Terraphilia: Beyond the Human in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collections

The Thyssen-Bornemisza, with its collection that ranges from the 13th century to the present day, is able to bring serious historical perspective to the subject of ecology. This summer it is telling a story of our relationship with other species and the natural environment (1 July–24 September). The narrative is not chronological: arranged by themes such as ‘the art of dreams’, ‘mythical time’ and ‘land relations’, the exhibition is interested in how artists have interpreted and used the environment, particularly in Europe, the United States and Latin America. Works include paintings by Roelant Savery and Jan Brueghel the Elder, in whose hands nature seems legible and divinely structured; and the work of Jan Jansz. van der Heyden and Melchior de Hondecoeter, who regarded the world as ripe for empirical enquiry and exploitation. There is also 20th-century art characterised by mysticism, dream-like logic and an interest in geometric forms, as well as contemporary installations.

Find out more from the Thyssen-Bornemisza’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary

Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1596), Jan Brueghel the Elder. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. Photo: © Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza

Expulsion. Moon and Firelight (c. 1828), Thomas Cole. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. Photo: © Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza

White Iris No. 7 (1957), Georgia O’Keeffe. Photo: © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, ARS, New York