Ottmar Hörl’s “Ludwig van Beethoven” project resides in the museum in summer

June 11, 2021

Tsaritsyno Museum took part in Ottmar Hörl’s project “Ludwig van Beethoven – Ode To Joy”. During summer, Beethoven’s sculptures by this known German artist can be seen in museum spaces.

The project “Ludwig van Beethoven – Ode to Joy” is a communication campaign dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. This promotion is carried out by the National Tourist Office of Germany in Russia as a part of the “Year of Germany in Russia 2020/21”. On the occasion of the composer’s jubilee, 80 golden and malachite smiling Beethovens by the German sculptor Ottmar Hörl were brought to Moscow. “The music of Ludwig van Beethoven has been inspiring people for two hundred years, – says installation author Ottmar Hörl. – Beethoven was a cheerful person, but since he suffered from deafness at the end of his life, he was always portrayed as grumpy and in a bad mood. My project is a reason, finally, to present to the world a prettier image of the composer.”

The smiling Beethovens have already been seen by visitors to several Russian cities, from Kaliningrad to Anadyr. In May, sculptures made a visit to Tsaritsyno park. Now four figures will move through the museum spaces to experience maximum interaction with the public and museum. It is not without reason that the first spot was chosen – “Children’s Museum”, where children can touch the objects and play within the exhibition.