14 May 2016 – 05 June 2017

One of the most radical steps in the history of art, namely the step in the direction of abstraction, was undertaken around 1912 by artists such as Lyubov Popova, Wassily Kandinsky who freed themselves from the depiction of representational motifs and developed completely nonrepresentational compositions. Materials and forms evolved into autonomous carriers of meaning. ‘Everything is allowed’, Kandinsky wrote in the face of the range of creative possibilities enabled by taking the step towards abstraction. Ranging from Constructivism and Concrete Art to Abstract Expressionism and Informalism as well as present-day abstract concepts, this presentation from the museum’s own collection traces abstraction’s diverse developmental lines from its origins to the present day. ABSTRACTIONS features works by such artists as Max Bill, Vilmos Huszàr, Imi Knoebel, Verena Lowensberg, Kasimir Malevich, François Morellet, Anne Neukamp and Carsten Nicolai.

Curator: Nina Schallenberg