07.02.15 - 16.08.15
Iron piping, springs, cogs, scissors, and bolts – Robert Jacobsen transforms scrap metal into vibrant, human-like sculptures, and on 7 February 2015 HEART welcomes visitors to enter the sculptor's wondrous universe. The exhibition turns back time to 1959, where Robert Jacobsen's works were presented in Herning-Hallen under the heading Robert Jacobsen's Dolls. Now as then, the works will be presented against the backdrop of the painter Gadegaard's distinctive signature colours – a marked contrast to the coarse colouring of the dolls themselves. The exhibition period runs from 7 February until 16 August 2015.
'THE GREAT SMITH'
Robert Jacobsen created the very first of his dolls for his daughter Lykke. It was made using just three components: a wrench, a pair of scissors, and some wire, but despite its simple materials it was the spitting image of a woman from their neighbourhood. The doll was followed by other humorous sculptures, such as The Gladiator, flexing his iron muscles, and a girl whose hairdo is made out of serrated scissors. With these dolls the artist showed a new side to his art; he had been known for his sober stringency, a stylistic trait he shared with fellow artists from the Parisian post-war art scene. Even so, his first presentation of the scrap-metal dolls in Paris in 1957 was a huge success; the critics raved about Robert Jacobsen's "iron fairy tales".
ROBERT AND HERNING
Robert Jacobsen was among the many artists who had close ties to Herning and the shirt manufacturer Aage Damgaard, the founder of Herning Kunstmuseum – the present-day HEART. The sculptor stayed at Damgaard's shirt factories on numerous occasions, creating several of his principal works there. In 1959 the painter Paul Gadegaard, a close friend of Jacobsen, staged the exhibition Robert Jacobsen's Dolls, which was shown at Louisiana before visiting Herning.
HEART's new exhibition Robert Jacobsen – Ironman yet again makes Robert Jacobsen's dolls come alive by means of Gadegaard's colourful art, which forms a backdrop for the sculptures. Thus, the exhibition pays homage to one of Denmark's most important artists of all time and to his friendship with Paul Gadegaard.
EXPLORE THE EXHIBITION WITH HEART's 'EMPLATE' APP
Visitors can now have additional information about the exhibits sent directly to their phones as they take in the exhibition Robert Jacobsen –Ironman. Their experience is augmented by images, videos, and texts. Until now the Emplate app was only available to iPhone users, but from February it will also be accessible on Android mobiles.
Robert Jacobsen – Ironman is part of HEART's exhibition concept HEARThistory
