In his four decades as an artist Jorg Immendorff has always viewed painting as an analytical and critical method directed towards determining his own position in society. In a comprehensive exhibition at its offshoot gallery in Augsburg, the Pinakothek der Moderne delves into the world of Jörg Immendorff (1945– 2007), presenting nearly 50 works.
Immendorff’s work is marked by his sustained confrontation with the political and aesthetic conditions that characterised divided post-war Germany. His work takes inspiration from sources as diverse as Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and William Hogarth, as well as Surrealist images, the picture stories of William Busch, and Socialist Realist works attempting to be “the voice of the people”. An in- depth consideration of this singular, contrary oeuvre is now on display for one year at the Staatsgalerie Moderne Kunst in Augsburg.
In addition to paintings and sculptures, the film “The Rake’s Progress” will be on view. Throughout his life, Immendorff was closely connected to the performing arts, and created the scenery and costumes for Igor Stravinsky’s opera based on paintings by William Hogarth (1697– 1764). In the 1994 production of the opera in Salzburg, the artist identified himself with the main character. Not unlike his paintings, his work for the opera included appearances by contemporaries such as Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Markus Lüpertz, A.R. Penck, and Michael Werner – his gallerist of many years. Together, they created a colourful vision of German art from the second half of the 20th century.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue in German and English published by Buchhandlung Walther König.
Glaspalast Augsburg Website
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