XVA Gallery continues a series of lectures on Art History from Classicism to Contemporary Art – the period from the 19th century to the present day. The lectures are headed by Dr Michaela Watrelot, telling about the highlights of various art movements, the most influential artists and their masterpieces. The visitors are able to deepen their knowledge and appreciation of art and learn how to confidently identify and discuss various artistic styles, epochs and eras.
This Wednesday, the 1st of June, visitors are invited to the sixth lecture of the cycle, Minimalism and Conceptual Art.
Minimalism and conceptualism are frontier movements in art. They were defined at the moment when postmodernism took the place of modernism. As a result, minimalism, which appeared a little earlier, was closer to modernism, and conceptualism had already become a truly postmodern art.
Along with pop art, minimalism became widespread in American art in the 1960s. Minimalism was a reaction to both abstract expressionism and pop art. Minimalists were not satisfied with the complexity and esotericism of abstract expressionism. They believed art forms should be simpler, relationships kept to a minimum.
Conceptualism, or conceptual art (from the Latin conceptus – thought, representation), is a literary and artistic direction in postmodernism, proclaiming that the idea, concept of a work is more important than the form of its artistic expression. The direction was formed in the late 1960s and was intended to change the usual ways of communication between the viewer and the work.
Dr Michaela Watrelot holds a PhD in Art History. She is an art educator, curator, and published author specialising in 19th and 20th-century art, the history of private collecting, and art market research. She earned a Master’s degree in Art History from the University of Vienna, gaining a further understanding of the contemporary art market while working at Christie’s in Vienna and Dubai.
The Art History lectures will be held for 1,5 hours, from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm. The regular price is Dhs. 200.00. The programme of the next lectures is:
June 1: Minimalism and Conceptual Art
June 9: Contemporary Art
June 15: Women in Art
For more information, please visit www.xvagallery.com
You might be also interested in the group exhibition ‘No Mask Required’, which is being held now at XVA Gallery.
