Biedermeier exhibit at the MAM

On Saturday afternoon, Dave and I paid a return visit to the crown jewel of our city, the Milwaukee Art Museum. 

We were there to check out the Biedermeier: The Invention of Simplicity exhibit. We’d seen the signs for several months, and since the exhibit is only going to be in town (and in the country) until January 1, we decided to not waste any more time.

I will admit that I don’t quite have the same appreciation for art as some others do. I enjoy walking through a museum several times a year and briefly taking in each piece, but I certainly can’t mull over a painting for 10 minutes at a time the way some folks can.

I do, however, have a huge appreciation for the art museum, an appreciation that many locals perhaps lack. Of course, we all appreciate the beautiful Calatrava-designed wings that have come to be the calling card of our city, and we marvel at it as we drive by, but many have not set foot inside, and I have to wonder why.

I know several people in my own life – I won’t name names – who think museums are a bit high-brow and hoity-toity, and that they wouldn’t enjoy it or necessarily fit in well. But that's just silly! People from all walks of life go to the museum - I know because I've seen them on every visit.

On a freezing, dreary Saturday afternoon, we weren’t surprised to find the museum brimming with people.

We paid our admission and went directly into the exhibit. It was quiet and crowded, with many guests walking around with headphones, listening to the guided tour.

The multi-room exhibit was a treat for the eyes, full of bright colors and funky designs. As I walked through, I felt like I was getting a peek into a world and lifestyle very unlike my own, a lifestyle that was more elegant and regal than ours today.

I found out afterward, though, that the term “Biedermeier” was at first given in a joking spirit and that it once carried with it negative connotations. (Bieder means 'simple' or 'unpretentious' in German) I wasn’t looking at the furniture and china of the upper class but of the middle class who were “attempting to emulate the nobility.” The Biedermeier period spanned 1815-1848, was prevalent in Germany and Austria, and was marked by simple design and inexpensive materials.

Writing about and describing art is most definitely not my forte, so you’ll have to forgive me for speaking in layman’s terms. But the exhibit was truly more interesting than I’d anticipated, and now I wish I’d ponied up the $4 for the guided audio tour.

The painted bowls and glasses boasted vivid, dramatic colors, and looked like something you could buy today. The silver hairbrushes and toothbrushes, however, have definitely been improved upon over the years! There were several “party dresses” displayed, and I was surprised at how dowdy and conservative they were. My, how times have changed!

My favorite part was the furniture – the tea table whose top flipped up to look like “a flower on a stem," the armoires, the giant tilt mirror, the nightstands that resembled bongo drums, the chairs with intricately carved backs – no two were alike – and the couches that I just fell in love with. One was orange and stacked and is pictured here and the other – my favorite – was yellow with several thin black stripes with a wooden base and arm rests that slanted outward. It was so chic and looked so comfortable and retro – I was dying to take its picture! But alas, I followed the rules.

We spent maybe a half hour in the exhibit and then roamed the museum's main collection a little while longer before leaving.

The Biedermeier exhibit was really fascinating and fun, and we're lucky to have it in our city! It's the first North American Biedermeier exhibit, and when it leaves on January 1, it's bound for the Albertina in Vienna, Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin, and the Musee du Louvre in Paris.

If you've never set foot inside the Milwaukee Art Museum, please put it on your list! It's a complete treasure. Every time I step inside I have to remind myself that I'm still in Milwaukee, still in the city I live in.

Milwaukee holds a nationally recognized museum that attracts internationally acclaimed shows like the Biedermeier show. Even if you're not particularly into art, that's pretty remarkable.

Comments

[Mark]

Hey Erin, reading this post reminded me of something. Have you been to the VP Art Gallery in the Third Ward? It's off Water Street on Buffalo, next to the Segway Cafe. If you enjoy photography, they've got some amazing prints on the walls. The crown jewel though is one of 30 prints in existence of the famous "Afghan Girl" photograph. I thought about buying it but I didn't have a spare $40,000 lying around.

[Erin]

No, I've never heard of it - but I'll have to check it out for a future blog post.

Thanks Mark!