Le Souffleur
Schürmann meets Ludwig
March 22, 2015–January 31, 2016
Ludwig Forum Aachen
Jülicher Straße 97-109
52070 Aachen
Germany
Where Peter and Irene Ludwig say “Jeff Koons,” Gaby and Wilhelm Schürmann answer “Mike Kelley” or “Christopher Williams.” The major currents in art followed by the Ludwigs were counteracted by the Schürmanns who were drawn to contemporary and context-oriented positions informed by Institutional Critique and political art.
In Le Souffleur these two different attitudes walk a path together: Wilhelm Schürmann was invited to curate an exhibition with the Ludwig collection in mind. The result is an open and agile conception of art spaces in which works from both collections meet on level footing, an arrangement full of subtleties and interactive comments. Together both collections provide an unusually precise and comprehensive view of contemporary art since 1960.
Into the early 1990s Peter and Irene Ludwig continually expanded their collection, guided by an inquiring spirit that seems absolutely unique today. In particular the upheavals impacting on global society in the late 1980s and early 1990s resonated in their collection. And it is precisely here that the collection of Gaby and Wilhelm Schürmann sets a “turning point,” considering the history of art from the perspective of the collector.
The collection Gaby and Wilhelm Schürmann have assembled since the mid-1980s, is today one of the finest of contemporary art worldwide. Their focus is completely different, reflecting that they belong to a younger generation; along with the enormous political and social developments, their interest is how the art of their own and a younger generation have responded to such changes. The notion of world art needs to be explained in their view, and it is in any case very much shaped by its political implications.
Artists featured in the exhibition (selection): Monika Baer, Fiona Banner, Pae White, Sister Corita, Nairy Baghramian, Lygia Clark, Chuck Close, Alice Creischer, Simon Denny, Heinrich Dunst, Valie Export, Guerrilla Girls, Richard Hamilton, On Kawara, Konrad Klapheck, Lee Lozano, Katja Novitskova, Anna Oppermann, Gerhard Richter, Rita McBride, Jewyo Rhii, Jason Rhoades, Joëlle Tuerlinckx, Franz West, Heimo Zobernig, Tomma Abts, Vincent Fecteau, Jasper Johns and many more
A fascinating support program for the exhibition is planned and an accompying catalogue will be published. Detailed information will be available shortly and at www.ludwigforum.de.
Save the date:
Paulina Olowska, Needle, Aachen Art Prize 2014
May 31–September 20, 2015
Opening and award ceremony: May 31, noon