Three major international museums will be exploring the spooky and the strange with exhibitions opening in 2017.
"Nightfall. Gothic Imagination Since Frankenstein"
December 2, 2016, to March 19, 2017
Musée Rath, Geneva, Switzerland
It was in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1816 that Mary Shelley wrote her famous novel "Frankenstein," bringing to life the mythical monster. The book went on to inspire a host of stage plays and other cinematographic and artistic works. That same year in Switzerland, John Polidori penned "The Vampyre" -- considered a forerunner to Bram Stoker's "Dracula" -- and Lord Byron wrote the poem "Darkness." The Swiss city's Musée Rath is exploring the context that gave rise to these three major works of gothic literature and their impact on the arts from the 19th to 21st centuries.
"Beyond Stars. The Mystical Landscape from Monet to Kandinsky"
March 14 to June 25, 2017
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France
The French capital's Musée d'Orsay is exploring mysticism and spirituality with the upcoming exhibition "Beyond Stars. The Mystical Landscape from Monet to Kandinsky." The exhibition features work from major artists, such as Gauguin, Denis, Monet, Hodler, Klimt, Munch and Van Gogh, and explores the mystical aspect of the Symbolist landscape.
"Mystical Symbolism: The Salon de la Rose+Croix in Paris, 1892-1897"
From June 30
Guggenheim, New York, U.S.
At the end of the 19th century, Jospéhin Péladan, self-proclaimed high priest of the occult, organized the first Salon de la Rose+Croix in Paris. This annual exhibition showcased mystical Symbolist art, rich with imagery including chimeras, incubi, femmes fragiles and femmes fatales, often inspired by literature. The New York museum is paying homage to the movement, which was popular during the 1890s, a time when religious and occult practices were often intertwined.
