Modern Art in Stockholm

Invited by the American Club of Sweden we visited Stockholm’s Museum of Modern Art (Moderna Museeet)  for a private tour of the Turner, Monet, Twombly exhibit.  The exhibit was widely advertised as, “three of the greatest painters of the last 150 years.” The exhibit explanation continued, “This groundbreaking exhibition focuses on their later work, examining not only the art historical links and affinities between them but also the common characteristics of and motivations underlying their late style.”

Tour Guide 

We were very grateful that the American Club had arranged for a most knowledgeable guide to help our group of 28 club members interpret the “art historical links” and “motivations underlying their late styles.”  Otherwise, we would have pondered canvases with more pronounced quizzical looks than was our actual experience.

We consider ourselves sufficiently art literate to be able to distinguish a Monet from a Pollock, a Seurat from a Picasso. More importantly, we know what we like and can appreciate that the range of art that people “like” covers a board pallet of tastes.  The small collections of Monet poplars, bridges and lily pads we liked.

Turner Unfinished Painting

The partially finished Turner paintings that were exhibited were puzzling.  Our guide explained that salon expositions in Turner’s time hung paintings floor to ceiling.   This “never know where my painting may be hung” arrangement confounded artists wanting to draw maximum attention to their art.  

Thus salons provided artists a few days prior to opening day to complete their work.   High/low hung paintings typically received more liberal dashes of bright colors to draw a viewer/buyer’s attention.   Absent this insight we would have been hopelessly lost as to why Turner was “one of the greatest painters of the last 150 years,” having passed half-finished paintings onto posterity.

Tour Guide Explaining Orpheus

Helen Gazing at Twombly's Untitled

Twombly’s abstract art, unfortunately, defied appreciation, despite liberal applications of insight and explanation.  Our first Twombly’s canvas entitled Orpheus solicited a whispered remark from Helen, “Our six year grandchild can do better.”  The mythic story depicted in the three canvas presentation of Hero and Leandro of lovers separated by the gods and a sea tempest was a captivating story, but the art would have been completely inscrutable without access to our guide’s decoder ring.  Later as Helen gazed at Twombly’s Untitled 2007 artwork, she murmured, “To heck with the grandkid.  I can do this!”

We also toured the museum’s permanent photo exhibit that held some gems, but provided little appeal in the portrait work, some delight in the scenic nature photos but none for photos of junkies shooting up.

Despite the lack of visceral appreciation for the art work, we were very grateful that we had a chance to tour the museum.  The visit added another connection we have with our new hometown of Stockholm.  It also gave us a chance to build another shared experience with our fellow American Club members.  

Based on recently received mail, we are now both official Club members.  The welcome letter continued that since we have been active volunteers, Helen on the newsletter, Jay on a history project, that our Kr. 500 (about $75) initiation fee was waived.  We plan to spend this windfall on art supplies….ha!

Talking Turkey

Thanksgiving in Sweden came a few days early for us.  This Sunday we were invited by our Swedish friends Maria and Patrik to a Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings, sponsored by the English Speaking Community Club of Sweden.  Maria, a Brazilian national who married her Swedish sweetheart Patrik, have been in our social circle from the start of our Scandinavian adventure. We met them at a chilly July 4^th celebration sponsored by the American Club of Sweden eight days after we arrived on these Swedish shores.

So there we sat together, this slightly offset Thanksgiving Day at Kompott at Karlburgsvägen 52 in the middle of Stockholm eating turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie with our hot tamale Brazilian friend and her husband with his light up/flashing bowtie.  There was something just so very American about this mingling of cultures and people.

It is not until you are very distant from borders that stretch from sea to shining sea that you acquire an appreciation for the uniqueness that America has in the world. There are some cultures where one’s heritage can be instantly recognized by how they look. Chinese, Guatemalan, African.

People from all the over world

Even Swedes have distinctiveness. Not all are blonde. Body types and hair color may vary, but one would be hard pressed to find a Marlboro man among them. Such an image is simply not part of the cultural fabric.  At the same time, Americans can look Chinese, Guatemalan, African, rugged or even Swedish. We are a society that has assumed the look of all the people living on this planet.  

Vincent told the story of the Pilgrims

So this group of English speakers spoke to the American phenomena of people gathering from about the world in common cause.  Vincent, the club president, offered opening comments that included a reciting of the history of the first Thanksgiving dating back to the 1621 Pilgrim celebration with their native American Indian neighbors.   

He added that at this afternoon’s dinner, people from 10 different countries were participating in this year’s celebratory dinner.  Among us were those from the US, the UK, South Africa, Tobago, Brazil, Sweden and others lost to our failing recall ability.  Accuracy in the nationality count, however, melted into irrelevancy as conversation in variously accented English ensued.

We take for granted the family gatherings, expansive meals, football games and time idly spent in familial interaction on Thanksgiving Day. For Swedes, Christmas is the time for family gatherings and expansive meals. But Christmas also includes exchanging presents, trimming trees and in a not very distant past, a church service.  Thanksgiving in comparison seems rather unencumbered. 

Elizabeth

We enjoyed our meal and our time at the restaurant. We shared conversations with Maria and Patrik, but sat in vicarious horror as a new acquaintance, Elizabeth, recounted the crime and sense of violation as blind white dominance has been transformed into blind black dominance in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Yes, we had much to be thankful for this early Thanksgiving Day. A wonderful meal with new friends and the reassurance that that there is, at least, one place on this planet capable of re-making itself, generation after generation, into a home for the world’s “huddled masses, yearning to breath free.”