Under the title “Drawing A Tension,” a large number of works from the Deutsche Bank collection will be shown from 3 June to 7 September for the first time in Lisbon.
A selection of 120 works by 28 artists will be presented at the Gulbenkian Foundation Headquarters, interacting with the impressive post-modern architecture of the exhibition space of Portugal’s most prestigious foundation. The show, curated by Jrgen Bock, brings together modern and contemporary works, including pieces from as early as 1922 until today.
“Drawing a Tension” includes works from Josef Albers, Hans Arp, Francis Als, Joseph Beuys, Louise Bourgeois, Marcel Broodthaers, James Lee Byars, Hanne Darboven, Max Ernst, Otto Freundlich, Gnter Frg, Eva Hesse, Thomas Hirschhorn, Olav Christopher Jenssen, Martin Kippenberger, Maria Lassnig, Zoe Leonard, Markus Lpertz, Blinky Palermo, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Karin Sander, Atsuko Tanaka, Andr Thomkins, Rosemarie Trockel and Heimo Zobernig.
Works by Portuguese artists Pedro Barateiro and Joo Penalva were also acquired. A selection of these newly purchased works will be shown to the public within the framework of “Drawing a Tension.” German artist Karin Sander has created a site-specific wall-piece for the occasion, which subtly reflects on the exhibition as well as contemporary art in general.
“Drawing a Tension”, was arranged by curator and art critic Jrgen Bock, Director of the Independent Study Programme Maumaus in Lisbon. Following his concept, the exhibition has neither been organised as a chronological presentation nor does it contain traditional classifications based on art history, medium and technique.
“Drawing A Tension” rather invites to discover similar sensibilities in art works from different times and places of origin. The issue raised by this exhibition is how canonised works retain, in certain dialogues with other works, their original “urgency” – on a political, social and intellectual level – with which they emerged when conceived, without being reduced to an emptied image of the past.
Architect and exhibition designer Marcos Corrales is responsible for the installation of the exhibition. An exhibition catalogue with essays by art theorist Gertrud Sandqvist and cultural critic Jos Bragana de Miranda will be available from mid June.
A special talks and lecture programme will accompany the exhibition. Speakers include Diedrich Diederichsen, who will critically analyse Martin Kippenberger’s oeuvre, and artists Karin Sander and Olav Christopher Jenssen will reflect on their own artistic practices.