Although 2022 was one of the most difficult and full of negative events in recent times, there was still a place for creativity in it. People of art have not stopped creating and developing the culture of their countries and the world as a whole. Anti-Covid restrictions have all but disappeared this year, allowing world exhibitions to reopen their doors and show visitors what talents people possess. World museums this year held many programs, which brought together connoisseurs of culture from all over the world.
Rafael
The National Gallery of London from the beginning of April to the end of July hosted a significant exhibition for all the work of the High Renaissance. This event was the first in which the works of Raphael Santi were viewed from all sides, assessing his influence on the art of the Middle Ages. Santi became one of the few creators of his time who managed to combine the divine with the human to talk about the humanism of the Renaissance. The exhibition showed more than 90 works by the Italian artist, many of them brought from the Louvre, the Hermitage, the Uffizi Galleries and doria-Pamphilj. Tapestries, sculptures, drawings, paintings, engravings - these and other masterpieces of Raphael could be seen in London.
The Man and the Beast by Francis Bacon
From January 29 to April 17, 2022, an exhibition dedicated to the work of the Irish artist Francis Bacon was held in London. On it, the audience was shown 45 paintings by the Dublin creator, which he painted throughout his life. The exhibition presented canvases of the era of the 1930-1940s, when Bacon was just beginning to engage in creativity - they depict unusual biomorphic creatures. Also on display was the artist's last work, Sketch of a Bull, written in the last year of Francis' life. For the first time at the event, viewers were able to look at 3 paintings that Bacon painted back in 1969.
Francis Bacon has fame as almost the most influential artist of the twentieth century, but his paintings do not all find masterpieces - the entities depicted on them repel the unprepared viewer. However, connoisseurs of the work of the Irishman consider them great. During his lifetime, Bacon liked to go to the zoo to better understand how living organisms are arranged. He also depicted human nature through images of animals, which allowed his works not to leave anyone indifferent.
"Self-Portraits of Van Gogh"
The next exhibition with the works of the artist of the twentieth century was held in the winter-spring of 2022 in London, in the Courtauld Gallery. Vincent van Gogh often painted self-portraits, although his creative path can not be called long: during his life, the artist created 35 self-portraits, but only half of them managed to survive. The highlight of the program was the famous canvas with the depicted artist with a bandaged ear. The uniqueness of the exhibition was that all 17 paintings presented on it gathered in one room together for the first time – the works usually left the artist's studio after creation. Each of the self-portraits has many differences from each other, and from them you can understand what an unrecognized genius felt at every moment of his life, as he had a perception of life and the world.
"Aristide Maillol. In Search of Harmony"
This exhibition began on October 7 of this year and will continue until January 23. You can visit it in the Kunsthaus Museum, Zurich (if you somehow get to Germany). At the event, you can get acquainted with each of the 160 works of one of the most influential sculptors of the XIX-XX centuries. The creative path of Maillol began with the creation of tapestries and painting objects, and the Frenchman began to engage in sculpture only by the age of 40. Aristide's works quickly gained recognition from both critics and connoisseurs of creativity. The sculpture of the French creator was admired by Auguste Rodin himself!
At the exhibition, visitors can see two variations of the same sculpture - the first version mayol made in 1905, and the second - in 1923. In 2023, the exhibition from Zurich will move to France and will be held from the end of February to May 21. Maybe you can go to this European country?
"Wild Eye"
On the territory of the Norwegian capital last year, the opening of a museum dedicated to the work of Edvard Munch took place. The museum houses the largest collection of works by the Norwegian creator, and in the spring of this year the exhibition "Wild Eye" was held in Oslo. At the event, visitors were presented with paintings that Munch painted while blind in one eye. During the illness, the creator was haunted by abstract images that he applied to the canvas, obtaining fantastic expositions. The exhibition program was divided into 2 directions - symbolism and surrealism. In addition to the works of Edvard Munch, in Oslo, viewers managed to see paintings by Salvador Dali, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Louise Bourgeois and Marcel Duchamp.
Exhibition of relics found in the tomb of Tutankhamun
The Grand Egyptian Museum, located in Giza, held an opening ceremony this year. In honor of this, the museum announced that in November of this year a large exhibition of artifacts that archaeologists found in the tomb of Tutankhamun will be held. In the field of history and archeology, this event became the most anticipated, because the exhibition was postponed for several years: first, there was a difficult political situation in Egypt, then the coronavirus pandemic captured the world.
The area of the museum exceeded 480,000 square meters, which allowed it to become the largest museum of archeology in the world.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's burial site, so the exhibition will be a landmark. At the event, visitors will be able to see all the artifacts that researchers found at the coffin of the Egyptian ruler. In total, about 5,000 different items will be presented at the exhibition, 3,000 of which have not been presented before. The most valuable exhibit is a golden mask, in which the rulers of Egypt were buried.
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale began on April 23 of this year and will end on November 27. The 59th event was supposed to take place last year, but the event had to be postponed, since there were strict anti-coronavirus restrictions in Europe and mass events could not be held. The exhibition is held every two years and for artists has the same significance as the Olympic Games for athletes.
The exhibition is regularly dedicated to contemporary art: visitors will be able to see the works of prominent artists, sculptors and other creators of the XXI century. The main exposition of the Biennale is "Milk of Dreams" - a series of drawings by surrealist Leonora Carrington.
