About
The exhibition "A-Z. The Marzona Collection" is a celebration of the conceptual art of the 1960s and 1970s and illustrates the contemporary relevance of works from this era. The presentation spans the next two and a half years and features the collection of Egidio Marzona, which primarily consists of works of American and European conceptual art, Minimal Art, and Arte Povera.
The letters of the alphabet offer the basis for a versatile and consistently varied approach to the diverse works in the Marzona Collection. The semiotic structure of the alphabet is used to highlight ideas inherent to the works exhibited and provides a stringent yet open-ended format for the exhibition program. Individual artistic positions, important historical exhibitions, and artistic genres are examined. The presentation is altered every quarter of a year in keeping with the sequence of the alphabet.
# 1/9 ABC (23.1.-23.4.2014)
Beginning with the letter A, the first room offered a look at the Italian movement of Arte Povera. The second room of the exhibition was dedicated to the letter B and presented an installation by the French artist Daniel Buren and finally, the letter C addressed the exhibition catalogue as an artistic medium through C. 7500, the title of an exhibition curated by Lucy Lippard in 1973.
#2/9 DEF (2.5-27.7.2014)
Following on from this first presentation, rooms D, E and F will be on view. D investigates the aspect of Documentation in conceptual art. E as Erhalten (Conservation)offers visitors a look behind the scenes at the activities of the museum's conservation department, and at the particular challenges that contemporary artworks present to a museum. And the third exhibition room F focuses on Fotografie (Photography), which in the late 1960s took on renewed importance as an artistic medium.
#3/9 GHI (2.8.-16.11.2014)
Rooms G, H and I will follow in fall. Gehen (Walking) as artistic practice is explored under the letter G (with works by Stanley Brouwn, Richard Long and Hamish Fulton). As Handlung (Action), H thematizes performative aspects of art in the 1960s and 1970s, and I takes an idea-led tour of the most important currents in conceptual art, with works from Marcel Duchamp to Joseph Kosuth.
#4/9 JKL (22.11.2014-8.2.2015)
The final presentation of 2014 offers an artistic intervention by the New Zealand artist Ruth Buchanan under the letter J, for Joker (the wild card in a deck of playing cards). Further presentations reflects on the geometric formal language of Conceptual Art under K for Kubus (Cube) and, under L, on the work of US artist Sol LeWitt, one of the central figures in the Marzona Collection.
The approach to the Marzona Collection is thus conceived in a manner as varied, playful, and experimental as the art of the 1960s and 1970s.
Next to the three rooms of the exhibition is the "Büro" (office), an open archive space where visitors can find additional information on the subjects, artworks and artists on show. A programme of events offers further opportunities to interact with and reflect on the presentations.
Curator: Lisa Marei Schmidt, Education and outreach: Daniela Bystron
