Previously published on Decorati.com
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938) Fränzi in front of Carved Chair, 1910 Oil on canvas, 71 x 49.5 cm (28 x 19 1/2 in.). Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
By Emily Waldorf
Housed in a 1914 mansion built for the Vanderbilt family by architects Carrère and Hastings (of New York Public Library fame), the Neue Galerie is a gem of a museum, just steps away from the Guggenheim, and much less crowded. The current exhibition, “Brücke: The Birth of Expressionism in Dresden and Berlin, 1905-1913,” has been met with glowing reviews and is a delightfully quick visit if you happen to be in New York. The Neue Galerie was the personal project of the late art dealer Serge Sabarsky and Ronald S. Lauder and is unique in its focus on 20th century German and Austrian art and juxtaposition of decorative arts and paintings – fully immersing the viewer in the time period and aesthetic.
The word Brücke means “bridge” in German, symbolizing a shift away from traditional, academic forces. The group was led by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and included Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Max Pechstein. The exhibition was organized by Reinhold Heller, a noted scholar of Northern European Modernism, and includes fifty paintings, fifty-three works on paper, and four sculptures.
Art critic Roberta Smith explains in her article in The New York Times, “Guys Who Put Art in Party Animal,” how the Brücke were influenced by a vibrant mélange, creating an original and innovative aesthetic that later artists such as Sigmar Polke, Martin Kippenberger and John Bock built on. This mix of diverse influences included hints of Dada, Jugendstil, Impressionism, post-Impressionism, Fauvism, Arts and Crafts, Art Naïf, and of course the cubist lines of Oceanic and African art (also leaned heavily upon by Picasso and Matisse).
The group also believed in unleashing their creative forces by having a good time. According to Ms. Smith,
(The Brücke) were wary of the alienation and fragmentation of city life. At least until they relocated to Berlin in 1911, they thought they could regain what was good and natural if they just took off their clothes, danced around a bit and made art.”
If you have time for a bite to eat after touring the exhibition, make a reservation at the gorgeously appointed Café Sabarsky and be sure to try the Cod strudel, the goulash with quark spätzle, the palatschinken with smoked trout and horseradish crème fraîche, and the Klimt torte.
Click here to see a great slideshow The New York Times put together of the work.