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Strasbourg 1560-1600. The renewal of the arts
Strasbourg, Musée de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame, from 2 February to 30 June 2024.
Don’t know who Tobias Stimmer and Wendel Dietterlin are? That’s not a problem - this exhibition in Strasbourg is here to tell us, through a comprehensive overview of artistic creation at the end of the 16th century. As always in these magical places, the Musée de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame does much more than host the exhibition, since it is accessed via the magnificent spiral staircase built by the architect Hans Thomann Uhlberger between 1578 and 1585, the first masterpiece on display. Those who remember "Strasbourg 1400" (see article) and then "Strasbourg 1200" (see article) will not be surprised by this new stage, in which the finest museum of medieval art allows itself a step aside by exploring the last lights of the Renaissance in a very pleasant scenography by Atelier Caravane.
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- 1. View of the exhibition "Strasbourg 1560-1600. The renewal of the arts" exhibition
Photo: Musées de la Ville de Strasbourg - See the image in its page
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- 2. View of the exhibition "Strasbourg 1560-1600. The renewal of the arts" exhibition
Photo : Musées de la Ville de Strasbourg - See the image in its page
The presentation (ill. 1 and 2) highlights both the jewels of the Musée de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame and the major loans from other Strasbourg institutions - including the valuable BNU - The exhibition is skilfully structured around recent restoration work carried out on important relics from the late 16th century: the grisaille canvases painted by Tobias Stimmer for the sculptures on the cathedral’s famous astronomical clock, and the woodwork in the Salle des Administrateurs de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame, to which we will return later. The assured erudition of the subject does not for a moment make it severe - or boring - as the excellent room texts are an ideal accompaniment for visitors who are new to, or at least unfamiliar with, the cultural and artistic history of the Empire Free City.
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- 3. Views of the restored grisailles by Tobias Stimmer presented in the exhibition
Photo: Musées de la Ville de Strasbourg - See the image in its page
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- 4. Views of the restored grisailles by Tobias Stimmer presented in the exhibition
Photo: Musées de la Ville de Strasbourg - See the image in its page
Not everyone was familiar with the anti-Catholic polemicist Johann Fischart or the diplomat Johannes Schenckbecher. But the city’s astronomical clock has been one of its most popular tourist attractions since the Renaissance, and the many visitors to Notre-Dame Cathedral are well advised to cross the Place du Château to discover its fascinating history at the museum. The exhibition includes works that have been restored, such as the ten sketches on canvas by Tobias Stimmer that were previously kept in reserve and are now finally being shown [1]: it’s a revelation. These grisailles (ill. 3 and 4), designed to guide the sculptors responsible for creating the automaton figurines, miraculously reached us, but were in danger of…
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