Raoul Dufy at the Thyssen and a Ballet

Wednesday March 18 was the coldest day of our trip.  It rained all morning and into the early afternoon before finally clearing. The high temperature was only 9C.  Luckily, we had planned on going to see the Raoul Dufy exhibit that opened last month at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza.

We walked through Plaza de Santa Ana, known for its tapas scene.  Out guide book listed about five tapas bars either on the square or in nearby streets.  We would return for a late lunch.

Plaza de Santa Ana

Santa Ana in the rain- all chairs stacked up

We passed a number of interesting buildings en route to the Museum.

Velaszquez, Alfonso I and Cervantes on an apartment building

Lizard on a hotel

The Thyssen contains one of the world's best private art collections.  It opened in 1992 and its collection is linked to Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza (1875-1947) and Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza (1921-2002).  The latter sold the collection to the Spanish government for about $350 million.  The collection is housed in the Palacio de Villahermosa, which was converted into a museum.  A 2004 extension houses the collection of Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza.  She started her collection in 1987 and is the widow of Hans Heinrich.  We had visited the permanent collection in 1998, when we were last in Madrid.   This time, we came to see the Dufy temporary exhibit.

Outside of museum- older palace on the left and extension on the right

                                                                  Entrance to Dufy Exhibit

The exhibit moved away from the traditional interpretation of Dufy (1877-1953) as a gifted painter of pleasurable bourgeois pastimes.  It focused on the development of his personal style and his constant pursuit of new artistic expressions.  We thought the exhibit accomplished its goals, as Dufy emerged as a many facetted artist.   His work was arranged largely chronologically but also thematically:  From Impressionism to Fauvism; Constructive Period; Decorations; and the Light of Colour.  What I had not realized is that Dufy designed hundreds of textiles for a textile firm Bianchini-Ferier from 1912-28.  He also did woodcuts, including a series of woodcuts to illustrate a work by Guillaume Apollinaire entitle the Bestiary, or Procession of Orpheus (1910-11).  The exhibit for the first time paired his initial drawings and final woodcuts for this project.   Dufy also did ceramics and collaborated with the couturier Paul Poiret.

His work with colour was amazing.  Dufy often made the colour of figures and objects independent of their outline.  Alano and I really liked one of his masterpieces- The Wheatfield.  He developed rheumatoid arthritis and from 1937 onward he was confined to his studio most of the time.  Dufy did a number of compositions in which he attempts to paint the sounds of instruments.   His last Black Freighter series- uses black to denote the optical phenomenon of being dazzled by sunlight.  The black has also been interpreted as a premonition of his death.   We both really enjoyed the exhibit and learned a lot more about Dufy.  

                                                          1898 self portrait-- lovely light

La Pension Sevigne

Textile design- Neptune or the Sailor 1918

The last four pictures were in the exhibit, but taken from the internet.

Open Window- Nice- 1928  (the blues in this picture are amazing)

Still Life with Violin, Homage to Bach 1952

Sainte Adresse- The Black Freighter 1951

The Wheatfield- 1929, one of our favourites  (note the colours outside the lines)

After the exhibit, we had a coffee in the museum's cafe.  We then walked back to the Plaza de Santa Ana for a late lunch.

Federico Garcia Lorca in Plaza Santa Ana

Unfortunately, our first choice was just about to close at 4:00 p.m. (restaurant and bar hours vary throughout most cities in Spain).  We ended up at La Abuela (the Grandmother), a lovely tapas bar dating back to 1912.

Outside of La Abuela

La Abuela opened in 1912


Small neighbourhood tapas bar

We had a plate of patatas bravas, some delicious boquerones (anchovies in vinegar) and two glasses of sangria and coffee.  A delicious meal.

 Patatas bravas

Boquerones (anchovies in vinegar)

                                                                Alano with lunch

We headed back to the apartment for a rest.  We were thrilled to have found out that the Hamburg Ballet was in town and doing Death in Venice, loosely based on the Thomas Mann novel.  John Neumeier (b.1942) has been the Director and Chief Choreographer of the Hamburg Ballet since 1973 and created more than 120 ballets, including Death in Venice.  It was first performed in 2003.  It is a two hour production - a real creative masterpiece.  The piece is danced to the music of Bach and Wagner, and featured a live pianist on stage who played some of the Wagner pieces.

                                                                     Outside of the Teatro Real

                                                             View from our seats- before the performance

Neumeier makes the main character, Gustav von Aschenbach, a ballet Director and choreographer in crisis over a ballet he is creating.  He takes off to Venice where he spots Tadzio.  The piece is all about giving in to passion.  Lloyd Riggins, the Principal Dancer who played Aschenbach in the original  2003 production, reprised the role.  He is in his mid 40s- and owns the part.  Alexandr Trusch, another principle, born in Ukraine, was an excellent Tadzio.  The company is amazing.  The choreography was intricate, but the narrative line of the story was easy to follow.

Lloyd Riggins- born in 1969 in New York

Alexandr Trusch- born 1989 in Dnipropetrovsk 

                                           The company;  John  Neumeier is second from the right in the first row

                                            Leaving the Teatro Real - a wonderful space for Opera and Dance

The performance ended at 10:30 p.m.  We hoofed it over to Mercado San Miguel, which was on the way back to the apartment.  Alano and I shared a plate of paella with chorizo.  It was a very enjoyable day in Madrid.