THE THEME
The first person to refer to the Seven Deadly Sins was Pope St. Gregory I (ca. 540-604). He described seven states of the soul that destroy the relationship between God and man, as well as among men themselves. Theology has defined seven moral faults, or vices, that lead straight to the Deadly Sins:
Superbia: pride (hubris, vanity)
Avaritia: greed (avarice, covetousness)
Invidia: envy (enviousness, jealousy)
Ira: wrath (anger, rage, revenge, spite)
Luxuria: lust (lechery, fornication, bestiality, promiscuity, rape, incest)
Gula: gluttony (excessive desire for food, over-indulgence, over-consumption)
Acedia: sloth (apathy, laziness, joylessness, cowardice)
Despite the increasing secularisation of our society and the dwindling influence of Christian moral theology, the notion of deadly sins is still very much alive, as has been demonstrated by Hollywood films such as David Fincher's Seven (1996), and art such as Bruce Nauman's Seven Virtues/Seven Vices (various versions, 1983–1993). However, contemporary attitudes towards some of the sins are highly ambivalent, insofar as greed, envy and gluttony (in the guise of consumerism) have been driving the capitalist economic system, while lust in the guise of sexual promiscuity has lost its negative connotations among urban pleasure seekers. However, counter-currents can always be discerned. The greedy corporate world has been criticised for its cut-throat attitudes; the consumerism in our "disposable society" has come to be viewed as superficial and devoid of meaning. Conversely, new and socially inacceptable behaviour patterns have been attributed to traditional notions of vice. Drug-taking and addictive behaviour in general have been associated with gluttony, for example, and pedo¬philia and sexual exploitation with lust.
This ambivalence as regards notions of vice is reflected in contemporary art, which addresses not only the attractiveness of complete abandon and the breaking of taboos, but also the desire for moral guidance and the imposition of some rules in a world of virtually unlimited technological scope.
Various venues – e.g. the Centre Pompidou in 1996/97, the Museion Bozen in 2004, the Residenzgalerie Salzburg in 2008 – have dedicated exhibitions to the theme of sinning and the deadly sins. What is still missing, however, is a comprehensive and adequate documen¬tation of the subject from the Middle Ages to the Present. The gap is to be closed by the project initiated by Zentrum Paul Klee and Kunstmuseum Bern. The two locations intend to analyse the historic evolution of artistic representations of the deadly sins, ranging from Medieval allegories of vice, through Hieronymus Bosch's and Pieter Breugel's semi-realistic, semi-grotesque scenes and Netherlandish genre paintings, to the rediscovery of the subject in the years around 1900 by artists such as James Ensor, Alfred Kubin, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí and Otto Dix. Moreover, episodes from antique mythology and particularly from the Bible which, during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, have been singled out as quintessential examples for the Deadly Sins, shall illustrate the moralizing interpretation of history in those times. However, the show intends to highlight also contemporary art with its surprisingly urgent focus on the subjects of sin and vice, often with very explicit allusions to the traditional canon. Selected artists will be invited to create works especially for this occasion.
Structurally, the show involving the two institutions will present an introduction with cyclical representations, after which it will be divided into chapters dedicated to the individual sins. The sections of superbia, invidia, avaritia and ira will be shown in the Kunstmuseum, those of luxuria, gula and acedia in the Zentrum Paul Klee. The contrast of older and contemporary art will illustrate the transformations and continuities in the iconography of the deadly sins, thereby revealing how notions of vice have changed over time. The current relevance of the notion of sin, and how our culture has justified shifting views, are also to be explored.
Of course, the exhibition will be accompanied by a scholarly catalogue, featuring introductory texts by the curators of the exhibition and essays by Prof. Barbara Müller (University of Hamburg, Institute of History of Church and Dogmas) and Prof. Christine Göttler (University of Berne, Institute of History of Art). Moreover, a comprehensive programme of auxiliary events treating in particular the subject of the Deadly Sins in other arts (literature, cinema, theatre) will frame the exhibition.
It is the aim of this ambitious co-production to realise an exhibition whose impact will be felt far beyond its local area, attracting new audiences and evoking an enthusiastic response among existing ones. Last, but not least, one purpose of the project is to document the productive cooperation between the two museums, and to reveal the potential and synergies of the occasional, vibrant twinning of two of Berne's independent fine arts institutions.
