|
The First Art Newspaper on the Net |
|
Established in 1996 |
|
Wednesday, December 25, 2024 |
|
Freud's Vienna private rooms open, bereft of furniture |
|
|
Visitors stand in the study room of the apartment of the psychologist Sigmund Freud in Vienna, Austria on August 26, 2020. All of Sigmund Freud's private rooms in Vienna open to the public on Saturday -- though they are devoid of any furniture since the Jewish founder of psychoanalysis took everything with him when he fled to London before World War II. ALEX HALADA / AFP.
|
VIENNA (AFP).- All of Sigmund Freud's private rooms in Vienna opened to the public on Saturday -- though they are devoid of any furniture since the Jewish founder of psychoanalysis took almost everything with him when he fled to London before World War II.
"We are dealing with an exhibition showing that there is nothing left here," architect Herman Czech told journalists this week ahead of the Sigmund Freud Museum's re-opening after 18 months of renovations.
"Bringing back the sofa from London would have been a falsification of history," he added, referring to the famous couch, on which Freud diagnosed his patients.
So the rooms -- increasing the exhibition space from 280 to 550 square meters (330 to 660 square yards) in a bourgeois building in Vienna's posh ninth district -- contain only a few personal items.
Those include Freud's books, his tanned satchel and his box of chess and tarot games in light wood.
The famous Viennese doctor, theorist, art collector, publisher and writer stayed at Berggasse 19 between 1891 and 1938 with his home on the first floor adjoining his practise.
Only the waiting room, which could already be visited previously, still has its original furniture.
When he left for exile in London in 1938, under threat from the Nazis because he was Jewish, Freud took away most of the other furniture -- the absence of which reflects "the loss of culture and humanity" of the Hitler-annexed Austria, according to Czech.
As part of the permanent exhibitions now open to the public, the fate of Freud's dozens of neighbours deported to concentration camps is also discussed.
Director Monika Pessler says the newly renovated and enlarged museum, tracing Freud's work and life with photos and films and including a library, aims to bring to life his teachings.
Freud died in exile in London in 1939, aged 83.
The museum first opened in 1971 with the blessings of Freud's youngest daughter, Anna.
It welcomed nearly 110,000 visitors -- 90 percent from abroad -- in 2018 before it closed for works.
Its reopening originally planned for earlier this year was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
© Agence France-Presse
|
|
Today's News
August 30, 2020
Fossil reveals 'one of the cutest dinosaurs' ever found
Bologna is back in business with Monet
Hindman to offer three days of Asian works of art in September
Heritage Auctions reunites NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas with NBA All-Star Game MVP trophy
At the Met, a promising sign: The 'Hot Dog King' is back in business
'Black Panther' star Boseman dies after private battle with cancer
In his own words: Jacob Lawrence at the Met and MoMA
Nxt Museum, the first new media art museum in the Netherlands, opens its doors
Freud's Vienna private rooms open, bereft of furniture
Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art to present European masterpieces from The Met in 2021
Leon Kossoff masterpiece recreated as tapestry by Dovecot Studios
Artist Nina Chanel Abney launches first AR artwork 'Imaginary Friend' with Acute Art
Yi Gallery opens an exhibition of new works by Lionel Cruet
Important Falklands War group of medals to be sold at Dix Noonan Webb
Digging up graves: an Indonesian community honours its dead
Italian coastguard comes to aid of Banksy-funded rescue boat
The Met Opera's newest star returns, on the small screen
Alice Koller, author of the solitary life, dies at 94
Linda Manz, young star of 'Days of Heaven,' dies at 58
Finalists selected for the 2020 Betty Bowen Award
Kunstfest Weimar 2020 opens against the odds
New book offers the ultimate insight into the exclusive and avant-garde wardrobe of Myung-il Song
Galerie Urs Meile opens an exhibition of works by Zhang Xuerui
OSL contemporary opens its first solo exhibition with Ane Graff
10 Tips for Healthy Lifestyle
6 Reasons to Add Interior Plantation Shutters to Your Home
Your Guide to Lesbian Sex Toys
|
|
|
|
|
Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography, Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs, Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, . |
|
|
|
Royalville Communications, Inc produces:
|
|
|
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful
|
|