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PIROSMANI - BLACK LIGHT

NIKO PIROSMANI – BLACK LIGHT. Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk opens a solo exhibition of a master – the Georgian hero of the avant-garde, Niko Pirosmani (1862–1918). There are few clues or sources for the story of Niko Pirosmani as an artist. Even so, his tale has the power and character of myth, and today he is spoken about as the painter of Georgia’s soul, culture and folklore and at the same time as a visual artist with a universal perspective. With Pirosmani, the viewer must above all look at the picture. Pirosmani’s pictures are direct, monumental in their simplicity. They are not private, they are not psychological – they are about the human space in which people encounter animals, people eat together, people are on the move. The appeal of the images is simple, but also sophisticated – because they work. With a few brushstrokes, Pirosmani transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary. His portraits have the intensity of Orthodox icons and the images of his lion, deer and giraffe have something simultaneously compelling and disquieting about them. Their eyes stare back at you. The black base colour glows through the other colours, just like in his portraits. The exhibition has been organized jointly by Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark and Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Switzerland. The exhibition has been made possible through collaboration with The Georgian National Museum and The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth of Georgia, and is supported by the Infinitart Foundation. Curator: Poul Erik Tøjner Special thanks to Louisiana museum of modern art and Louisiana channel