The current exhibition presents the early creative efforts of Stanley Kubrick, one of the leading filmmakers of the 20th century. Kubrick was interested in all aspects of human experience. He explored the entire range of cinematographic possibilities to express how human violence can transform an individual to such an extent that he or she is reduced to a mask. Shortly after graduating from high school in 1945, Stanley Kubrick began working for the New York magazine Look, where he remained for the next five years as a staff photographer. The sequential construction of his photojournalism – today in the collections of the Museum of the City of New York – already reflects a cinematographic viewpoint. His lens captures a portrait of America right after World War II – a central theme in Kubrick’s films. This idea of social portrayal is at the heart of our presentation of Kubrick and informed our organization of his documentary photographs. His themes include crime scenes, the life of a shoeshine man, a university theatre troupe, etc. Kubrick reveals himself to be a first-rate photographer. In his masterful approach, it is possible to detect references to other artists, such as Walker Evans and Diane Arbus. With the Kubrick exhibition, the Royal Museums invites visitors on a journey of discovery: the relation of American society to photography.
Founded two centuries ago, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium hold some twenty thousand paintings, sculptures and drawings. Located in Brussels, they consist of the Ancient Art Museum (XV – XVII century), the Modern Art Museum (XIX ­ XX century), the Wiertz Museum, the Meunier Museum and the Museé Magritte Museum.
Museum of Brussels
Rue du Musée 9
1000 Bruxelles
Tel.: 32.(0)2.508.32.11
Fax: 32.(0)2.508.32.32