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EVENT DESCRIPTION
On view from 13 to 26 September is EROS/THANATOS – Gesamtkunstwerk II, an exhibition exploring the tension of emotions between the forces of desire (Eros) and death (Thanatos) through modern and contemporary art, Old Master paintings, Chinese calligraphy and ceremonial objects, ancient sculptures, as well as rare manuscripts and first editions.
Set in the intimate ground-floor space, EROS/THANATOS invites visitors to step forth into an immersive journey that delves into the depths of human emotions, shedding light on the complex range of experiences, from love and desire, passion, transgression, fear and mortality. Drawing on mythology, psychoanalysis and art history, the exhibition traces how artists across centuries have long dwelt in the contradiction between love and death. Highlights include works by Francis Bacon, Sanyu, Balthus, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dalí, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri and Jeff Koons.
Inspired by the writings of Georges Bataille, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and many great novelists of our times, the works on display span geography and genres across 80 million years of history. From the seductive, violent energy of Francis Bacon’s Version No. 2 of Lying Figure with Hypodermic Syringe (1968), to the flayed flesh of Bernard Buffet’s Boeuf écorché (1954) and divine ecstasy of Jeff Koon’s Dirty – Jeff on Top (1991), exhibited alongside African and European reliquaries, and ritual blades from the Shang Dynasty, EROS/THANATOS revels in the sublime contradictions of love, life, art and death.
As suggested in the title, Gesamtkunstwerk, a term meaning “total work of art“, the breadth of the collection also includes rare works of literature centred primarily on first editions. Additionally, a specially crafted playlist spanning multiple musical genres fills the space, amplifying the auditory experience for all visitors.
