Georg Herold: Multiple Choice

Exhibition of the year! (The World, May 2012)

Since the major retrospective exhibitions in 2005, enormous changes have taken place in the work of Georg Herold (*1947). His often misunderstood use of wood or roof battens has been changed by the artist to such an extent that it has once again become clearer that he has never been primarily concerned with the use of so-called "pauver" materials, i.e. with proving that art can be created from "simple" materials. The diverse canvas works with bricks or caviar have actually refuted this interpretation. However, Georg Herold has always set pitfalls for the viewer with ironic titles because, in his opinion, nothing "can be conveyed via narrative if it is not to be completely boring". And so, in recent years, he has taken a radically different path without becoming narrative. Simple roof battens, with their potential to be a support, frame or placeholder for something, now become components of an energetically charged sculpture: the new figurative works, which are formed entirely from battens. Regardless of whether a tightly stretched "outer skin", i.e. a specially made shell, is used or whether the gaze falls unwaveringly on the construction itself, the slat is used here in its full right as an artistic medium. The artist also recognises that this is another big step forward: "Beauty was never the goal, but you try to develop and implement a special technology and suddenly you realise that beautiful things can be created in the process." The Brandhorst couple have been collecting multiples since the 1980s. A large special exhibition has now been set up at the Museum Brandhorst in Munich, which, in addition to the multiples in the collection, is showing loans of caviar paintings as well as new figurative and installation works - all of which are illustrated in the comprehensive catalogue.

Exhibition:
Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich, 19/4-2/9/2012