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Between heaven and earth – a celebration of CoBrA art The Carl-Henning Pedersen & Else Alfelt Museum (CHPEA) is celebrating the 70th anniversary of CoBrA – an artistic movement rooted in Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam – with not just one, but four new exhibitions. Exploring Henning Pedersen’s preparations for the redecoration of Ribe Cathedral, as well as Else Alfelt’s interest in Zen Buddhism, the exhibitions convey the width and originality of the two CoBrA artists. By Signe Hansen | Photos: CHPEA Museum
Known for its fairytale-like settings and outstanding collection of works by CoBrA artists Carl-Henning Pedersen and Else Alfelt, the CHPEA Museum in Herning is visited by fans of CoBrA art from all over Europe. Thus, it is only appropriate that the anniversary of the international CoBrA group’s foundation should be celebrated with a big ado. Under the headline Sans og Samling [a 76 | Issue 116 | September 2018
Danish term referring to the common sense that one loses when excited or drunk, but also directly translated as ‘sense and collection’), the celebration contains four exhibitions with works from Pedersen and Alfelt. Museum Director Lotte Korshøj says: “With Sans og Samling, we wish to celebrate the CoBrA movement by placing a renewed focus on the museum’s own CoBrA art-
ists, Carl-Henning Pedersen and Else Alfelt, so unlike other previous celebrations of CoBrA it’s not the artist group in its entirety that’s being explored. Instead, we highlight features of Alfelt and Pedersen’s work which reach right into the essence of CoBrA and mark their contribution to the multifaceted artistic movement that CoBrA was.” While all four exhibitions show work by Pedersen or Alfelt, each is very distinct. The first, Between Heaven and Earth, focuses on Carl-Henning Pedersen’s preparations for the redecoration of Ribe Cathedral; the second, Flower of the Universe, explores Alfelt’s fascination with Zen Buddhism; while the third, Volière/ Fuzzy, fuses the media of music and paint-