Lust for Life and Dance of Death

Alastair Mackie
selected works

 

The exhibition consists of over 250 works as part of the largest presentation to date of works from the Olbricht Collection, one of the most important collections in Europe. This show opens a door to a voyage through 400 years of art and cultural history, with works shown in relationship with each other both on thematic and formal grounds, where lines of affiliation become visible throughout our cultural history and our collective memory.

The exhibition addresses a host of existential topics including religion, sexuality, love, beauty, transience and death. It presents contemporary art that challenges us to enter into a mutual dialogue, while breaking or questioning certain moral and religious taboos. The historical context spans from artefacts from 16th, 17th and 18th century “Cabinets of Curiosities” to contemporary artworks from the 20th and 21st century. Based on affinities of form and of content, works from Albrecht Dürer are contrasted with Andy Warhol, Emil Nolde with Gerhard Richter and Frans Pourbus the Elder with Cindy Sherman. These works enter into a unique correspondence with each other that together recount a new version of the history of art and culture.