Bringing art, from Dresden to Mumbai

The city can look forward to identifying with urban issues, culture and other aspects of city life through modern art. The Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum is organising the ‘Sightseeing Trip. Eberhard Havekost in India’ in collaboration with the Dresden State of Art Collections. Dresden is one of Germany’s foremost museums and, Eberhard, one of the prominent and internationally famed artists from Dresden, Germany.

The initiative is part of the Indo-German friendship year that focuses on city spaces and urban issues. “This exhibition fits the museum’s profile. It helps us go back to the original spirit of ‘your time’ with which the museum (Bhau Daji Lad) was built in the 19th century. It was created as a modern art museum that depicted modern works of art students of that time. A century later their work may look classical now, but the idea of having this museum then was to display modern work. Through this exhibition, we are trying to go back to a time when modern art was displayed to people” said Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, managing trustee and honorary director at Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum.

She added, “We are happy that one of the largest museums of the world has collaborated with us. We are happy to display best of both Indian and contemporary art of the world.” The exhibition will run from February 19 to April 1, 2012. Eberhard’s works have been sourced from the Dresden museum and private collections. It includes a thematically concentrated selection of 19 paintings and, for the first time, 113 offset prints that Eberhard created on the basis on his own photographs.

“The works depict urban life from windows of buildings, car windows, and advertising hoardings among others. What he has done is put some of his photographs to paint. Painters use everything around them, even films to paint to get new ideas. These are some of his finest works,” said Mathias Wagmer, curator from Dresden State Art Collection.

Sophie Caroline Grune, project manager for international projects at Dresden State Art Collections, said that Eberhard’s work was specifically chosen as he belongs to Dresden. “He is an important German artist who, through his work, has tried to show urban issues and culture in the city. He likes to interpret surroundings,” she said, adding: “We chose this particular museum as it is not easy to find good museum partners who exhibit modern art on a regular basis.”