Styling in the Baroque Period

Styling in the Baroque Period
The staging of heaven
Special exhibition new until the 9 January 2011

Secular and spiritual joy was combined in Baroque Christian art. The magnificent castles were home to the privileged few, while festive churches on the other hand were open to everyone - they were like heaven'on earth. The exhibition displays paintings that show movement, sparkling chalices and silver figures as well as wooden statues of the Virgin Mary that were reminiscent of queens - or perhaps present-day "Miss..." - adorned with crowns and gowns made of precious materials. Even the skeletons of saints, venerated as relics, were luxuriously clothed in finery and decorated with gold and silver gossamer. This atmospheric and sensual Baroque world is well worth discovering. The Baroque period and the present - are there any connections or similarities? The exhibition constantly refers to the present time. For instance in showing how Baroque coronation regalia was used as the model for the clothing of Madonna figures or nowadays for Barbie dolls. Another example is a video juxtaposing two texts from 1699 and 2009 on the subject of money.