Nationalgalerie Receives Generous Gift of Beuys’ Works from the Marx Collection

09.09.2022
Nationalgalerie

The family of the late, well-known Berlin collector Erich Marx, who passed away two years ago, has made a gift to the Nationalgalerie ‒ Staatliche Museen zu Berlin of the Marx Collection’s entire body of works by artist Joseph Beuys.

Professor Axel Marx, the son of the late collector, had previously announced this intention in September 2021 at a memorial event in tribute to Erich Marx at Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin. The contract for the gift has just been signed at the same location. It involves important works, including The Secret Block for a Secret Person in Ireland; STELLE, 2nd version; Energiestab; Straßenbahnhaltestelle (Tramstop), 2nd version; Untitled (Blackboard); Untitled (ART = KAPITAL); Untitled (Neutralisiertes Kapital); and the expansive installation Das Kapital Raum 1970-1977. Many of these works can currently be viewed at Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin and will primarily be shown at the Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts at the Kulturforum in the future. The remainder of the works from the Marx Collection continue to be housed at the SMB museums as loans.

The Marx Collection

While building his collection, Erich Marx (1921-2020) concentrated on a select group of artists whose works fascinated him: Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly and Joseph Beuys, Anselm Kiefer, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Liechtenstein and a few others. The artists are represented by impressive work groups and key works, which trace their individual artistic developments. Erich Marx cultivated a special relationship with Joseph Beuys throughout his life as a collector.