Georg Baselitz
Joseph Beuys
Sigmar Polke
Arnulf Rainer
Eugen Schonebeck
Dan Flavin
Andy Warhol
Willem de Kooning
John Chamberlain
Artworks from the Pinakothek der Moderne. Exhibition spaces filled with major works by Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Sigmar Polke, Arnulf Rainer and Eugen Schonebeck respond to large-scale installations by Dan Flavin, Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning and John Chamberlain. Modern meets tradition.
This summer, the north wing of Herrenchiemsee Castle, built by Ludwig II,
provides the glamorous setting for artworks from the Pinakothek der
Moderne. For the first time on this site, modern meets tradition, Europe meets
America. Exhibition spaces filled with major works by Georg Baselitz, Joseph
Beuys, Sigmar Polke, Arnulf Rainer and Eugen Schönebeck respond to large-
scale installations by Dan Flavin, Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning and John
Chamberlain. Created since the 1950s, these artworks correspond to the
expansive architecture precisely because it remains fragmental in this section
of the building. They are not integrated in the enfilades, built between 1879
and 1886 and reminiscient of the Bavarian king’s enthousiasm for Louis XIV.
Instead, they are presented in the uncompleted, two-storey section of the
palace characterized by unfinished red brick walls. There, where the utopia of
limitless beauty could not be realized, is space for the reality of contemporary
art: on the simple and unadorned walls of these spaces Baselitz’s broken
»Helden« (Heroes) of postwar Germany find a refuge, as well as the crosses
by Rainer, with which the artist questioned form and symbol, thereby enabling
once again a lively discussion about painting. The mass-cultural issues
explored by Warhol and Beuys and their attention to mundane and ordinary
materials enter a controversial alliance with this singular location. Flavin's
fluorescent light installations simultaneously fascinate and irritate because,
as the artist explained, they »allow no room for contemplation, psychology,
symbolism or mystery«.
The exhibition builds on the diverse cultural achievements of the House of
Wittelsbach, whose knowledgeable representatives passionately collected
works by the best artists of their time and eventually made these collections
available to the public. Today, this tradition of art collecting, to which the
exhibited works also attest, is supported by a broad public. Thanks to this
extensive commitment, the past and the present meet at Herrenchiemsee this
summer. One of Germany's most famous structures, the palace complex is
situated on an enchanting and beautiful site located between Munich and
Salzburg and can now be experienced as a whole.
The exhibition »Königsklasse« was developed in close cooperation with the
Bayerische Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen
(Bavarian Administration of State Palaces, Gardens and Lakes).
It has been generously supported by:
International Patrons of the Pinakothek e.V.
PIN. Freunde der Pinakothek der Moderne e.V.
Pinakotheks-Verein. Verein zur Förderung der Alten und Neuen Pinakothek e.V.
Image: Ausstellungsansicht der Installation von Dan Flavin ‘Untitled (blue and red fluorecent light)’ (1970), Seit 2013 Leihgabe des Dan Flavin Estate an die Bayerischen Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Foto: Nicole Wilhelms © Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen
© Estate of Dan Flavin / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2013
Tine Nehler M.A.
Head of Communication | Head of Press Department
Pinakotheken im Kunstareal | Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen
Kunstareal | Barer Straße 29 | D 80799 Munich
Phone: + 49 89 23805-122 | Fax: + 49 89 23805-125
Email: presse@pinakothek.de
Schloss- und Gartenverwaltung Herrenchiemsee
Altes Schloss 3 · 83209 Herrenchiemsee
OPENING TIMES
1 April – mid - October: 9 am – 6 pm