was no exception. The collection by Balenciaga featured some outfits that could go straight into one of my dance performances, so I've only included one image. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/junya-watanabe-spring-2018-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/junya-watanabe-spring-2018-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/junya-watanabe-spring-2018-rtw-3.jpg) Junya Watanabe ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/comme-des-garcons-spring-2018-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/balenciaga-spring-2018-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/issey-miyake-spring-2018-rtw-1.jpg) Comme des Garçons (left), Balenciaga (middle), Issey Miyake (right) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/thom-browne-spring-2018-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/thom-browne-spring-2018-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/thom-browne-spring-2018-rtw-3.jpg) Thom Browne ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/rick-owens-spring-2018-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/rick-owens-spring-2018-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/rick-owens-spring-2018-rtw-3.jpg) Rick Owens ### Rachel Whiteread at Tate Britain URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/10/10/rachel-whiteread-retrospective-tate-britain/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T14:45:47.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/rachel-whiteread-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/rachel-whiteread-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/rachel-whiteread-3.jpg) Rachel Whiteread at Tate Britain I enjoyed the Rachel Whiteread retrospective at Tate Britain. Indeed, I left liking her work more than I did before my visit. The idea behind much of Rachel Whiteread's work is simple enough. For more than thirty years Whiteread has created casts of ordinary, domestic objects so as to render their interior or dual space tangible. This works best when the enclosed space is open, such as the space underneath a table or a chair or the interior of a wardrobe or an entire building. The cast of the inside of a can looks just like a can and the cast of a mattress looks just like a mattress. Rachel Whiteread's work occupies an indiscriminate zone between abstract and figurative, familiar and unfamiliar. At first you see just a concrete block. It is only upon closer inspection that the object reveals itself. The imperfections in the plaster show the original object's history. Years of usage have left their mark, which are now imprinted in the plaster. Some of Whiteread's works reference other artworks, thereby casting the original in a new light. "Untitled (Book Corridors)" is a nod to Donald Judd and "Untitled (One Hundred Spaces)" (1995), which consists of 100 casts of the underside of chairs in different shades of coloured resin, references Bruce Nauman’s "A cast of the space under my chair" (1965-68). On the occasion of the exhibition the walls in the main temporary exhibition galleries of Tate Britain have been removed creating one large open space. This works exceptionally well as it gives the larger works space to "breathe". It also allows the visitor to walk through Rachel Whiteread's career and to look at early works from the vantage point of later works. The exhibition is dominated by two large-scale works, "Untitled (Stairs)" (2001), and "Room 101" (2003), the plaster cast of a BBC office, demolished in 2003, which allegedly inspired George Orwell’s room 101 in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Outside the main exhibition hall photos document what is perhaps Rachel Whiteread's most famous work, her Turner Prize-winning "House" (1993), a typical east London Victorian terraced house cast in concrete. One wishes it hadn't been destroyed, but perhaps its legendary status derives in part from the fact that it only lives on in the memory of those who've seen it and in photos such as these. Another series of photos documents some of Whiteread's recent projects: the casts of two sheds in California's Mojave desert and the cast of a boathouse on a lakeshore in Norway. They looked intriguing in all their austerity and made me want to get on a plane to try and find them. **Rachel Whiteread** is at Tate Britain, London, until 21 January 2018. ### Frieze Art Fair 2017 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/10/08/frieze-art-fair-2017/ Last updated: 2023-01-23T19:31:15.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/frieze-2017-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/frieze-2017-2.jpg) I still have fond memories of the [first (and last) time](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2007/10/16/frieze-art-fair-2007) I visited the Frieze Art Fair, but at this year's edition there was little that stood out, to me at least, and the little that did stand out was by established artists. I don't intend this as an assessment of the current state of the contemporary art world. It probably says more about my own interests. Next time I'll visit both Frieze and Frieze Masters, the sister fair where more than 130 galleries showcase work made before 2000. From a sociological point of view the Frieze Art Fair remains a fascinating spectacle. VIPs can use a shuttle service, sponsored by BMW, and use a private space, sponsored by Deutsche Bank. The fair's layout is a reflection of the power structure in the contemporary art world, with two of today's most successful galleries, Gagosian and Hauser & Wirth, right opposite the entrance. I don't regret paying GBP 50 for the privilege of visiting the fair. After all, I did discover where my current interests lie. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/10/01/further-reading-47/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T18:18:02.000Z A new theory may explain [the success of deep learning.](https://t.co/SN1Igjxdz3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [How do you make an AI curious?](https://t.co/9U2xCOhIH9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Suketu Mehta on [the reasons people migrate to the West](https://t.co/rgkgCxuUBk?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): "We are the creditors." Seven days of heroin. [This is what an epidemic looks like](http://www.cincinnati.com/pages/interactives/seven-days-of-heroin-epidemic-cincinnati/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). *The Enquirer* sent more than 60 reporters, photographers and videographers into their communities to document the heroin epidemic ravaging the US. I have to admit that I'm astonished by the sudden rise of heroin addiction. I remember it as being something of the 80s. [How many infinities are out there?](https://t.co/rTDbqFSa54?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [On the semiotics of emoji](https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/hopeful-face-emoji/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). An interview with philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah. [Part 1](http://the-orb.org/2017/09/20/interview-with-kwame-anthony-appiah/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), [Part 2](http://the-orb.org/2017/09/22/interview-with-kwame-anthony-appiah-pt-ii/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and [Part 3](http://the-orb.org/2017/09/22/interview-with-kwame-anthony-appiah-pt-iii/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Ghost malls across the US](https://theoutline.com/post/2216/ghost-malls-matthew-newton-shopping-mall-excerpt?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Photographs by Matthew Newton. Excerpt from [*The Long Haul: A Trucker’s Tales of Life on the Road*](https://longreads.com/2017/09/21/a-high-end-mover-dishes-on-truckstop-hierarchy-rich-people-and-moby-dick/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Finn Murphy. By the way, trucks in North America look different from European trucks. Seeing these trucks in my rear view mirror or at a gas station is an essential part of the feeling of being on a road trip through the US. [A conversation with John Cleese](http://www.vulture.com/2017/09/john-cleese-monty-python-in-conversation.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/09/17/further-reading-46/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T18:11:58.000Z Tom Vanderbilt on [how to choose wisely](http://nautil.us/issue/52/the-hive/how-to-choose-wisely-rp?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I ignore the reviews by people who have only posted one review, or at least I try to, because they may register unconsciously. [Exploring the future of Himalayan glaciers](https://uni-utrecht.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=47ffcbcbbe0649f7aad5d3f0af4f1171&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). If you've got the time, do watch the [documentary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ%5FZtoC90Jo&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about the research, it's highly informative. [Stories and cosmogonies](https://culanth.org/articles/78-stories-and-cosmogonies-imagining-creativity?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): Imagining creativity beyond "Nature" and "Culture". [Claude Shannon and the nature of information](https://aeon.co/essays/how-a-polymath-transformed-our-understanding-of-information?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Henry Marsh and Stephen Westaby on [What makes a great surgeon?](https://www.ft.com/content/d53f2422-9314-11e7-a9e6-11d2f0ebb7f0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Killing goats to save tortoises on the Galápagos Islands.](https://culanth.org/articles/922-tangles-of-care-killing-goats-to-save-tortoises?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) As I like to say, things are never as simple as you think. [The prehistory of cryptocurrencies](http://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=3136559&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Our own genetic prehistory](https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/deeper-deep?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The hidden memories of plants](http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/plant-memory-hidden-vernalization?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Breathtaking photos from the Cassini mission.](https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2017/09/12/dit-zijn-de-adembenemende-ruimtefotos-van-de-cassini-missie-a1572790?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Cassini was the fourth space probe to visit Saturn and the first to enter its orbit. The craft was named after astronomers Giovanni Cassini and Christiaan Huygens. [The case against civilization.](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/09/18/the-case-against-civilization?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Did our hunter-gatherer ancestors have it better? I would put far greater weight on advances in medicine than on politics and economics. [Massive genetic study shows how humans are evolving.](http://www.nature.com/news/massive-genetic-study-shows-how-humans-are-evolving-1.22565?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I would still consider this speculative. [30 Days timelapse at sea.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHrCI9eSJGQ&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/09/03/further-reading-45/ Last updated: 2024-02-24T13:49:42.000Z Amia Srinivasan reviews [two recent books about the mind of the octopus](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n17/amia-srinivasan/the-sucker-the-sucker?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), both of which I've added to my reading list. [How much more can we learn about the universe?](http://nautil.us/issue/51/limits/how-much-more-can-we-learn-about-the-universe-rp?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Brief but interesting essay by Lawrence M. Krauss. [A pre-history of post-truth, East and West.](http://www.eurozine.com/a-pre-history-of-post-truth-east-and-west/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Postmodernism was conceived largely by the Left as a safeguard against totalizing ideologies. Yet today, it has been appropriated on behalf of an encroaching neo-totalitarianism of the Right. Nobel laureate Sheldon Lee Glashow weaves some [threads in the tapestry of physics](http://inference-review.com/article/threads-in-the-tapestry-of-physics?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). This is the first in a series of essays. Subsequent instalments will address waves and particles, relativity, nuclear physics, and the Standard Model. [Religious freedom in Europe was driven by statecraft not philosophy.](https://aeon.co/essays/the-modern-state-not-ideas-brought-about-religious-freedom?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The greatest civilisation ever forgotten?](http://www.historytoday.com/andrew-robinson/greatest-civilisation-ever-forgotten?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Gregory Chaitin takes [a look at complexity using algorithmic information theory](http://inference-review.com/article/doing-mathematics-differently?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). J.M. Coetzee on [a great writer we should know](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/01/19/antonio-di-benedetto-great-writer/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (and whom I'd never heard of). [100 books set in/about Los Angeles.](https://bookriot.com/?p=122511&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *Ask the Dust* by John Fante and *Less Than Zero* by Bret Easton Ellis are my favourites. [25 Articles and essays by David Foster Wallace.](http://tetw.org/David%5FFoster%5FWallace?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/08/29/further-reading-44/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T17:53:49.000Z Philosopher Charles Taylor, best known for his contributions to political philosophy and the philosophy of social science, discusses [some conditions of a viable democracy](http://www.eurozine.com/some-conditions-of-a-viable-democracy/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The essay was originally published almost 25 years ago on the eve of the fall of the Iron Curtain. As Taylor observes, democracy not only relies on its institutions, like parliament, elections, party pluralism, etc., but also, and essentially, on the "relations in which people stand when they are common citizens of a democratic regime." [Alaska's permafrost is thawing](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/23/climate/alaska-permafrost-thawing.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Once this ancient organic material thaws, microbes convert some of it to carbon dioxide and methane, which can flow into the atmosphere and cause even more warming." [An appreciation of Fernando Pessoa](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/09/04/fernando-pessoas-disappearing-act?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on the occasion of the publication of the English translation of the complete edition of *The Book of Disquiet*. [Arthur Schopenhauer: the first European Buddhist](https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/arthur-schopenhauer-footnotes-to-plato/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Part of a new series from the *Times Literary Supplement*, appraising the works and legacies of the great thinkers and philosophers. Francis Fukuyama [still believes in progress](http://www.eurozine.com/i-still-believe-in-progress/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The mysteries of the Russian mindset](http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/understanding-moscow-the-mysteries-of-the-russian-mindset-a-1162072.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). *Der Spiegel* correspondent Christian Neef spent three decades reporting on Russia. On the eve of his departure from Moscow, he reflects on a unique Russian mindset that Putin did not create but is brilliant at exploiting. [The mathematical secrets of a Babylonian clay tablet have finally been unlocked](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/aug/24/mathematical-secrets-of-ancient-tablet-unlocked-after-nearly-a-century-of-study?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [An interview with Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/17/books/review/karl-ove-knausgaard-by-the-book.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about his reading habits. [An interview](https://logger.believermag.com/post/an-interview-with-john-mighton?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with mathematician and author John Mighton. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/08/19/further-reading-43/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T17:48:34.000Z Scientists unveil [a new inventory of the universe’s dark contents.](https://www.quantamagazine.org/scientists-unveil-a-new-inventory-of-the-universes-dark-contents-20170803?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Deprovincializing Philosophy](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/deprovincializing-philosophy/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Carlos Fraenkel reviews Peter Adamson’s *Philosophy in the Islamic World*. "It compels us to reconceptualize the history of philosophy as a whole and the nature of philosophy in the Islamic world in particular." Dutch artist Peter Struycken on [poor museum lighting](https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2017/06/21/mijn-droom-is-levend-licht-in-musea-11204251-a1563944?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (in Dutch). I couldn't agree more. The (artificial) light in most (art) museums is terrible. [How your mind protects you against hallucinations.](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/08/how-your-mind-protects-you-against-hallucinations?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [New support for a hypothesis about how life first formed.](https://www.quantamagazine.org/first-support-for-a-physics-theory-of-life-20170726?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Take chemistry, add energy, get life. The challenge is to create life under laboratory conditions. [The curious conundrum of Freud’s persistent influence](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/books/review/freud-biography-frederick-crews.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [How to defeat procrastination.](http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170728-a-novel-trick-to-beat-procrastination?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Visualise your future self. [You are the product](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n16/john-lanchester/you-are-the-product??ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). John Lanchester reviews three recent books about Silicon Valley. [The LA rag trade](http://vestoj.com/the-la-rag-trade/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A fascinating peek into a global supply chain. Tim Parks on [books we don't understand](http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/08/15/the-books-we-dont-understand/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I didn't quite get Thomas Mann's *Death in Venice* when I read it in high school. I should give it a second try some time. [*Gum*](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/10/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-gum.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Excerpt from *Autumn*, the first volume to be translated into English from a new quartet of books by Karl Ove Knausgaard. John Supko on [how he taught his computer to write its own music.](http://nautil.us/issue/50/emergence/how-i-taught-my-computer-to-write-its-own-music-rp?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The hijacking of the Brillante Virtuoso](https://www.w3schools.com/html/tryit.asp?filename=tryhtml%5Fdefault&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), a USD 100 million supertanker. Excellent reporting. Michael Lewis on [why the scariest nuclear threat may be coming from inside the White House.](https://www.w3schools.com/html/tryit.asp?filename=tryhtml%5Fdefault&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Does anyone in the White House really understand what the Department of Energy actually does? Good question. [The story of a blue pigment.](https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-from-the-great-wave-to-starry-night-how-a-blue-pigment-changed-the-world-81031?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Is the world really better than ever?](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/jul/28/is-the-world-really-better-than-ever-the-new-optimists?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) It depends on who you ask and how you look at it. Marina Warner [reviews](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n16/marina-warner/back-from-the-underworld?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) *The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains* by Thomas Laqueur. I've added it to my reading list. I concur with Izabella Kaminska, this paper on [the finance franchise](http://cornelllawreview.org/files/2017/08/HockettOmarovafinal.pdf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Robert C. Hockett and Saule T. Omarova is a must read (if you're interested in finance or banking). The textbook model of finance is out of date and wrong. [British Columbia is having its worst wildfire season on record](http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-surpasses-worst-wildfire-season-on-record-and-threat-is-far-from-over-1.4249435?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). More than 2.5 million acres have burned there since April, nearly six times the typical amount for a full year. ### Banff National Park URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/banff-national-park/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T14:41:53.000Z Banff National Park has it all: mountains, forests, lakes, waterfalls, glaciers, grizzly bears and yes, lots of visitors. I had scheduled three days for Banff National Park. That clearly wasn't enough. I had a great time and would love to go back one day. ![Bow Lake Banff National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-1.jpg) Bow Lake, Banff National Park ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-5.jpg) Plain of Six Glaciers, Banff National Park ![Banff National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-2.jpg) Bow Lake, Banff National Park ![Valley of Ten Peaks Banff National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-7.jpg) Three of the peaks in the valley of the ten peak in Banff National Park ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-8.jpg) Left: View from Icefields Parkway; Middle: Along the hike to Sentinel Pass; Right: Waterfall in Johnston Canyon ![Helen Lake Banff National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-9.jpg) Helen Lake as seen from the path towards Cirque Peak ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-12.jpg) The hike to Helen Lake and Cirque Peak is one of the most beautiful hikes in Banff National Park. ![Helen Lake Banff National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/banff-national-park-14.jpg) Helen Lake as seen from the path towards Cirque Peak ### Related Posts **More Canada!** [Jasper National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jasper-national-park/), [Stanley Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/stanley-glacier/) and the [Walcott Quarry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/walcott-quarry/), the famous quarry of the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/07/23/further-reading-42/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T17:37:18.000Z John Nash’s notion of equilibrium is ubiquitous in economic theory, but a [new study](https://www.quantamagazine.org/in-game-theory-no-clear-path-to-equilibrium-20170718/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) shows that it is often impossible to reach efficiently. What is space? [It's not what you think](http://nautil.us/issue/49/the-absurd/what-is-space?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The concept of space was the subject of my MA thesis in Philosophy. It is one of my life-long interests. I'm also highly sensitive to space(s). [The strange topology that is reshaping physics.](https://www.nature.com/news/the-strange-topology-that-is-reshaping-physics-1.22316?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [On growing up as an untouchable](http://lithub.com/growing-up-as-an-untouchable/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Hitchcock talks about lights, camera, action.](https://ascmag.com/articles/flashback-hitchcock-talks-about-lights-camera-action?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) And that, of course, is an old interview. [On the clothing choices of the homeless](http://vestoj.com/beggars-and-choosers/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). "Ultimately life on the street as a man is first and foremost about finding normalcy both as a tactic and a deep desire and dream." [How Uber's hard-charging corporate culture left employees drained](https://www.buzzfeed.com/carolineodonovan/how-ubers-hard-charging-corporate-culture-left-employees?utm%5Fterm=.konv96LpXm&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com#.kk0AEXyjmp). Two years ago *The New York Times* ran a [much-talked-about story](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about the supposedly brutal corporate culture at Amazon. Now Uber is the target. In two years the world and Uber will have moved on. [An appreciation of Raphael.](https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n15/charles-hope/at-the-ashmolean?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) "Although Raphael was younger than Leonardo and Michelangelo and his career was shorter, he was by far the most influential of the three, especially from the end of the 16th century." ### Jasper National Park URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jasper-national-park/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T14:51:51.000Z Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, extending over 11,000 square kilometres. I had booked a full-day hike on the Athabasca Glacier and spent nearly seven hours on the ice. Even so we only made it to the first icefall. I would have loved to go further, to explore the crevasses and to see what lies beyond. My hike to Mt Edith Cavell, one of the most beautiful in the park, was cut short by an aggressive grizzly bear. I thought it wise to turn back. I drove the Icefields Parkway, which connects the towns of Jasper and Lake Louise, in both directions and it is indeed a stunning drive. ![Mount Athabasca, Jasper National Park, Canada](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jasper-national-park-1.jpg) Mount Athabasca, Jasper National Park, Canada The mighty Mount Athabasca in Jasper National Park. From the ridge you can tell how far and high the Athabasca glacier once came. ![Jasper National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jasper-national-park-3.jpg) ![Athabasca Glacier Jasper National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jasper-national-park-5.jpg) Athabasca Glacier, Jasper National Park ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jasper-national-park-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jasper-national-park-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jasper-national-park-12.jpg) Athabasca Glacier, Jasper National Park. ![River of melt water on the Athabasca Glacier, Jasper National Park, Canada](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jasper-national-park-13.jpg) River of melt water on the Athabasca Glacier, Jasper National Park, Canada It was a warm day and there were entire rivers of melt water on the glacier. Some sections of the glacier are covered with ash causing it to melt even faster. ![A deep crevasse of melt water on the Athabasca Glacier, Jasper National Park, Canada](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jasper-national-park-11.jpg) A deep crevasse of melt water on the Athabasca Glacier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jasper-national-park-2.jpg) ![Tangle Creek Falls, Jasper National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/jasper-national-park-4.jpg) Tangle Creek Falls, Jasper National Park ### Related Posts **More Canada!** [Banff National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/banff-national-park/), the [Stanley Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/stanley-glacier/) trail and the famous [Walcott Quarry](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/walcott-quarry/). **More glaciers!** [Gornergletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher-revisited/), [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/), [Svellnossbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/), [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/), [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/), [Glacier du Tour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/) and the [Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/glacier-trail-felskinn-mattmark/). ### Stanley Glacier URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/stanley-glacier/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:02:50.000Z The Stanley Glacier hike in Kootenay National Park is pretty awesome. The hike is sometimes referred to as a fire and ice trail, as the trail goes from a recovering burned forest to an alpine meadow, to the receding Stanley Glacier, or what remains of it, as it has all but disappeared. The Stanley Glacier trail is also the site of Burgess Shale fossil beds and guided tours are available. ![Stanley Glacier, Canada](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/stanley-glacier-1.jpg) Stanley Glacier, British Columbia, Canada ![Stanley Glacier Trail, British Columbia, Canada](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/stanley-glacier-2.jpg) Looking back from the Stanley Glacier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/stanley-glacier-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/stanley-glacier-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/stanley-glacier-5.jpg) In the middle the Stanley Glacier or what remains of it. By the time you see these photos it may be gone altogether ![Stanley Glacier Trail, Canada](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/stanley-glacier-6.jpg) The trail to Stanley Glacier ### Related Posts **More Canada!** [Banff National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/banff-national-park/) and [Jasper National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jasper-national-park/). ### Walcott Quarry URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/walcott-quarry/ Last updated: 2024-02-02T18:22:15.000Z In 2017 another long-held dream came true when I had a chance to visit the Walcott Quarry in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, the most famous quarry of the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale. The Burgess Shale is famous for its exquisitely preserved fossils, which reveal the extraordinary diversity of life forms that existed during the Cambrian and which include animals within bizarre anatomical features. I didn't know that it was possible to visit the site, but when I found out I instantly booked a guided tour. I didn't find any spectacular fossils, but I was more than happy to find some trilobites. ![Walcott Quarry Burgess Shale](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/walcott-quarry-1.jpg) Countless fossils may be contained within these layers of rock... ![Walcott Quarry Burgess Shale](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/walcott-quarry-2.jpg) ...and the only way to find out... ![Walcott Quarry Burgess Shale](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/walcott-quarry-3.jpg) ...is to break it. You can't do an X-ray or MRI. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/walcott-quarry-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/walcott-quarry-5.jpg) I found some fossils! ![Yoho National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/walcott-quarry-6.jpg) The hike to the Walcott Quarry offers nice views of the Rocky Mountains ### Links If you like these photos be sure to check out the photos I took in [Banff National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/banff-national-park/) and [Jasper National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jasper-national-park/). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/06/11/further-reading-41/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T17:15:08.000Z [A new gravitational wave discovery!](https://www.w3schools.com/html/NEW%20Gravitational%20Wave%20Discovery!?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The new signal detected by LIGO](https://t.co/esBcu6YvSM?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) deepens the riddle of how black holes come to collide. [Martin Scorsese on filmmaking](http://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/film-making-martin-scorsese/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in response to a review of his latest film *Silence*. "When I’m really watching a film from beginning to end, I’m not stopping it to make a phone call and then starting it again. On the other hand, I’m not letting the film override my existence. I’m watching it, experiencing it, and along the way seeing echoes of my own experience illuminated by the film and illuminating it in turn. I’m interacting with the film in countless ways, great and small. Never once have I felt like I just sat there and let a picture wash over me like a tidal wave, and then come back to my senses as the lights came up." This resonates with my own experience of watching dance, theatre and film. [Newly discovered fossils in Morocco](https://t.co/F2a49m37cw?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) put the emergence of Homo Sapiens 100,000 years further back. Researchers at CalTech were able to [reconstruct faces from neural population responses in the macaque brain](https://t.co/AgCUPAvUYK?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A new [series](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/06/05/business-or-pleasure?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Chris Ware for the New Yorker. I'm looking forward to his [new book](http://www.rizzoliusa.com/book.php?isbn=9780847860883&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), which will be published in October. [Amazing new picture of Jupiter](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/a-whole-new-jupiter-first-science-results-from-nasa-s-juno-mission?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), part of the first results of NASA's Juno mission. [Is conspicuous consumption over?](https://aeon.co/ideas/conspicuous-consumption-is-over-its-all-about-intangibles-now?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Fascinating article by Philip Ball on [China's great rivers](http://laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/water-margin?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). All of China’s great rivers respect the east-west axis. But two in particular are symbols of the nation and the keys to its fate: the Yangtze and the Yellow River. It's better to regret something you have done, than to regret something you haven't done, or so the saying goes. It has now been [experimentally vindicated](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28493750?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), or sort of. [What it’s like to be struck by lightning.](https://mosaicscience.com/story/what-its-be-struck-lightning?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The 100 most substantive solutions to reverse global warming](http://www.drawdown.org/solutions-summary-by-rank?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). That's from a book called called *Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming* edited by environmentalist and entrepreneur Paul Hawken. It's something I've been wondering about as well. The top 10 (with the total atmospheric reduction in CO2-equivalent emissions in gigatons in parentheses): 1\. [Refrigerant Management](http://www.drawdown.org/solutions/materials/refrigerant-management?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (89.74) 2\. Wind Turbines, Onshore (84.60) 3\. Reduced Food Waste (70.53) 4\. Plant-Rich Diet (66.11) 5\. Tropical Forests (61.23) 6\. Educating Girls (59.60) 7\. Family Planning (59.60) 8\. Solar Farms (36.90) 9\. Silvopasture (31.19) 10\. Rooftop Solar (24.60). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/05/27/further-reading-40/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T17:01:41.000Z [The energy expansions of evolution](https://t.co/uZqXlaR7Kt?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). A fascinating new theory of the history of life on Earth. If you don't have time to read the original article, this is [a good summary of the main ideas](https://t.co/AStipnpJ8n?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The mathematics of juggling.](https://t.co/xwUN99Cbo4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The art of juggling has advanced significantly in recent decades, thanks in part to the mathematical study of possible patterns. I actually own a copy of the book by Burkhard Polster, *The Mathematics of Juggling*, referred to in the article. I once imagined doing for dance what Polster and others have done for juggling. [New experiments](https://t.co/RXUXtaEe3h?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) suggest that simple models can explain the behavior of thousands of interacting organisms. This is (another) subject that I've been interested in for years. Some of the ideas that have emerged from the study of complex systems [I've applied to dance and choreography](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/research/emergent-choreography). [Can a mind can be located outside of the head?](https://t.co/zqcIvfAAOy?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) It may depend on how you define “cognition.” [Chris Ware on Saul Steinberg's view of the world](http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/05/26/saul-steinbergs-view-of-the-world/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I'm afraid I won't be able to visit the Saul Steinberg retrospective at the Art Institute of Chicago, which runs from May 27 to october 29, but I've added the catalogue to my wish list. [Where oil rigs go to die.](https://t.co/dEoz6bFN8m?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Another excellent Guardian long read. [The world is running out of sand.](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/05/29/the-world-is-running-out-of-sand?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) When I saw this headline I remembered linking to [an article about the same topic](http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/global-sand-stocks-disappear-as-it-becomes-highly-sought-resource-a-994851.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). That was in [October 2014](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2014/10/05/further-reading-10). Two and a half years on and sand is still scarce. [The quantum thermodynamics revolution](https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-quantum-thermodynamics-revolution-20170502?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). As physicists extend the 19th-century laws of thermodynamics to the quantum realm, they’re rewriting the relationships among energy, entropy and information. Kevin Kelly on [the myth of a superhuman AI](https://t.co/23g4FCcJp9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [China’s epic race to avoid a food crisis.](https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017-feeding-china/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Tim Parks on [the pleasures of pessimism](http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/05/25/the-pleasures-of-pessimism/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Read and weep. [Alex Tizon writes about his family's slave](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/06/lolas-story/524490/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Do read [this response to the article](https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/05/the-enslaved-woman-they-called-lola/527532/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) as well, which offers a critical perspective. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/05/22/further-reading-39/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T16:47:34.000Z [Where have all the insects gone?](http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/where-have-all-insects-gone?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I too remember the days that I had to scrub the dead insects from the windscreen of my father's car, which I was paid to wash every other week. Today, drivers spend less time scraping and scrubbing. [Review](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/05/25/consumer-society-more-is-more/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of *Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers, from the Fifteenth Century to the Twenty-First* by Frank Trentmann, which was one of my favourite books of 2016. [Interesting essay](https://nplusonemag.com/online-only/online-only/have-you-ever-had-an-intense-experience-of-mystical-communion-with-the-universe-life-god-etc/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about the work of the American architect Louis Kahn (1901-1974), whose work includes the phenomenal Salk Institute in La Jolla, California and the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (National Parliament House) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. [Why Amazon is eating the world.](https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/14/why-amazon-is-eating-the-world/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) And [this is the Jeff Bezos playbook for preventing Amazon’s demise](https://www.recode.net/2017/4/12/15274220/jeff-bezos-amazon-shareholders-letter-day-2-disagree-and-commit?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Listeners prefer new violins and are [unable to distinguish between new and old Italian violins at better than chance levels.](http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/05/02/1619443114?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Using homes as ATMs](http://www.urban.org/urban-wire/using-homes-atms-not-homebuying-fervor-was-more-blame-housing-crisis?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), not homebuying fervor, was more to blame for the housing crisis. [The amazing dinosaur found (accidentally) by miners in Canada](http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/06/dinosaur-nodosaur-fossil-discovery/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I look forward to visiting the Royal Tyrrell Museum this July. [An interactive map](https://paleobiodb.org/navigator/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of major sites around the world where fossils have been found. [The amazing world of the owl.](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/05/25/parliament-of-owls/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Cosmic inflation theory faces challenges.](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cosmic-inflation-theory-faces-challenges/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The latest astrophysical measurements, combined with theoretical problems, cast doubt on the long-cherished inflationary theory of the early cosmos and suggest we need new ideas. [The widespread and persistent myth](https://thonyc.wordpress.com/2017/02/10/the-widespread-and-persistent-myth-that-it-is-easier-to-multiply-and-divide-with-hindu-arabic-numerals-than-with-roman-ones/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that it is easier to multiply and divide with Hindu-Arabic numerals than with Roman ones. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/04/27/further-reading-38/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T16:24:35.000Z [A conversation about the nature of consciousness](http://nautil.us/issue/47/consciousness/the-spiritual-reductionist-consciousness-of-christof-koch?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with neuroscientist Christof Koch. [Why do shoelaces untie themselves?](http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/why-do-shoelaces-untie-themselves-team-may-have-answer?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) A mundane question and one that I often ask myself when I'm hiking, but the answer could lead to better fibers and surgeon's knots. [How lizards get their spots](http://www.nature.com/news/how-lizards-get-their-spots-1.21817?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I knew that the skin pattern of various animals can be described by a set of Turing equations, but the ocellated lizard develops its labyrinthine palette in an unusual way. [Links gehen rechts stehen or not?](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/us/escalators-standing-or-walking.html?%5Fr=0&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) New research suggests it is more efficient if nobody walks on the escalator. I nearly always take the stairs to get some exercise. [What happened to Google Books?](https://backchannel.com/how-google-book-search-got-lost-c2d2cf77121d?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) It could have been amazing. Update: [the same story](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/04/the-tragedy-of-google-books/523320/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) told by someone else. [How big a problem is the zero lower bound on interest rates?](https://www.brookings.edu/blog/ben-bernanke/2017/04/12/how-big-a-problem-is-the-zero-lower-bound-on-interest-rates/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Ben Bernanke discusses the implications for monetary policy of the fact that interest rates cannot fall (much) below zero. [Why people prefer unequal societies](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-017-0082?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). There is no evidence people are bothered by economic inequality itself. They are bothered by economic unfairness, at least, according to this study. [Some useful heuristics](https://aeon.co/essays/with-the-use-of-heuristics-anybody-can-think-like-a-philosopher?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to test the validity of a statement from the analytical philosophy tool kit. I would add another question, which often came up when I was studying philosophy. Whenever someone says "we" or "us" always ask "who, we?" Who is included in (and excluded from) this "we"? Does the author refer to all of humanity? All people alive today? Anyone capable of rational thought? I mean, [blood runs through your veins that's where our similarity ends](https://vimeo.com/10256274?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Rei Kawakubo, *Interpreter of Dreams*](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/magazine/rei-kawakubo-interpreter-of-dreams.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). In recent years the main collections of [Comme des Garçons](http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/comme-des-garcons?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) have become increasingly [theatrical](http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2017-ready-to-wear/comme-des-garcons/slideshow/collection?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com#8) and less wearable. I still don't know what to think. While some creations are spectacular and would look great on stage there's something facile about this kind of unbridled creativity. If you abandon the constraints of wearability anything goes. The French social thinker Christophe Guilluy has crafted [a convincing narrative](https://www.city-journal.org/html/french-coming-apart-15125.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) tying together France’s various social problems - immigration tensions, inequality, deindustrialization, economic decline, ethnic conflict, and the rise of populist parties. [With negative mass, if you push something, it accelerates toward you.](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/19/scientists-have-created-a-fluid-with-negative-mass-but-what-does-it-tell-us?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) No, really. Of course, the result only holds under extreme laboratory conditions. ### David Hockney at Tate Britain URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/04/03/david-hockney-retrospective-tate-britain/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T14:43:24.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/pearblossom-highway-2.jpg) David Hockney, Pearblossom Highway, 1986 (second version) The David Hockney retrospective at Tate Britain is billed as the artist's most comprehensive exhibition yet. It is also one of the most popular exhibitions in the history of Tate Britain. Tickets need to be booked in advance, since ticket availability may be limited on the day, as I found out to my dismay when I arrived on Sunday, at what I thought was early in the morning. I did manage to get in, but only two hours later. The exhibition spans Hockney's entire career, from the paintings he made as a student at the Royal College of Art to his recent iPad drawings. The exhibition is largely arranged chronologically. It shows Hockney reaching an early peak and then a long and gradual decline. In 1964 Hockney moved to Los Angeles and it is here that he painted his best known and indeed his best paintings, including "A Bigger Splash "(1967) and "[Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures)](https://www.christies.com/features/David-Hockney-Portrait-of-an-Artist-Pool-with-Two-Figures-9372-3.aspx?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1972)\*. It is fascinating to see the change of style, subject and colour that his move to Los Angeles brought about. After more than fifty years they still look fresh. In the 1980s Hockney began to experiment with photography, creating cubist collages of Polaroid photos. Dissatisfied with the white borders of Polaroids he turned to 35mm film. His experiments culminated in "Pearblossom Highway, 11-18th April 1986", which is my favourite work in the exhibition and worth the ticket price of GBP 19.50. So much for the good. In the 1980s and 1990s Hockney started making colourful paintings of interiors and of the landscapes of the US South-West and his native Yorkshire, which I found pretty dreadful, I have no other word for it. At best they serve to show how good his work of the mid and late 1960s was. I admire Hockney for changing his style and ways of working and for his openness to new technologies. It's just that it seems as if with every step he strayed further from his best work, without ever returning to form. From reading some reviews I know that many critics disagree, so don't take my word for it and judge for yourself. **David Hockney** is at Tate Britain, London, until 29 May 2017. (\*) "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" *s*old for $90,312,500 on 15 November 2018 at Christie’s in New York making it one of the most expensive paintings by a living artist. ### Robert Rauschenberg at Tate Modern URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/04/03/robert-rauschenberg-retrospective-tate-modern/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T14:39:40.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/robert-rauschenberg-express-1963.jpg) Robert Rauschenberg, **Express*, 1963. At the very last moment I visited the [Robert Rauschenberg](https://www.rauschenbergfoundation.org/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) retrospective at Tate Modern. It's an excellent introduction to Rauschenberg's work, but I'd expected the exhibition to be larger. The exhibition spans Rauschenberg's entire six-decade career and does a good job of showcasing each and every aspect of his prolific output. However, I had hoped to see more: more combines and more silkcreens. A reproduction of "Express" (1963), pictured above, has been on my bookshelf since I first saw it at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. One room shows the set design Robert Rauschenberg created for "[Glacial Decoy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcYkuyTAkT8&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)" (1979), a ballet by Trisha Brown. It consists of four panels exhibiting a slideshow of photographs taken in and around Fort Myers, Florida. The idea is simple enough, but the execution is perfect. I saw it performed many years ago and I enjoyed seeing it again, albeit on video. Robert Rauschenberg also frequently collaborated with [Merce Cunningham](https://www.rauschenbergfoundation.org/art/artwork/untitled-cunningham-dancers?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and the exhibition includes some of the designs Rauschenberg created for "Travelogue" (1977) as well as a video of the designs in action. What I didn't know was that Rauschenberg also created some dance performances himself. Another room is dedicated to a single work, "Mud Muse" (1968-71), which consists of a large metal tank filled with 1000 gallons of bubbling water mixed with clay. I don't think it is "good" or interesting as a work of art, in fact it left me largely indifferent, but it is a perfect metaphor for Rauschenberg's work and career. If anything, Robert Rauschenberg was constantly bubbling with creativity. It didn't always result in interesting artworks, in fact, judging by the works in the exhibition, more often than not the result was mixed at best. But this is precisely what I like about Rauschenberg, he didn't let failure hold him back and he didn't pursue success either, he just moved on to wherever his creative impulse led him. I'm glad I was able to visit the exhibition. I left reinvigorated and eager to start creating myself again. **Robert Rauschenberg** is at Tate Modern, London until 2 April 2017. ### Links [An excerpt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CXNjkMbriw&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from Glacial Decoy as performed by the Paris Opera Ballet. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/04/03/further-reading-37/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T16:12:59.000Z [Michel Foucault's work on power (and its corollary freedom)](https://aeon.co/essays/why-foucaults-work-on-power-is-more-important-than-ever?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is as relevant today as it was in the 70s. Finally a popular article, which explains why Foucault refrained from defining power, or the essence of power: it keeps changing shape and the way it operates. Interesting account of the work of computational physicist [Sharon Glotzer](https://www.quantamagazine.org/20170308-digital-alchemist-sharon-glotzer-interview-emergence/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), who uses computer simulations to study emergence. One of her key findings is that entropy and self-assembly are linked. In some cases entropy leads to order, not disorder. Why some people sometimes [feel the urge to jump when standing in a high place](http://nautil.us/issue/46/balance/why-you-feel-the-urge-to-jump?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The article's original title is more catchy, but not everyone feels the urge to jump, as it says in the article itself. The *Financial Times* [talks to Damien Hirst](https://t.co/vruyv4ddpI?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about his upcoming exhibition in Venice, *Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable*. I'm intrigued and as there will be a Biennale this year I might go to Venice this autumn and combine it with a short hiking trip in the Dolomites. Hmm, that sounds like a nice trip... [CERN experiment discovers not one, but five new particles!](http://www.stfc.ac.uk/news/cern-experiment-discovers-not-one-but-five-new-particles/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I always find it fascinating that they keep discovering new particles. I would assume that at some point all particles will have been found, but apparently that point hasn't arrived yet. Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge along California's Pacific Coast Highway has been[ demolished](https://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/iconic-american-destination-virtually-isolated-for-rest-of-year?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) after flood damage. The Pacific Coast Highway, especially Big Sur and indeed the entire stretch between Carmel and San Simeon is an awesome drive. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is very beautiful, but I understand that, like several other state parks along the Pacific Coast Highway, it too has been closed until further notice due to flood damage. ### Mathematics: The Winton Gallery URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/04/03/mathematics-the-winton-gallery/ Last updated: 2019-08-19T06:10:21.000Z ![Winton Gallery, Science Museum, London](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/winton-gallery-1.jpg) I was keen to visit the new [Winton Gallery](https://beta.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/mathematics-winton-gallery?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) at the London Science Museum, which opened in December 2016 and houses the museum's mathematics gallery. The interior was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. It is dominated by a 1929 Handley Page Gugnunc aeroplane that is suspended from the ceiling and the undulating shapes representing the airflows that would have surrounded it in flight. The floor plan also follows the contours of the airflow, providing the positions of the various cabinets. The gallery consists of numerous objects which tell the story of mathematics such as calculating aides, curve-drawing machines, a set of geometric solids and the first computer. Other objects illustrate how mathematics has shaped the world and connects to various aspects of our lives, such as a chair designed by Le Corbusier based on the Modulor system of proportions and a model of Richard Seifert’s NatWest Tower. One of the highlights of the exhibition is a trial model of [Babbage's Analytical Engine](http://collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/co62245/babbages-analytical-engine-1834-1871-trial-model-analytical-engines?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), which was conceived by Charles Babbage in 1834 to evaluate mathematical formulae. It was to have even higher powers than his original Difference Engine from the 1820s, but Babbage died before the machine's completion. ### Your Name URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/26/your-name/ Last updated: 2023-12-29T19:38:39.000Z I thoroughly enjoyed "Your Name" by Makoto Shinkai, which last year became the fourth highest-grossing film of all time in Japan. It is beautifully animated, - and that's an understatement -, and made me want to go to Japan again. "Your Name" tells the story of Mitsuha and Taki, both high school students. Taki lives in Tokyo, Mitsuha lives with her grandmother and younger sister in Itomori, in the mountainous region of Hida. Mitsuha is bored of country life and wishes she were a boy living in Tokyo. And then one night, Mitsuha and Taki suddenly switch places: Mitsuha wakes up in Taki's body, and he in hers. After a few more switches they realize what is happening. They begin to communicate by leaving notes in Mitsuha's notebook and memos on Taki's phone. One day Taki decides to look for Mitsuha only to find out that their timelines were separated by three years. If I remember correctly this occurs somewhere halfway through the movie. I won't give away the rest of the plot, suffice it to say that the cinema was sold out and that the entire audience was captivated until the end. I think everyone understood that the comet strike in the movie stands for an actual disaster, the Tohoku earthquake of 2011 and the subsequent meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi reactor. ### Highlights from the Fall 2017 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/12/highlights-from-the-fall-2017-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2019-10-31T19:23:59.000Z Not many highlights this season, but the fall 2017 RTW collection by Junya Watanabe was great. I love those tartans. I should have some tartan trousers made myself. I know that the combination of tartans and these kind of fishnet stockings (not sure what to call them) is the classic punk style. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/junya-watanabe-fall-2017-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/junya-watanabe-fall-2017-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/junya-watanabe-fall-2017-rtw-3.jpg) Junya Watanabe ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/comme-des-garcons-fall-2017-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/comme-des-garcons-fall-2017-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/yohji-yamamoto-fall-2017-rtw-1.jpg) Comme des Garçons (left and middle), Yohji Yamamoto (right) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/08/further-reading-36/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T16:02:19.000Z [Elif Batuman on how to be a stoic](https://t.co/nV5N3ZF18i?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). For such a small price, I buy tranquillity. Remember that line. [Von der Kunst, die Wirklichkeit unmöglich zu machen](https://t.co/4gWlW1Og8x?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Interesting essay about Heiner Müller by Dirk Baecker. Werner Plumpe on [the romantic fiction of a world without money](https://t.co/JJFCtV7Wwn?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Analysing the genetics of ancient humans](https://mosaicscience.com/story/ancient-human-evolution-neanderthal-genetics?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) means changing ideas about our evolution. Interesting [speech by Claudio Borio](https://www.bis.org/speeches/sp170307.pdf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on financial cycles, secular stagnation and monetary policy. Experts fear [looming water crisis](https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/mar/01/burning-lakes-experts-fear-bangalore-uninhabitable-2025?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) may make Bangalore uninhabitable by 2025\. That's eight years from now, so let's check back in ten years. [These photos](https://t.co/dIDuax2hcN?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of ice fishermen in the Kazakh capital of Astana along the route of the river Ishim are pretty amazing. [Sylvia Serfaty talks about mathematical truth and frustration](https://www.quantamagazine.org/20170221-mathematical-truth-sylvia-serfaty-interview/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). For Sylvia Serfaty, mathematics is all about truth and beauty and building scientific and human connections. ### Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection at the Louvre URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/05/masterpieces-of-the-leiden-collection/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T14:23:36.000Z I planned my visit to [The Shchukin Collection](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/05/icons-of-modern-art-the-shchukin-collection) at the Fondation Luis Vuitton so that I could also visit the exhibition Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection at the Louvre. [The Leiden Collection](https://www.theleidencollection.com/collection/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is the new name of the collection of 17th-century Dutch paintings and drawings assembled by Thomas Kaplan and his wife, Daphne Recanati Kaplan. The collection, which is named after Rembrandt's birthplace, currently consists of more than 250 portraits, history paintings and genre scenes by five generations of Dutch Masters, including a Vermeer ("Young Woman Seated at a Virginal") and 13 works by Rembrandt, as well as works by Jan Steen, Frans van Mieris, Carel Fabritius, Gerrit Dou. Since its inception in 2003 most works from the collection have been loaned, anonymously, to art institutions around the world. This is the first time that a selection of works is brought together in an exhibition. The exhibition is small but exquisite and invites close viewing of the works on show. I was once again stunned by how Rembrandt could bring paint and chalk to life. Even his simple drawing of a [young lion resting](http://theleidencollection.com/archives/artwork/Rembrandt%5FVan%5FRijn%5FRR-100%5F2017-01.pdf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (ca. 1638-42) seems alive, even though it consists of some chalk strokes on brown laid paper. To really appreciate Rembrandt you would have to see his work next to that of painters of lesser talent (of which there are also plenty in the Louvre's immense collection). I must admit that on visits to the Rijksmuseum, the Mauritshuis and other Dutch museums I may have casually walked past works by Jan Lievens, Frans van Mieris and Gerrit Dou in favour of household names like Rembrandt, Vermeer and Frans Hals. Seeing them here I realized that their best works are every bit as good. So maybe it's time to pay a visit to the Rijksmuseum and the Mauritshuis again. **Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection. The Age of Rembrandt** is on view through May 22, 2017 at the Louvre in Paris and will travel on to the National Museum in Beijing (June 16 – September 3), followed by the Long Museum in Shanghai (September 23 – February 11, 2018) and eventually to the Louvre Abu Dhabi. ### Icons of Modern Art: The Shchukin Collection URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/05/icons-of-modern-art-the-shchukin-collection/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T14:21:50.000Z ![Picasso room Palais Troubetskoi 1914](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/picasso-room-palais-troubetskoi-1914.jpg) The Picasso room at the Palais Troubetskoi, 1914 At the last minute I decided to travel to Paris to see the exhibition Icons of Modern Art: The Shchukin Collection at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. Even though I had booked a timed ticket in advance I had to queue for more than half an hour outside in the rain before I could enter the exhibition. It was well worth the wait and the trip to Paris. The exhibition consists of some 130 pieces from the collection of the Russian textile magnate Sergei Shchukin (1854-1936). Between 1898 and 1914 Shchukin amassed one the greatest collections of French modern art, with numerous works by Monet, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso, Degas and Renoir. The paintings decorated the walls of his Moscow mansion, the Trubetskoy Palace (pictured above is the Picasso room), which Shchukin opened to the Russian public with the intention of nurturing Russian artistic and intellectual life. In 1917, following the Russian revolution, Shchukin fled to Paris, leaving his prized collection behind. He died in exile in 1936. In 1918 Lenin nationalised the collection. Shchukin's former mansion became the State Museum of Modern Western Art Section I (section II being the mansion and collection of the other famous Russian art patron Ivan Morozov). In 1948 Stalin ordered the museum closed because of the "bourgeois" nature of the artworks. The collection was subsequently divided between Moscow's Pushkin Museum and the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, where the works remain to this day. The paintings are rarely seen outside Russia, partly because Shchukin's heirs sue for their return when the paintings travel abroad. This explains why the current exhibition is such a major event. It is also the first time that the paintings are brought together again. The exhibition starts with a room with two portraits of Shchukin himself and self-portraits of the artists he collected. It is followed by a room with some of Shchukin's first purchases. These works are OK, but not great, although many museums would be all too glad to have them. And then on it goes. One room is filled with eleven Tahitian-period Gauguins, another with a dozen or so large-scale Matisses, one of the highlights of the exhibition. By this time I was already awestruck but there were still several rooms to come with works by Picasso, Braque, Cézanne, Malévitch, Rodtchenko and yes, more. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/matisse-red-room-1908-xl.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/monet-dejeuner-sur-herbe.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/cezanne-mardi-gras-1888-90.jpg) Left: Henri Matisse, **Red Room (Harmony in Red)*, 1908; Middle: Claude Monet, **Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe*, 1866; Right: Paul Cézanne, **Mardi gras (Pierrot et Arlequin)*, 1888–90. I was delighted to finally see various works that I only knew from reproductions, - some of which I even have as a postcard -, since no reproduction can capture the depth of colour in Matisse's Red Room (Harmony in Red) (1908) or his Goldfish (1912). I also discovered many excellent works that I'd never seen before and may not see again in the foreseeable future. **Icons of Modern Art** is on view through 5 March at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. ### The Body in Movement. Dance and the Museum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/03/05/the-body-in-movement-dance-and-the-museum/ Last updated: 2024-02-06T17:40:49.000Z The Louvre has invited choreographer and former artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet Benjamin Millepied to curate an exhibition on the representation of the body in movement drawing on the Louvre's extensive collection. For centuries artists around the world have sought to represent the body in motion. Paintings and sculptures are by nature static, with the exception of kinetic artworks such as Alexander Calder's mobiles and Tinguely's sculptural machines. The exhibition presents some of the solutions artists have come up with to nonetheless represent the moving body in general and the dancing body in particular. With the advent of new technologies the problem of conveying motion has not gone away. Dance photographers today face the same challenge as painters of old: is the dancer dancing or striking a pose? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/walking-statue-egypt-1800-bc.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/mercure-volant-1574.jpg) Left: Walking Statue, Egypt, 1800 BC and Right: Jean de Bologne dit Giambologna, Mercury, 1574 The exhibition includes statues of walking people from antiquity, Mercury in various guises, sculptures of Terpsichore, in Greek mythology one of the nine Muses and the goddess of dance. There are paintings of floating angels and Greek vases with images of athletes and acrobats. A series of photos of a horse in motion by Eadweard Muybridge is contrasted with a painting by Théodore Géricault of the [1821 Epsom Derby](http://cartelfr.louvre.fr/cartelfr/visite?srv=car%5Fnot%5Fframe&idNotice=15359&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), in which the position of the horses' legs, with both front and hind legs extended outwards, are wrong, as we now know. This shows how difficult it is to accurately represent the body in movement. Also included is a painting by Rubens of a village fête, which shows the villagers engaged in a dance and works by Degas and Rodin both of whom engaged with the world of dance. A group of paintings and sculptures of Apollo chasing Daphne stands as a metaphor for the entire enterprise of representing movement. As Apollo, helped by Eros, threatens to catch up with Daphne, she calls upon her father who transforms her into a laurel tree. And so it is with the artist who seeks to convey motion and ends up with stillness. The exhibition is small and it's more an invitation to look more closely at the representation of human and animal movement in art and to consider why some artworks fail and others succeed in representing the body in movement. By first visiting this exhibition and then strolling through the Louvre's many galleries, looking for bodies in motion, you can virtually extend the exhibition at will. **The Body in Movement. Dance and the Museum** is at the Louvre, Paris until 7 July 2017. ### Further reading James E. Cutting (2002), [Representing motion in a static image: constraints and parallels in art, science, and popular culture](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5d1b/2eba3d2b5a3ed14560b8c031b71f7b8f1cde.pdf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). *Perception* 31, 1165-93. Marcel Duchamp, [Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2](http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/51449.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1912). Giacomo Balla, [Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash](https://www.albrightknox.org/artworks/196416-dinamismo-di-un-cane-al-guinzaglio-dynamism-dog-leash?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (1912). In chapter 3 of my book [Dance, Aesthetics and the Brain](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YL4QUd130mL2Kp7wOTS51WalVYzyL7Nb/view?usp=sharing&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I discuss the neural structures that facilitate the perception of faces, bodies and human motion. Chapter 6 discusses the perception of animacy and causality. ### Links My review of "[Danser Sa Vie](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2012/03/17/danser-sa-vie-at-the-centre-pompidou/)" at the Centre Pompidou. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/02/10/further-reading-35/ Last updated: 2019-08-27T15:56:08.000Z Steven Weinberg on [the trouble with quantum mechanics](https://t.co/ELbkzEBlVx?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [How Life (and Death) Spring From Disorder](https://www.quantamagazine.org/20170126-information-theory-and-the-foundation-of-life/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Excerpt](https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2017-uber-airbnb-99-billion-idea/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from *The Upstarts*, the new book by Brad Stone about Uber and Airbnb. Scientists finally figured out [why whales leap into the air](https://t.co/gWMfMiKDGK?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Neuroscience Needs Behavior: Correcting a Reductionist Bias](https://t.co/jOiLYoA5ob?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Interesting paper by John Krakauer et al. I couldn't agree more. [Nature makes chance, humans make luck](https://t.co/PZXVWhfg49?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [How does life turn asymmetric?](https://t.co/EHtNwm56ku?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I didn't know that early in his career Gerhard Richter experimented with [cartoon drawings](https://t.co/Ple7KtowxZ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Interesting essay](https://t.co/uhz3GotAAE?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by James Gleick about *Arrival*. I haven't seen the film yet. [Another interesting essay](https://t.co/KXplxkWG8y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about the alien languages depicted in *Arrival* and the science on which they are based. [What would books look like if they were reimagined as buildings?](https://t.co/OYEvIBeURg?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) More from the [Laboratory of Literary Architecture](http://www.lablitarch.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Karl Ove Knausgaard has [lunch with the *Financial Times*](https://t.co/28ROZmFq9v?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Peter Lindbergh. A Different Vision On Fashion Photography URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/01/29/peter-lindbergh-a-different-vision-on-fashion-photography/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T14:17:38.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/peter-lindbergh-1.jpg) Peter Lindbergh, **Estelle Lefébure, Karen Alexander, Rachel Williams, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz & Christy Turlington,* Santa Monica, 1988 If you have opened a fashion magazine in the past twenty or thirty years you will be familiar with the work of Peter Lindbergh. Some of his photos of 90s supermodels, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell have become icons. Indeed, some of these models have become icons in part because of the work of Peter Lindbergh (and Steven Meisel). The exhibition "Peter Lindbergh. A Different Vision On Fashion Photography" currently at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam (until 12 February 2017) offers an extensive survey of Peter Lindbergh's work and career. I enjoyed the exhibition, so much so that I even bought the catalogue. Even though I regularly look through some fashion magazines there were many photos on show that were new to me, such as Lindbergh's dance photos. The photos that I liked best were the choreographed group shots, which show that Lindbergh has an excellent eye for visual composition. And yet, even after browsing the catalogue I find it hard to say what Lindbergh's different vision on fashion photography consists in. Whereas Steven Meisel and Nick Knight work in colour, Peter Lindbergh works mainly in black and white. But how does his work differ from that of, say, [Richard Avedon](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2009/02/27/richard-avedon-at-foam/) and [Irving Penn](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2017/10/26/irving-penn-at-the-grand-palais/)? I may be missing something, but I don't think of his work as different. This is not a criticism: a signature style can quickly become a gimmick and can easily be copied by other photographers. What I did notice is that many models in Lindbergh's photos are smoking or holding a cigarette between their fingers. The exhibition could thus also have been called "Black and White Photos of Smoking Fashion Models". Either Lindbergh asked the models to light a cigarette, because he thought this would look interesting, casual, sexy or otherwise photogenic, for example, because the white of the cigarette provides a visual contrast with black clothes. Or perhaps the models were smoking and he didn't ask them to throw away their cigarette for the same reasons. In any case, once I'd noticed it took me awhile to un-notice and to just look at the photographs. Why go to a photography exhibition when you can also view the photos in a book or a magazine? Indeed, why not browse [Peter Lindbergh's website](http://www.peterlindbergh.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (which is a real treasure trove by the way)? Why pay 12 euro to visit an exhibition? Years ago, after visiting a [Guy Bourdin retrospective](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2004/11/18/guy-bourdin-retrospective), I asked myself this same question. The question is as topical now as it was then, perhaps even more so. The exhibition designers have pulled every trick from the photography exhibition textbook to make the exhibition worth going to: some photos are blown up to monumental proportions, one room has been turned into a dark room, another room has been covered from floor to ceiling with photos, yet another room has been decorated with shelving units and storage boxes. Lindbergh's old cameras, film rolls and sketch books are on display as well as other props such as an old passport. What I always find most interesting are the contact sheets, which show the photos that weren't published. Some photos are indeed "better" than others and sometimes an imperfect, out of focus, tilted photo has more power than a perfect photo. After Rotterdam the exhibition will go on tour. If you're interested in fashion photography it is not to be missed. If you can't make it to the exhibition you can also buy the catalogue, or browse Peter Lindbergh's [website](http://www.peterlindbergh.com/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), of course. **Peter Lindbergh. A Different Vision On Fashion Photography** is at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, until 12 February 2017. ### The Best Albums of 2016 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/12/30/the-best-albums-of-2016/ Last updated: 2019-11-02T18:23:59.000Z I still make time to listen to new music and December is always a good time to catch up with what's been happening in the past year. So some of these recordings I only just discovered after browsing some other best of the year lists. I know that the combination of Hans Abrahamsen and Swans might raise some eyebrows, since they represent two extremes of the musical spectrum, but that's why I like them. Hans Abrahamsen: Let Me Tell You Richard Barrett: Music for Cello and Electronics Radiohead: A Moon Shaped Pool Swans: The Glowing Man Jack DeJohnette/Ravi Coltrane/Matthew Garrision: In Movement Young Magic: Still Life Alsarah & The Nubatones: Manara Keith Jarrett: A Multitude of Angels Pitchfork's list of the [top 50 albums of 2016](https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9980-the-50-best-albums-of-2016/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The best albums of 2016 according to [Dutch music critics](http://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/2016.htm?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The [100 best albums of 2016](http://tedgioia.com/bestalbumsof2016.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) according to Ted Gioia. ### The Best Books of 2016 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/12/26/the-best-books-of-2016/ Last updated: 2025-02-23T17:39:06.000Z ### Best Fiction Nicholson Baker: The Mezzanine Katja Petrowskaja: Vielleicht Esther Thomas Bernhard: Das Kalkwerk Primo Levi: If This Is a Man You can't read everything at once and so it is that I only read If This Is a Man this year. Its status as a classic is totally deserved. One of the best novels about the Holocaust. I hesitate to file it under fiction. The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker is one of the funniest novels I've read in recent years. If you like the work of W.G. Sebald you'll love Vielleicht Esther by Katja Petrowskaja. ### Best Short Story Collection Lucia Berlin: A Manual for Cleaning Women ### Best Book I Wish I Had Read Years Ago Marcus Aurelius: Meditations If you're looking for a good introduction to stoicism there is no better place to start than right at the source. ### Best Science Morten H. Christiansen: Creating Language. Integrating Evolution, Acquisition, and Processing Itai Yanai & Martin Lercher: The Society of Genes Andrea Wulf: The Invention of Nature Lawrence M. Krauss: A Universe from Nothing ### Best Book About Claude Lévi-Strauss Philippe Descola: Par-delà nature et culture Emmanuelle Loyer: Lévi-Strauss Tom McCarthy: Satin Island Philippe Descola is a former student of Lévi-Strauss and is currently chair of anthropology at the Collège de France, a position previously held by Lévi-Strauss. Beyond Nature and Culture is his magnum opus. Emmanuelle Loyer has written the definitive biography of Lévi-Strauss. I greatly enjoyed Satin Island. Its first-person narrator is a consultant ethnographer tasked with writing a Great Report that sums up our era. Had I seen the job description I would have instantly applied. ### Best History & Economics Frank Trentman: Empire of Things Peter Frankopan: The Silk Roads. A New History of the World Timur Kuran: The Long Divergence: How Islamic Law Held Back the Middle East I learned a great deal from all three of these books. ### Most Disappointing Laurent Binet: La septième fonction du langage I loved *HhHH* but *La septième fonction du langage* is a joke stretched too far. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/12/25/further-reading-34/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T20:57:44.000Z [Why Javier Marias hates theatre](https://t.co/QW8mBMGMJW?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I kind of agree with many of the points he makes. Even so I do like to go to the theatre every now and then, though not as much as I used to. [Slavoj Zizek doesn't like theatre performances either](https://t.co/9KPjyMUltP?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [How Google used artificial intelligence to transform Google Translate](https://t.co/6S8CPnz5U7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I too had noticed that Google Translate had suddenly become significantly better. [Longreads Best of 2016](https://t.co/t4JIlwcNFT?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I plan to force myself to read at least five articles about a topic that I'm not interested in so as to break through my filter bubble. [An interview with Jürgen Habermas](https://t.co/WNyNmX2dMT?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on the new global disorder, democratic polarization and the future of Europe. When I was at university Habermas' and Gadamer's insistence on reason and openness to dialogue was considered obsolete by the post-structuralist leaning faculty where I studied. With Derrida, Deleuze, Lyotard and Baudrillard all dead for a decade or more post-structuralism has gone out of fashion. I still believe the work of Foucault and the forenamed thinkers offers a better analysis of our time than the critical theory of the Frankfurter Schule. But Habermas remains a highly perceptive thinker. Freeman Dyson on [working with the greatest physicists of the 20th century](https://t.co/gx88QEYFiZ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Andrew Wiles on [what it feels like to do maths](https://t.co/MWBP5T2vju?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [The pessimist's guide to 2017](https://t.co/kC0oN74HEM?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) as compiled by the editors of Bloomberg. Ignore at your own peril: they got some things right last year... ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/11/25/further-reading-33/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T20:51:14.000Z You've probably heard about the woman who sued McDonald's because the coffee she spilled on herself was too hot. Well, it turns out the [real story](https://t.co/W7MhqrLFm9?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is a bit more complicated than what you may have heard. [How can a simple tool like a Feynman diagram](https://t.co/4hzNHRXfo7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) help physicists with the complicated math of particle collisions? Good question. The ’Ndrangheta is the least heralded of Italy’s three great mafias, [but it’s by far the most successful internationally](https://t.co/onIeeoCD4M?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). KGW Portland, a local radio station in, you guessed it, Portland, OR, [asked 86 burglars](https://t.co/fGtA5OPF3E?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) how they broke into homes so as to learn how to keep your home safe from burglaries. As Geoff Manaugh notes in [*A Burglar's Guide to the City*](https://t.co/F0XkqFfnSP?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), burglary is an architectural crime since burglars subvert a building's architectural features. The *Financial Times* has [lunch with Tom Ford](https://t.co/WX8u74eMkC?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on the occasion of the release of his second movie [*Nocturnal Animals*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juFmTNbFh8g&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I enjoyed the trailer. It looks dark and stylish. Critics and biographers take it for granted that Primo Levi killed himself. But doubts remain, [as Diego Gambetta writes](https://t.co/p2nFU7DJrC?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The idea that he committed suicide fits in with people's narrative. I find it more likely that he tripped and fell. Revenue is up, but audiences are down in New York City’s dance industry [a new study finds](https://t.co/303vHpM1Zx?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Sad but true, but it doesn't surprise me. The reasons are manifold, in my view. For one thing audiences have more choices than ever to spend a night out. Furthermore, the performing arts are faced by rising costs making it more difficult to create a standout production that can compete with other art forms. The afterlife of a ballerina. [Profile of Alexandra Ansanelli (ex NYCB, ex Royal Ballet) who retired at the age of 28](https://t.co/29PM5ML9oG?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). George Steinmetz spent nearly a year traveling the US to capture [the dizzying grandeur of 21st-century agriculture](https://t.co/6wB70yGNNF?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Holy Motors URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/11/12/holy-motors/ Last updated: 2023-12-29T19:36:48.000Z "Holy Motors" is one of the best films I’ve seen in recent years and one that demands to be seen again. It is a visual feast and a love letter to cinema. It is a surrealist odyssey through Paris and life. It is zany, funny and ultimately touching. "Holy Motors" is the first film in more than ten years by French film-maker Leos Carax, who also directed "Les amants du Pont Neuf". "Holy Motors" follows a day in the life of Monsieur Oscar, played by Denis Levant, as he travels from one life to another from dawn to midnight. His driver, the elegantly dressed Céline, played by Edith Scob, drives him through the streets of Paris in a white stretch limousine to a series of mysterious appointments. After taking on a new disguise in the dressing room at the back of the car, Monsieur Oscar steps out into the world as a wealthy businessman, a hit man or a grumpy father picking up his teenage daughter at a party. In one memorable episode Monsieur Oscar, dressed as a beggar, disrupts a fashion shoot, after which he runs off with the model, played by Eva Mendes, disappearing into the sewers of Paris. In another tragic episode he meets with his lost love, a Jean Seberg lookalike played by Kylie Minogue, who bursts into a song as she walks through an abandoned department store. "Holy Motors" is a movie about movies and the (lost?) art of movie making. In one scene Monsieur Oscar meets with his boss (?) in the back of the car, who questions him about his waning motivation to keep going. Oscar mentions something about humans disappearing behind technology and about the beauty of the act. In an earlier episode Oscar literally disappeared as he put on a black unitard dotted with phosphorescent dots and engaged in an erotic motion-capture duet with a contortionist. Throughout the film there are allusions to other films and books from Jean-Luc Godard to Jean Cocteau and David Lynch, which made me want to watch the film again to check for any intertextual references that I may have missed. ### Sallandse Heuvelrug URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/sallandse-heuvelrug/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:05:52.000Z Sallandse Heuvelrug is a National Park in the Dutch province of Overijssel, near Nijverdal and Holten. Its highest point is 75 metres! The forests are quite recent, dating back to the early 20th century. The original forests had been razed in the Middle Ages. After retirement my parents moved to a town bordering the Sallandse Heuvelrug, which is why I've got quite a few photos from this area. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-2.jpg) The colours of Autumn ![Sallandse Heuvelrug](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-4.jpg) It pains me to see so many trees being felled, but it does make for interesting photos ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-7.jpg) The problem is that more trees are being felled than are being planted ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-9.jpg) Autumn colours ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-11.jpg) The forest actually looks quite nice in black and white. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-13.jpg) ![Sallandse Heuvelrug](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-14.jpg) I find the structure of bark quite fascinating ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-15.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-16.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-17.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/sallandse-heuvelrug-18.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2024/01/sallandse-heuvelrug-21.jpg) ### Highlights from the Spring 2017 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/10/16/highlights-from-the-spring-2017-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2019-10-31T19:55:02.000Z A rather disappointing season as far as I'm concerned, but the spring 2017 RTW collection by Yohji Yamamoto was great. I love the white dresses with brushes of black paint. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/yohji-yamamoto-spring-2017-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/yohji-yamamoto-spring-2017-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/10/yohji-yamamoto-spring-2017-rtw-3.jpg) Yohji Yamamoto ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/10/08/further-reading-32/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T20:40:57.000Z Adam Curtis has a new film out on BBC iPlayer on 16 October called [*HyperNormalisation*](https://thoughtmaybe.com/hypernormalisation/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Of course, if you haven't seen [*The Century of the Self*](https://thoughtmaybe.com/the-century-of-the-self/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) or [*All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace*](https://thoughtmaybe.com/all-watched-over-by-machines-of-loving-grace/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) yet, you should. Fascinating [interview with Sir Andrew Wiles](https://t.co/Gb0gkzqkZ3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in the *Newsletter of the European Mathematical Society*. [Ten famous psychology findings that it’s been difficult to replicate](https://t.co/0PV0XvQ36t?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I, too, was once seduced by some of these findings. [The House Where You Live Forever.](https://t.co/QeONP0HlW6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Interesting article about the work of artist/architect Madeline Gins. I discovered her work through an essay by Jean-François Lyotard on the work of the Japanese architect and artist Shusaku Arakawa. Together they founded the Reversible Destiny Foundation, an organization dedicated to the use of architecture to extend the human lifespan. They were among the victims of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, having trusted their life savings to his "investment" firm. Slavoj Žižek on [why we shouldn’t pity or romanticize refugees.](https://t.co/dmNr7plMAq?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The *Financial Times* has [lunch (and an interesting conversation) with](https://t.co/J2f8L6BFXn?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Edward Snowden. Random news you can use: [you probably don’t need dental X-rays every year](https://t.co/tlLbIKFHDW?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). And think twice if a doctor suggests a CT scan: weigh the possible (long term) consequences of the high dose of radiation and the insights it may give into your medical condition. And if you already know for sure that you don't want to have surgery there is little point in having a CT scan. ### Hardangervidda National Park URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/hardangervidda-national-park/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:10:20.000Z Hardangervidda National Park is the largest national park in Norway. I took the train from Geilo to Finse and from there I hiked to the foot of the Hardangerjøkulen glacier. The weather was not what I had hoped for. It had been grey and drowsy all morning and by the time I reached the glacier it started to rain. However, I really like the photos of the approaching cloud. The other photos are also quite moody and capture what Norway is like much of the time. Even so, I'd love to go back some time on a dry and sunny day. ![Hardangervidda National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hardangervidda-national-park-2.jpg) ![Hardangervidda National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hardangervidda-national-park-3.jpg) One of my favourite clouds, ever ![Hardangervidda National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hardangervidda-national-park-4.jpg) ![Hardangervidda National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hardangervidda-national-park-5.jpg) Hardangervidda National Park near Finse ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hardangervidda-national-park-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hardangervidda-national-park-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hardangervidda-national-park-9.jpg) During the hike I got a bit down because of the weather, but looking back at the photos I quite like them ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hardangervidda-national-park-8.jpg) ![Hardangervidda National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/hardangervidda-national-park-10.jpg) As I was waiting for the train back to Geilo the clouds broke and the sun made a brief appearance ### Related Posts **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/)! [Vesterålen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/)! [Senja](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)! The spectacular [Munkebu Hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/) hike and the possibly even more spectacular hike to [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/). Some photos from my first visit [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), [Rondane National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/rondane-national-park/), the amazing views from [Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[, the awesome ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) and [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) and [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). ### Rondane National Park URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/rondane-national-park/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:17:07.000Z Rondane National Park is the oldest national park in Norway and covers an area of approximately 1,000 square km. The landscape looks flat but Rondane actually lies at an elevation of 1,000 meter with the highest peak at an altitude of 2,178 meter. It was extremely windy the morning I hiked to the Peer Gynt cabin, but at least it was dry. In the afternoon I also hiked to the Rondvassbu lodge at the south end of Rondevatnet lake. While I enjoyed seeing the large plateaus I prefer the more rugged landscape of [Jotunheimen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park). ![Rondane National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rondane-national-park-2.jpg) The hike to the Peer Gynt Hytta is almost flat, relatively short, offers nice views and as bonus there's a canyon at the end. ![Rondane National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rondane-national-park-3.jpg) ![Rondane National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rondane-national-park-4.jpg) On the way to Rondevatnet. I wish I had a mountain bike. The landscape didn't change much and the road was nearly flat so I could have covered quite a bit of ground if I'd had a bike with me. ![Rondane National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rondane-national-park-5.jpg) ![Rondane National Park](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rondane-national-park-6.jpg) In the distance Rondevatnet ### Related Posts **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/)! [Vesterålen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/)! [Senja](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)! The spectacular [Munkebu Hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/) hike and the possibly even more spectacular hike to [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/). Some photos from my first visit [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), [the amazing views from ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/rondane-national-park/)[Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[, the awesome ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) and [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) and [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). ### Prestholtskarvet URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/prestholtskarvet/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:08:47.000Z From Geilo I hiked to the top of Prestholtskarvet. There were still some patches of snow at the summit. From the top you have excellent views of the surrounding area, but I actually liked the rocky otherworldly landscape of the mountain itself best. ![Prestholtskarvet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/prestholtskarvet-1.jpg) Prestholtskarvet ![Prestholtskarvet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/prestholtskarvet-2.jpg) Prestholtskarvet ![Prestholtskarvet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/prestholtskarvet-3.jpg) The summit of Prestholtskarvet ![Prestholtskarvet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/prestholtskarvet-4.jpg) The summit of Prestholtskarvet ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/prestholtskarvet-5.jpg) There is a path here somewhere ### Related Posts **More** [**Norway**](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/norway/)**!** [Lofoten](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/lofoten/)! [Vesterålen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vesteralen/)! [Senja](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/senja/)! The spectacular [Munkebu Hut](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/munkebu-hut-hike/) hike and the possibly even more spectacular hike to [Møysalen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/moysalen/). Some photos from my first visit [Jotunheimen National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jotunheimen-national-park/), [Rondane National Park](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/rondane-national-park/), the amazing views from [Skåla](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[, the awesome ](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/skala/)[Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) and [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) and [Dalsnibba](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dalsnibba/). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/08/18/further-reading-31/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T20:34:40.000Z [Interview with Matthew Gentzkow](https://t.co/D5ruXnbasi?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on the future of media economics. Fascinating [article from The New Yorker](https://t.co/LviU8u5x1S?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about the Mashco Piro, an indigenous tribe from Peru who have little contact with the outside world. Machine learning is fun and this is [a fun introduction to machine learning](https://t.co/Q60uk8U5wz?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I also enjoyed this [visual introduction to machine learning](https://t.co/Ag3IKJVyqd?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I enjoy reading about the frontiers of physics, but [those frontiers appear not to have moved much in recent years](https://t.co/JzdebjeRVP?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Profile of Alphabet's X research lab](https://t.co/zfHGsUKzIB?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I like the idea of financial incentives to kill a project to prevent doomed projects from being pursued for too long. [Hyperuniformity](https://t.co/dVs8ByTl6M?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): a pattern found in birds’ eyes and other surprising places, that is neither regular nor random. ### Piz Boe URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/piz-boe/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:27:53.000Z Piz Boè is the highest mountain of the Sella Group in the Dolomites, Italy, with an elevation of 3,152 metres. The hike to the top of Piz Boè was one of my favourite hikes in the Dolomites. Of course, this was a perfect day. I was so absorbed by the scenery that I almost missed the last gondola down to the parking lot. ![Piz Boè, Dolomites, Italy](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/piz-boe-1.jpg) Piz Boè The trail offers spectacular views of Piz Boè and the surrounding mountains and valleys. ![Snowy trail to Piz Boè in the Dolomites](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/piz-boe-2.jpg) The trail was still snowy early July ![Looking down from Piz Boè](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/piz-boe-3.jpg) Looking down from the trail to the top of Piz Boè ![Trail to the top of Piz Boè](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/piz-boe-4.jpg) The trail to the top of Piz Boè ![The view from Piz Boè, Dolomites, Italy](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/piz-boe-5.jpg) Awesome view from the top of Piz Boè As always the views get better and better the higher you climb. ![View along the trail to Piz Boè in the Dolomites](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/piz-boe-6.jpg) I didn't take the shortcut down. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/piz-boe-7.jpg) Time for some hot chocolate and apfel strudel ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/piz-boe-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/piz-boe-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/piz-boe-10.jpg) The landscape around Piz Boè is awesome ![Piz Boè, Dolomites, Italy](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/piz-boe-11.jpg) I kept taking photographs and completely lost track of time. ![The trail to Piz Boè, Dolomites, Italy](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/piz-boe-12.jpg) Looking back one more time ### Related Posts **More Dolomites!** [Langkofel](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/langkofel/). [Rosengartengruppe](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/rosengartengruppe/). [Tre Cime di Lavaredo](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tre-cime-di-lavaredo/). ### Langkofel URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/langkofel/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:32:30.000Z The Langkofel Group is a massif in the Dolomites. The highest point in the range is the eponymous Langkofel with a height of 3,181 metres. I hiked from Sellajoch to the Toni Demetz refuge hut and then down on the other side to the Langkofel hut and via the Emilio Comici hut back to the Sellajoch parking lot. This was one of my favourite hikes in Dolomites. Of course, the weather helped. ![Langkofel, Dolomites](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/langkofel-2.jpg) Looking back up towards the Langkofel. This was on my way down. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/langkofel-3.jpg) Limestone rocks ![Langkofel, Dolomites](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/langkofel-4.jpg) As you can see there were still some patches of snow in early July ![Langkofel, Dolomites](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/langkofel-5.jpg) I took dozens of near identical photos. The view is stunning. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/langkofel-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/langkofel-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/langkofel-8.jpg) I don't like walking through scree ![Looking down from the trail to the Langkofel, Dolomites](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/langkofel-9.jpg) Looking down from the Toni Demetz refuge hut ![Looking down from the trail to Langkofel, Dolomites](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/langkofel-10.jpg) Looking down from the trail to Langkofel ![Langkofel, Dolomites](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/langkofel-11.jpg) The Langkofel Group once more, with a cloud ### Related Posts **More Dolomites!** [Piz Boè](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/piz-boe/). [Rosengartengruppe](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/rosengartengruppe/). [Tre Cime di Lavaredo](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tre-cime-di-lavaredo/). ### Rosengartengruppe URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/rosengartengruppe/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:38:08.000Z The Rosengartengruppe (Catinaccio in Italian) is a massif in the Dolomites near Vigo di Fassa and Canazei. The Rosengartengruppe is easily reached by cable car from Vigo di Fassa. The hike from Ciampedie to Campitello di Fassa by way of Gardeccia, Rifugio Vajolet, the Principe pass, the Antermoia pass, the Antermoia refuge and the Val Duron is one of the most beautiful hikes in the Rosengartengruppe. ![Rosengartengruppe](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rosengartengruppe-1.jpg) On the way from Rifugio Vajolet to Rifugio Passo Principe ![Rosengartengruppe](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rosengartengruppe-2.jpg) Looking back from the Grasleitenpass ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rosengartengruppe-3.jpg) There was still some snow near the Grasleitenpass ![Rosengartengruppe](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rosengartengruppe-4.jpg) The climb to the Antermoia pass ![Rosengartengruppe](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rosengartengruppe-5.jpg) Looking down from the Antermoia pass at an elevation of 2,770 meter. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rosengartengruppe-6.jpg) Around the corner another valley awaits... ![Rosengartengruppe](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rosengartengruppe-7.jpg) ...with beautiful views and a lake ![Rosengartengruppe](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rosengartengruppe-8.jpg) On it goes. ![Rosengartengruppe](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rosengartengruppe-9.jpg) Towards the top. ![Rosengartengruppe](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rosengartengruppe-10.jpg) ![Rosengartengruppe](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/rosengartengruppe-11.jpg) Looking back toward the Antermoia refuge where I sat down for some Apfelstrudel. Still a long way to go to Campitello. ### Related Posts **More Dolomites!** [Piz Boè](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/piz-boe/). [Langkofel](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/langkofel/). [Tre Cime di Lavaredo](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tre-cime-di-lavaredo/). [Bletterbachschlucht](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/bletterbachschlucht/). ### Bletterbachschlucht URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/bletterbachschlucht/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:41:13.000Z The Bletterbachschlucht is a beautiful gorge shaped by the Bletterbach in the Dolomites, near Bolzano. The Bletterbach gorge is known for its fossil plants, fossil shells and fossil animal tracks. In 2009, the Bletterbach gorge and the Dolomites were included into the UNESCO Natural Heritage List. After two days of rain in Madonna di Campiglio I enjoyed a sunny afternoon in the Bletterbachschlucht. ![Bletterbachschlucht](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/bletterbachschlucht-2.jpg) A narrow section of the Bletterbach gorge ![Bletterbachschlucht](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/bletterbachschlucht-3.jpg) ![Bletterbachschlucht, Dolomites, Italy](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/bletterbachschlucht-4.jpg) When I visited the Bletterbach was little more than a tiny stream ![Bletterbachschlucht](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/bletterbachschlucht-5.jpg) Some sections of the Bletterbach gorge are wide ![Bletterbachschlucht](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/bletterbachschlucht-6.jpg) The trail through the Bletterbach gorge ends near a waterfall. ### Related Posts **More Dolomites!** [Piz Boè](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/piz-boe/). [Langkofel](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/langkofel/), [Rosengartengruppe](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/rosengartengruppe/). [Tre Cime di Lavaredo](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tre-cime-di-lavaredo/). ### Tre Cime di Lavaredo URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/tre-cime-di-lavaredo/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:35:42.000Z I wish I'd scheduled more days for the area around Cortina d'Ampezzo as there are many more spectacular hikes in the area than just the hike around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Drei Zinnen). ![Cadini di Misurina](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/cadini-di-misurina-1.jpg) The Cadini di Misurina as seen from the Rifugio Fonda Savio ![Cadini di Misurina](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/cadini-di-misurina-2.jpg) The Cadini di Misurina seen from the Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop ![Sexten Dolomites](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/tre-cime-di-lavaredo-1.jpg) This photo was taken somewhere along the Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/tre-cime-di-lavaredo-3.jpg) This photo was taken from the foot of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo ![Tre Cime di Lavaredo Drei Zinnen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/tre-cime-di-lavaredo-4.jpg) The Tre Cime di Lavaredo aka Drei Zinnen ![Sexten Dolomites](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/tre-cime-di-lavaredo-5.jpg) Somewhere along the Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop ### Related Posts **More Dolomites!** [Piz Boè](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/piz-boe/). [Langkofel](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/langkofel/). [Rosengartengruppe](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/rosengartengruppe/). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/06/20/further-reading-30/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T20:29:25.000Z The Financial Times [has a drink with Michel Houellebecq](https://t.co/7Bea6Mil2v?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on the occasion of the opening of an exhibition of his photographs. I, too, love the smell of old (and new) books. [Maybe I should get one of these perfumes](https://t.co/czVMYWNJLQ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [British and Irish authors share their favourite European novels.](https://t.co/prSCFxzShQ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) An interesting list. LIGO has detected [a second burst of gravitational waves from merging black holes](https://t.co/lMn6QaXL2g?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Where did strawberries and bananas originate? [Check out this map by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture](https://t.co/bf3hjV0gkr?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [A surprising new solution](https://t.co/go0LYhg5pi?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) to a decades-old combinatorics problem. [A new proof](https://t.co/Ks2Z44zUYC?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is helping connect the mathematics of infinity to the physical world. [Discover the world’s most spectacular climbing routes in 360°-panoramas.](https://t.co/EdQ6b400nq?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The brain doesn't process information, retrieve knowledge or store memories](https://t.co/XQly0bNF4Z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). In short: the brain is not a computer. I couldn't agree more. ### Helen Scales: Spirals In Time URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/06/05/helen-scales-spirals-in-time/ Last updated: 2019-08-15T19:26:01.000Z ![seashells](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/seashells-1.jpg) At times the beach near where I live is covered with seashells *Spirals In Time. The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells* by Helen Scales is a fascinating book and I learnt a lot from reading it. Like many children as a child I used to collect shells on the beach. I also got some exotic shells as a present, which still grace my bookshelf. What fascinated me about seashells (and minerals) was their richness in shapes, patterns and colours. In 1999 I read a book by Hans Meinhardt, *The Algorithmic Beauty of Seashells*, which outlined a mathematical model of how seashells acquire their patterns. Basically Meinhardt proposed that the patterns arise from the interaction between activator and inhibitor molecules, which turn pigment production on and off. The book came with a 3.5 inch floppy disk with the model's source code so readers could generate their own shell patterns, which of course I did. The only problem with the model was that there was no evidence that this is how the patterns on seashells are actually formed. At around the same time that Meinhardt developed his model another research group led by Bard Ermentrout, George Oster and John Campbell, suggested that the pigment-producing cells in a mollusc's mantle might be stimulated by nerve impulses instead of some unobserved substances. They developed an alternative model which produced similar patterns. The only problem was that their model, too, lacked empirical support. In recent years evidence has mounted that shell-making is indeed under neural control. Shells don't grow continuously, but in bursts. Consequently, it is vital that molluscs somehow keep track of the construction process, otherwise the shell would grow in each and every direction. Ermentrout and Oster have proposed that shell patterns remind molluscs where they left off so they can continue shell building in the right direction. I was delighted to read this. Not only is the idea itself intriguing, it also shows that, yes, there is still progress being made in science! *Spirals In Time* is full of surprising facts and fascinating stories about the wonderful world of seashells. It makes me sad that many of these amazing creatures may soon die out because of ocean acidification. Do read this book, even if you're not interested in seashells: you will be once you've finished it. ### Musée du Quai Branly Revisited URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/05/30/musee-quai-branly-revisited/ Last updated: 2023-01-23T17:37:42.000Z While in Paris I also paid a visit to the Musée du quai Branly. I first visited the Musée du quai Branly shortly after the opening in 2006\. I remember queuing for more than an hour to get in. I didn't like the building designed by Jean Nouvel then and I still don't like it now. What's more, after only ten years the building is already showing wear and tear. Like so much contemporary architecture it doesn't age well. The museum is cast in red and black. The main entrance, which looks more like a side entrance, gives way to a large, uninviting, nondescript space. From there it's a long walk to the toilets and an even longer walk along a gently sloping, winding ramp to the main gallery. Inside it's dark. Hardly any daylight enters the building. The objects on display are lit by spotlights. Both the architecture and the exhibition design seem to be the result of theoretical considerations about what an ethnographic museum (for lack of a better word) should be and how ethnographic objects (again, for lack of a better word) should be displayed. However, unlike generic spaces the architecture of the Musée du quai Branly doesn't leave much room for changes in exhibition philosophy. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/nkisi-nkondi-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/nkisi-nkondi-2.jpg) Nkisi nkondi from Congo Criticism of the building aside, the collection of the Musée du quai Branly is outstanding. The museum houses one of the largest permanent displays of ethnographic and anthropological artefacts from around the world. The emphasis is on Oceania and Africa, although my impression may reflect the fact that this is where I spent the most time. I revelled in the museum's large collection of masks from different cultures and I was delighted to see numerous fascinating sculptures. I may visit again in five or ten years time. ### Musée Picasso URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/05/29/musee-picasso/ Last updated: 2023-12-11T13:46:21.000Z While in Paris I finally visited the Musée Picasso, which reopened in October 2014 after a five-year renovation. It was one of the few major museums in Paris that I hadn't visited yet. The Musée Picasso is housed in the beautiful 17th century Hôtel Salé in Le Marais, one of the most vibrant Paris neighbourhoods. Even though some of the rooms, especially those on the top floor, are relatively small, the museum as a whole feels very light and open. I was once again amazed by Picasso's prolific output. During my visit the ground floor and first floor housed an exhibition of Picasso's sculptures. It was fascinating to see how he expressed his artistic vision in different materials. As a sculptor Picasso was entirely self-taught and thus uninhibited by rules. He used whatever material he found: from traditional materials such as wood, plaster and bronze to painted sheet metal and found objects such as spoons and springs. The second floor presents a chronological overview of Picasso's career while on the third floor works by Pablo Picasso are presented side-by-side with artworks from his personal collection, just like in his studios. The latter presentation serves as an excellent example of the thesis put forward by Jean-Hubert Martin that artists think visually and draw their references from "universal art", which forms the basis of [Carambolages](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/05/29/carambolages-grand-palais), which is on at the Grand Palais until 4 July 2016. If you're planning a visit to Paris and if you like art I highly recommend adding the Musée Picasso to your to do list. ![Picasso, Huit États du Toureau](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/picasso-huit-etats-du-toureau.jpg) Picasso, **Huit États du Toureau* (1945-46) *Huit États du Toureau* (1945-46) is one of my favourite works by Picasso. Each state marks a *conceptual* leap. ### Carambolages at the Grand Palais URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/05/29/carambolages-grand-palais/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T14:12:36.000Z Carambolages, which is on at the Grand Palais in Paris until 4 July 2016, is one of the most refreshing art exhibitions I have seen in a long time. The exhibition is curated by Jean-Hubert Martin, who also organized the legendary exhibition Magiciens de la Terre at the Centre Georges Pompidou in 1989\. It is based on the premise that artists approach art in an associative fashion, unguided by art historical categories, which is indeed how I myself approach art. The exhibition consists of an eclectic selection of around 180 artworks and cultural artifacts from around the world. The works are arranged in a continuous sequence where each work depends on the previous one and announces the following one. Even though I normally prefer a networked presentation, which allows me to make my own connections, the trajectory that Jean-Hubert Martin has set out is both informative and entertaining. The works are grouped based on shared forms, materials or ideas. Thus a sculpture of a cat by Giacometti is shown next to a 2,000 year old sculpture of a mouse from Oceania, while an 18th century self-portrait by Flemish artist Nicola van Houbraken, in which we see the artist peeping through a hole in the canvas, is presented next to a "slash painting" by Lucio Fontana. While some connections are obvious others are less so. Perhaps I should add that I didn't actually look for each and every connection: I mostly enjoyed looking at the works Jean-Hubert Martin has brought together. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/asmat-skull-irian-jaya.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/nicola-van-houbraken-self-portrait-1720.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/lucio-fontana-concetto-spaziale-attese-1958.jpg) Most of the works and artists included in the exhibition are relatively unknown, at least to me. Jean-Hubert Martin must have spent quite some time browsing through various museum archives. There are no labels beneath or next to the objects. Instead there are small screens at the beginning and end of each aisle with a slideshow listing the previous and the next works. While this forces one to focus on the object instead of the label I found it somewhat unfortunate that the slideshows revealed the upcoming works before I'd seen them. Carambolages won't appeal to everyone. I can imagine that some visitors may feel lost and puzzled. I found it inspiring and invigorating. **Carambolages** is at the Grand Palais, Paris until 4 July 2016. ### Links The exhibition [leaflet](https://www.grandpalais.fr/pdf/dossier%5Fpedagogique/Dossier%5Fpedagogique%5Fcarambolages.pdf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (in French). In this [film](https://vimeo.com/ondemand/carambolagesenglish?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) directed by Alain Fleischer, Jean-Hubert Martin presents sequences of works from his exhibition and the way they were juxtaposed according to their formal or mental affinities. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/05/14/further-reading-29/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T20:22:10.000Z From the Rolling Stone archive: Excerpts from Hunter S. Thompson's [Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail](https://t.co/8fPqEZuwGO?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Not all practice makes perfect](https://t.co/8dU3xr0sPZ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Moving from naive to purposeful practice can dramatically increase performance. [Brief but fascinating article by Philip Ball](https://t.co/HmWPdazXix?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on physics as a way of thinking. [The Ferryman](https://t.co/Sso4Y5dCsk?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Powerful short story by Azam Ahmed. Sometimes fiction gets closer to reality than reporting. Svetlana Alexievich's Second-Hand Time is finally available in English translation. [Read some excerpts here](https://t.co/s06ZVzxgzj?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Olivier Blanchard eyes ugly end game for Japan on debt spiral](https://t.co/xe5n0iotD3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Brief interview with linguist Sarah Thomason](https://t.co/KbzsHYMdYg?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on how languages interact and change over time. Brian Greene on [the spectacular discovery of gravitational waves](https://t.co/NU1doTHb7o?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/03/15/further-reading-28/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T20:16:51.000Z [Excellent critical essay](https://t.co/Bq8J0pG0yC?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Tim Crane on Wittgenstein, his philosophy and his life. [A new, longitudinal, study](https://t.co/pvnYM9Tj9V?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) suggests that chocolate consumption is associated with better cognitive function. The American philosopher Hilary Putnam has passed away aged 89\. [A brief introduction to his work](https://t.co/mjKdPsYdnC?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [A new replication study](https://t.co/A3dlhPAv8w?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) calls into question the ego depletion effect, the idea that willpower is a limited resource. [I, too, try not to be pedantic about conditionals](https://t.co/AtcJJt238k?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [How Snapchat built a business](https://t.co/qxLk7VMfoD?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Excellent reporting. Mathematics meets music. [Three researchers attempt to bring some rigour to the math of melody](https://t.co/aq5LdZnHjW?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The [2016 Abel Prize](https://www.w3schools.com/html/tryit.asp?filename=tryhtml%5Fdefault&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) goes to Andrew Wiles, whose proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem opened a new era in number theory. If you haven't read or seen it yet, I can highly recommend both the book and the documentary by Simon Singh on Fermat's Last Theorem. "I don’t know why people expect art to make sense. They accept the fact that life doesn’t make sense." – David Lynch “The more a person knows, the more things have gone wrong.” — Umberto Eco ### Highlights from the Fall 2016 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/03/07/highlights-from-the-fall-2016-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2019-11-03T18:30:34.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/junya-watanabe-fall-2016-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/junya-watanabe-fall-2016-rtw-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/junya-watanabe-fall-2016-rtw-2.jpg) Junya Watanabe ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/thom-browne-fall-2016-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/louis-vuitton-fall-2016-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/marc-jacobs-fall-2016-rtw-1.jpg) Thom Browne (left), Louis Vuitton (middle), Marc Jacobs (right) ### If I Could Only Recommend One Book URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/02/12/if-i-could-only-recommend-one-book/ Last updated: 2019-08-16T19:03:27.000Z Someone recently asked Tyler Cowen which book he would recommend to a smart person in his thirties who hasn't read much, [if he could only recommend one book](http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2016/02/if-you-could-recommend-only-one-book-for-me-to-read.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). This question is by no means rhetorical. I know quite a lot of smart, university educated, people who haven't read much since high school, except for textbooks. So which book would I recommend? My initial response would be to recommend a book that is simply a pleasure to read such as *The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao* by Junot Diaz in the hope that, having finished it, the person will be keen on reading another book. Perhaps a better choice would be to recommend a book that is both a good read and a manifestation of what is unique about the book as a medium, such as *House of Leaves* by Mark Z. Danielewski, in the hope that, having finished it, the person will agree that in this day and age there is still a place for books. After all, why read a book when you can watch a movie or a documentary or listen to a podcast? If you read 20-30 pages per hour a 300-page book will take at least 10 hours to read. Consider what else you could do to nourish your mind in that time. I also considered recommending a book that is a pleasure to read and changes the way one views the world, such as *1491\. New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus* by Charles C. Mann or *Thinking, fast and slow* by Daniel Kahneman. Or how about Feynman's *Lectures on Physics*? Leaving aside the consideration that the book should be a pleasure to read I would recommend Wittgenstein's *Philosophical Investigations*, but that is knowing that the person would probably put it aside after a few pages. Had I been asked this question twenty years ago I might have answered *What Is Philosophy* by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. It would still make a good recommendation. As you can see, this question isn't easy to answer and I can't make up my mind. In the end I would probably recommend *The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony* by Roberto Calasso. It is an excellent read and it also shows how the stories that the ancient Greeks told thousands of years ago live on to the present day in popular culture. But perhaps I would recommend watching [*The Fantastic Flying Books*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad3CMri3hOs&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, an animated allegory about the curative powers of books and writing. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2016/02/11/further-reading-27/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T20:10:12.000Z The Advanced LIGO team has confirmed [the detection of gravitational waves.](https://t.co/P1MNphbyNT?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) One of this year's biggest science stories. [A recent study](https://t.co/51MHfifoGt?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) suggests that the brain’s sense of space and time are intertwined. I agree with this [list of 12 things that restaurants must stop doing in 2016](https://t.co/IovEOjBgac?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and beyond. This fascinating [profile of Marvin Minsky](https://t.co/wUh7AijiEA?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) also serves as brief history of the early days of AI. Six feet under and fabulous. [Inside the workshop that produces Ghana’s fantastical pop-art coffins.](https://t.co/hrpx1FWh63?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [As John Lanchester writes](https://t.co/EhYlfZQwVF?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com): "If obesity is the new smoking, sugar is the new tobacco. We’re going to have to treat it the same way." [Fascinating map](https://t.co/WfHTUpBJnv?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by National Geographic of the Fertile Crescent indicating the regions where farming began. [When philosophy lost its way.](https://t.co/b1bxRjdL1K?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) An [interview](https://t.co/rr0IDghtAO?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with the always interesting Gerhard Richter. [The physics of life.](https://t.co/mC0YGK6syR?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) From flocking birds to swarming molecules, physicists are seeking to understand "active matter". The growth of contemporary African photography. [Images from the 5 years of Lagos Photo Fest](https://t.co/yQIuwqUaDs?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/12/30/further-reading-26/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T19:51:58.000Z Karl Ove Knausgaard on [the terrible beauty of brain surgery](https://t.co/nWtXkAeibb?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). With photos by Paolo Pellegrin. The surgery is performed by Henry Marsh, author of the superb memoir *Do No Harm*, one of the best books I read this year. More Karl Ove Knausgaard. [Interview](https://t.co/cDLEXurs9W?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in which Knausgaard discusses his next project: a quartet based around the seasons in the form of letters to his daughter. [Longform's Best of 2015](https://t.co/a6EE0eysOZ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [A conversation with the French anthropologist Philippe Descola](https://t.co/AOOC8ggONL?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (in German). *Beyond Nature and Culture* is a superb book in which Philippe Descola challenges the traditional division between nature and culture and argues that there are four modes of thought: animism, totemism, naturalism and analogism. It's not an easy read but well worth the effort. [Five science myths that will not die.](https://t.co/nIWJ4jqC5m?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The top 25 science stories of 2015.](https://t.co/HkSCgeJ0oT?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [For male peacock spiders, the best dancers get the girl.](https://t.co/An1gxOPE6e?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Causes of death in Shakespeare’s plays charted.](https://t.co/MDKHCZohhw?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Excellent [review of *Imagined Communities*](https://t.co/4DSeaJNe27?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), the seminal book by Benedict Anderson, who passed away 13 December. Die Fotografie ist eine Kunst, die uns lehrt, die Wirklichkeit dieser Welt anders zu sehen. ### The Best Albums of 2015 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/12/27/the-best-albums-of-2015/ Last updated: 2019-11-02T18:23:19.000Z An excellent year with many albums that I expect to play for some time to come. I'm not a big jazz fan but the three cd album by Kamasi Washington is indeed epic. The full list in no particular order: Kamasi Washington: The Epic Anna Þorvaldsdóttir: In the Light of Air Julia Kent: Asperities Jamie XX: In Colour Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly Tame Impala: Currents Kuniko: IX - Iannis Xenakis Séverine Ballon: Solitude Holly Herndon: Platform Alina Ibragimova: Ysaÿe Sonatas for Solo Violin Kaija Saariaho: Let the Wind Speak Maria Milstein & Hanna Shybayeva: Sounds of War Kurt Vile: b'lieve i'm goin down Pitchfork's list of the [top 50 albums of 2015](https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9764-the-50-best-albums-of-2015/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The best albums of 2015 according to [Dutch music critics](http://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/2015.htm?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and Ted Gioia's pick of [the 100 best albums of the year](http://tedgioia.com/bestalbumsof2015.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ### The Best Books of 2015 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/12/27/the-best-books-of-2015/ Last updated: 2025-02-23T17:44:54.000Z ### Best Fiction Vladimir Nabokov: Pale Fire Ali Smith: How To Be Both Jenny Erpenbeck: Aller Tage Abend Mathias Énard: Parle-leur de batailles, de rois et d'éléphants Kamel Daoud: Meursault, contre-enquête I greatly enjoyed *How To Be Both*. I didn't want it to stop and when I finished it I wanted to re-read it, to discover what I missed on first reading and what only becomes apparent once you've read both. *Parle-leur de batailles, de rois et d'éléphants* is an imaginative tale in the tradition of Borges, Calvino and Nabokov. I read *L'étranger* at the beginning of the year and *Meursault contre-enquête* towards the end. I didn't read L'étranger in high school, like most people. My French teacher chose some different books. I actually liked *Meursault, contre-enquête* better, but that's primarily because I found it highly inventive and because it made me realize that I hadn't read *L'étranger* as well as I thought. ### Best Book I Wish I Had Read Years Ago Vladimir Nabokov: Pale Fire Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: Terre des Hommes I loved *The Little Prince* so why didn't I read *Terre des Hommes*? Good question. I had put off reading *Pale Fire* for years, expecting it to be a daunting read, but it is a sheer delight. In the age of reality novels this type of fiction, multi-layered and rich in symbolism, is becoming exceedingly rare. ### Best Book About Life, Death, Hawks and Coping Helen MacDonald: H Is For Hawk ### Best Big History Yuval Noah Harari: Sapiens. A Brief History of Humankind Of course, millions of people can be wrong, but in this case they aren't: *Sapiens* is indeed a good read. For a different take on Big History I recommend *The Human Web* by J.R. McNeill and William H. McNeill and *Maps of Time* by David Christian. ### Best Physics Sean Carroll: The Particle at the End of the Universe ### Best Book By a French Academic Pierre Rosanvallon: La société des égaux Alain Ehrenberg: La fatigue d'être soi Both of these books deserve to be widely read. La société des égaux by Pierre Rosanvallon is the book that most readers of Thomas Piketty's *Capital in the Twenty-first Century* are looking to read. I, for one, found it a lot more interesting. Rosanvallon discusses the concept of equality and the different interpretations it has been given over time. Here's a good [review](https://www.princeton.edu/~starr/articles/articles14/Starr%5FFair%5FSociety%5FNYRB%5F5-2014.pdf?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Paul Starr for the New York Review of Books. *La fatigue d'être soi* by Alain Ehrenberg is a history of depression and its treatment. As Ehrenberg shows, the distinction between being depressed or having a depression has far-reaching effects on how one thinks about subjectivity. If it's the person who IS depressed, does treating the depression change the person? If the person HAS a depression, does the person remain the same if we take away the depression? ### Best Economics John McMillian: Reinventing the Bazaar. A Natural History of Markets *Reinventing the Bazaar* is one of the best popular books about economics. ### Best Book About Russia Svetlana Alexievich: Second-Hand Time Svetlana Alexievich: Voices From Chernobyl ### Most Disappointing Patrick Mondiano: Rue des Boutiques Obscures Peter Buwalda: Bonita Avenue Elena Ferrante: My Brilliant Friend I'd never read a novel by Patrick Mondiano before, although I had read various positive reviews. When I learned that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize I thought I'd read one of his most lauded books. But I just don't get it. Elena Ferrante may well be one of the most hyped authors of the moment. I understand why it touches a chord with many readers, but I can't help thinking that this is because the author has successfully created the illusion of authenticity. Pas pleurer by Lydie Salvayre is far more inventive and moving. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/12/08/further-reading-25/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T19:44:24.000Z [Q&A with Gerd Gigerenzer.](https://t.co/ondErl9Cox?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) "We humans are not as dim-witted as the heuristics-and-biases research makes us appear." I couldn't agree more. There may be good reasons for the cognitive biases reported in psychological experiments, which are usually based on a few dozen participants (or less) who usually happen to be university students at institutions in the US, the UK or some other Western European country. I never thought I'd ever say this, but [this interview](https://t.co/DJoiu5DQ0Q?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) with the American art critic and historian Hal Foster is actually quite interesting. [The Nobel Lecture by Svetlana Alexievich](https://t.co/hfzxSTU91U?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Excerpt from [Syrian Notebooks: Inside the Homs Uprising](https://t.co/gcABRTv7ML?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Jonathan Littell. [The books of the year according to The Economist](https://t.co/DrDQUkzued?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). I've added several to my reading list. [The best books of 2015](https://t.co/hoZW2RHtIY?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (published in English) according to the Financial Times critics and guests. [The 100 greatest British novels](https://t.co/kYi3POw79C?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), based on a poll of 82 critics from around the world (excl. the UK). ### Caroline Roberts: Graphic Design Visionaries URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/12/06/caroline-roberts-graphic-design-visionaries/ Last updated: 2025-10-10T20:48:20.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/graphic-design-visionaries-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/graphic-design-visionaries-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/graphic-design-visionaries-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/graphic-design-visionaries-4.jpg) Page Spreads from Graphic Design Visionaries by Caroline Roberts I just spent an hour or so browsing through *Graphic Design Visionaries*, a fascinating new book from Laurence King Publishing. It features profiles of 75 of the world’s greatest graphic designers (or design studio). Each designer or studio is presented with a brief one-page biography and three pages of representative work. The book is organized chronologically by year of birth (or the year the studio was formed), starting with Piet Zwart and Edward McKnight Kauffer and ending with Tomato and M/M Paris. As such it presents a fascinating overview of the development of graphic design. The book's editor Caroline Roberts, founding editor of Grafik magazine, has done an excellent job bringing together work by household names such as Max Bill, Wim Crouwel, Saul Bass, Tibor Kalman, Peter Saville and Stefan Sagmeister, as well as many designers that I hadn't heard of before. Notably absent are Neville Brody and David Carson, arguably two of the most influential graphic designers of the past 25 years. The book's list price is GBP 24.95, but I paid only GBP 19.96, which is a bargain for such an inspiring book. ### Links [Paula Scher: Type Is Image at the Pinakothek der Moderne](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2025/05/18/paula-scher-type-is-image-at-the-pinakothek-der-moderne/). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/11/24/further-reading-24/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T19:38:07.000Z Critique and communication: Philosophy's missions. [A conversation with Jürgen Habermas.](https://t.co/T6kIASrC6v?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Highly recommended, also or even if you've never heard of Jürgen Habermas. [A promising idea in complexity theory](https://t.co/Jsr1GnaSTN?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) may help prevent migraines, financial collapses, climate catastrophes and more. [The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art](https://t.co/4jue0Pe5T1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) houses one of the world's greatest unseen collections of modern art. This is great and very useful (if you live in London that is): [ a map showing the average walking times between central London's Tube stations](https://t.co/yoIF2dH0gd?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). ["The only people who know exactly where that train is are on the train itself."](https://t.co/IviJgGIOPP?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Syria update: ["all parties are too strong to be defeated, but too weak to win."](https://t.co/vufIspqYc3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) René Girard, who is best known for his mimetic theory, [has passed away.](https://t.co/QlT36HNDZP?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Karl Ove Knausgaard reviews](https://t.co/89kwYlNMLK?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Michel Houellebecq’s *Submission* for the *New York Times*. ### Giovanni Francesco Caroto: Portrait of a Child With a Drawing URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/11/22/giovanni-francesco-caroto-portrait-of-a-child-with-a-drawing/ Last updated: 2019-08-16T19:14:52.000Z ![Giovanni Francesco Caroto, Portrait of a Child With a Drawing](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/Giovanni-Francesco-Caroto-1.jpg) Giovanni Francesco Caroto, *Portrait of a Child With a Drawing* (c. 1520) This painting by Giovanni Francesco Caroto (1480–1555/1558), *Portrait of a Child With a Drawing* (c. 1520), was among the paintings that were [stolen](http://theartnewspaper.com/news/news/161491/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from the [Museo di Castelvecchio](http://museodicastelvecchio.comune.verona.it/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in Verona, last Thursday, 19 November. It's an amazing painting and I do hope it will be returned or recovered undamaged, along with the other stolen paintings. The painting shows a child with a child's drawing. As such it is a variation on the painter at work theme, which always interests me, because of the questions it raises about the nature of painting, perception and subjectivity. To paint the drawing Giovanni Francesco Caroto had to imitate a children's drawing, painting or drawing in the manner of a child, the way the painters of Cobra would do some four and a half centuries later. If we assume that Giovanni Francesco Caroto painted the children's drawing himself, that is. It is, of course, possible that he asked the seven year old daughter of his next door neighbour to make to drawing in order to make it look more like a real children's drawing. Indeed, we cannot exclude the possibility that the girl (boy?) in the portrait made the drawing, which would be a great pun on the part of Giovanni Francesco Caroto. In that case the painting would have a dual authorship. If you look closely you notice that the drawing consists of a figure, part of a face and some seemingly random scribblings. The artist may have added these pictorial elements to make the children's drawing more realistic and more easily recognizable to his intended audience as a children's drawing. But how many children were actually in a position to make drawings in the late 15th and early 16th century? And what material is the drawing made on? Is it paper? How widely available was paper at the time and what does that tell us about the presumed social class of the child in the painting? This seemingly innocent painting raises more questions the longer I look at it and I'd love to dig deeper, if I had the time. One other thing that I find intriguing is that Giovanni Francesco Caroto chose to include only part of the drawing in the painting. Or was the painting originally bigger and was part of it cut off? I'm also puzzled by the fold in the lower left corner. ### Update 13 May 2016 The painting by Caroto as well as the other Old Master paintings that were stolen in the same heist [have been found](https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/veronas-stolen-old-masters-recovered-in-ukraine-496802?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and will be returned to the museum. ### Svetlana Alexievich: Second-hand Time URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/11/01/svetlana-alexievich-second-hand-time/ Last updated: 2019-08-16T19:23:53.000Z After reading a glowing review of Svetlana Alexievich's latest book *[Second-hand Time. The Demise of the Red (Wo)man](http://www.dursthoff.de/book.php?m=3&aid=40&bid=69&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)* upon the publication of the Dutch translation I instantly added it to my reading list. When I learned that Alexievich had been awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature I moved it to the top of my list. It is indeed a fascinating book and I urge everyone to read it. *Second-hand Time* is a collection of voices, stories, fragments and witness accounts. They tell of the individual and collective experience of existence in the grinding jaws of history. Taken together these micro histories give rise to a macro history. They paint a kaleidoscopic picture of the years before and after the failed coup against Gorbatchev in August 1991\. Alexievich has interviewed people, both pro and con, who were present during the demonstrations that followed the coup; she has interviewed people who fought under Stalin in the Second World War and people who were sent to labour camps in Siberia. She gives a voice to the people who are disillusioned by the past 10-20 years of Russian history and who, as a consequence, now long for the past and she gives a voice to the people who are perplexed that Lenin and Stalin are back in fashion. Now that I've read *Second-hand Time* I feel like I have a better understanding of Russia. I also have greater empathy for what people of Russia and ex-Soviet states have gone through. I was astounded by the first-hand accounts of the Gulag, the ethnic violence in Armenia and the war in Chechnya. I look forward to reading more of Svetlana Alexievich. ### Links An [excerpt](https://nplusonemag.com/online-only/online-only/on-chernobyl/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from *Voices from Chernobyl* by Svetlana Alexievich. Another [excerpt](http://www.theparisreview.org/letters-essays/5447/voices-from-chernobyl-svetlana-alexievich?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from *Voices from Chernobyl*. [Boys in Zinc](http://granta.com/boys-in-zinc/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Svetlana Alexievich. [The Man Who Flew Like a Bird](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/nov/19/man-who-flew/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) excerpt from a collection of more than a dozen tales of suicide that Alexievich published in Russia in 1994. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/10/30/further-reading-23/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T19:25:51.000Z Richard Feynman's *Lectures on Physics* are [available from Caltech](https://t.co/ARHq399Zs8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), and are now optimized for any device. I have a physical copy. Years ago I read it from front to back. A chapter per week. [Dramatic pictures and drone footage](https://t.co/k0NzWeUXrG?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of the melting ice sheet in Greenland. Out to where storytelling does not reach. [Karl Ove Knausgård on the role of editors and the practice of writing.](https://t.co/aWNOhpf0FX?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) How much better would many performances be if there would be editors in theatre and dance? A brief introduction to [the history and mathematics of labyrinths.](http://www.ams.org/samplings/feature-column/fc-2015-10?utm%5Fcontent=buffer47a41&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Angus Deaton is an excellent choice for the [Nobel Prize in Economics. ](https://www.w3schools.com/html/tryit.asp?filename=tryhtml%5Fdefault&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Angus Deaton shares his views on three of his biggest topics with the [*Financial Times*](http://t.co/FdUt6SbtF6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Tyler Cowen provides [an excellent overview of Angus Deaton's contributions to economic science.](http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2015/10/nobel-prize-winner-is-angus-deaton.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [How Tom Wolfe became Tom Wolfe.](http://t.co/P2R24LkSNE?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Michael Lewis profiles Tom Wolfe for Vanity Fair. I loved *The Bonfire of the Vanities*, which I think is the quintessential 80s New York novel. The first three quarters or so of *A Man in Full* are also great, but the ending feels rushed as if Wolfe didn't know how to put an end to it and was told by his publisher to hurry up. This is pretty awesome. [Yale University has put 170,000 Library of Congress photos of the US from 1935 to 1945 online](http://t.co/z8ziPPvx2Z?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [A brief explainer](https://t.co/dxNBWoMeJB?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of Terence Tao's proof of the Erdös discrepancy conjecture. Alber Elbaz leaves Lanvin. [28 of His Best Runway Looks.](https://t.co/xAyauFzUIE?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Frank Witzel has been awarded the [Deutscher Buchpreis](http://t.co/7erqB2vIfy?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), the largest literary award for a German-language novel. When I read about a "genialisches Sprachkunstwerk" and "a hybrid compendium of pop, politics and paranoia" I want to click "buy". [African photography comes of age.](https://t.co/nMWUZAZP3y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [If we talked about phone hardware the way we talk about brain hardware.](http://t.co/FWOQjJ5VY5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ### Highlights from the Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/10/19/highlights-from-the-spring-2016-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2019-11-03T18:30:06.000Z The spring 2016 RTW collection by Rick Owens featured some outfits that could make a nice costume for a dance performance. Rei Kawakubo continued her exploration of how textiles can be transformed into something wearable and Junya Watanabe continued his exploration into mathematical structures. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/rick-owens-spring-2016-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/rick-owens-spring-2016-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/rick-owens-spring-2016-rtw-3.jpg) Rick Owens ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/comme-des-garcons-spring-2016-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/comme-des-garcons-spring-2016-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/junya-watanabe-spring-2016-rtw-1.jpg) Comme des Garçons (left and middle), Junya Watanabe (right) ### The Great Beauty URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/10/17/the-great-beauty/ Last updated: 2023-12-29T19:34:00.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/02/la-grande-bellezza-5.jpg) "La Grande Bellezza" (The Great Beauty) is one of my favourite films for reasons that are at once obvious and difficult to explain. I love the final scene, the opening scene, the Tiber scene, the funeral scene, the rooftop scene, the party scene, the Marina Abramovic scene and, well, I could go on. Just thinking about it makes me want to watch the entire film again. I recognize Jep Gambardella’s reflections about life, art, beauty and the meaning of it all. I recognize his burgeoning doubts about whether he has wasted his life and talent. Jep Gambardella, played by Toni Servillo, is a journalist and socialite, always elegantly dressed and witty, who wanders through Rome like a modern day Leopold Bloom. He is a flaneur who looks at the world around him with mild bemusement and compassion. Like London, Paris and New York, Rome is a city where it is easy to get distracted. And before you know it your life has passed by and it’s your 65th birthday. The film opens with a quote from Louis-Ferdinand Céline’s "Journey to the End of the Night": “Travel is useful, it exercises the imagination. All the rest is disappointment and fatigue. Our journey is entirely imaginary. That is its strength. It goes from life to death. (..) It's a novel, just a fictitious narrative. (..) And besides, in the first place, anyone can do as much. You just have to close your eyes.” And of course the film ends with Jep Gambardella closing his eyes. Jep Gambardella leads a comfortable life that many would envy, drifting from parties to art galleries and surrounded by beautiful people. He has achieved what he wanted to achieve. As Jep recounts early in the film, “When I came to Rome at the age of 26, I fell pretty swiftly into what might be defined as the whirl of the high life, but I didn't just want to live the high life, I wanted to be the king of the high life. I didn't just want to attend parties, I wanted the power to make them fail”. In that he succeeded. But shortly after his lavish 65th birthday party, as he looks back upon his life, he starts to wonder whether, perhaps, he has misspent his days. In his 20s Jep wrote a novel that was well-received, but he never followed up with a second novel. "The Great Beauty" features an eccentric cast of characters, from nobility for hire and a cardinal who is more interested in food than spiritual matters, to a performance artist who reminded me of Marina Abramovic. Evidently "The Great Beauty" pays homage to "La Dolce Vita". It is no coincidence that its central character is also a journalist, who is both an insider and an outsider. And like "La Dolce Vita" it is a love letter to Rome. It captures its spirit and its beauty. It shows how little has changed since the 60s or indeed Roman times. In the enigmatic ending scene of "La Dolce Vita" a blonde girl, who stands on the other side of a stream, beckons the hung over Marcello to join her, but he signals that he cannot hear her and eventually gets up and joins his friends. He is already lost and on the other side. The entire scene is steeped in symbolism. The stream, of course, stands for the river Styx, while the blonde girl stands for innocence. It is no coincidence either that Marcello’s friends gather around a monster fish that has just been caught. The ending scene of "La Dolce Vita" actually mirrors the first scene in which Marcello is trying to communicate with some women from a helicopter but they cannot hear him and he cannot hear them. It’s also interesting to note that in the final beach scene Marcello is on his knees as the blonde girl calls out to him. Actually, the final scene is even better than this, because just before the end titles the blonde girl looks straight at us, the viewer. In "The Great Beauty" the angel arrives in the form of an elderly nun, Sister Maria, who has made a vow to poverty and is revered as a saint. Jep’s editor at the newspaper he works for arranges for Jep to interview her, but at the dinner party in her honour her assistant speaks on her behalf. When, later that evening, Jep is alone with her she asks him why he didn't write another book. Jep answers that he was looking for the great beauty, but that he still hasn’t found it. She then asks him if he knows why she only eats roots. She does, she says with a smile that we, the viewers can see, but Jep cannot, because roots are important. "The Great Beauty" ends with a monologue as beautiful as the final scene in "A Single Man" and the suggestion that Jep will finally write another novel, *La Grande Bellezza*. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/09/30/further-reading-22/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T19:20:59.000Z Social networks can create [the illusion that something is common when it is actually rare.](http://t.co/0AtDFnHWvc?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The rapidly vanishing Mer de Glace.](http://t.co/YbLHGANrOl?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I visited the Mer de Glace this summer and was shocked to see how far it has retreated. I wish I'd visited 20 years ago. Yale University will receive [136.20 euros in interest](http://t.co/seMDt5Nwjw?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on a perpetual bond issued in 1648 from a Dutch water authority. This scientific study caught my eye: [Duration of urination does not change with body size.](http://t.co/BXED4L5okA?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The Mouse of Wall Street](http://t.co/x0Si0YKg88?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Cover for *The New Yorker* by Joost Swarte. [Oliver Sacks has passed away.](http://t.co/XfjWivZFHI?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Oliver Sacks wrote [a beautiful and moving essay](http://t.co/XRW724GVrX?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) when he first learned that he had terminal cancer. It was after reading [an essay by Oliver Sacks](http://t.co/WF5vDwmbIq?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) that I realized that the strange visual sensations I've had since childhood are in fact a form of or a symptom of migraine. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/08/28/further-reading-21/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T19:05:48.000Z How John Conway’s life in games has led to [extraordinary insights.](https://t.co/RvcocQjhxg?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [A trove of clay tablets found in Turkey](http://t.co/uIYiZKToaP?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) opens a window into ancient economics. [Tiny aerosol particles in the air may cause snow and ice to darken, absorb more of the sun’s energy and melt earlier.](https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11899?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I too noticed that various glaciers are blackened. [This is what happens to your checked luggage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-jQhbUgp3k&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) at Schiphol airport. [Excerpt from *The Silo Effect*](http://t.co/Q4z45q1zNJ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), a new book by Gillian Tett. It reminded me of the cell philosophy pioneered by CMG and BSO in the 70s and 80s: When a team exceeded 150 people it was divided in two. [Obituary for John Holland](http://t.co/AgVreJFLAc?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), whose research into genetic algorithms and complex systems greatly inspired me. [Breathing Beijing’s air](http://t.co/cVPvwmXsuJ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is the equivalent of smoking almost 40 cigarettes a day. [If the Troika were to visit Berlin.](http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/soziales/griechenland-wenn-die-troika-nach-berlin-kaeme-a-1048662.html?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Ten reforms the Troika would impose on Germany. [Mathematicians have discovered a new type of pentagon that can tile the plane.](http://t.co/20xLFDJ91f?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I've always been interested in the intersection of mathematics and aesthetics. [Earth View](http://t.co/F2ARFu7xo3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is a curated collection of more than 1,000 striking satellite images found in Google Earth. [Fifty psychological and psychiatric terms to avoid.](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01100/full?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) A list of inaccurate, misleading, misused, ambiguous, and logically confused words and phrases. Alles hätte aber auch anders kommen können. ... und er weiß jetzt, was er nicht wissen wollte, nämlich dass es einen Moment gibt, in dem es für immer zu spät ist. ### Vallée Blanche URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vallee-blanche/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:48:39.000Z I had read somewhere that the Vallée Blanche Traverse is the most spectacular day hike in the Chamonix area or indeed anywhere in the world. And spectacular it is. The trek starts at the summit of the Aiguille du Midi at 3,842m. From there it descends to the glaciated valley at the foot of the Mont Blanc du Tacul and the Gros Rognon at about 3,180m. The route continues to climb up to Punta Helbronner on the Italian side of the Vallée Blanche at 3,460m. From Punta Helbronner a cable car leads back to Aiguille du Midi offering stunning views of the Mont Blanc range and the Glacier de Géant. I didn't quite know what to expect and sometimes that's the best preparation. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-3.jpg) The trek starts early in the morning. I took this photo upon return to Aiguille du Midi when the light was better. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-4.jpg) Depending on the direction you hike you have to either descend, like I did, or climb this exposed ridge ![Aiguille du Midi ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-5.jpg) Looking back up to the Aiguille du Midi ![Vallée Blanche](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-6.jpg) The Vallée Blanche ![Vallée Blanche](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-7.jpg) I wonder why it's called Vallée Blanche ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-9.jpg) At this point I didn't know we would have to cross this section of crevasses ![Vallée Blanche](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-10.jpg) ![Vallée Blanche](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-11.jpg) ![Vallée Blanche](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-12.jpg) It was above zero all day at an elevation of 3,000m (!) and the snow was melting ![Vallée Blanche](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-13.jpg) ![Vallée Blanche](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-14.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-15.jpg) ![Vallée Blanche](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-16.jpg) ![Vallée Blanche](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-17.jpg) This is why it's called Vallée Blanche ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-18.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-19.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/vallee-blanche-20.jpg) Left: looking back, in the distance the Mont Blanc; Middle: view from Pont Helbronner with Mont Blanc; Right: view from the cable car. ### Related Posts **More French Alps!** [Refuge Albert 1er and the Glacier du Tour](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/). [Grand balcon du Sud](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/grand-balcon-sud/). ### Refuge Albert 1er Glacier du Tour URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:53:25.000Z The hike to the Refuge Albert 1er and the Glacier du Tour was one of my favourite day hikes around Chamonix. Of course, the weather helped. I should add that there are many more day hikes in the area that I would love to do. The Glacier du Tour is rapidly receding. These photos were taken in 2015. ![Crevasses and seracs at the foot of the Glacier du Tour](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-1.jpg) Crevasses and seracs at the foot of the Glacier du Tour ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-4.jpg) The spectacular scenery at the Refuge Albert 1er ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-3.jpg) Crevasses and seracs at the foot of the Glacier du Tour ![Glacier du Tour and Aiguille d'Argentière](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-6.jpg) The Glacier du Tour and the Aiguille d'Argentière ![Glacier du Tour](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-5.jpg) The scenery is truly sublime ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-8.jpg) ![Glacier du Tour](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-9.jpg) The Glacier du Tour from above ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-12.jpg) Crevasses at the Glacier du Tour ![Aiguille d'Argentière](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-13.jpg) The Aiguille d'Argentière in the clouds ![Aiguille d'Argentière](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour-14.jpg) What a wonderful day it was! ### Related Posts **More French Alps!** The spectacular [Vallée Blanche](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vallee-blanche/) traverse. The view from the [Grand Balcon du Sud](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/grand-balcon-sud/). **More glaciers!** [Gornergletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher-revisited/) in Switzerland, [Russell Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/) in Greenland, [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/) in Greenland, [Svellnosbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) in Norway, [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) in Norway, [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) in Iceland[.](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/07/30/further-reading-20/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T18:58:12.000Z [Interview with Nobel laureate Alvin Roth on matching theory.](https://t.co/OLNTa0jk8T?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Alvin Roth's [Nobel Prize lecture](http://t.co/JPgyL1wdOk?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) is an excellent introduction to matching theory. [Debate on effective altruism.](http://bostonreview.net/forum/peter-singer-logic-effective-altruism?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The link is to the opening shot by Peter Singer. I liked the [response by Angus Deaton.](http://bostonreview.net/forum/logic-effective-altruism/angus-deaton-response-effective-altruism?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The LHCb Experiment at CERN discovers a new type of particle made up of 5 quarks.](http://t.co/Fd9kYtda5b?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) LHCb stands for "Large Hadron Collider beauty" and is one of seven particle physics detector experiments collecting data at the Large Hadron Collider accelerator at CERN. Kim Kardashian explains [why marginal propensity to consume decreases as income rises.](http://www.marketwatch.com/story/let-kim-kardashian-be-your-financial-adviser-2015-07-01?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) This [xkcd](https://www.xkcd.com/1557/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) reminds me of Clown Torture by Bruce Nauman. [The 50 best book covers of 2014](http://t.co/YzczgnO1ko?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) according to Design Observer in association with AIGA. [FAO Schwarz is closing.](http://t.co/oeYqjwENqN?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I enjoyed visiting the store whenever I was in New York. What belief do you hold that is most surprising given all your other beliefs? ### Gornergletscher URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T15:58:24.000Z The Gorner Glacier (German: Gornergletscher) is one of the largest glaciers in the Alps. It is about 12 km long and 1 to 1.5 km wide (depending on when you read this, as it is rapidly retreating). The Gornergletscher is situated on the west side of the Monte Rosa massif close to Zermatt and is easily reached with the Gornergrat Bahn from Zermatt. The Gornergletscher is actually the name of a system of smaller glaciers. Its main tributary is now the Grenzgletscher. The upper part of the Gornergletscher is now disconnected from the lower part, as are the Breithorngletscher, Triftjigletscher, and the Unterer Theodulgletscher. I first visited Zermatt and the Gornergrat summer 2014\. The following year I took a guided tour across the Gornergletscher, or rather the Grenzgletscher to be precise, to the Monte Rosa hut. ![Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-2.jpg) The Gornergletscher on a glorious day ![Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-3.jpg) One of the tributaries of the Gorner glacier (in fact this one is called Gornergletscher) ![Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-4.jpg) On the left the Gornergletscher proper on the right the Grenzgletscher ![Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-5.jpg) A former tributary of the Gornergletscher, which has receded too far to contribute much or anything ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-7.jpg) The ladder down to the glacier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-8.jpg) In the top right corner the destination: the Monte Rosa hut ![Deep crevasses in the Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-10.jpg) The Gorner glacier from up close ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-14.jpg) A world of ice ![Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-13.jpg) The Gornergletscher and the Matterhorn as seen from the Monte Rosa hut ![Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-15.jpg) The Gornergletscher as seen from the Gornergletscher The Gornergletscher as seen from the Gornergletscher... ![Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-16.jpg) The Gornergletscher as seen from the Gornergletscher ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-17.jpg) Don't be mistaken: there's ice underneath the rocks ![Deep crevasses in the Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-19.jpg) ![Deep crevasses in the Gornergletscher](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/gornergletscher-20.jpg) To cross the glacier you have to step over the crevasses and follow the ridges ### Related Posts In 2022 I [revisited the Gornergletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/gornergletscher-revisited/) and took some more amazing photos. **More glaciers!** The Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark and the [Aletschgletscher](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/aletschgletscher-tour/) in Switzerland, [Svellnossbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/svellnosbreen-glacier/) and [Nigardsbreen](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/nigardsbreen-glacier/) in Norway, [Falljökull](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/falljokull/) in Iceland and the [Russell Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/russell-glacier/) and [Eqi Glacier](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/eqi-glacier/) in Greenland. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/06/30/further-reading-19/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T18:50:10.000Z [What the textbooks don't tell you about psychology's most famous case study.](http://t.co/VrQhisw5sW?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The case study in question is the case of Phineas Gage, the nineteenth century railway worker who somehow survived the passing of a three-foot long tamping iron through the front of his brain and out the top of his head. Richard Griggs, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Florida, analysed the content of 23 contemporary textbooks and found most of them contain distortions, omissions and inaccuracies. [A video profile of the 2014 Fields medalist Maryam Mirzakhani](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNuh4uta8oQ&ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), whose monumental work draws deep connections between topology, geometry and dynamical systems. Thomas Piketty has [lunch with the *Financial Times*.](http://t.co/TUJkNvWZeZ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Summer books.](http://t.co/U2sSgt5Kk3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The must-read books of the year so far according to the *Financial Times*. I'll wait for the paperback, which probably means waiting until next summer. [Fish stocks off Chile's Pacific coast have been depleted.](http://t.co/zCKKgNzA8O?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I must confess that I enjoy eating fish. [This site](https://t.co/vVscvQczAk?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) identifies movie filming locations so you can visit them. [Marina Warner reviews and compares](http://t.co/i8pCrQNFx8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) old and new editions of the *Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm*. [The best time to post on social networks](http://t.co/lr34kTqfqM?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) in order to maximize the probability of audience responses. A recent study found that [philosophers are as vulnerable to order and framing effects as everyone else.](http://t.co/tfwHMH8RY1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) It doesn't surprise me. [A collection of picks by and about James Salter](http://t.co/DJ1o2VWKUt?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), who died 19 June. I quite enjoyed reading *All That Is*, his last novel. [The 100 best posters of 2014 from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.](http://t.co/8ePBX3YZR0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) A journalist [uncovers](http://t.co/acZRQwcAcZ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) the identity of 2 bodies found on the coasts of Norway and the Netherlands. Excellent reporting. In search of the best charitable cause in the world. [Derek Thompson offers some thoughts on effective altruism.](http://t.co/DBr1saqqS4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Excerpt](http://lithub.com/aneurysm/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from the British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh's superb memoir *Do No Harm*. Who needs CGI when you've got [more than 20,000 extras?](https://vimeo.com/130784454?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I'm so tired of all this talk of Greece being the cradle of democracy. One could make the same case for tyranny, aristocracy and oligarchy. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/06/11/further-reading-18/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T18:42:19.000Z [What is code?](http://t.co/WPvXl3zYBZ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) If the question puts you off you should read this excellent interactive article. [Our Man in Tehran by Thomas Erdbrink](http://t.co/3kUIE2qgBJ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) has won the award for best Dutch television program. [One of the oldest problems in combinatorics](https://t.co/R6JLAO4WlA?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) has just been solved. [Calculate your risk of dying in the next 5 years](http://t.co/qbfuOOw6fQ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) (based on data from the UK Biobank). Excellent [farewell essay by Tania Branigan](http://t.co/7K6m4FGhWz?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) after 7 years of covering China for The Guardian. [Alex Bellos on the mathematical legacy of John Nash.](http://t.co/r5A5EzjWIZ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I was sad to to learn that [John Nash and his wife died in a taxi crash in New Jersey on 23 May](http://t.co/smBHNoh3x3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The Atlantic has republished [Host by David Foster Wallace](http://t.co/UH7BYH6V11?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), which first ran in April 2005, with restyled annotations. [The Inexplicable. Inside the mind of a mass killer.](http://t.co/4uD83pLQcy?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Karl Ove Knausgaard on Anders Breivik. [Excellent article](http://t.co/Ylk5LCrp1H?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about the US shale revolution. [New Yorker profile of Marc Andreessen.](http://t.co/rZ09b5Pjmy?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Long read, but worth the time. ### Wadi Rum URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-rum/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T14:43:50.000Z Wadi Rum was one of the highlights of my trip to Jordan. I had booked a desert tour including a half-day hike to Burdah Rock Bridge and stayed overnight in one of the Bedouin camps. I didn't know what to expect and knowing what I know now I would have stayed another night to also do a day hike. ![Wadi Rum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-1.jpg) The magnificent Wadi Rum ![Wadi Rum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-3.jpg) For this view you need to climb to the top of one of the mountains ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-4.jpg) The start of the hike to Burdah Rock Bridge in Wadi Rum ![View along the hike to the Burdah Rock Bridge in Wadi Rum, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-5.jpg) View along the hike to the Burdah Rock Bridge in Wadi Rum The photos above and below were taken along the hike, or rather scramble, to the top of Burdah Rock Bridge in Wadi Rum. The views from halfway up and onwards are magnificent. ![Wadi Rum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2023/01/wadi-rum-2.jpg) Wadi Rum is a popular filming location for scifi movies because of its out-of-this-world scenery ![Burdah Rock Bridge, Wadi Rum, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-7.jpg) To get to the top of Burdah Rock Bridge you have to scramble across these rocks ![View from Burdah Rock Bridge, Wadi Rum, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-6.jpg) View of the surrounding landscape from Burdah Rock Bridge, Wadi Rum ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-8.jpg) Looking back to where I just came from. The hike to Burdah Rock Bridge involves some serious scrambling. We actually descended from this rock. ![Tire tracks in the desert in Wadi Rum, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-9.jpg) Tire tracks in the desert in Wadi Rum ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-10.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-12.jpg) Left: one of the highest sand dunes in Wadi Rum; Middle: The view from the top of the sand dune; Right: Tire tracks in the desert ![Wadi Rum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-13.jpg) ![Tire tracks in the sand, Wadi Rum, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-14.jpg) Desert roads or rather, tire tracks, Wadi Rum ![Wadi Rum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-15.jpg) Leaving Wadi Rum in the back of a pickup truck ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-16.jpg) ![Wadi Rum](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-17.jpg) The landscape around Diseh, northwest of Rum village, looks just as interesting as Wadi Rum proper. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/wadi-rum-18.jpg) Goodbye Wadi Rum. Beware of crossing camels. ### Related Posts The photos I took in [Petra](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/petra/), [Jerash](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jerash/), [Wadi Numeira](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-numeira/) and [Amman](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/amman/). ### Petra URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/petra/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T14:47:10.000Z Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985 and rightly so. Petra is believed to have been established in the 4th century BC as the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom. It is hard to believe but in the first century AD the population of Petra peaked at an estimated 20,000\. I spent a full two days exploring Petra. I visited during high season, but because of the war in Syria and Iraq, tourist numbers had dropped substantially and I had much of the complex almost to myself. Of course, this was another childhood dream come true. I'd been wanting to visit Petra ever since watching *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade* when I was a child. ![The Siq that leads to Petra ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-1.jpg) Most visitors rush through The Siq in order to get to the Treasury, but it is a fascinating site/sight in its own right. ![Al-Khazneh, The Treasury, Petra](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-2.jpg) My heart skipped a beat when I caught my first glimpse of the Treasury at the end of The Siq ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-3.jpg) The steps leading towards the High Place of Sacrifice ![Petra, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-4.jpg) The view from somewhere along the trail to the High Place of Sacrifice ![Petra, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-5.jpg) The view from the High Place of Sacrifice. There doesn't appear to be much to see except the stunning views, but this is in fact one of the best-preserved sacred sacrificial sites from ancient times, at least according to my Lonely Planet. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-6.jpg) The small but beautiful Roman Soldier's Tomb ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-11.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-8.jpg) Most people who climb towards the High Place of Sacrifice return along the same path, but the trail through Wadi Farasa is quiet, leads past some wonderful sites and offers some amazing views. ![Petra, Great Temple](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-9.jpg) The remains of the Great Temple at Petra ![Petra, Wadi Siyagh](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-10.jpg) The amazing Wadi Siyagh in Petra. This is where I sat down for lunch during my first day in Petra, enjoying the view. ![Petra, Trail to the Monastery](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-12.jpg) The start of the trail towards the Monastery ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-13.jpg) The landscape is also pretty awesome ![Petra, Monastery](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-14.jpg) The Monastery in Petra The magnificent Monastery in Petra. The hike towards the Monastery can be brutal, depending on the temperature and the time of day, but the view is well, amazing. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-24.jpg) The views from the viewing point above the Monastery are pretty stunning. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-16.jpg) The trail to the Monastery leads through an impressive landscape ![Street of facades, Petra](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-17.jpg) The street of facades in Petra ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-18.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-19.jpg) ![Petra](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-20.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-21.jpg) Petra is set in spectacular surroundings. This is on the way to the viewpoint above the Treasury. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/petra-22.jpg) The obelisk tomb and Bab as-Siq Triclinium on the way towards the Siq and Petra. ### Related Posts The photos I took in [Wadi Rum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-rum/), [Jerash](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jerash/), [Wadi Numeira](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-numeira/) and [Amman](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/amman/). ### Amman URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/amman/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T14:48:54.000Z Amman is a fascinating city of contrasts, a unique blend of old and new. The citadel offers amazing views of the dense urban landscape of Amman. Amman was built on seven hills, but the city now sprawls over 19 hills comprised of 27 districts. I'd only scheduled a day and a half to visit Amman, but wish I'd had an extra day. ![Amman View From the Citadel](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-1.jpg) The citadel offers amazing views of the dense urban landscape of Amman. ![Amman, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-3.jpg) ![Amman](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-4.jpg) ![Amman, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-5.jpg) ![Rooftop with satellite dishes, Amman, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-10.jpg) Market in Amman, Jordan ![Traffic congestion, Amman, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-7.jpg) I spent ten days driving in Jordan without a single scratch ![Amphitheatre, Amman, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-11.jpg) Close-up of the Amphitheatre, Amman, Jordan ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-13.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/amman-14.jpg) Rooftop watertanks, Amman, Jordan ### Related Posts The photos I took in [Petra](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/petra/), [Wadi Rum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-rum/), [Jerash](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jerash/) and [Wadi Numeira](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-numeira/). ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/05/08/further-reading-17/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T18:29:18.000Z Rem Koolhaas talks about [the new Fondazione Prada museum](http://t.co/ucAGfrka3D?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and the danger of turning cities into historical Disneylands. A fascinating quantitative analysis shows [the evolution of American popular music between 1960–2010.](http://t.co/xqQ22TCKwL?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Photographs of [the earthquake devastation in Nepal.](http://t.co/VrrxlnTBsY?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Dolphins are almost certainly smart enough to use language, but if they do, [we are not smart enough to understand it.](http://t.co/1WaB6TRXIy?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Ignorance is bliss. Recent studies suggest that the reverse is also true: [smart people worry more.](http://t.co/kXhpzt4BPC?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Ben Bernanke on why interest rates are so low and [the role of the declining term premium.](http://t.co/b94xGNx8hu?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) A gallery of [unforgettable Hubble Space Telescope photos.](http://t.co/9bGEY1pQGO?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Intriguing essay](http://t.co/KqG11poM1w?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Peter Pomerantsev on information-psychological war. I'm afraid we'll see more of this in the future. [Scientists try to answer why Dutch people are so tall.](http://t.co/6etMmK3oSl?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) I'm 1.99 meter tall. There are more and more people in the Netherlands, both men and women, who are about as tall as I am. What will happen to Las Vegas if current trends (water consumption, climate change, etc.) [are extrapolated](http://t.co/ABh2KkEdH1?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com)? *Der Spiegel* interview with Slavoj Zizek: ["The greatest threat to Europe is its inertia."](http://t.co/ZNkQC7krws?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Don't wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect. Just because you’ve lost your way doesn’t mean you're lost forever. ### Wadi Numeira URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-numeira/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T14:51:46.000Z Wadi Numeira is one of several slot canyons or "siq" in Jordan and one of the most accessible. It is located just off the Jordan Valley Highway, near the Dead Sea. Surprisingly, it receives few visitors and I basically had the canyon to myself. After only a few hundred meters the walls narrow. At various points you have to scramble across some boulders. I'm glad I made a detour to visit Wadi Numeira. It is a wonderful hike. ![Wadi Numeira, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/wadi-numeira-1.jpg) The start of the hike through Wadi Numeira. At this point the canyon is still wide ![Wadi Numeira, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/wadi-numeira-2.jpg) but the canyon soon narrows ![Wadi Numeira, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/wadi-numeira-3.jpg) Wadi Numeira was shaped by water so don't visit if there's a chance of heavy rain ![Wadi Numeira, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/wadi-numeira-4.jpg) One of the wider sections ofWadi Numeira. Beware of falling rocks. ![The amazing Wadi Numeira in Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/wadi-numeira-5.jpg) Wadi Numeira is pretty awesome. I was genuinely surprised (and glad) there were no other hikers. ![The awesome Wadi Numeira in Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/wadi-numeira-6.jpg) It is tempting to keep going to look what's behind the corner ![Wadi Numeira, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/wadi-numeira-7.jpg) This is where I returned ![Wadi Numeira, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/wadi-numeira-8.jpg) ![Wadi Numeira, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/wadi-numeira-9.jpg) The difference between Wadi Numeira and the slot canyons that I've visited in Utah and Arizona is that at some sections the walls are covered with tropical vegetation ![Wadi Numeira](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/wadi-numeira-10.jpg) The entrance/exit of Wadi Numeira ### Related Posts **More Jordan!** [Petra](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/petra/), [Wadi Rum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-rum/), [Jerash](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jerash/) and [Amman](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/amman/). **More slot canyons!** [Antelope Canyon](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/antelope-canyon/). [Little Wild Horse Canyon](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/little-wild-horse-canyon/). ### Jerash URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jerash/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T14:54:02.000Z Jerash, about 50 km north of Amman, is the site of the ruins of the Greco-Roman settlement of Gerasa. It is pretty awesome and the complex was much larger than I expected. I spent a full afternoon exploring the colonnaded avenues, temples and theatres. It was one of many highlights of my trip to Jordan. ![Jerash, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-1.jpg) The breathtaking Forum ![Jerash, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-2.jpg) The forum as seen from the Upper Temple of Zeus ![Jerash, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-3.jpg) Jerash's superb colonnaded cardo maximus, one of the highlights of Jerash ![Jerash, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-4.jpg) The agora ![Jerash, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-5.jpg) Looking down from the cathedral ![Jerash, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-6.jpg) The Roman ruins against the backdrop of contemporary Jerash ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-8.jpg) I liked the contrast between old and new ![Jerash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-9.jpg) ![Jerash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-11.jpg) Jerash's beautiful little North Theatre. Imagine performing here. ![Jerash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-10.jpg) The North Theatre ![Jerash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-12.jpg) The Propylaeum (Gateway to the Temple of Artemis) ![Jerash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-13.jpg) Columns at the Temple of Artemis ![Jerash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-14.jpg) Colonnaded streets in Jerash ![Jerash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jerash-15.jpg) Columns at the Forum ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/jerash-16.jpg) ### Related Posts The photos I took in [Petra](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/petra/), [Wadi Rum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-rum/), [Wadi Numeira](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-numeira/) and [Amman](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/amman/). ### Dana Biosphere Reserve URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/dana-biosphere-reserve/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T14:55:26.000Z The Dana Biosphere Reserve is a nature reserve in Jordan in the area around Wadi Dana comprising approximately 300 square km. It drops from an altitude of 1,500 metres to the low-lying desert area of Wadi Araba. From Dana village, at the top of the plateau, you can see the lights of Israel in the distance. The Dana Biosphere Reserve is noted for its wide variety of plant life. I spent two nights in Dana Village, which allowed me to do two half day hikes in the Wadi Dana area. ![Wadi Dana, Dana Biosphere Reserve](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/dana-biosphere-reserve-1.jpg) Wadi Dana is a spectacular canyon in the Dana Biosphere Reserve ![Wadi Dana, Dana Biosphere Reserve](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/dana-biosphere-reserve-2.jpg) It was interesting to see the landscape change as I descended along the Wadi Dana trail ![Wadi Dana, Dana Biosphere Reserve](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/dana-biosphere-reserve-4.jpg) The beautiful Wadi Dana canyon in the Dana Biosphere Reserve. My hotel, and the starting point of the hike, is in the top right corner. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/dana-biosphere-reserve-5.jpg) Canyon wall ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/dana-biosphere-reserve-6.jpg) A donkey in Dana Village ![Dana Biosphere Reserve](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/dana-biosphere-reserve-7.jpg) The landscape in Fida canyon right next to Wadi Dana is entirely different ![Dana Biosphere Reserve](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/dana-biosphere-reserve-8.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/dana-biosphere-reserve-9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/dana-biosphere-reserve-10.jpg) Fida Canyon is an olfactory wonderland with a great variety of fragrant trees and plants ![Dana Biosphere Reserve](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/dana-biosphere-reserve-11.jpg) Fida Canyon reminded me a lot of the Needles district in Canyonlands National Park in Utah ### Related Posts The photos I took in [Petra](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/petra/), [Wadi Rum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-rum/), [Jerash](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jerash/), [Wadi Numeira](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-numeira/) and [Amman](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/amman/). ### Jordan URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jordan/ Last updated: 2026-01-05T14:59:03.000Z Jordan has an abundance of archaeological sites and natural wonders. I had a great time travelling around the country. I visited all the top sites, Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerash, Amman, and made many stops along the way. ![King's Highway, Wadi Mujib](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jordan-1.jpg) The King's Highway in Jordan as it descends into Wadi Mujib ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jordan-2.jpg) Somewhere along the road ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jordan-3.jpg) ![Madaba, Jordan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jordan-4.jpg) Madaba, Jordan as seen from the belfry of the church Madaba is famous for its ancient mosaics, which I duly visited. These photos were taken from the belfry of the church that houses the shrine of the beheading of John the Baptist. The vaulted underbelly of the church, which contains a 3,000 year-old well is also worth a visit. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jordan-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jordan-6.jpg) View of Madaba, Jordan from the belfry of a church. Notice the water tanks. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jordan-9.jpg) Bedouin camps in the desert ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jordan-10.jpg) Tafila is situated along the King's Highway, between Karak and Wadi Musa/Petra. There's not much to see, which is why I made a brief stop to shoot some ordinary Jordan scenes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jordan-11.jpg) Butcher in Tafila. A highly effective way of showcasing fresh produce. Notice the decoration. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/09/jordan-12.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/12/jordan-13.jpg) ### Related Posts The photos I took in [Petra](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/petra/), [Wadi Rum](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-rum/), [Jerash](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/jerash/), [Wadi Numeira](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/wadi-numeira/) and [Amman](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/amman/). ### Anton Corbijn at the Gemeentemuseum and the Fotomuseum Den Haag URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/04/12/anton-corbijn-at-the-gemeentemuseum-and-the-fotomuseum-den-haag/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T14:10:31.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/anton-corbijn-1-2-3-4-b.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/anton-corbijn-1-2-3-4-a.jpg) Anton Corbijn at the Fotomuseum Den Haag To mark the sixtieth birthday of Anton Corbijn, the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and the Fotomuseum Den Haag have organised a major double exhibition. The exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum, entitled Hollands Deep, showcases Corbijn's evolution as a photographer. I already knew most of the photos on show, but even so it was nice to see them hanging on a wall. The exhibition in the Fotomuseum, entitled 1-2-3-4, consists of some 300 photos from Anton Corbijn's archive. Most of these photos are shown here for the first time. Perhaps it was because the exhibition was more crowded or perhaps it was because the photos were presented in the form of a wall collage, but the exhibition in the Fotomuseum was more lively, indeed it had a bit of a rock 'n roll vibe. I left the exhibition energized and full of inspiration. The exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum runs until 21 June 2015\. The exhibition at the next door Fotomuseum has been extended until 16 August 2015\. If you can't make it to the exhibition, both exhibitions are accompanied by a catalogue. ### Berlinde de Bruyckere: Sculptures and Drawings 2000–2014 URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/04/12/berlinde-de-bruyckere-sculptures-and-drawings-2000-2014/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T14:09:59.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/08/berlinde-de-bruyckere-5.jpg) Last year the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst in Gent organized a major retrospective of the Belgian artist Berlinde de Bruyckere. Ever since seeing an early career [retrospective](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2005/01/31/berlinde-de-bruyckere-retrospective) of her work at the De Pont Foundation for Contemporary Art in Tilburg in 2005, I've been a big fan of her work. I was tempted to travel to Gent, but when I read that the exhibition would travel on to the Gemeentemuseum in Den Haag I decided to wait a few months. Unfortunately, the exhibition in the Gemeentemuseum is a pared down version of the exhibition at SMAK. There are some intriguing new works on show, such as the one pictured above, but I'd been hoping for more, especially more sculptures. For it's in her sculptures that Berlinde de Bruyckere has found a truly unique voice. They are tender and gruesome at the same time. If you're unfamiliar with her work the exhibition is a good introduction, though. And if you're travelling to Den Haag for the [Anton Corbijn double exhibition](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/04/12/anton-corbijn-at-the-gemeentemuseum-and-the-fotomuseum-den-haag) do make some time for Berlinde de Bruyckere as well. ### Links [Documentary](https://vimeo.com/127587292?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about and interview with Berlinde de Bruyckere. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/03/31/further-reading-16/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T18:16:01.000Z Ben Bernanke on [why real interest rates are low throughout the industrialized world and the United States.](http://t.co/KtsFEOvqyi?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) And Bernanke takes [a critical look](http://t.co/MFfSoWlsQJ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) at Larry Summers’ secular stagnation hypothesis. I loved the [Givenchy Fall 2015 Ready-to-Wear collection.](http://t.co/8rr3srjbfl?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). The [face jewelry](http://t.co/Z2yz74ot5F?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) was quite spectacular. I also quite liked the [Fall 2015 RTW collection by John Galliano for Maison Margiela.](http://t.co/KLKuAQ3rM4?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Just discovered this ultrashort story by David Foster Wallace: [*Incarnations of Burned Children*.](http://t.co/eEfOkRT0Gx?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) If you haven't heard of CRISPR yet you should familiarize yourself, it's one of today's biggest underreported stories. [A good primer.](https://t.co/IP2zVDMGZ6?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [John Nash and Louis Nirenberg share the Abel Prize.](http://t.co/iXruUIkRaI?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ["The fact that I spend most of my time so stupidly only makes it more important not to waste any here."](http://t.co/xaJIRAaEag?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Short-sightedness is reaching epidemic proportions. [Some scientists think they have found a reason why.](http://t.co/QlaQu1n7oT?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Gerhard Richter talks about [the art market bubble.](http://t.co/FIhLdlDBjW?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) "Der ganze Markt für Kunst ist so hoffnungslos überzogen." [Interview with Rem Koolhaas.](http://t.co/OMK1vmFb6c?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) "There’s been very little rethinking of what cities can be." On the trail of [a mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory.](https://t.co/TTXWFlecWZ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Excellent essay](http://t.co/bxl1RSGXfk?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) by Yuval Noah Harari. "Terrorists don’t think like army generals; they think like theatre producers." [The Cheater's Guide to Love.](http://t.co/FQ7Ip69iFQ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Short story from 2012 by Junot Díaz also included in This Is How You Lose Her. Why I prefer CDs or lossless. [Music made from the audio stripped out of an MP3.](http://t.co/qkgf8kuqMt?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Part 2](http://t.co/gpZvl46ivv?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of Karl Ove Knausgaard’s passage through America. Interesting series of articles on [creative AI and computational creativity.](http://t.co/ZatIN8R6bl?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Abhijit Banerjee on [what we have learned in the past two decades about microcredit and what we still need to know.](http://t.co/TOs9FLnFw3?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) 7 randomized evaluations from around the world show that [microcredit does not have a transformative impact on poverty.](http://t.co/QlFAa9TWG5?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) French street artist Charles Leval aka Levalet has updated his site with [new work he's created in 2015.](http://t.co/LFvSrMOjYg?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Interesting article](http://t.co/knGltFLaKC?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about French mathematician and Fields medalist Cedric Villani and his new book *Birth of a Theorem*. [Recycling oil barrels around the world.](http://t.co/QiMzBiqWnH?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) A wise person once said: "Hardware eventually fails. Software eventually works." ### Highlights from the Fall 2015 Ready-to-Wear Collections URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/03/15/highlights-from-the-fall-2015-ready-to-wear-collections/ Last updated: 2019-11-03T16:36:20.000Z I loved the [fall 2015 RTW collection](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2015-ready-to-wear/givenchy?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com#collection) by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy. I also loved the facial jewellery. I also liked the mathematical structures in the collection by Junya Watanabe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/givenchy-fall-2015-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/givenchy-fall-2015-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/givenchy-fall-2015-rtw-3.jpg) Givenchy ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/givenchy-fall-2015-rtw-4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/givenchy-fall-2015-rtw-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/givenchy-fall-2015-rtw-6.jpg) Givenchy ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/junya-watanabe-fall-2015-rtw-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/junya-watanabe-fall-2015-rtw-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2019/11/junya-watanabe-fall-2015-rtw-3.jpg) Junya Watanabe ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/02/25/further-reading-15/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T18:02:15.000Z Karl Ove Knausgaard is traveling across America and [writing about it for *The New York Times Magazine*](http://t.co/9OVKSb11jH?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Interview with John Ioannidis](http://t.co/eyZ0uW2pHp?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) on the 10th anniversary of his seminal paper "Why Most Published Research Findings are False". The Fabric of a Life. [An Interview with Yasmina Reza.](http://t.co/ZY5rnXgT6b?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) In Balanchine’s beautiful forest. [Interesting account](http://t.co/puc13FPWjC?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) of the creation of *A Midsummer Night’s Dream* by Jennifer Homan. [The selfish ribosome.](http://t.co/kCBzybLg8y?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The idea of two sexes is simplistic. [Biologists now think there is a wider spectrum than that.](http://t.co/Twuc3OsxnH?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [A curious case of writer's block.](http://t.co/TubMhir6L7?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The decision by World Press Photo to disqualify numerous photos has rekindled [the debate about truth and photography](http://t.co/9EYdMo8j3O?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Nouriel Roubini on art as an asset class.](http://t.co/keHa7pkzf0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Scientists have developed [contact lenses that allow wearers to zoom in and out.](http://t.co/sLyOmy4af8?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [The problem with action movies today](https://t.co/tNtggtdvbs?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) according to Chris Stuckmann. Couldn't agree more. [A recent solution to the prisoner’s dilemma](https://t.co/mxByDQ8leq?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) has created new puzzles in evolutionary biology. [Nice collection of bird's eye view pictures.](http://t.co/QO3mjGeuex?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The entire collection of [winning images from the 58th World Press Photo Contest.](http://t.co/ZQ5DWLASLh?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Tim Parks [in search of authenticity.](http://t.co/4ytX19MzKc?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/02/09/further-reading-14/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T17:52:37.000Z Luciano Floridi on [the philosophy of information.](http://t.co/7GoDQ7vSQg?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Remy Charlip and [the problems of dance notation.](http://t.co/4RDPxGmG4v?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) In case you didn't already know, the Dutch are weird. [Just look at these charts](http://t.co/iREkDnAO1Q?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). [Chris Ware interviewed by Jeet Heer](http://t.co/TPf7Igw1KQ?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) for the Paris Review. I love the [Spring 2015 Couture collection by John Galliano for Maison Margiela](http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2015-couture/maison-martin-margiela/slideshow/collection?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com#2). xkcd on [statistical significance testing](https://xkcd.com/1478/?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). So true. I first read it 15 years ago. It's still a source of inspiration. [Bruce Mau: An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth.](http://t.co/GiDLjE6urW?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Free the word](http://t.co/blsShPj2MT?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com). Opening speech by Karl Ove Knausgård at the Writers Unlimited Winternachten Festival in The Hague. [24 pieces of life advice](http://t.co/sOGunxQ5U0?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) from Werner Herzog. Tim Parks on [the limits of satire.](http://t.co/yufK20WZh2?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Arundhati Roy on [the scourge of caste.](http://t.co/7NqBVbcMMR?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) 13 of the 14 hottest years of the past 135 years [are in the 21st century.](http://t.co/0ZPKRvirdV?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Excellent [interview with anthropologist Scott Atran](http://t.co/c0sXwxnewg?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) who has done extensive field research into the roots of terrorism. ### Further Reading URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/blog/2015/01/14/further-reading-13/ Last updated: 2019-08-26T17:43:30.000Z [John Kemp on the distinction between breakeven and shut-in prices for oil wells.](http://t.co/tAgjHEkQVl?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Interesting nugget of fact: Oil does not occur in giant caverns underground. In fact, oilfields are like a sponge made from rock. xkcd on [location sharing.](http://t.co/mrcP9fhAMy?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The golden ratio has spawned a beautiful new curve: [the Harriss spiral.](http://t.co/QDybNKOi3d?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Vincent Laforet recently captured [some stunning aerial photos of NYC at night.](http://t.co/25JzZdIurn?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Mathematicians have solved [the century-old triangulation conjecture.](https://t.co/751A4uJrAr?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) [Fascinating essay](http://t.co/K14f7I6H7o?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about the autodidact Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887–1920). NASA has released [a high definition version of the iconic Hubble "Pillars of Creation" image.](http://t.co/ZHaNFkKqpS?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Mathematicians have uncovered [the 4 basic rules behind the ancient Japanese art of kirigami.](https://t.co/3ZrhYOPswz?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) The Smithsonian's Freer-Sackler art galleries have digitized [their entire collection and put it online.](http://t.co/BykRjS8OXD?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) Check out: [Gakutei Harunobu: *Two Geisha reading from a book*](http://t.co/KCPFrN2oyj?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) and [*A Sleeping Princess*](http://t.co/U22s5aNnoY?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), from India, late 18th century and this watercolor of [*A Woman Disappointed by her Lover*](http://t.co/arxN2gpFul?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com), from Udaipur, India ca. 1640. [Brief interview with Michel Houellebecq](http://t.co/YJRZtv47KL?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) about his new novel *Submission*. [Simon Beck's astonishing landscape and snow art](http://t.co/dI9cfvJ8cG?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) illustrates the cold beauty of mathematics. Roberto Saviano, author of *Gomorrah*, [about his life under armed guard.](http://t.co/CoO1qEXhKG?ref=ivarhagendoorn.com) _Includes the latest 500 public posts. Use `/sitemap.xml` for the complete archive of public content._