Fashion and porcelain…..

The Groningen Museum may be controversial on the outside. On the inside – collection and exhibitions – are not within the beaten track either. The policy of the Groningen museum considering the collection and exhibitions targets the borderland between art, design and fashion (photography). There is an outstanding collection of fashion and Chinese porcelain.

One floor down (the floors in the main block are empty – money trouble), along a turning staircase covered with colorful tiles, is a fantastic exhibition: Azzedine Alaïa in the 21st Century 

The Tunesian born Azzedine Alaïa, also named “the King of Cling” is one of the last active great, and "haute", couturiers.

The exhibition shows a choice of gowns, dresses, coats. His creations are worn by all sorts of celebrities (like Michelle Obama or Lady Gaga). 

The rooms in the Mendini pavilion are perfect in their coloring and lighting. The fantastic display is a joy to look at. Even though you know will never fit into these masterpieces….

On the same floor we pass a sculpture of stools by Ai Wei Wei.

In the information center we see more work of Ai Wei Wei. His famous porcelain watermelons rest in their special cupboards.

 

Vases are all around. Everything multiplied by mirrors. The information center sure is my favourite place in the museum. 

It is nice to see the contemporary porcelain of Ai Wei Wei and Studio Job and then go upstairs in the Philip Starck pavilion to the exposition of antique Chinese (green) porcelain. The “Green Family” (Famille Verte). It is a special kind of Chinese porcelain with green as main color. There are pieces brought together from many different Dutch museums.

The space, full of glass sheets and swishy white curtains, gives full credits to the porcelain objects.