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A female nude exhibited upside-down, a portrait with a black eye, and censored putti.
I was momentarily perplexed when entering the Old Villa of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. I was faced with paintings which, although at first glance appeared to be traditional old master paintings, exhibited subtle bizarre details which destabilized their apparent severity.
These are old-school paintings by different artists that have been subtly modified by the artist Hans-Peter Feldmann.
The German artist is known for working with existing images and his simple and elusive adjustments of older paintings that he buys at sales; small changes with infinitely dramatic effects.
His witty humour makes you halt, ponder, and look at works of art more than you originally might have.
His absurd alterations free the old master paintings from any historical, social contextual and stylistic confine. Hans-Peter Feldmann is cleverly and engagingly challenging artistic conventions, as well as our own expectations and responses to art. His work is an entertaining and thought-provoking proposition to us all.
In the words of Hans-Peter Feldmann himself: “the value given to art today is … it’s simply overvalued.”