College Reeksen

Introduction to Contemporary Art

Start: Zondag 23 september, 11h00 - 13h00 • Bonnefantenmuseum, Avenue Ceramique 250 • Ko van Dun, teacher of art and history of art, Maastricht

23 September, 14 October (09h30 Central Station Maastricht) , 4 November and 2 December

This series consists of three lectures and an excursion on the art from the sixties to our days. These two key notions are important.

It’s not the art that changes but the world that it belongs to. An enlightening notion that underlines the urgency of contemporary art. But also an insight that leads to rather confusing questions. One of which is: does our dislike of contemporary art show the distress we feel regarding the world we live in?

Art is a state of mind. An equally important notion. Not only because it implies that everything can be art - depending on the way you look at it - but also because it suggests that the distinction between artist and public is blurred.


The separate activities:
1. Lecture: How to sell a Nazi car in a Jewish town? - towards an extended definition of art (23 Sept)
The first lecture will focus on three statements:
- Art is a state of mind
- Art is part of the visual culture at large
- It’s not the art that changes but the world that it belongs to
By contemplating the background of these statements contemporary art will be put into perspective as a product of our mass and visual culture as it evolved from the sixties onward.

2. Excursion: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (14 Oct)
The excursion will be to the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. www.stedelijk.nl
On 22 September it will be reopened. It has been renovated and a new wing has been added.
For this excursion you can register separately. Costs (including bustrip, entrance to and guided tour in the Stedelijk Museum): students, under 18, CJP-card or museumjaarkaart-holders € 20,- / others € 35,-.
After the visit to the Stedelijk you can do as you please. But we suggest to visit the FOAM (Museum of Contemporary Photography) or The Hermitage, where a collection of the Van Gogh Museum will shown because the Van Gogh Museum will be closed for renovation. Entrance to these museums is not included. If wanted, we will accompany groups that go there.
The bus leaves from the Central Station Maastricht at 9.30 am and will be back around 8 pm.

3. Lecture: The End of History - art in a cosmopolitan world (4 Nov)
After the growth of mass culture in de the sixties, the nineties provided an equally important turning point. The introduction of the internet along with the end of modernist ideology brings forth consumerism and network thinking as increasingly powerful cultural forces in a cosmopolitan world.
This development was preceded by postmodernist art and philosophy that, from the late seventies onward, explored ideas of a world without meaning our direction.

4. Lecture: From the Hours of the Day to Hotel Democracy - The Bonnefanten Museum (2 Dec)
The last of this series of lectures will focus to the Bonnefantenmuseum.
The opening of the present building by Aldo Rossi in 1995 marked the beginning of a new phase in its history. In a relatively short time the museum developed into one of the main stages for contemporary art in the Netherlands.

Docent(en)

Ko van Dun, teacher of art and history of art, Maastricht
Throughout his career as an art teacher, lecturer, writer and critic Ko van Dun has always maintained an independent position. Trained as a practising artist himself, the expressive power of the image is always at the centre of his attention. By combining this approach with an acute interest in the historical and cultural background of art, his lectures are both evocative and informative.
In recent years Ko has gradually shifted his focus to contemporary art. His work as critic, performer – in collaboration with avant garde pianist Jeroen van Veen - and writer all bear witness to a strong belief in the potential of art as instrument for change and awareness.

Inschrijving

You must register for the lecture series. Payment can be done after registration. Those who register for a whole series have priority to those who want to come to the seperate lectures. Those who register for the whole series and pay in time, get a 20% discount.

More information and reservations: sg-lectures@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Note: The entrance fee of the Bonnefanten Museum is included, so when you come to te lecture you can also visit the museum that day. Because of the extra costs, we will charge extra for the excursion on 14 October to Amsterdam. See below.

Kosten

UM-students € 2,50 per lecture / others € 12,50 per lecture (50% discount for UM-alumni and UM-employees or students from other schools).

Lokatie

Bonnefantenmuseum, Avenue Ceramique 250