THE WORLD OF YOUSUF KARSH / a Private Essence &+ @ Montreal Museum of Fine Arts > 30.01.2022

 

Picasso by Yousuf Karsh

Hilliard T. Goldfarb © Lena Ghio 2021

FRANÇAIS app de traduction à gauche

I had not returned to the MMFA since the pandemic began. It was a very difficult time for all cultural institutions and for those who love them. I was fortunate that a colleague, Chantal L'Heureux, a dedicated radio producer, blogger and host asked me to go for the press tour for THE WORLD OF YOUSUF KARSH / a Private Essence 

The mood is very sober as we enter the Museum that used to dazzle with art and activity. Still, what we do for art! After disinfecting myself and showing my vaccination passport, I headed for the familiar exhibition hall on the third floor of the main building. 

We had to wait for the new Director of the Curatorial Division Mary-Dailey Desmarais and senior curator Hilliard T. Goldfarb to introduce the exhibition before moving in to soak in the work of the masterful photographer Yousuf Karsh.

Karsh is an Armenian born nationalized Canadian who became a world renowned photographer who documented the rich, the beautiful, the powerful and the everyday people of the 20th century. M.Goldfarb had hundreds of pieces to look through but made his decision for whose portraits would appear with an eye towards diversity, to make sure as many races as possible would be featured, women and people of all social classes. 

This is M. Goldfarb's last exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. I wish to congratulate him on his excellent work through the years, the wonderful exhibitions he has curated and the wealth of information he always shared with us generously. As you can see from the photo on the right he is ready and happy for the adventures that lay ahead for him. CONGRATULATIONS!

Ragnar Kjartansson. Photo Elisabet Davids

Ragnar Kjartansson, Sumarnótt

Death Is Elsewhere

Ragnar Kjartansson is an Icelandic multidisciplinary contemporary artist that made his name with his innovative video installations that represent humans in relation with their world, nature and each other. I became acquainted with his work when he presented several major installations at the Montreal Museum of contemporary art in 2016.

This time the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts presents one of the artist's latest durational performance-based works where one set of female twins is paired with one set of male twins to form two almost identical couples that provide the song and music of the performance that occurred on the longest day of the year in Iceland, the summer solstice, on a pastoral landscape from where we can see the Laki volcano in South Iceland.

I entered the installation awkwardly, not convinced I would enjoy it. I always give art a chance to speak to me so I observed the large screens from one angle, then another. I change location inside the installation to view it from an alternate perspective. I began paying attentions to the singing that I found quite pleasant. It seemed to lull my mind and my attention moved from the superficial concerns of the piece to the internal details of the imagery: the blades of grass, the man's ear, the woman's hair fluttering in a mild breeze, the infinite horizon. As the two couples sing and walk slowly and relentlessly, the sensation of being in the center of a labyrinth overtook me. The far away vistas revealed how fragile the objects that appeared close to me were.

Tears filled my eyes.

Preview from THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART installation that differs from the Montreal version that is darker and has no central fountain.

MORE NEWS

For the first time ever the public is invited to buy extraodrinary art at the annual Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Auction. I have received the French version of the catalogue that you can see HERE.

To keep our wonderful Museum going, you can participate in this year's campaign LINK 

REMEMBER TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE TO VISIT THE MUSEUM

-LENA GHIO