Nyt udstillingsprogram på J.F. Willumsens Museum: ”Sansning og tænkning”

In conjunction with the building of a new wing for The Danish J.F. Willumsen Museum, Frederikssund, inaugurated in 2005, a new concept for the exhibition was prepared. The development of the new programme was based on several different considerations related to the collection and to current research in art perception, as well as to modern art fora in which the spectator actually becomes a part of the work of art. Many different introductions to the works were thus prepared, in which the spectator becomes involved in a range of different ways. In addition, all the new exhibition rooms were designed for a specific purpose and arranged completely differently as regards both subjects and the substances used. For example, the Room for Meditation, with three monumental paintings depicting J.F. Willumsen’s death and resurrection, invites the spectator to reflect a while in spiritual peace. The artist’s working process are made accessible, so it becomes possible to follow the difficulties, the stepping stones, the inspirations and the experiments he encountered. In order to ensure spectators the best possible opportunity to sense the art works, there is no texted signage on the walls. Only afterwards can the spectator read the relevant information, often including Willumsen’s own notes and letters. This is because it makes more sense to read the artist’s own reflections than any curator’s subsequent interpretation.