[Culture Blog]
Latest Report! Contemporary Art and Design, European Tour

The firm's lead lawyer, Komatsu Junya, also handles a large amount of specialized work relating to contemporary art.
He continues to collect art as a collector, and has a particular interest in photography, having graduated from a professional photography course at a photography school after registering as a lawyer.

Komatsu traveled around Switzerland, Denmark and Italy this summer and will report on art fairs, exhibitions and design trends in these countries.

SWITZERLAND

▶ART BASEL

Art Basel is held in Hong Kong in March, Basel in June, and Miami in December, but the main event, "Basel Basel," is on a completely different scale. Each gallery brings signature works by famous artists, and the venue is so large that it's impossible to see everything in one day.

This time, I mainly looked at photos.ヴォルフガング・ティルマンスI bought three pieces from . Even if you go with a specific item in mind, your feelings may change when you see the actual works at the venue.

One day before the event,UnlimitedA special exhibition focusing on extra-large works, aptly titled "Exhibition 2019" has opened next to the main venue in Basel.
Usually at art fairs, each gallery has its own booth where multiple artists exhibit their work, but this fair is unique in that each artist has their own booth.
The work of Robert Frank, a photographer I have admired for many years.The AmericansIt was a spectacular sight to see the booth displaying all of his works, as well as large-scale works by artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Chiharu Shiota, and Mark Manders, all of which were likely intended for museums.

The fact that this project was made public before Art Basel began was also important, and I felt it was a way to prevent the fair from becoming too businesslike.

▶Fondation Beyeler

It is no exaggeration to say that one of the highlights of going to Art Basel is seeing Beyeler, as the museum puts on ambitious exhibitions every year.
This year,SUMMER IS OVER" was a group exhibition, a first for Beyeler, an independently organized exhibition by artists.

The installation where the paintings were in close contact with each other was also unique, and the loose concept of connecting Francis Bacon and Giacometti, for example, was a brilliant example of curation that only an artist could do, something that a normal curator wouldn't do.

The exhibits were changed throughout the duration of the exhibition, so it was interesting to see that the exhibition was constantly changing.
The museum architecture, designed by Renzo Piano, is also magnificent, and a large-scale retrospective of Matisse's works is planned for this autumn.

▶Kunst Museum Basel
▶Vitra Haus

If you have time, I recommend visiting the Basel Kunstmuseum and the Vitra Haus.

The museum is one of the oldest public art museums in the world, founded in 1662.Dan Flavin's exhibitwas good.

Vitra Houseis a flagship store located on the vast Vitra Campus along the Swiss-German border, and also serves as a showroom where customers can experience the entire home collection.

The architecture by Herzog & de Meuron is also a highlight, and there are VIP parties for collectors during Art Basel, but I had already moved on to the next thing...

DENMARK

▶Three Days of Design

Our next destination was Copenhagen, which we visited for the first time.

My destination was 10 Days of Design, a popular design event that celebrated its XNUMXth anniversary last year.
It started out on an open studio scale with only a few companies, but it has gradually grown and now has over 400 companies exhibiting.

In addition to Scandinavian designs by Fritz Hansen, Louis Poulsen, and HAY, this year's event will also feature Japanese brands such as Karimoku and Ambientec, making it an event not to be missed when it comes to looking at interior trends.

The venue is not a large exhibition hall like the Milan Salone, but rather the exhibits are scattered all over the city, in places like warehouses and seaside beach houses.

Copenhagen is small compared to Milan or Tokyo, so you can get around by bicycle. I stayed there for three nights, and it was a really great city with good security, beautiful streets, and the most peaceful atmosphere in Europe.
As the country is said to have the most delicious bread in the world, there are many stylish bakeries. However, the food was a bit salty overall.

▶Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

There are very few contemporary art galleries in Copenhagen, but I would recommend a visit to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, which is about 30 minutes away by train.
Also known as "the most beautiful art museum in the world," the museum's beautiful environment, integrated with nature, and its outstanding collection include works by Picasso, Giacometti, Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, and Yayoi Kusama.

The building was originally a private residence that was renovated, and the museum was named after the original owner's three wives, all of whom were named Louise.

The days are long in the Nordic summer, and I visited around 21 p.m., but Calder's large outdoor sculptures looked very pleasant against the blue sky.

ITALY

▶VeniceBiennale (Biennale Arte 2024)

This is the 60th anniversary of this biennial international art event, and this year's theme is "FOREIGNERS EVERYWHERE."
It was a conceptual exhibition about the relationship between indigenous people and the new settlers, as well as indigenous art.
More than 80% of the artists were exhibiting for the first time, and the works of artists I had not seen much before were very refreshing to see.
The Japanese Pavilion was an installation work by Yuko Mohri, inspired by John Cage and Nam June Paik. It was sound art influenced by the environment, and I thought the layout of the venue was wonderful.

▶Accademia Gallery, Venice

This historic museum was founded in 1750 and is famous for its collection of Venetian paintings from the 14th century onwards. What really moved me this time was the exhibition "WILLEM DE KOONING L'ITALIA"The exhibition is titled "

The exhibition focused on works he created in Italy, where he stayed from 1959 to 69, and included calligraphy-like works and his first small bronze sculptures. The sculptures are of people floating on the water, and they have the same motif as his paintings, Floating Man and Floating Woman, and I realized for the first time through this exhibition that they come from his bronze works.
I was then able to see how his style became increasingly abstract towards the 80s, which was a truly educational exhibition and I would say the best one of my trip to Europe.