Pop Art: 'Time to Unpack' - Tapa blanda

Pop Art, as an international form of art, was born out of a typical zeitgeist of freedom, sexual revolution and the feminist movement. Firstly, many pop art pieces are decorative and show daily objects from the consumer society, mass production and all other kinds of other replicable objects. Just like the Pop Art movement in America, the Pop Art movement in the West also echoed the concurrent society and its developments. Pop Art in Western Europe shows that the movement in this region was much more than just a derivative of the American Pop Art scene. Pop Art: 'Time to Unpack' is filled with high-quality work by renowned artists and demonstrates their involvement in the fascinating development of the modern way of life in the 60's and ultimately the 20th-century. During the 60's a new generation of people realized that you could express yourself through the way in which you live your life and make decisions on exactly how and who you wanted to be. The idolization of icons like Marilyn Monroe and Bridgette Bardot, the fascination with luxury living surroundings and exciting leisure time activities were typical of the Pop Art scene. Right up until present day, Pop Art is a phenomenon in the art world which continues to inspire and challenge us. At present, once again, a similar cultural tension and focus exists on the international media and the consumer society. And that is why Pop Art resonates with the present younger generations and still simulates their senses. The Museum Het Valkhof (Nijmegen) possesses a remarkable collection of Pop Art artists and in September 2012 is organizing an exhibition about Pop Art in Western Europe.

Pop Art wordt vaak gezien als een Amerikaans fenomeen. Niets is minder waar. In landen als Groot-Brittannië, Frankrijk, Duitsland, Spanje, Portugal, België en Nederland kwam deze kunststroming in de jaren zestig tot grote bloei. En het werk Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Diff erent, So Appealing? (1956) van de Engelsman Richard Hamilton markeert het begin van de Pop Art. Pop Art ademt de geest van vrijheid, seksuele revolutie en vrouwenemancipatie. De stroming zit dicht op de tijdgeest en integreert gebruiksvoorwerpen uit de consumptiemaatschappij en massaal vervaardigde serieproducten in de kunstwerken. De thematiek is ontleend aan films, strips, televisie en de gedrukte media. In Nederland werkten o.a. Wim T. Schippers, Lucassen en Jan Cremer in de geest van Pop Art, in België Pol Mara, Panamarenko, Roger Raveel en Marcel Broodthaers. Zij allen zijn vertegenwoordigd in Pop Art in Europa, samen met collega's als David Hockney, Allen Jones, Christo, Jean Tinguely, Daniel Spoerri, Gerhard Richter en Sigmar Polke.