The Moment is Eternity

THE MOMENT IS ETERNITY – GERMAN ABSTRACTION: PAST & PRESENT is a show of renowned artists who all emerged after World War II to reshape German Art. The gallery aims to give a new perspective on the history of the 20th and 21st century in Germany by showing works of a complete generation of artists: Josef ALBERS, Gunther FÖRG, Katharina GROSSE, Hans HARTUNG, Imi KNOEBEL, Georg Karl PFAHLER, Gerhard RICHTER, Ulrich RÜCKRIEM and Gerhard VON GRAEVENITZ. In reaction to the Nazi’s censorship and the Degenerate Art Exhibition (1937, Munich), they contributed to the new abstraction by creating some of the most distinctive experimental art of this time.

While color and shape are the main focus of Josef Albers with his Homage to the Square series and Georg Karl Pfahler’s Color Field masterpieces, Hans Hartung and Gerhard Richter chose neutral tones for their lyrical abstractions. More recently, Katharina Grosse used compressed-spray color for her vibrant colorful installations, but also for her paper work presented in this exhibition. On the other hand, Imi Knoebel and Günther Förg picked metal and wood as visible materials for their paintings. Their radical ideas are highlighted here: Förg’s painting on lead and Knoebel’s monochrome on shaped wood. While Ulrich Rückriem’s monumental stone sculpture sits outside, in the garden, Gerhard Von Graevenitz’s kinetic sculpture hangs inside the space, in a constant rotation. The show’s title is taken from one of Ulrich Ruckriem’s quote defining his idea of making sculpture as a liberation process: “and the moment of doing it as eternity”. In this exhibition, each artist had their moment creating artworks of real historical significance which inspired future artists and movements.