Neon art

"Neon 206 is a continuation of Chihuly's explorarations in neon. The coloured tubes seem to float, multiplying in number. The installation consists of factory-made glass tubes that have been heated and bent into angular forms which are filled with neon and argon gasses and charged with electricity." (museum info)

Neon 206 is part of the current exhibition "Chihuly" in the Groninger Museum.

Tea, dear?

From the collection of the Princessehof Museum of Ceramics.

Chinaware Piano

Dutch artist Jelle Mastenbroek combined a porcelain cabinet and a piano, and so created an object for both the eyes and ears. After pushing the button (there in the bottom left corner of the photo) the piano started playing automatically, producing a sound resembling a happy (though maybe somewhat primitive) carillon. It was pretty loud as well so I expected one of the plates to break any minute. But obviously that didn't happen haha :)
Mastenbroek graduated in 2012 from the Design Academy Eindhoven in the discipline Man and Well-Being. This installation was made especially for this exhibition in The Princessehof Nat. Museum of Ceramics.

Happy New Year

Ik wens al mijn bloglezers een sprankelend nieuwjaar!

I wish all my blog readers a sparkling New Year!

KLM houses

For a long time, KLM has been giving every passenger flying business class a miniature earthenware Delft Blue house filled with gin. Each house is the likeness of an existing Dutch house. Every year, KLM releases a new miniature around 7 October, on the occasion of its founding date in 1919. Meanwhile, the Delftware houses have become true collectors' items. There are 93 different types, if you'd like to read more click HERE.
The collection above belongs to The Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics in Leeuwarden, that I visited today. I have never travelled business class so I haven't got any myself :)

Chihuly Icicle Tower

'Chandeliers (like the one on the photo in a previous post) and Towers are perhaps the best example of Chihuly's desire to mass and control color on a grand scale. Unlike traditional chandeliers, they reflect light instead of emitting it.' (Museum info)

Go see the exhibition in the Groninger Museum if you have the chance. Happy Friday! :)

Chihuly Icicle Chandelier

The current major exhibition in the Groninger Museum exists of 16 installations of sensational glass creations by Americal artist Dale Chihuly (1941). His series of Chandeliers and Towers are assembled with multiple hand-blown glass forms mounted to a steel armature.

More to follow in the coming days. Check the link to the museum's website HERE.

Self portrait

In 1970 César Manrique created this 'Autorretrato'. It is now on the walls inside the Fundación César Manrique in the village of Tahiche, Lanzarote.

Wind sculptures by César Manrique

Driving around on Lanzarote you can't miss the art works made by local artist and architect César Manrique (1919-1992). Several roundabouts have spectacular wind sculptures that make you want to stop and look, and study them to find out how clever they are. The one above gently moves forwards and backwards in the breeze..

..and here everything just turns around in both directions; so not just in the direction the winds blows but actually in opposite directions.

Giacometti

Both photos in this post show art by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966). They are part of the Fundatie Museum's current exhibition 'Facing Fear', with sculptures by Giacometti and English sculptor Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003). Their work pictures the sense of fear and disillusionment that pervaded Europe during the Cold War period.

In Giacometti's work he reduces the human (and animal) form to its bare essentials.
´Walking Man´ is seen as the ultimate symbol of the solitary traveller in time that we each are in our heart of hearts. Despite his attenuated boday and narrow head, the walking man is inseparably connected to the earth by his larege, heavy feet. -from the museum's info.

De Ploeg exhibition

This year it will be 100 years since a group of young Groningen artists founded the artist collective De Ploeg ('The Plough' or 'The Group'). They decided it was high time to abandon 19th century ideals and traditions. Seeking new paths in painting, their work exists of brightly coloured Groningen landscapes and dynamic city scenes. The painting above by Jan Altink (1885-1971) is called 'The Harrower' ('De Egger' in Dutch). Altink was cofounder of De Ploeg.

This painting from 1927 shows the well known Groningen square 'Vismarkt' ('Fish Market'), painted by George Martens (1894-1979).
To mark the anniversary of 100 years of De Ploeg, the Groninger Museum currently presents "Avant-Garde in Groningen: De Ploeg, 1918-1928", with more than 250 works of art .

View on the Groninger Museum

As soon as you leave Groningen Central Station there is this view on the colourful buildings of the Groninger Museum.

The museum consists of 3 main pavillions, all modernist structures. The eye-catching yellow tower was designed by Alessandro Mendini, an Italian architect.

Door and decoration

This wonderful piece was above a entrance door.

According to the house numbers, quite a lot of different people live behind this door..   It must nice and light in the entrance hall with those windows, don't you think?

Deventer city hall

The facade of the Deventer city hall, seen here from the courtyard, shows 2,264 unique finger prints of 2,264 inhabitants of Deventer. Moulded in aluminium they form an eye catching wall.

It makes a unique view I think, and it's a nice idea to express the city's engagement to its citizens.

Door

The old city of Deventer is filled with treasures like this. Wouldn't it be something to arrive at your front door..

..and 2 mocking faces watch you while you search for your key?  ;)

Watching you

Stern eyes watch you from above..

..next to an entrance. Photo taken in Deventer.

A hug

Hugging a tree - photo taken in the town of Keuruu  :)

Urban Buddha

The Urban Buddha Sculpture in the Rensenpark in Emmen is made from recycled wood and plastic waste materials -such as a vacuum cleaner, a laminating machine and a printer. The Buddha is 2.00 x 1.6 m and was made during the event 'Emmen goes Eco' last April.

Nice detail is that raccoons lived on this particular spot for many years; the Rensenpark is on the location of the former Northern Zoo ('Noorder Dierenpark').

Mist fountain

I have showed you pictures from this artwork a while ago, but then the mist fountain wasn't operative yet. These seven meter high children's heads are the first thing you see when you leave the Leeuwarden train station. They were made by Spanish sculpturor Jaume Plensa (1955); he named it 'LOVE'.

A view from the other side with the train station in the background. As for the 'fountain', I think the effect that the mist gives is a bit minimal. When I passed it in the afternoon there was quite a lot of wind which made the mist hardly visible anymore. On the other hand, it's a nice and original work of art.

3D street art 1

A nice 3D street art at the Sophialaan in Leeuwarden. The artist is Leon Keer (1948), who created 5 3D paintings that can be found on the way from the train station to the Fries Museum. Leeuwarden is cultural capital of 2018 and launched a number of creative projects; they are meant to show that 'anything is possible'.

And the same piece seen from the other side.