Yellow and Green
07 Mar - 30 Aug 2009
Positions from the collection of MMK
7 March - 30 August 2009
Over the next few years, an intense and programmatic focus on the collection of the MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main will highlight the function and importance that a museum of contemporary art carries today, as well as underline the opportunities it enjoys compared to other kinds of art institutions and the art market.
Today, the numerous masterpieces in the MMK Collection and their countless different facets go well beyond what the MMK could possibly show at any one time. In order to make accessible the numerous facets of this collection to its public, the MMK will concentrate on different focal points and thematic approaches, which will be presented in regular exhibitions over the next years. In this process, works from different periods and varying media will be juxtaposed. The MMK will function not only as an institution for exhibitions and discourse, but also as a venue for an active art historical and comparative understanding of art.
The first presentation from the MMK’s existing portfolio focuses on the outstanding examples of Pop Art and Minimalism that stem from the former Ströher Collection. These works enter into an exciting dialog with pieces produced in the subsequent decades as well as new acquisitions from recent years. In addition to some of the oldest works in the collection by Robert Rauschenberg and John Chamberlain, and classics of American Pop Art such as Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, George Segal and Andy Warhol, the exhibition shows positions in contemporary art as exemplified by Thomas Bayrle, Fischli & David Weiss and Jeff Koons. Works by Thomas Demand, Aernout Mik and Tobias Rehberger suggest a strong reference to the world of everyday images and the media, illuminating how relevant such subject matter was, not only to Pop Art, but still is to practicing artists today. Alongside minimalist works by Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, Lee Lozano, Fred Sandback, Blinky Palermo and Charlotte Posenenske we are showcasing pieces by Martin Boyce, Steven Parrino and Franz West from the 1990s. A particular highlight of the show is James Turrell’s “Twilight Arch”, which we are re-installing for the first time in a decade. Works by Teresa Margolles, Santiago Sierra and Markus Sixay illustrate how the formal aspect of Minimalism extends deep into the language of contemporary art. Moreover, the MMK is displaying new acquisitions, such as a slide projection by Armando Andrade Tudela and a light installation by Angela Bulloch, both of which are on view in the museum for the first time.