Interview: Max Henry

Installationview: The Sorcerer's Apprentice at Galleri Faurschou

How do you plan your work being a curator and how did you come up with the idea of this exhibition?

I function as an artist and I consider curating as an art form. The artist knows that when I walk into the studio. The conversation I have with the artist is very much a dialogue. I like to work in an unorthodox manner but in the end I have to think in a way that is classical too. This exhibition is a good example of this. In the exhibition you see all these unorthodox dispositions and I do not think that most people would make these connective threads but the point is if it works then it does work. Many thoughts can be given about curating but for me it is a very emotional thing. I have been an art critic too so I can talk the language but I do not want to be too locked in the head – there should be plenty of room for subjectivity in art.

I was reading about Picasso and I saw this title The Sorcerer´s Apprentice and I thought it would be a great title for the show. This title comes from the myth of the sorcerer who is training his apprentice. The sorcerer goes out for some errands and asks the apprentice to clean up the place but he is lazy and he asks the broomstick to handle it. He says some magic words but the broomstick gets out of control and the apprentice does not know what to do. Then the sorcerer comes back and says the magic word and the broomstick stops. The moral is: Can you handle the magic? Who can handle the magic? I look at Picasso as the sorcerer being a mentor, a hero or someone to look up to and the contemporary artists as the apprentices – they are learning to handle the magic. But the funny thing is that in the end it can be turned around because the apprentices become the sorcerers if they get in control of the magic, the magic is their language and their language is painting. Picasso is so important because in painting during the past years it all goes back to Picasso, he is the beacon.

I wanted to do an unorthodox Picasso show linking contemporary artists with Picasso but it would only work if the works were late Picasso and not from the beginning, his classical period, the blue/rose period nor the cubist period. The late Picasso works are still so fresh and you can sense that Picasso in this period before he died was so free, he may have had a fear of death but he accepted the fact that death was waiting for him. I knew these works would make a great show with contemporary artists where you can see how these “apprentices” are inspired by their sorcerer, Picasso. I thought it was a great idea and I have not seen it done before.

I spoke to Erik Parker about the idea and he said I should talk to Luise Faurschou because Galleri Faurschou had worked with Picasso works before and we all thought it was a great idea.

Pablo Picasso: Peintre et modèle, 1964. 126 x 89 cm. Oil on canvas		Pablo Picasso: Le Fou, 1905. 40 x 35 x 22 cm. Patinated bronze

Why do you see Picasso as so important for contemporary painting?

I believe multiple tendencies in contemporary painting relate to Picasso. It is sometimes said that painting died when Picasso passed away because you saw a lot of conceptual art etc. after his death. But today, it is clear that painting certainly has survived. One could say that Picasso belonged to the analogue world from the late 19th century and three quarters of the 20th century. Today, artists have to face the digital reality and they are kind of linking the analogue world with the digital. But still, I think it is very clear that the artists in the show use the same powerful expressiveness as Picasso.

Pablo Picasso: Suzanne et les veillards, 1966. 46 x 55 cm. Pastel on paper		Pablo Picasso: Trois personages, 1969. 24 x 31 cm. Mixed media on cardboard

How did you select the artists for the show?

I had worked with Erik Parker and Bjarne Melgaard before, but not Picasso (ha, ha). I found Bendix Harms in New York where he did a show, I looked at his work and liked it very much. His paintings are not necessarily pretty but if you spend some time looking at his paintings you will see harmony, his way of using colours, especially the colour black. I followed André Butzer´s work especially in Europe and I thought he was underrated and I thought his works would fit in perfectly with the naivety of Picasso´s late works. It is the first time I work with Sean Landers and his career is well documented and he was very important for me to have in the show. Phoebe Unwin is the youngest artist of the show and finished Slade Art School, London in 2005. I spoke to her gallery and they asked me what I was working on and they told me to take a look at this bright artist and have her in mind for the show. I could immediately see that there was something in her works, so my guts told me to put her in the show and I am very glad I did. I have also been following the work of Dana Schutz and Nicola Tyson and I thought that they would be great for the show. Some of the works were made especially for the show and some were already finished.

Bjarne Melgaard: Untitled, 2006. 155 x 122 cm. Oil on canvas Bjarne Melgaard: Untitled, 2006. 180 x 180 cm. Oil on canvas

What is your view on curating for a commercial gallery compared to a museum?

I think gallery shows are much more difficult to do. You can go to a museum and see this or that, you do not have the commercial interest there but I think there is a lack of creativity in curating museums. There are boards and committee and they want to please a certain audience but in the end no one is getting anything unexpected out of the show. Often no risks are taken in museum exhibitions. I think it is vital that shows are being curated in an unexpected and creative way and that is what I strive to do with the shows I do in the galleries, although they also have to be commercial. As I said, curating is an art form. I want my curating to give the artists, myself and the audience something. The audience do not have to love what they see but they should still be moved.

André Butzer: Seine N-Existenz, 2007. 230 x 180 cm. Oil on canvas André Butzer: Herr Haxe als Limonadenmann, 2007. 230 x 190 cm. Oil on canvas André Butzer: Untitled (Mädchen), 2007. 140 x 95 cm. Oil on canvas

What would be your advice to young artists today?

Simply, make it you. Edith Piaf had a line: “Use your strangeness and defects and you will be a star”. You have to believe in yourself and keep believing in what you feel like doing. The academy does not necessarily teach you to paint the way you want to, so stay focussed on your own style and do it your own way. That is what Picasso did, he broke every rule and ended up with complete artistic freedom. But still as a young artist you should be aware of the fact that the art market is waiting to see what you come up with but the market should not dictate which direction you should go in. Young artists should be aware that they have to go through the commercial system, the galleries, and the artists should be very much aware of what choices they make concerning which galleries to work with etc. Galleries are important, museums do not find new artists, galleries do and then the museums discover the artists of tomorrow.

Erik Parker: Why Me?, 2007. 130 x 107 x 9 cm. Mixed media on canvas Erik Parker: Snow Job, 2007. 130 x 107 x 9 cm. Mixed media on canvas

What are your plans for the future?

I would very much like to do a show with Manet and I would very much like to do a part two of this show and include other artists that I want to put up against and next to Picasso. I am also working on a project called “Stranger than Paradise” but I am still working on that. Ultimately I would love to curate a collection. •

Dana Schutz: Frank at Night, 2002. 81 x 91,5 cm. Oil on canvas

Nicola Tyson: Landscape with two Animals, 2005. 122 x 147 cm. Oil and charcoal on canvas

Nicola Tyson: Figure in a Blue Bikini, 2004. 182.9 x 147.3 cm. Oil on canvas Nicola Tyson: Bearded Artist, 2005. 147 x 122 cm. Oil and charcoal on canvas

Bendix Harms: Burg Sieden, 2006. 145 x 180 cm. Oil on canvas		Bendix Harms: Ur-Suse GoGoGo, 2006. 230 x 200 cm. Oil on canvas		Bendix Harms: Well Done, 2006. 230 x 190 cm. Oil on canvas
Bendix Harms: Bye Bye Bye Susenudo, 2006. 150 x 230 cm. Oil on canvas		Bendix Harms: Bye Bye Marieschín, 2006. 230 x 190 cm. Oil on canvas		Bendix Harms: In mir Seelenheil, 2006. 200 x 180 cm. Oil on canvas

Sean Landers: Manu, 2001. 254 x 188 cm. Oil on linen		Sean Landers: Pan, 2006. 152,5 x 61 x 91,5 cm. Bronze

Phoebe Unwin: Blushing in the Dark (1), 2007. 50,5 x 39,9 cm. Acrylic and oil on linen		Phoebe Unwin: Blushing in the Dark (2), 2007. 60,5 x 49 cm. Oil on canvas		Phoebe Unwin: Sunglasses Falling, 2007. 80 x 70 cm. Acrylic and oil on linen
Phoebe Unwin: Untitled, 2007. 145 x 120 cm. Acrylic on linen		Phoebe Unwin: Untitled, 2007. 40 x 50 cm. Oil on linen