Anselm Kiefer Tempelhof. 2011
oil on canvas, acrylic, clay, lead, salt
© the artist, Photo: BenWestoby, Courtesy White Cube
Source: hermitagemuseum.org

State Hermitage Museum, May 25, 2013 - January 20, 2014
building of the General Staff

The State Hermitage Museum opened the exhibition "Against the light. German art of the XX century, from the collection of George Economou "(Athens), representing the best works of German artists of the XX century. Beginning of the collection was launched in 1990, works were acquired by major international auctions, galleries of Germany, Austria and the UK.

George Economou owns the largest collection of drawing and painting the most important masters of German expressionism the new reality of the 1920s and 30s by Otto Dix, Christian Schad, George Grosz, Conrad Feliksmyullera which manifested itself after the First World War. German society was embraced by the atmosphere of decadence and indiscriminate cynicism. During this period, artists, discard the tradition of the idealization of reality, have resorted to social criticism and caricature. In the thirties of XX century Expressionism and New Objectivity were branded with the official German propaganda as degenerate art, and subject to destruction and desecration of the symbolic.

neoekspressionista returned to the imagery, partly figurative, emotional manner, bright saturated colors . Baselitz key work of this period "Eagle in bed" (1982) is presented at the exhibition in the Hermitage. At the exposition of the German Expressionists 1920-30-ies are shown in parallel with neoekspressionista. "Leisure Lady" (1912) and Ernst Kirchner 'Model 70 again sings "(2011) by Georg Baselitz - works created with a break of almost a century, very clearly perceived in a single artistic experience that is very rare in the present situation of artistic pluralism .

Most of the XX century German art was conceived and created not as a regular job, but as the art software application. Still Life Still Life was not easy, but scenic manifesto. Portrait was not written to, only to simply keep the memory of someone else's face, but was a means to capture forever the life-giving forces that determine the fate of the device and the person depicted. In this exhibition are "The Lady in a fur coat" (1923) and "Ursus in the cradle" (1927) by Otto Dix or "Sleeping" Erich Heckel (1914). In Germany, the XX century, nobody said the scenery is just this: it always or disturbing the composition as in "Woman with a child and a girl on the Road" (1913), August Macke and "Beggar on Prahatittse" (1924), Conrad Feliksmyullera or unnatural monument, as in the work of Baselitz 'One Foot "(1988).

Artist, and in Germany it is always - an intellectual who feels responsible for the society that need to educate, inspire and guide. Even if his art is not fully understood, it is aimed at making direct influence minds.

task of the artist - not healing in the truest sense of the word (the only exception is the romantic art of Joseph Beuys ), but an attempt to help the society to survive the post-war and "poslestenny" syndrome and find a new identity.

can say that art and politics - the central theme of the German art of the XX century. However, if it is focused on the achievement of balance between the chosen historical goal and forced the loss of freedom. Naturally, the key character in this difficult situation will be a national hero, who comforts grief and embodies the aspirations of society. In the XX century, society can not allow it to be either mad Werther, neither Kierkegaard Flanery. Instead, its image is formed on the model of the Nietzschean superman who suffer from delusions of a rapidly changing world around. More than any other time of the XX century German artist wants to be a real warrior, going through towns and villages for the sake of establishing a fair policy in the surrounding consistently vile world. But in Germany, the strong position of the hero must remain unoccupied: in the XX century, the role of the leader has been irrevocably compromised. Therefore, the artist has to be content with his title and his humble attitude. And by the end stand at his post.

exhibition "Against the light. German art of the XX century, from the collection of George Economou, "which presented twenty six pieces - is temporary, but long-term exposure, which will become part of a five-year program showing XX century art at the State Hermitage order to ensure consistent presentation of the main areas of Western European art of the XX century. It is a parallel project with the exhibition "Masterpieces of the XX century art from the collection of the Albertina," which will be held in the State Hermitage Museum from 9 October 2013 to 12 January 2014.

The exhibition was organized jointly with the George Economou Collection. The curator of the exhibition - Dmitry Ozerkov, head of the Department of Contemporary Art at the State Hermitage Museum, PhD. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog (in Russian and English), which includes introductory Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director General of the State Hermitage Museum, and George Economou, the collector. Authors - Dmitry Ozerkov, Daria Bubnov, a junior researcher in the Department of Contemporary Art at the State Hermitage Museum, and Dieter Buhhart, art historian.

Source : hermitagemuseum.org