The Rolling Stones - Unzipped at the Groningen Museum and their place in art history

Düsseldorf, 25 July 2023

By Lizzie Mauer

The final stop on the world tour of " Rolling Stones - Unzipped", the band's largest retrospective, is at the Groninger Museum.

The Rolling Stones' place in art history.

The Rolling Stones - Unzipped, installation views, Groningen Museum, 2020-2021 © Peter Tahl

Art Calendar, July 25, 2023: The last stop on the world tour of "The Rolling Stones - Unzipped," the band's largest retrospective, is at the Groninger Museum. Groningen is located in the north of the Netherlands and is also known as a student city. "Unzipped" will take place from June 30 to January 21, 2024. The museum is also known for its spectacular architecture; its construction is by Alessandro Mendini. An important exhibition was the largest retrospective on Gianni Versace in 2022, as well as "David Bowie is" from 2015, which was previously on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Currently, in addition to "Unzipped", the museum is also showing the Memphis Design exhibition with works by Ettore Sottsass.

According to Andreas Blühm, the German art historian and director of the Groninger Museum since 2012, the hope is for 100,000 visitors or more. He says it was a challenging task to accommodate the large number of exhibits in his museum: "We gave the exhibition much more space than originally planned. That had to do with the Covid measurements, and it turned out to be much better anyway." Andreas Blühm was previously director of the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne and is also the author of "Fit fürs Museum," the museum guide for children, among other books.

The Rolling Stones - Unzipped, installation views, Groningen Museum, 2020-2021 © Peter Tahl

Keith Richard's self-painted guitar is only on display in Groningen

What's on display: 400 original objects from the Rolling Stones' private archives, such as instruments, record covers and outfits. There are many highlights, from Keith Richards' diary to the hand-painted guitar to the costumes Mick Jagger wore on "Sympathy of the Devil," including those by Gianni Versace and Alexander McQueen. Immersive experiences include a recreation of the young musicians' humble first home in Edith Grove, London, and a panoramic concert experience. " We now see Charlie Watts' drums with different eyes." said Andreas Blühm to Alethea Magazine. Because the band member, known as the "steadiest hand in rock," had passed away in August 2021. According to the museum, the guitar painted by Keith Richards himself will be shown for the first time ever. In 1967 or 1968, Richards had decided to decorate his Gibson Les Paul, as a pastime in anticipation of a prison sentence. This instrument can be seen in Jean-Luc Godard's film Sympathy for the Devil (1968).

The Stones' run-down apartment in Edith Grove was probably no showpiece.

Dirty dishes, dirty beds, garbage, lots of leftover food and stubbed-out cigarettes. The apartment where the young Stones lived was recreated for the exhibit. It gives an impression of the circumstances in which the band made music in the early years and one feels transported back to the lifestyle of the early 1960s.

The place of the Rollings Stones in art history

How significant is the Rolling Stones' influence in terms of art history, really? Andreas Blühm says that the Rolling Stones' importance in terms of art and design cannot be overstated. "For 60 years they collaborated with first young and later established graphic designers, photographers, fashion designers, stage designers and cinematographers. From Andy Warhol to Jeff Koons, from Jean-Luc Godard to Martin Scorsese, band members have collaborated with the world's greatest creative minds."

Andreas Blühm, director Groninger Museum © Christopher Smith

Alessandro Mendini

"We have a spectacular building that is suitable for exhibitions that can attract a large international audience."

The striking architecture of the Groninger Museum is worth a visit on its own. In 1987, the Dutch Gasunie donated 25 million guilders to the city of Groningen. This paved the way for the construction of a new museum. The museum's director at the time, Frans Haks (1938-2006), chose Italian designer Alessandro Mendini as architect. The collaboration between Haks and Mendini had gone so well that the two were later said to have been artistic soul mates.

The Groninger Museum is basically a medium-sized provincial museum. Why the investment in such a building was worthwhile says Andreas Blühm: "We have a spectacular building that is suitable for exhibitions that can attract a large international audience. Often the big names (Bowie, Versace) overshadow all the other projects we do, as well as our very interesting collection, which ranges from the Stone Age to old master paintings, expressionism, postmodernism, fashion and design. We hope to offer something interesting and inspiring to all visitors, regardless of where they come from or what they are looking for. What we don't want is to be boring and predictable."

Whether the band itself will come to Groningen? Unfortunately, the museum can't announce this, but maybe you'll be lucky enough to meet a band member during your visit to the museum.

THE ROLLING STONES - UNZIPPED

Until Sunday 21 January 2024

groningermuseum.nl