Curators' Lecture | Dalí and Picasso

10.30–11.30am

event Details

The Robertson Gift: Paths through Modernity displays extraordinary works by major European artists, including Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso. Join Gallery curators Kenneth Brummel and Dr Sophie Matthiesson for a one-hour Members lecture unravelling two masterpieces on display now at the Gallery.


Dr Sophie Matthiesson will explore Instrument masochiste (Masochistic Instrument), circa 1934 by the Spanish Catalan painter Salvador Dalí. Dalí was a draughtsman, illustrator, sculptor, writer and filmmaker, and one of the most prolific artists of 20th century. Famous for his fantastic imagery and flamboyant personality, he was a major figure in the Surrealist movement, led by André Breton. Instrument masochiste has appeared in several major international exhibitions. It contains motifs that reappear throughout Dalí’s career, including the human body and the ‘melting’ violin. The painting refers to his ongoing obsessions regarding desire and the dark nature of dreams.

 
Kenneth Brummel takes you on a journey through Pablo Picasso’s Femme à la résille (Woman in a hairnet), 1938. Although small in size, Femme à la résille (Woman in a hairnet) is a hugely ambitious painting. Responding to the positive press his artistic rival Henri Matisse was receiving in the 1930s, Picasso in this firecracker of a picture cites well-known masterpieces by Vincent van Gogh, laying claim to the Post-Impressionist’s legacy and declaring himself the standard-bearer of France’s avant-garde.

This event is for Members only and part of our Membership programme. If you are a Member and have a guest pass, you can purchase a ticket for your guest.

Kenneth Brummel Curator International Art

Before joining Auckland Art Gallery in 2023, Kenneth worked for over fifteen years in curatorial capacities at major art museums in the United States and Canada, including as Assistant Curator and then Associate Curator at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto from 2014–2022. A specialist of late 19th- and 20th-century international art, Kenneth holds a master's degree in art history from the University of Chicago. 

 

Dr Sophie Matthiesson Senior Curator International Art

Senior Curator of International Art, Dr Sophie Matthiesson has more than 20 years’ experience as a curator and educator in England and Australia, including as Curator of International Art at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2007–2019). In her role at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Sophie develops and manages the Gallery’s historical and modern international collection, including the Mackelvie Collection.

Image credits: The Robertson apartment, photo by Gavin Ashworth, 2009 {reproduction} | Kenneth Brummel | Dr Sophie Matthiesson

 

 

Date
Location
Auditorium, Lower Ground
Cost
Members $19 + fees
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