Museum Exhibitions
Sean Scully MATERIAL WORLD
2 September 2022—5 March 2023
Thorvaldsens Museum
An exhibition of unparalleled dimensions will take place at Thorvaldsen’s Museum in Copenhagen come fall, as world-renowned artist Sean Scully visits Denmark. Scully is creating large-scale, site-specific sculptures specifically for the museum in his first ever Danish solo-show: SEAN SCULLY MATERIAL WORLD.
The entire museum is utilized in the exhibition, in which the artist showcases works that interact with the architecture, colors and surroundings of Thorvaldsen’s Museum. The artist has chosen the materials for his new works carefully and with reference to Bertel Thorvaldsen’s life and art as well as the history of Denmark. The exhibition is curated by Per Haubro Jensen in collaboration with Thorvaldsens Museum, including director Annette Johansen and exhibition manager Siri Buric.
Three of the artworks have been made specifically for the museum and the audience is in for a grand experience: The large-scale works count a 29ft sculpture in the museum front hall, a 13ft sculpture in Italian black marble from Carrara and a 25ft piece for the square in front of the museum, made from local Danish wood that dates back to the 15th century. Furthermore, the exhibition includes several other sculptures and drawings from Scully’s oeuvre as well as his iconic paintings.
Three of the artworks have been made specifically for the museum and the audience is in for a grand experience: The large-scale works count a 29ft sculpture in the museum front hall, a 13ft sculpture in Italian black marble from Carrara and a 25ft piece for the square in front of the museum, made from local Danish wood that dates back to the 15th century. Furthermore, the exhibition includes several other sculptures and drawings from Scully’s oeuvre as well as his iconic paintings.
New Public Sculpture for Copenhagen
The city space of Copenhagen will be granted a new public sculpture during the exhibition period. Scully’s sculpture group ‘Oak Stacks’ has been created specifically for Bertel Thorvaldsen’s Square in front of the museum. The artwork consists of three tall sculptures made from historic local Danish timber. With its central placement ’Oak Stacks’ offers a special, sensuous experience in city’s cultural quarter and a temporary gift for the public space. This can be experienced during the first months of 2023 – the year in which Copenhagen has officially been designated as the World Capital of Architecture.
A Meeting of Stars
The exhibition SEAN SCULLY MATERIAL WORLD presents a meeting across time and space between two artistic superstars, Sean Scully and Bertel Thorvaldsen. Despite their different life-worlds and time periods Scully and Thorvaldsen both strive to express primary human emotions, combining physical and metaphysical dimensions into a form of imagery that is universal. Both artists find inspiration in the art of Antiquity but interpret it within each of their own contemporary times.
