First Steps
At the Hihof Museum, dedicated to prehistory, you'll meet the first Luxembourg Man. Loschi, an 8,000-year-old skeleton, was discovered near the Loeschbour river in Heffingen. From there, you have to take a giant step back to the mid-19th century to find Luxembourgish art. In the meantime, the region has certainly seen the birth of artists, but in the absence of art schools, creative souls left to study in Belgium, France, Germany or Italy. All these influences naturally influenced, and even forged, Luxembourg art. Back home, everyone brought back an artistic genre. Neoclassicism with Jean-Baptiste Fresez (1800-1867) and Nicolas Liez (1809-1892), Impressionism with Jean-Pierre Beckius (1899-1946) and Dominique Lang (1874-1919), Expressionism with Jean Schaak (1895-1959) and Joseph Kutter (1894-1941), non-figurative art with Michel Stoffel (1903-1963) and François Gillen (1914).
The Luxembourg landscape
Luxembourg's splendid natural setting has inspired artists at home and abroad since the 19th century. Joseph Kutter is one of the most popular, with his dark, cubic landscapes and portraits. Add to this the "Luxembourg Grund" series by Sosthène Weis (1872-1941), who dissolves his plum-toned valleys into quasi-abstract compositions, the urban gouaches by Moritz Ney (b. 1947) or the architectural motifs painted by Tina Gillen (b. 1972). Before them, famous artists from all over the world came to Luxembourg for inspiration. Joseph Turner (1775-1851) painted several views of the fortress. The Bock Rock dominates his most famous watercolors. Dutch painter Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (1803-1862) bequeathed a series of painted panoramas of Luxembourg. Larochette, a magnificent landscape executed in ochre tones, is kept at the Musée National d'Histoire et d'Art. Victor Hugo (1802-1885) preferred pencil sketches and washes to immortalize the town of Vianden, where he lived for several weeks. In one of them, a vine branch occupies the foreground, its scrolls seeming to point to a tower painted in the background. Other sources of inspiration include the industrial wastelands of southern France, captured by Fernand Bertemes (b. Luxembourg, 1964), and abandoned structures, such as the destabilizing compositions of Robert Viola (b. 1966). Whether it's his low-angle reproduction of a water tower, his deserted gas station entitled Modern Oasis, or the emptied factory titled Absolute Temple, his works open the way to a reflection on the meeting of nature and culture, on the unfortunate intervention of humans in the landscape.
The Artistic Circle
Founded in 1893, the Cercle's main representatives were Michel Engles and Franz Heldenstein, both pupils of Jean-Baptiste Fresez. It has long played an important role in Luxembourg's artistic life, notably with the institution of the Grand-Duc Adolphe prize, awarded since 1902 to artists exhibiting at the Cercle artistique's salons. Its role was later debated at the time of secession, after the First World War. Several painters, such as Jean Schaak (1895-1959), Harry Rabinger (1895-1965), Nico Klopp (1894-1930) and Joseph Kutter (1894-1941), influenced by the Fauvists and Expressionists, reacted against 19th-century academicism and Impressionism. The quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns broke out.
Secessionists and Iconomics
The first Salon de la Sécession was held in 1927, in opposition to the academicism of the Cercle Artistique. Two more salons were to follow, but the first prefigured a change in artistic expression.
The Villa Vauban or Musée d'Art de la Ville acts as a bridge between these two eras of art. Located in the heart of the city, the villa was built in 1873 and renovated in the 2000s. Its collections are organized around two main themes. Firstly, European art from the 17th and 18th centuries, and secondly Luxembourg art, mainly paintings and sculptures from the 19th and 20th centuries. While the Secessionists influenced the pre-World War II period, the Iconomaques influenced the post-war period. Among the names to remember is sculptor Nicolas Joseph (known as Claus) Cito, who was born in 1882 in Bascharage and died in 1965 in Pétange. He is best known for the Monument du souvenir on Place de la Constitution. The instigators of the first Salon de la Sécession in 1927 were Jean Schaack (1895-1959), one of the great figures of Luxembourg art, Joseph Kutter (1894-1941), Jean Noerdinger (1895-1963) and Harry Rabinger (1895-1966). These painters, who had studied in Luxembourg, Strasbourg and Munich, voluntarily broke away from the classic Cercle artistique de Luxembourg (C.A.L.) and Impressionism, preferring to turn to Expressionism and Fauvism. However, the secession was not a break with traditional art, but aimed to bring the two conceptions of art together.
Joseph Probst (1911-1997) was one of the founding members of the Iconomaques group of abstract painters. The artist painted his first abstract works in 1951, in a genre influenced by geometric art before becoming imbued with lyricism.
The sculptor Lucien Wercollier
Born in Luxembourg in 1908 and died in the same city in 2002, this Luxembourg sculptor is considered one of the major artists of the 20th century. The son of an artist, he studied art in Belgium and then Paris, before returning to teach in his native city. His early sculptures were figurative, but the war turned his style on its head. Wercollier joined the Resistance and was deported with his family. Around 1950, his art shifted towards abstraction. The influence of Constantin Brâncuși and Jean Arp is felt in his quest for simplicity and formal purity. It is his monumental sculptures, in bronze or marble, that make his name. He also works in wood, onyx and alabaster. Le Prisonnier politique (The Political Prisoner) is on display at the permanent exhibition dedicated to him at Neimënster Abbey, although many of his creations have found their way into public spaces and the parks of Luxembourg.
Nowadays
Founded in 1949, Galerie Schortgen has established itself as an institution focused on contemporary art. The gallery's worldwide reputation is built on its judicious choices and its commitment to combining internationally renowned artists with up-and-coming talent. It represents artists such as Marlis Albrecht, Marina Sailer, Patricia Broothaers, Jörg Döring and Fazzino.
Open to all artistic disciplines, the Mudam, or Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, has made its mark on the cultural landscape. Located in the Kirchberg district of Luxembourg City, it was created to mark the 25th anniversary of the reign of Grand Duke Jean. Painting, sculpture, video art and even design are richly represented in this all-art establishment. This architecturally exceptional building boasts works by Sophie Calle, Marina Abramovic, Bruce Nauman and Cy Twombly. Next door to Fort Thüngen, it sits in the Dräi Eechelen park, which also hosts exhibitions. From here, you can admire Ming Pei's creations as well as the city.
The original "Am Tunnel" contemporary art gallery brings together 100 Luxembourg artists. Housed in an underground tunnel in the city, it has been set up in part of the casemates of the former fortress. Fifteen metres underground, the 350-metre-long tunnel presents tomorrow's artists alongside established names on the contemporary scene. Of particular note is the permanent exhibition of photographs by Edward Steichen, who is honored by this extraordinary gallery. A painter and lithographer born in Luxembourg, he took up photography in 1896 while living in the United States. Alongside his career as a gallery owner, MoMa curator and editorialist, he took part in the 1899 Philadelphia Salon. Steichen is considered to be the artist who took the first fashion photograph, published by a French magazine at the time.
Esch-sur-Alzette, European Capital of Culture 2022
In 2022, the city ofEsch-sur-Alzette has been named European Capital of Culture, alongside the Lithuanian city of Kaunas. This honorary title is awarded each year to two cities in the European Union, with the aim of promoting cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, and highlighting Europe's rich cultural heritage. Throughout the year, Esch-sur-Alzette celebrated this distinction by organizing a varied and dynamic cultural program: art exhibitions, musical performances, festivals, community projects and many other cultural events. The Esch2022 cultural program extended to eleven communes in Luxembourg and eight neighboring communes in France.
Sumo: from wall to canvas
For the past twenty years, Luxembourg's street artists have preferred to keep their true identities secret. They sign their works Stick, Sumo, Rojo, Spike or Sader, for the most famous. This habit stems from the not-too-distant past, when tagging was strictly forbidden. But that's all changed now! Artists now respond to government commissions. Several initiatives have helped to raise public awareness. In Cessange, in 2011, architect Shahram Agaajani took the gamble of integrating graffiti into an architectural project. As local residents took a dim view of the idea, the architect took the time to explain his approach, and the place of graffiti, which was no longer to be considered as vandalism. The building's color scheme was entrusted to Sumo. In a minor compromise, the artist had to forego spray-painting, banned by the city, in favor of brush painting. Sumo thus took over all four sides of a corridor, as well as parts of the building's exterior, adding yellow and red to a neighborhood dominated by gray. Having become the star personality of Luxembourg street art, Sumo now adorns the capital's institutions with his tangy drawings. Zany creatures, onomatopoeia and slogans are displayed in a variegated palette. He cites vinyl and CD covers as his early influences, as well as the magazines that inspire his passion for typography. Meticulous lettering accompanies his characters. A skilled draughtsman, Sumo gave birth to his famous Crazy Baldhead in 1999. This bald man with a coarse line follows him as he moves from wall to canvas. In his paintings, he continues to express his phobia of emptiness, which leads him to accumulate text and motifs to the point of overload.
