The Art Show

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The Art Show
Edward & Nancy Kienholz , 1977
Impression of gypsum
Berlinische Galerie;

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The Art Show is a work of art by Edward & Nancy Kienholz , which was created between 1973 and 1977. Kienholz had his first ideas for a humorous examination of the art scene back in 1963. It is an environment that has been in the possession of the Berlinische Galerie since 1996 ; the acquisition of the work was financed with funds from the DKLB Foundation in Berlin. In the work of art, the two artists recreate the scene of a vernissage in a gallery that ironically deals with the art business of the 1970s.

Description of the objects

The environment ironically recreates the vernissage of a gallery exhibition in the style of the 1970s. It consists of 19 figures, placed individually or in groups of two or three, representing the audience. In addition, 14 works of art, executed using the collage technique, on the walls and furniture for sitting, for snacks, drinks and an acrylic table at which the gallery owner sits in front of a bookshelf with a "pebble gray" dial telephone next to her. The figures are reproduced from well-known personalities of the art scene at the time, including the artist Eduardo Paolozzi , Karl Ruhrberg (former head of the DAAD ), Jürgen Harten (Düsseldorf Kunsthalle director), the opera singer Catherine Gayer and the art historian Pontus Hultén , as well as the three children of Nancy and Edward Kienholz, who, in contrast to the adults standing around, sit on the floor and a stuffed dog placed under a bench . The bodies of the life-size figures were made using the casting technique . They wear the original clothing of the models at the time, but the artists alienated the faces of the figures. For this purpose, scrap parts from cars were used, ventilation flaps from which warm air flows. The figures have a button that switches on a sound playback device, comments on the art, as well as the background noises of a vernissage. These include statements at today's audience to create then current art that 40 years on quite humorous reactions and, by the curator of the Berlinische Galerie, Stefanie Heckmann in an article for the rbb -Kulturradio from June 8, 2018 as Geschwurbel were called.

Exhibition and reception

The American art writer Suzanne Muchnic wrote a 1986 report for the Los Angeles Times newspaper that critically examines and describes the characters portrayed: “Despite their tendency to attach their egos to other people's creations, these babblers at least recognize the catalytic power of art. Their appearance is absurd, their own out-of-date clothes such as feather boas, bell-bottoms, corduroy jackets, and what they say. “The Art Show” is a mortification of art criticism, but like the best works by Kienholz and Reddin, it is also an expression of fallibility. These sculptures look at works of art that tell of their own creation. On the walls there are photos of the models cast in plaster, drawings, notes and found objects such as cookie jars used as frames, wooden strips and iron grilles. These mixed media objects are gray or yellowed and look like relics from an attic. But they convey an elegance that mainly arises from a secure feeling of composition and a loving attitude towards flea market treasures. "

literature

  • Joe Kelleher: Everybody acts (on friendship) Edward Kienholz and Nancy Reddin Kienholz, The Art Show (1963–1977)… In: The Illuminated Theater: Studies on the Suffering of Images . Routledge, London / New York 2015, ISBN 978-1-317-48122-5 , pp. 126 ff . (English, books.google.de - excerpt).
  • Thomas Deecke (Ed.): The Art Show: 1963–1977, Edward Kienholz . Berlin artist program / DAAD [u. a.], Berlin 1977, OCLC 257973460 (exhibition catalog).
  • Rice Museum (ed.): The art show, 1963–1977: Edward Kienholz, Nancy Reddin Kienholz. Rice University, Houston, Tex. 1984, OCLC 58925996 (exhibition catalog).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Daghild Bartels: Edward Kienholz in Berlin: From the opening to the museum . In: Die Zeit Online . March 18, 1977 ( zeit.de ).
  2. ^ Description of the work of art on the website of the Berlinische Galerie.
  3. ^ "The Art Show" by Edward and Nancy Reddin Kienholz - A portrait by Michaela Gericke. June 8, 2018, rbb archive.
  4. ^ Edward & Nancy Reddin Kienholz - The Art Show. lalouver.com.
  5. ↑ a b Suzanne Muchnic: Art Review - The Ubiquitous Kienholz . In: Los Angeles Times . November 18, 1986 ( latimes.com ).