Press
Picnic Time
6 May – 17 September 2017
A picnic in the countryside, un déjeuner sur l’herbe . . . all over the world, people love to get together and share a meal in the open air.
Already the Ancient Greeks enjoyed this pastime, and the invention of the picnic basket in eighteenth-century England marked its rise in status to a veritable society event. Picnicking is currently undergoing a revival in Western metropolises – whether at stylishly arranged “dîners en blanc” or carefree outings to the park with bag, baggage and barbecue grill.
Picnic Time is the first major exhibition ever devoted to the phenomenon of the picnic. From 6 May to 17 September 2017, the show at the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt am Main is retracing the fascination of dining out of doors through a wide range of different periods and cultures. For instance, what is the nature of the lavish picnics during the Henley Royal Regatta in England? How do people picnic on the world’s highest mountains? How do they do it in the Middle East and during cherry-blossom season in Japan? On more than a thousand square metres of exhibition space, numerous objects – including picnic utensils of widely differing forms, makes and origins – as well as installations, photographs and films bear witness to the abundant diversity of a popular custom.
Curator: Dr Charlotte Trümpler
Curatorial assistance: Leonie Wiegand
