Friday, March 16, 2007

Culture Vulture

Throughout the last turbulent century whether under French administration, German occupation or even after suffering massive damage from American strafing, Strasbourg’s network of ten magnificent museums came into being.
Palais Rohan
Built between 1732 and 1742 as a cardinal’s mansion, the Palais Rohan served as a university under German occupation in 1871. It now houses three museums.
Inside the cardinals’ apartments, you’ll feel like an interloper as you stroll along the mirrored ballroom walls glowered at by rouged, powdered and periwigged ghosts. You can escape their glare in the impressive library with its massive wooden globe or in the chapel, where if you inhale deeply you might imagine catching a whiff of violet-scented vestments.
Within the courtyard is the entrance to the roomy, relaxed Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which houses a collection of 18th century furniture and china, elegantly and stylishly exhibited.
In the basement of this mansion is the Musée Achéologique, with twenty-one rooms of a rich collection of well-displayed artefacts, all discovered in the Alsace. It’s an exploration of Alsatian history from 600,000 years B.C. to 800 years A.D.
Like the cheerful Cambodian curator whose amputated limbs starkly illustrate the destructive force of the remnant but still active land mines and hand grenades he exhibits, Strasbourg’s archaeological museum displays its more primitive but equally lethal weaponry in context, i.e. along side split and fractured skulls. In general, the exhibits are artfully displayed in context, thus no dusty musty fusty fare this museum.
Musée des Beaux-Arts is on the first floor of the Palais Rohan. We were strapped for time and whizzed through it but it too is worth taking time. All in all, it’s rather convenient to visit three museums in one.
Located at the foot of the cathedral, the Musée de L’Oeuvre Notre-Dame houses seven centuries of art from Strasbourg and the Haut Rhin. Strasbourg was one of the most important artistic centres in the German Empire from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century.
During the thirteenth century, the cathedral’s exclusive architects, masons and stone masons constructed and maintained the church (shades of Jude the Obscure) within this building. It must have been a bustling noisy workplace, the antitheses to what it is now, uncluttered and oddly serene.
There’s a treasury where church monies were collected, managed and kept in a safe. The museum houses sculptures, ironwork, tapestries, stained glass, paintings, gold and silver objects, furniture and more. There are two wings to the building, one built in 1347, the other in 1579 that has a fabulous winding stone staircase.
A visit will take two hours or more with an audio guide available in English, French and German.
Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain is a bright, spacious, minimalist building with a cosy restaurant. Probably the worst person to review a museum of contemporary art, I can say the gigantic bright orange rhinoceros was cute (now gone) but the ascending row of fluorescent lamps, the single tea towel, the plexiglass office trash can or a man’s suit jacket are not what I travel 90 plus kilometres to see. Except for the ascending fluorescent lamps, mine are on one level, the ceiling, I’ve got all four items in my laundry room. Guess that makes me arty?
I was really taken with an incredibly realistic statue of a blue suited man sitting in a chair until I called my daughter to come and see, got closer and saw it wake up and yawn. Not to be unfair, however, there is considerable wheat among the chaff. Honest.
Musée Alsacien
The door to this museum doesn’t even hint at what lies behind. It’s an aesthetic, extensive museum consisting of two houses characteristic of 17th century Strasbourg and an inner courtyard. Some of the window frames are from demolition sites going back to 1580. Each room depicts an aspect of every day life in the Alsace from the 18th to the 19th century. On display are costumes, furniture, toys, religious objects and work shops. It’s impossible to whip through so allow yourself some time look and see or perhaps return for a second visit. It’s a great place to take visitors since it’s located a hop skip and a jump from town so even if you have to bring all the old aunties, in-laws etc. you won’t mind repeated visits. It’s complete, illustrative and a frankly stunning museum in every respect. Now for the good news: entry to the museum is free throughout 2007 in commemoration of its centennial. Can you think of any reason not to go?
All of the museums mentioned above are within walking distance of each other and the centre of town. For additional information on opening times, accessibility and the history of these museums, check the Internet: http://www.musees-strasbourg.org/.