Ordeal. Art between politics and society 1945 – 2000 Collection of the National Gallery

About

The art of the second half of the 20th century is characterized by a variety of materials, media and methods. At the same time, hardly any other era has been so marked by division and disunity but also renewal: “Orthodox. “Art between politics and society” is the name of this collection presentation by the Neue Nationalgalerie on art from 1945 to the turn of the millennium.

The Holocaust and war, awakening and emancipation, the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall led to tensions within society and to fundamental new directions in the visual arts. The title is based on the radical performance of the Viennese actionist Günter Brus from 1970, in which he exposed himself to the pull of steel cables to his physical limits. 14  chapters address central artistic and social themes of the 20th century, such as the question of realism and abstraction, politics and society, everyday life and pop, feminism, identity or nature and ecology.

Artistic positions from the divided world

The exhibition shows paintings, objects, photographs and video works from the Federal Republic and the GDR, Western Europe and the USA as well as artistic developments from the former socialist states. On view are works of Informel, US color field painting, 1970s realism, pop and minimal art as well as conceptual art by artists such as Marina Abramović, Joseph Beuys, Francis Bacon, Lee Bontecou, ​​Rebecca Horn, Valie Export, Wolfgang Mattheuer, Louise Nevelson, Bridget Riley, Pippilotti Rist and Andy Warhol. The presentation is complemented by highlights of works by artists such as Kiki Kogelnik and Ewa Partum, who are not yet represented in the Nationalgalerie's collection.

Curatorial team

The exhibition is curated by Joachim Jäger, Marta Smolińska and Maike Steinkamp.