Klassik Stiftung Weimar presents the exhibition Deutschstunde (German Hour) by the artist Olaf Metzel at Belvedere Palace and Liszt House in Weimar. What can we learn from history? Is there really any lesson that we can apply to our present day? And who exactly is “we”? Few artists have delved into German history, its upheavals and ruptures as intensively as Olaf Metzel.
Image above: Olaf Metzel: Plattenbau, 2016 (installation view Belvedere Castle Weimar)Aluminum, stainless steel, steel, digital print, 303 × 275 × 205 cm © VG BILD-KUNST, Bonn 2024, photo: Leonie Felle
This year, the Klassik Stiftung Weimar is stepping up its activities in the field of contemporary art. In Belvedere Palace and the Liszt House, this offer is aimed at both those with a general interest and visitors who seek the unique en-counter with contemporary art. The exhibition Olaf Metzel: “Deutschstunde” (German Hour), in which the artist addresses the socio-political events of recent German history in more than 20 works in both the Belvedere Castle and the Liszt House.
The first floor of the Liszt House, which has been transformed into a temporary exhibition space for the next few years, provides an introduction to the sculptural work of Olaf Metzel. The drawings, sketches and design models on display there provide an insight into the sculptor‘s creative process.
Concrete, polyester resin, pigment, 112 × 568 × 75 cm. © VG BILD-KUNST, Bonn 2024, photo: Leonie Felle
On the upper floor of the Belvedere Castle, visitors’ familiar viewing habits are challenged with a contemporary artistic position for the first time. The sculptures and installations by Olaf Metzel enter into an aesthetic and thus thematic dialog with the rococo enviroment. In addition to the internationally acclaimed works Turkish Delight (2006) or Kebap Monument (2007) on the theme of migration, new sculptures such as the exhibition’s title Deutschstunde (2024) or Heimatkunde (2024), which were created especially for Weimar, can also be seen on a tour of the Belvedere.
Olaf Metzel (*1952 Berlin, lives and works in Munich) was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich for almost three decades, where he also served as director from 1995 to 1999. He has numerous exhibitions in Germany and abroad, and the work of this multi-award-winning artist can be found in important international museums and collections. Public sculptures by Metzel can be seen in Germany, Europe and Asia. Metzel is curating exhibitions, writing articles for magazines and newspapers, and producing multiple publications.
WHEN?
Vernissage: Thursday, 6th June 2024, 5 pm
Exhibition dates: Friday, from 7th June to Friday 1st November 2024
Opening hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm
WHERE?
Schloss und Park
Schloss Belvedere 11
99425 Weimar
Liszt-Haus
Marienstraße 17
99423 Weimar
COSTS?
Free admission
