The Garden at Designmuseum Danmark

I don't know excatly what is going on with me but during the last couple of years I've come to love (love!!!) gardens (I love the story of how Hubert de Givenchy gifted Audrey Hepburn with 60 apple trees for her garden at La Paisible) My sister has her own garden but I don't (I make due with my canals and that's okay, too) but whenever I get the chance to immerse myself in gardens or take long walks in the woods (preferably during autumn or early spring when the birch threes are budding) I feel extremely good.

Designmusem Denmark, which is build in the Rococo style, also has its own little beautiful garden and I completely fell in love with it. I always start daydreaming about the people who have stolled there back in the old days, what they wore and talked about. Since the museum originally was a hospital it must have made for a nice retreat for patients, relatives and the hospital staff. I could have strolled there forever. It's so small and very elegant. 

 

Designmuseum Danmark

Sunday my sister and I started the day with brunch at the Danish Architecture Centre here on Christianshavn and spent the afternoon at Designmuseum Danmark. I discovered (actually, I eavesdropped on the tour guide) that the museum originally was a hospital but the architect forgot to include the operation rooms (no biggie, who cares about details anyway?) Danish designer Kaare Klint helped re-design the museum and today it proudly boasts the crème de la crème of the finest Danish design.  

Back in the day the idea was to display the absolute best design so students had a place to go and study the masters and get inspired to do even better (is that even possible?) To some the glass and wooden display cases may look old and dated but for the trained eye (and for Kaare Klint fans) you can see that they are superbly designed. 

Caroline and I saw the permanent furniture, design- and textile exhibits (why doesn't people dress up anymore?), the Japanese exhibit Learning From Japan (I really want to go there) and the very fascinating Mindcraft15 curated by  Danish/Italian design duo GamFratesi.

 Learning From Japan

Mindcraft15

 

 

 
 

From Van Gogh to Pollock

Tuesday I went to the Calatrava Art Museum in Milwaukee and saw the exhibit From Van Gogh to Pollock. The Calatrava is so impressive and beautiful. I liked the exhibit even if it didn't blow me away. Here's a few snippets of what caught my eye - I did enjoy the modern artists. 

Georgia O'Keefe: Green Patio Door, 1955 

Mark Rothko: Orange and Yellow, 1956

Amedeo Modigliani: La Jeune Bonne, 1918

Stuart Davis, New York Waterfront, 1938

Jackson Pollock: Convergence, 1952

Lee Krasner: Milkweed, 1955

Joseph Kosuth: Three Color Sentence, 1965

Miss Phryne Fisher's Murder Mysteries

"Well, you should see what I can do with a garter..." Allow me to introduce you to Miss Phryne Fisher - girl about town, feminist (without being boring about it) and most importantly: Lady Detective! 

The scene is set: Melbourne in the late 20ties, speak easies, boot legging and murders én masse (Phryne only seems to know people who're involved in murders - wuhu, it's so great) 

She lives in a beautiful house (with red iron castings) along with her butler Mr. Butler, her faithful maid and companion "Dot" and her adoptive daughter Jane. Her closest friend and confidante is Dr. Elizabeth Macmillan (or Doctor Mac) and Phryne depends on her good friends Bert and Cec to handle the more unsavory aspects of her investigations. 

Miss Phryne works closely with the handsome Detective Inspector Jack Robinson and she is almost (well, all the time actually) on the murder scene before Jack and though it might irritate him in the beginning he starts to rely heavily on Phryne and her insight. There's lots of unspoken sexual tensions between them which makes for great chemistry/comedy/drama. 

Phryne Fisher is a woman of means and incredibly stylish which makes the series a visual joy. Her signature style is her bobbed hair, red lips and pearl-handled gold pistol. Because she grew up poor she possesses a strong social justice and after experiencing personal heartbreak (her baby sister got kidnapped) she makes it a point to live her life. She drives her own car, her beloved red 1923 46CV Hispano-Suiza, speaks Chinese and Russian, can fly a plane... well, let's just say that in every episode she masters a new skill :-)

 

Australian actress Essie Davis brings Phryne to life (the series are based on the books by Kerry Greenwood) and you can enjoy season 1 & 2 on Netflix. Season 3 is done and hopefully it soon airs on Netflix. 

Weekend Inspiration #58

Edvard Weie & The Poetry of Nature

Landscape with Palm Trees, Cannes, ca. 1939

It's no secret that I've become very interested in art on a personal level and find great solace in going to exhibits taking my time to actually see. I remember my first serious visit to an art museum. I was 15 years old and it was the local art museum in my hometown. The only painting there I really felt spoke to me was Edvard Weie. I didn't know anything about him other than I liked his wide brush strokes and use of colour. Today was the last day of the exhibit Edvard Weie: Poesiens Natur (Edvard Weie: The Nature of Poetry) at Gl. Strand Art Association. It's so typical of me to arrive on the very last day but I'm so happy I did. 

In March 1915 the Gl. Strand Art Association hosted Weie's first solo exhibition. Today, a 100 years later, Gl. Strand highlights this by showcasing a wide variety of his paintings all privately owned. As you will see on the pictures there are no tags telling the viewer what you see. Instead, beautiful classical music filled each room adhering to the theme of the paintings which I found very powerful. Along with your admission ticket you were given a little book to keep with information and pictures. 

I also liked how the walls were either painted purple, white or grey and that in some rooms there were only three paintings. It made it very intimate and when I left (I took several rounds like I usually do) I felt I had witnessed something very special, something very delicate and intangible. The moment you walked out the door you felt you were saying goodbye to something which, in a short amount of time, had become very dear to you.

A Group of Trees in the Sunlight with a View to the Channel. Autumn, 1914

Langelinie, ca. 1929

An Avenue. Hørsholm, ca. 1928

Faun and Nymph, 1940/41

Kunstforeningen Gl. Strand

Gl. Strand 48

1202 København 

www.glstrand.dk 

PS. To my few Danish readers: notice the text where Weie talks about art and how he writes "gnaske en pose konfekt til" - isn't that hilarious! :-)

A Daytrip to Dragør

Saturday was the first day where it really felt like Spring and although it was a bit breezy the sun did warm your face and you only needed a light jacket. 

My sister, nephew and I decided to visit Dragør, a little town a short ride outside of Copenhagen. I didn't know what to expect (honestly, I only expected a main road and a church!!) so I was very surprised to discover an old charming town with yellow houses, a bustling harbour and the nicest atmosphere everywhere. After enjoying a nice lunch we discovered a smokehouse on the harbour and since I love fish I have to go back in the coming months to try the smokehouse and explore this gem of a town even more. I hope the pictures gives you an idea of how charming Dragør is...