© Annette Hauschild exhibition at C/O Gallery Berlin Open-Air-Ausstellung 20th September – 24th November 2013
There is art nearly everywhere you look in Europe, from the architecture to the fashion as well as the galleries themselves. Although Europe may seem like a place for antiques and classic paintings, it also has many sites for modern and contemporary art just waiting to be found by the urban explorer.
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 Germany has redeveloped itself and now has a plethora of galleries and even a Museum Island containing five museums. The Altes Museum hosts antiquities from Grecian and Roman periods, but for more modern art there is probably no place better than the C/O Gallery, housed in the old royal post office, which hosts largely photography from local, unknown artists as well as huge names like Peter Lindbergh and Annie Leibovitz who have had retrospectives there.
Vienna has a leg up on many other cities as its ruling family from 1282 to 1918 were avid collectors of art from around the world, most of which is now on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Van Dyck, Rembrandnt, the Flesh master Pieter Brueghel the Elder and a plethora of Greek and Egyptian art make up just some of the core galleries. In the Museums Quartier, the Kunsthalle Wien shows modern and contemporary art from the likes of Kadinsky and Pollock, and the Leopold Museum shows Austrian art including Egon Shiele and Gustav Klimt.
Collections permanentes du Musée d'Art Moderne by mairiedeparis
Unsurprisingly, Paris has an incredible mix of antique and contemporary artwork. The Louvre itself has over 35,000 works including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, and the Musee d’Orsay showcases late nineteenth and early twentieth century artwork from Manet, Monet, Cezanne and Renoir. But if Paris doesn’t win your holiday comparison for cool contemporary art, The Beaubourg holds the temple to such pieces, the Musée National d’Art Moderne which boasts a massive variety of modern and contemporary art including from Matisse to Andy Warhol, from Francis Bacon to the founder of video art, Nam June Paik.
Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance art movement featuring work from Michaelangelo, Botticelli and Raphael, but it has adapted and grown and become much more than a monument to the classics. The Centro di Cultura Contemporanea Strozzina shows video installations as well as modern Chinese art and specialises in using different expressive forms.
The Marino Marini Museum in the deconsecrated church of St Pancrazio has been converted into a shrine to contemporary art and is known for its well-curated exhibitions.
And these are just a few examples – with so many culture rich places to choose from making a decision on where to begin could be tricky and no doubt expensive, thankfully there is always the option of exploring a holiday comparison site to search for the best deals. With Europe being full of a vibrant and ever-growing art scene, you won’t regret your choice.
