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Inspiration Masterpiece

+ Pirating Presence

Art historical masterpieces have always fascinated young, emerging artists. In earlier centuries, they had to undertake strenuous journeys to see the original paintings and sculptures in order to learn more about their unique features. In our digital age, this is no longer the case. It does not take more than a few clicks to see and admire world famous icons of art history. They are digitally available at any time, can be quoted, changed and reinterpreted. What once was learning through technical imitation has now become an artistically free „copy & paste“ process.

03.03.19
10.06.19

In times of digital reproducibility, old masterpieces have become the source material for new works of art that revise and update their motifs and themes for today.

The exhibition brings together works by 16 artists that cite paintings by Pieter Bruegel, Caspar David Friedrich, Francisco de Goya, William Turner, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and others. The focus is on the question of which techniques contemporary artists use to trace the spirit of former great masters and what content from their historical examples they repeat. Some of the exhibited works include elaborate photographic, digital, cinematic, graphic and sculptural homages and quotes.

Participant Artists: Saâdane Afi, Emily Allchurch, Laura Bruce. Sven Drühl, Susi Gelb, JANUS, Mathias Kessler, Jürgen Knubben, MARCK, Hiroyuki Masuyama, Chantal Michel, Quayola, Otto Scherer, Martin Spengler, Pavèl van Houten, Claude Wall, Peter Weibel