Bikers In Paris: Artcrank Poster Show Comes To The City Of Light

by Anna Brones on

Love bicycles? Love good graphic design? Love transportation-inspired art? You’ll love Artcrank.

The point of Artcrank is simple: get artists that have a love of bicycles to produce unique posters for shows in bike capitals around the world. The result is a fun combination of art and life on two-wheels around the world.

The latest showing kicks off this week in Paris at the Grand Palais, an homage to life on two wheels in the romantic City of Light, a place that has in recent years become home to a burgeoning bike culture. A lot of that is thanks to Velib, the city’s popular bikeshare system that has turned into a model for other velo-aspiring cities around the globe.

From artist Adam Turman:

“While visiting my sister in Paris, she had it in her head that we needed to ride bikes while we were there. My sister used the Vélib’ bikes to get from place to place instead of using the Metro. She said she could see much more of the beauty of Paris that way. She took me for a spin to see everything touristy and not-so-touristy via Vélib’. We rode on the Lover’s Bridge and past the Eiffel Tower, and we even did our reenactment of National Lampoon’s European Vacation scene where the family goes around the Arc de Triumph. That was the highlight of our bike ride through Paris.”

The show features top French, American and British artists and runs through June 21. Can’t make it by then? Not to worry, the show will be moved over and housed at Cité de la Mode et du Design until October 6, 2013.

Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum Reopens, Adding To City’s Reputation As A Major Art Destination

by Sean McLachlan on

Amsterdam is famous, and infamous, for its many attractions appealing to all types of traveler. One of the best reasons to visit is for the world-class art museums such as the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Hermitage.

Now another can be added to the list. The Stedelijk Museum reopens to the public this Sunday after a long remodel that has created more gallery space, allowing the first comprehensive display of the museum’s world-renowned collection of modern and contemporary art. Queen Beatrix presided over the opening ceremony on Saturday.

The museum is especially strong with works from the many art movements of the early 20th century like Expressionism, Bauhaus and Suprematism. One important work is “Woodcutter,” painted in 1912 or 1913 by Kazimir Malevich, shown here courtesy Wikimedia Commons. The museum also has a major collection dedicated to 20th century industrial and graphic design.

To mark the reopening, a temporary exhibition, “Beyond Imagination,” is on display until November 11. This exhibition brings together 20 international artists, active in the Netherlands, to give their views on the boundaries between reality and imagination.

The new design reorients the entire museum to face onto Amsterdam’s Museumplein (Museum Plaza), which it shares with the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Concertgebouw.