Tickets

Hanne Darboven
Book of Pictures - Fin de Siècle

15.04.2008 to 18.05.2008

Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart
Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart

The dates presented in "Buch der Bilder - Fin de Siècle" (Book of Pictures - Fin de Siècle; 1992-1993) by German artist Hanne Darboven encompass the years 1988 - when preliminary work commenced - to 1999, the close of the 20th century. Darboven began by registering these dates in note and exercise books; displayed alongside this data were photographs, including those showing objects from the artist's collection. Finally, these booklets were photographed page by page, and these images mounted on sheets. Groups of 25 sheets were then collected into altogether 54 large format albums. There are also 520 working sheets with collaged photographs and 42 illustrated panels. The title of this work alludes to Rainer Maria Rilke's volume of poems Buch der Bilder (Book of Images) of 1902, and hence casts a backward glance from the late 20th century to the epoch of Jugendstil and the turn from the 19th to the 20th centuries.

In collaboration with the Freunde der Nationalgalerie (Friends of the Nationalgalerie), the museum is attempting to purchase this important work.