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until 04.08. | Kupferstichkabinett shows from 13. April 2019 the exhibition “In bester Gesellschaft” with selected acquisitions of the Berlin Kupferstichkabinett from the years 2009 to 2019.
“In bester Gesellschaft” (> In best company) illustrates the way in which the collection of the Berlin Kupferstichkabinett has grown over the last ten years with around 60 of the most beautiful and interesting new acquisitions. The diverse selection ranges from the Middle Ages to the present day and includes works on paper by artists as diverse as Hans Holbein the Elder, Adolph Menzel, Max Slevogt, Yves Tanguy, Georg Baselitz, Monica Bonvicini and Katharina Grosse. Last but not least, the exhibition also shows the central importance of private and public sponsors, patrons and foundations, without whose significant commitment this significant increase would not have been possible.
Although one focus of the exhibition is on contemporary art on paper, the chronologically structured show also presents many works of European art history from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The exhibition will not only show – spread over the duration of the exhibition – individual pages of the important early modern set of drawings in the “Kleines Klebeband der Fürsten zu Waldburg-Wolfegg”, but also the recently acquired pastel drawing “Die Schlittschuhläufer” (1855/1856) by Adolph Menzel with the help of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Kulturstiftung der Länder, the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung and the Rudolf-August Oetker-Stiftung. Like the two Menzel works “Dame im Coupé” (1859) and “Schutzmann im Winter” (c. 1860), which were recently returned to the collection after 74 years, it will be on public display for the first time and only for a short time. In autumn 2019, Adolph Menzel will present the large solo exhibition “Menzel. Painter on Paper”.
Numerous important legacies and acquisitions of recent years are also highlighted in individual works: For example, the recently presented legacy of Barbara Göpel with works by Max Beckmann, the donation of a group to Willi Baumeister drawings by the artist’s descendants, or the major purchase of drawings and prints by Gerhard Altenbourg in 2014, in which the Kulturstiftung der Länder and the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung played a major role.
With regard to contemporary art on paper, which is strongly represented in the exhibition according to the acquisition possibilities, the artist sponsorship of the State of Berlin, funded by the Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin, has been an important partner for many decades. Selected works by Monica Bonvicini, Leiko Ikemura, Andreas Seltzer, and Katharina Grosse made this clear. The Ernst Schering Foundation Berlin, for its part, has been supporting the museum since 2008 by building up its own collection of international art on paper. Examples of this include works by Ralf Ziervogel, Dieter Appelt and Irma Blank.
Last but not least, the Graphische Gesellschaft zu Berlin – Vereinigung der Freunde des Kupferstichkabinetts, founded in 1998, is active in the field of newer drawings and prints. It is represented with purchases by Thomas Schütte, Nanne Meyer, Gert & Uwe Tobias, and a monumental drawing by Hipkiss, and has significantly promoted the exhibition. The commitment of private sponsors is testified by the donations of three prints by Brice Marden and a large cutout drawing by Arturo Herrera. Artist gifts are also on show – by Dieter Goltzsche and Harald Naegeli, also known as the Sprayer of Zurich.
The exhibition and the accompanying journal (80 pages, approx. 100 illustrations) also bring to life the various facets of collecting and penciling in the form of dialogues between works and groups of works. In this way, it becomes clear that “newcomers” to the Kupferstichkabinett are literally welcomed into the best of company, in which they can talk to one another and to the long-established “inhabitants” of the collection.
Opening: Friday, 12th April 2019, 7:00 pm
Exhibition period: Saturday, 13th April – Sunday, 4th August 2019
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Image caption: Adolph Menzel, Die Schlittschuhläufer, 1855/1856, Pastell, schwarze, weiße und farbige Kreiden auf braunem Tonpapier, auf Karton aufgezogen, 36,8 x 52,8 cm, restaurierte Fassung, gefördert von der Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien und erworben mit Unterstützung der Kulturstiftung der Länder, der Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung und der Rudolf-August Oetker-Stiftung © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett / Dietmar Katz
In bester Gesellschaft | Selected Acquisitions from 2009 to 2019 – Kupferstichkabinett | Ausstellung Museum Berlin – Berliner Museen – ART at Berlin
