Museo de Arte Latinoamericano
Buenos Aires MALBA
Daimler Art Collection in Buenos Aires
100 Years of Art
from the Daimler Art Collection 1909 - 2009
Daimler Art Collection and Eduction Program in Buenos Aires
Works by some fifty artists, from respected Bauhaus artists to spirited young artists,are introduced from the Daimler Art Collection. Bringing together works of art covering a variety of expressions, the exhibition spaces display impressive installations.
The major extraordinary feature of this project is that the whole exhibition is introduced and accompanied by an "Education Program" for schools and universities.
European Traditions and Constructivist Art in dialogue with Contemporary Art
The exhibits will specially be assembled and presented to give visitors a tour of the last 100 years of international art history with a focus on abstract tendencies, as a reference to the strong abstract-constructive traditions in South America from 1950 to today.
Exhibition view with works from Oskar Schlemmer, MaxBill, Johannes Itten, Willi Baumeister
A starting point would be provided by Classical Modernism, with main pieces of the Collection from the German Bauhaus, from Constructivism and Concrete Art, with names like Oskar Schlemmer, Max Bill and Josef Albers. Albers, whose biography was greatly shaped by study and teaching at the German Bauhaus, emigrated to the USA in 1933, where he became one of the leading figures in education. Willi Baumeister and Max Bill, two other key artists of the Collection, both studied at the German Bauhaus. Max Bill was the founder, spokesman and chief theorist of the Zurich concrete school. Other representative names would be Adolf Fleischmann, Jean Arp, Richard Paul Lohse and Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart.
Exhibition view with works from Lothar Quinte, Josef Albers, Francois Morellet, Video: Esther Hiepler. Foreground: Max Bill, Ulmer Hocker
European Zero Avant-garde
The second part of the exhibition is dedicated to the ›Zero‹ avant-garde. This European movement is linked with artists like Heinz Mack, Enrico Castellani, Dadamaino, Herbert Oehm, Christian Megert and Jan Henderikse. ›Zero‹, founded by Heinz Mack and Otto Piene as an artists` association in 1957 in Germany, became a European movement in the 1960s. By questioning the basis of artistic production, reception and presentation in general the artists redefined the traditional concept of the work of art radically, thus laying a foundation for the Concept Art and Minimalism in Europe.
Exhibition view with works from Jeremy Moon, Douwe jan Bakker, Katje Strunz, Mathieu Mercier. Floor Sculpture: Liam Gilik
Minimalism Europe and America
The major abstract movements from the 1950s to the 1970s are characterized by going back to the origins of concrete, constructive and minimalist art, though with different stresses in Europe and America. Connections between European structural-constructive painting and American tendencies of minimalist art are represented by Charlotte Posenenske, Ulrich Rueckriem and Franz Erhard Walther. Forerunners of this European Minimalism are works by Josef Albers, Hermann Gloeckner or Camille Graeser shown in the exhibition. American reductionist art is represented by Donald Judd, Robert Ryman, Mathias Goeritz or John McLaughlin. Tendencies of an international minimalism are currently developed by artists like Liam Gillick, Katja Strunz or Andrea Zittel. Thus the exhibition shows clearly that Minimalism is a characteristic trait in many works by artists from different periods and nationalities.
Form, Line, Space
This section of the exhibition brings together abstract avant-garde and contemporary artists referring to different basic conceptual and formal elements like the examination of "space" or the reduction to the "line" as representational means. The exhibited works, including the Raumplastik [Space Sculpture] by Norbert Kricke, will be linked by a carpet designed by the contemporary Algerian artist Philippe Parreno. These works enter in a dialogue with George Vantongerloo, Josef Albers and Ben Willikens.
Car-related
Another focus of the Daimler Art Collection is on commissioned works relating to the product "car". In 1986, on the 100th anniversary of the invention of the motor car, the car as a motif and icon of mobility returned to Warhol's work with a commission from Daimler-Benz AG. About 80 pictures were planned for the Cars series, but only 35 pictures and twelve drawings were completed before he died in 1987. This complex also provides a nucleus for other car-related work commissioned by Daimler.
From 1995 to 1998 the American artist Robert Longo developed a series of five large-format drawings for the Daimler Art Collection called Cars from Above, showing top views of 1980s and 1990s models. This section will be completed with other car-related sculptures, objects and videos by Sylvie Fleury, Kirsten Mosher and Vincent Szarek.
Education Programme
A major extraordinary feature of this project is that the whole exhibition will be introduced and accompanied by an "Education Program" for schools and universities. Learners and students are handed out a free book to the exhibition: From Bauhaus to NOW. ABC of the Daimler Art Collection (200 pages, color ill.) so that they can find their own way in to 20th century art. Mercedes-Benz Argentina will provide shuttle buses to transport the school kids and students to the exhibition. Trainee programs will be available for museum employees, teachers and students in the exhibition's fit-up phase and can attract many individuals, who are communicating the Education Programme to their audience.
Exhibition view with works from Mathieu Mercier, Jo Baer, John Mc Laughlin, Kenneth Noland, Daniel Buren, Eckard Schene, Andrea Zittel (Foreground)
> overview: introduction and the further exhibition venues
Videos of the exhibition on Youtube
>> TV report
