Columbus Museum of Art in the magazine Salve 2/2011

The new issue of the journal Salve returns to the topic partially opened in the issue of theology (and) art (1/2007) - to the diocesan museum of Cologne art in Cologne. This museum is not only remarkable and valued for the architecture of Peter Zumthor but also an institution that is rethinking the relationship between old and new art, the way it is exhibited, creating the museum as an "aesthetic laboratory" and a "place of contemplation." The unique collections of the museum, including both medieval and baroque works as well as modern pieces, from Georges Rouault to Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Eduardo Chillida, and Paul Thek, are presented each year in new and thoughtfully arranged exhibitions thanks to the unique approach of the curatorial team led by Stefan Krause, emphasizing their considered relationship with human existence.
The issue opens with an interview with one of the key movers of the entire project, Cardinal Joachim Meisner, the Archbishop of Cologne, who is not only an influential figure in the global church but also a man who perceives the importance of a permanent dialogue between Christianity and modern society and the significance of art for this dialogue.
The interview with Stefan Krause, the director of the Cologne Museum, is a multi-layered probe not only into the idea of a diocesan museum, or modern museum as such, but also into the relationship between spirituality and art, the role of art in human life, the ways of its exhibition, etc. Krause presents the work of his team of curators as dynamic, constantly rethought and searching, whose primary criterion is always the maximum quality of both the exhibited works and their presentation.
Two studies by the doyen of the Cologne dialogue between the church and modern art, Friedhelm Mennekes SJ, are personal testimonies about the function and radiance of the Cologne Museum. The block of texts Selected Works of Cologne represents the way in which art pieces are written about and contemplated at Cologne - individual works are not presented in a positivist descriptive form, common in other museums, but in the strength of their impact.
An interview with the third key figure of the Cologne Museum, architect Peter Zumthor, whose building gave the whole idea of the museum a unique, one could say congenial shape, complements the image of the museum with another essential part. Peter Zumthor, a laureate of the Pritzker Prize, the perhaps most prestigious global architectural award, speaks about his own professional path, the ways of his work, and the role that the collaboration on the creation of Cologne played in it. The interview is complemented by his reflections on his own winning design for the building, which showcases his way of thinking about architecture.
The issue concludes with two extensive reflections. The first by Stefan Krause on the aesthetic moment that stands at the beginning of every true encounter with a work of art and which, although difficult to express in words, forms an important existential experience in a person's life. The second reflection by theologian Tomáš Halík responds to Krause's "aesthetic moment" and seeks analogies to a similar "moment of faith," that is, the moment of inner conversion, which is equally challenging to capture in words, yet all the more crucial for a person.
The conclusion of Salve belongs to the Calendar, which helps orient in the fundamental milestones of the Cologne Museum against the backdrop of the history of the entire Cologne. A block of reviews and annotations is also included. The extensive visual accompaniment presents both the artworks from the collections of the Cologne Museum discussed in the texts and striking architecture of the building itself in impressive detail.
The journal Salve is this time exceptionally published in a German version as well. The content of the issue of Salve can be viewed at www.krystal.op.cz/salve-periodika