"…Höhere Wesen befehlen…"Arbeiten auf Papier aus der Sammlung Frieder Burda

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Museum Frieder Burda and the fortieth anniversary of the collection, this volume introduces a largely unknown treasure: the collection’s works on paper, which have previously never been shown in such breadth. A select painting by each artist serves as a prelude to the presentation of his drawings, watercolors, and gouaches, commencing with Willem de Kooning, representative of the heroes of Abstract Expressionism. The book furthermore focuses on four artists of whose works Frieder Burda is one of the most important collectors worldwide—Georg Baselitz, Sigmar Polke, Arnulf Rainer, and Gerhard Richter. Prominent ensembles of works by the artists are compared in terms of form and content. The surprising dialogue between the drawings by de Kooning and Baselitz, for example, or the correspondence between the works by Polke and Richter, who are also connected by way of their biographies, deserve particular attention. Neo Rauch, the first painter in reunited Germany, rounds off the presentation. Exhibition: Deutsche Bank KunstHalle, Berlin 5.12.2014–8.3.2015