The GRASSI Museum für Angewandte Kunst presents from 04.11.2023 to 06.10.2024 in its Art decó pillar hall around 350 objects by renowned artists of the Art Nouveau period. Represented are works by Emil Gallé, Henry van der Velde, Peter Behrens and Joseph Maria Olbrich, among others, as well as well-known companies and manufactories such as Johann Lötz Witwe, WMF, Meissen and KPM. The exhibition includes vases, jewellery and décor, but also everyday objects such as crockery and cutlery.
Many of the works on display come from the collection of the Pese couple from Nuremberg, which was donated to the museum in 2020. The show is complemented by acquisitions of the last two decades from the museum's extensive holdings. The museum has been collecting Art Nouveau since the late 1890s. A good century ago, this was a clear commitment to modernism and a turning away from the historicism of the Wilhelminian period, which was perceived as dusty: Leipzig had also been seized by the "inspiring fever". The exhibition title goes back to a quote by Robert Musil (1880 - 1942), who aptly describes the time at the turn of the century when this fever had suddenly spread throughout Europe and a change of times had taken place.
An extensive accompanying programme complements the exhibition with readings, guided city tours & creative workshops.
Many of the works on display come from the collection of the Pese couple from Nuremberg, which was donated to the museum in 2020. The show is complemented by acquisitions of the last two decades from the museum's extensive holdings. The museum has been collecting Art Nouveau since the late 1890s. A good century ago, this was a clear commitment to modernism and a turning away from the historicism of the Wilhelminian period, which was perceived as dusty: Leipzig had also been seized by the "inspiring fever". The exhibition title goes back to a quote by Robert Musil (1880 - 1942), who aptly describes the time at the turn of the century when this fever had suddenly spread throughout Europe and a change of times had taken place.
An extensive accompanying programme complements the exhibition with readings, guided city tours & creative workshops.
