“Yes to all” – “Yes, we’ll take everything” was the enthusiastic and grateful response of the Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings) and the Graphische Gesellschaft zu Berlin – Freunde des Kupferstichkabinetts during the last two years in accepting generous a donation made by the two former Cologne gallerists, Paul Maenz and Gerd de Vries. These gifts consist of around 900 works on paper from the 1960s to the present. The two donors’ civic engagement is now honoured with the YES TO ALL exhibition.

The exhibition comprises a selection of 200 works, including drawings, sketches, print portfolios, collages, posters, letters and postcards, which encompass the gifts’ principal facets.

Writing Systems

The tour through the exhibition begins with a section on language-based works of conceptual art from the 1960s and 1970s. This art constituted the starting point for Paul Maenz’s and Gerd de Vries’ gallery activities in 1970 and is correspondingly well represented by the donation. In YES TO ALL, works on paper by Art & Language, Robert Barry, Hanne Darboven, Hans Haacke, Joseph Kosuth and Marthe Wéry are featured and complemented with contemporary art by Saâdane Afif.

Hans-Peter Feldmann’s Very Ordinary Pictures

The gifts have also brought together almost all of Hans Peter-Feldmann’s editions as part of the Kupferstichkabinett (Prints and Drawings) collection, making it possible to dedicate a separate section of the exhibition to this artist. On display are Feldmann’s notebooks and brochures with images of everyday objects and situations that he began producing in 1968, as well as his hand-coloured photocopies of Old Master paintings and a selection of his posters, books and postcard series. A veritable stream of images, oscillating between triviality and high art, awaits visitors.

Giulio Paolini & the Italian Transavanguardia

The exhibition continues with Giulio Paolini, a representative of conceptual art and Arte Povera in Italy, who also marks the transition to the subjective and Neo-expressive art of the Italian Transavantguardia. This movement is represented through works by Sandro Chia, Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi and Salvo.

The Neue Wilde

The German counterpart to Italy’s Neo-expressive art can be found in the painting of the Neue Wilde (New Wilds). Maenz and de Vries were particularly committed to the Mülheimer Freiheit artists in Cologne, including Peter Bömmels, Walter Dahn and Jiří Georg Dokoupil, whose drawings and prints feature in large numbers in the gifts and are therefore also well-represented in the exhibition. Martin Disler and Anselm Kiefer, artists of Neo-expressive art working independently of the Mülheimer Freiheit, are also exhibited.

Polyphonic and International in the Past and Present

The exhibition reflects a broad spectrum of sometimes contradictory artistic trends that shaped late 20th century art and continue to have an impact today. It allows visitors to experience Western-influenced art history as a polyphonic, international web permeating various temporal layers.

Artists in the Exhibition

Saâdane Afif, Art & Language, Robert Barry, Heidi Bochnig, Peter Bömmels, Sandro Chia, Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, Walter Dahn, Hanne Darboven, Martin Disler, Jiří Georg Dokoupil, EVA & ADELE, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Sylvie Fleury, Isa Genzken, Hans Haacke, Anselm Kiefer, Joseph Kosuth, Jonathan Monk, Bruce Nauman, Mimmo Palladino, Giulio Paolini, Pierre et Gilles, Anne und Patrick Poirier, Thomas Ruff, Salvo, Gitte Schäfer, Thomas Schütte, Sturtevant, Marthe Wéry.

Exhibition Publication

An extensive catalogue accompanying the exhibition has been generously funded by the Hollweg Stiftung, Bremen.

Concept for the exhibition and catalogue: Dr Jenny Graser, curator of contemporary art 2020–2024, Kupferstichkabinett ‒ Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Media partner: tipBerlin

A special exhibition of the Kupferstichkabinett – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin