Klee/Aguéli at Moderna

Last week I was invited to the press showing for Moderna Museet's (Stockholm's modern art museum) new exhibition Klee/Aguéli. The exhibition looks at the work of two artists... Swiss/German artist Paul Klee and Swedish artist Ivan Aguéli.

While they were both active at approximately the same time, they were very different artists and there is no real evidence of their paths ever crossing. Paul Klee, the more well known of the two, was a prolific artist with thousands of works of art produced over his lifetime. His style also changed significantly through his career. Ivan Aguéli, on the other hand, was much less prolific in his creation of art. In fact, only four works of art were ever exhibited (as part of a larger exhibition) during his lifetime.

So what did they have in common? Besides being active in the beginning of the 20th century, they also had travels to northern Africa (Egypt, Tunisia) in common as well as being in touch with nature during a time of mass industialization. I really enjoyed the exhibition and liked seeing both the similarities and differences in their respective works. The artwork is also smaller in scale, more intimate, which I found refreshing. The exhibition is comprised of 86 painitings and drawings and runs until April 24th.

Moderna is located on the island of Skeppsholmen. The easiest way to get there from the Rival Hotel is by taking the Djurgård ferry from nearby Slussen. When you go on to the ferry, let the staff know that you wish to disembark at Skeppsholmen (otherwise they will not make the stop). Moderna is one of the museums that has recently started with free admission.

Click here to see other current art exhibitions in Stockholm.