Masterpieces from Revolutionary Cobra Movement go on Display in Sharjah

Sharjah Art Museum is hosting works from one of Europe’s most influential art movements as exhibition makes its UAE debut

SHARJAH, Sept 13th, 2015: A collection of masterpieces from one of Europe’s most powerful modern art movements has come to the UAE for the first time and is now on display at Sharjah Art Museum.

The Cobra: 1000 Days of Free Art exhibition, which started yesterday, features more than 60 artworks from the famous post-war Cobra movement.

The works are from the collection of the Cobra Museum of Modern Art in the Netherlands and include paintings, photographs, ceramics, textiles, jazz music and documentary materials from the period between 1947 and the early 1960s.

The exhibition was officially inaugurated by Sheikh Salem Bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Ruler's Office. The opening was attended by  Sheikha Nawar bint Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, H.E Hisham Al Madhloum, Director of the Directorate of Arts at Sharjah Department of Culture and Information, H.E Manal Ataya, Director General of Sharjah Museums Department.

Established in Paris in 1948 by a group of avant-garde artists and poets, the revolutionary Cobra movement set out to change the face of art through new forms of experimental and spontaneous expression.

The exhibition tells the story of Cobra through a chronological timeline, introducing the visitor to the social and historical developments of the period 1930-1960 in Europe. Historical images and documentaries set the scene of a continent ravaged by war, while spoken word portraits by Cobra artists reflect on the birth and significance of the movement.

A selection of masterpieces showing fantasy animals, mythical creatures and vital compositions captures the experimental nature, freedom of expression and non-western influences that partly characterised the art.

“It’s a great honour for us to host the Cobra exhibition for the first time in the UAE,” said Alya Al-Mulla, Curator of Sharjah Art Museum.

“Cobra was such a significant moment in European art history, and the diverse work on display here tells an exciting story of a movement which, in a period lasting little more than 1,000 days, proved to be a true revolution in modern art.

“The movement was about challenging convention and breaking down barriers, and visitors will really feel the spirit of a revolutionary art form that still resonates strongly today.”

CoBrA is an acronym for the three capital cities where the founding artists lived and worked: Copenhagen (Denmark), Brussels (Belgium) and Amsterdam (the Netherlands). They strove to create a new, free and expressive art, and to liberate the artistic creativity that is hidden in every human being.

The movement lasted until 1951 and brought together visual artists, poets, writers and thinkers whose richly imaginative and often childlike styles earned Cobra a place in the records of 20th Century art history.

Katja Weitering, Artistic Director at Cobra Museum of Modern Art, said: “Cobra was based on international collaboration and cultural exchange. In the spirit of this art movement the Cobra Museum of Modern Art travel the globe with ‘Cobra Global’, an eye-opening exhibition.

“Sharjah offers a natural context for this travelling exhibition. The emirate pairs a rich cultural history with an exciting platform for the exchange of perspectives on modern and contemporary art.

“The renowned Sharjah Art Museum, situated in Sharjah’s cultural and historical heart, is the perfect venue to present the colorful and experimental art of Cobra.”

The exhibition in Sharjah, which runs until November 20th, focuses mainly on four of the major artists and themes from the movement:

Universal concern for creating a better world is a major theme throughout the architectural visions of Constant Nieuwenhuys, as much a social reformer as he was an artist.

A fascination with the mysteries of nature and the universe resonates within the paintings of Eugene Brands, while the oral arts tradition manifests itself in the work of the Dutch poet and painter Lucebert.

The distinctive, unrestrained style of “the material master” Karel Appel is captured perfectly in his paintings. One of the exhibition’s highlights is Appel’s classic Femmes, Enfants, Animaux (Women, Children, Animals), a huge oil on jute painting he created in 1951.

Manal Ataya, Director General of the Sharjah Museums Department, said: “The diverse works on display here bring to life the story of this hugely significant modern art movement. 

“As well as supporting the local and regional art scene, we pride ourselves on our international collaborations, which enable us to bring some of the most influential art from around the world to the UAE.

“Through partnerships with prestigious organisations like the Cobra Museum of Modern Art in Netherlands we are able to enhance Sharjah’s growing reputation as a centre of art and culture in the Middle East.”