FOOD GALORE

FOOD GALORE – in Baroque and Contemporary Art is an exhibition addressing the subject of food, depicting food, and consisting of food seen through the prism of art. It deals with the meal as a culture-bearing institution, what food means to us as human beings, as well as the ways food and dining culture relate to status, pleasure, ethics, health, and community.

The exhibition presents a selection of baroque paintings from major collections, and new works by four of Denmark’s leading artists: Rolf Nowotny (b. 1978), Emily Gernild (b. 1985), Silas Inoue (b. 1981) and Anna Stahn (b. 1994). Each of the artists has been commissioned to make works specifically for the exhibition based on contemporary food culture, but also inspired by the baroque works in the exhibition.

Food is pivotal to baroque painting, where people and food are portrayed in theatrical scenes of excess, and where perishables are staged in still-life tableaux. Both kinds of painting can be seen as allegories of memento mori: depictions of profusion and the proximity of death, extravagance and decadence, and the chaotic, bizarre and transient.

Gl. Holtegaard was built by the royal architect Lauritz de Thurah in 1756, and is one of the finest examples of late baroque architecture in Northern Europe. All our exhibitions at Gl. Holtegaard are inspired by its unique baroque complex, just as the qualities of the period in which it was built guide our profile and public programmes

All our exhibitions are accompanied by a programme of inspiring events, exploring and bringing a contemporary perspective to their themes and ideas.