Art of Two Germanys
Karl Hofer: Dance of the Dead (1946)
West German Karl Hofer (1878-1955) was a prominent expressionist painter, though he didn't belong to any of the influential expressionist painters' groups. His works were among those classified by the Nazis as "degenerate art." The piece "Dance of the Dead," oil on canvas, was created in the wake of World War II.
Wolf Vostell: Coca-Cola (1961)
West German artist Wolf Vostell (1932-1998) used the term "de-collage" to refer to refer to the process of tearing down posters. He was also known as a pioneer in the Happening movement, which involved making art out of multi-disciplinary, semi-planned events. "Coca-Cola," made with paper on masonite, belongs to the Museum Ludwig in Cologne.
Guenther Uecker: TV on a Table (1963)
A sculptor and installation artist, Guenther Uecker was born in western Germany in 1930. He started incorporating nails early on and the material became a central part of his work. This piece, "TV on a Table," is from the Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten in Marl.
AR Penck: Passage (1963)
Born in Dresden in 1939, East German artist Ralf Winkler, alias AR Penck, was a leading figure in the neo-expressionist movement. Under the communist regime, he was closely watched by the secret police, which made it difficult for him to exhibit his works in public. In 1969, he smuggled several pieces to Cologne in West Germany for his first solo exhibition. Penck maintained close connections to West Germany and emigrated to Cologne in 1980. This piece, oil on canvas, is from the Ludwig Forum for International Art in Aachen.
Georg Baselitz: Picture for Fathers (1965)
Born in 1938 in Saxony, Georg Baselitz grew up in what became East Germany, though he later lived in the West. He is known for his influence on the neo-expressionist movement in Germany. Some of Baselitz' early works shocked the public with their use of human body parts, also seen in "Picture for Fathers." It is part of the LACMA exhibition courtesy of Michael Werner Gallery in New York and Berlin.
Werner Tuebke: Dr. jur. Schulze’s Life Memories (1965)
Though he was was one of the most important artists in East Germany, Werner Tuebke's style is considered to be Magical Realism, rather than the Social Realism promoted by the communist state. Tuebke (1929-2004) was a member of the influential Leipzig School. This work is part of the collection in the Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
Sibylle Bergemann: Untitled (1984)
Born in 1941 in Berlin, photographer Sibylle Bergemann grew up in the East. In this photo, she captured the erection of the Marx-Engels monument in central Berlin, just a few years before Reunification. The photograph is part of the Sibylle Bergemann Collection.
Gundula Schulze Eldowy: Untitled (1986)
Gundula Schulze Eldowy was born in 1954 in the East German city of Erfurt, which is also considered the birthplace of the traditional garden gnome. The figures, pictured here, were a top export from East Germany during the communist period. This photograph belongs to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and was a gift of Lynda and Robert M. Shapiro.
Rosemarie Trockel: Untitled (1987)
This untitled piece, silkscreen on cotton, was created by West German artist Rosemarie Trockel (*1952). Her work gained considerable attention in the United States in the 1980s. This piece belongs to the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and was given in memory of Marguerite K. Johnston by her friends and the University Art Museum Council.