Our Editor Visits the Musée National d'Histoire et d'Art (MNHA) ~ The National Museum of History and Art (Luxembourg)

Written by Karl Zimmerman Saturday, 11 February 2012 22:39

The Musée National d'Histoire et d'Art (MNHA). The idea of a public museum in Luxembourg dates back to the late 18th century, and at the time Luxembourg was annexed by the French, proposals were put forward for the creation of a "Museum of the Department of Forêts". Although this proposal never came to fruition, the first steps in building a collection were taken, and objects (including an astronomical clock) were removed from public sale in 1796 to form the kernel of the collection. In 1845 historians and artists founded the "Society for Research and Conservation of Monuments in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" later called the "Archaeological Society". This society maintained and expanded the collection. However, the museum project finally became reality in 1922 through the acquisition of the house-of-Collart Scherff, located in the Marche aux Poissons (old fish market). Over the following years, the museum was able to move into its first permanent home and the collection was expanded, fueled by acquisitions, donations, bequests and loans. In 1958, a purchasing commission was created to build up the collection of modern art. This gradual expansion reached its climax in 2002, with the completion of a new modern building, designed by Christian Bauer and Associates, which more than doubled the exhibition space to 4,500m2. The exhibits are displayed in chronological order over ten floors, half of which are below ground. From the depths of Prehistory to the most recent artistic experiments, the visitor climbs from floor to floor as if walking through the corridors of time. The departments of Decorative Arts and Popular and Traditional Arts are situated in well-preserved townhouses of the 17th and 18th century next to the main museum building. Besides the temporary exhibitions held each year, the museum features all the archeological finds in the country, as well as collections of coins, jewels and pictures. The museum fills 10 floors, and the exhibits are displayed chronologically, beginning with the ones from the prehistoric age. The archaeological collections show the development of the human settlement in Luxembourg from Prehistory to the end of the Middle Ages. Among the highlights are a spectacular series of late iron age aristocratic graves and the sumptuous Roman Muses mosaic discovered in Vichten. The decorative and folk art section goes far beyond its title by capturing the period from 16th to 20th century in other respects also. This results in synergies that contribute to the richness of the overall cultural project. One room showcases a selection of decorative arts from neighboring countries and another room shows paintings on glass from several regions of Europe, but the bulk of the collection is devoted to Luxembourg artifacts. This department is housed in exceptionally well preserved former aristocratic and bourgeois houses that are situated next to the main museum building.The section of Fine Arts is devoted primarily to painting, sculpture and photography. The ancient arts collection includes Italian paintings from the twelfth to the sixteenth century as well as some representatives of the Northern Schools. The collection is also enriched with Flemish paintings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and several examples of Dutch, French and Italian schools in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The collection of modern and contemporary art provides an overview of various trends that have travelled the twentieth century and focuses on impressionism, neo-impressionism, cubism, abstraction, surrealism, the School of Paris, and New Figuration. Stand-out works include the famed Rosso Fiorentino’s Bacchus, Venus and Love (1530-1531), as well as modern works depicting various aspects of the daily life in Luxembourg. Visit the museum's website at : www.mnha.public.lu

The collection of modern and contemporary art provides an overview of various trends that have traveled the twentieth century and focuses on impressionism, neo-impressionism, cubism, abstraction, surrealism, the School of Paris, and New Figuration. Currently the MNHA is showing "The Age of Symbolism in Latvia" (until 27th March 2011) - a selection of works from the most important Latvian symbolists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Velvety impressions, gray-white landscapes and strange and mysterious scenes: a selection of some 50 works including works by the classic Latvian painters Janis Rozentals, Vilhelms Purvitis, Johans Valters, Jekabs Belzens, Aleksandrs Romans and Rudolfs Perle, ranging from the end of the 19th century to the Second World War. The collection additionally features drawings and graphic works by Adams Alksnis, Alise Dmitrijeva, Peters Krastinš, Janis Rozentals, Teodors Uders and Rihards Zarinš. Symbolism as an art movement emerged in cosmopolitan atmosphere of late 19th century Western Europe, and its essence is associated with general human ideas; however, in Latvian art, expression is also given to the spirit of the time, reflecting on the direction of the national art towards creative maturity. Its multi-layered language, synthesizing influences from German, Finnish and French art, was created with the contribution of the Art Nouveau style. The human image is found not only in portraits of the artists' contemporaries, but also in studies of mythology and folklore, while nature is expressed through the colorful landscapes of the Latvian countryside, forests and rivers in the light of the northern dusk.