Zeitmaschine Balthus – Eine Berliner Sammlung

The collection was not planned as such at the beginning

"As is the case with most collections, the collection was not planned as such at the beginning. It was about engaging with and surrounding oneself with the unknown, the incomprehensible. It was about the fascination of craftsmanship and about giving this fascination space in one's own home in order to remain aware of the constant stimulus of life. The collector brought the depths of the unconscious, philosophy and painting technique into his home, and at the same time brought the wild and bustling city of Berlin into his own cosy four walls. Let's set off in search of traces of this collection, let's follow the various (un)reliable narrators. These narrators may be collectors, gallery owners, authors or viewers - what remains are their stories. Stories of one-day exhibitions for Danish pretenders to the throne followed by a feast, or of pictures that were just about ready for the exhibition but never made it into the exhibition catalogue - due to the editorial deadline. Stories of paintings that disappear into museums for years after being bought for your own home, of lavish parties after and before openings, just like that ... The metaphysical aspect of art is timeless and therefore a time machine, whereas individual works of art are not. They are always an expression of a time, whether they want to be or not, and therefore also tell the story of their time: the story of their creation, the story of their exhibition, the story of their collection, the story of their price. This collection also tells a special contemporary story. If you want to follow another unreliable narrator, this collection tells of a Berlin of the 1990s and 2000s in which so much was possible because there were large spaces for little money. The collection also tells of backyard galleries, improvised project spaces that later became institutions and of 'Club Berlin', which brought together parties with art, techno with politics." Katharina Hajek

Artists:
John Baldessari, Carol Bove, Louise Bourgeois, Marc Bradford, Nathalie Djurberg, Marlene Dumas, Marcel Eichner, Günther Förg, Theaster Gates, Adrian Ghenie, Nan Goldin, Thomas Hirschhorn, Jenny Holzer, Thomas Houseago, Mike Kelley, Martin Kippenberger, Sherrie Levine, Jonathan Meese, Gabriele Orozco, Rymond Pettibon, Sigmar Polke, Richard Prince, Janne Räisänen, Anselm Reyle, Jason Rhoades, Daniel Richter, Gerhard Richter, Gregor Schneider, Dana Schutz, Cindy Sherman, Dash Snow, Philip Taaffe, Tal R, Kara Walker, Wawrzyniec Tokarski, David Weiss & Peter Fischli, Rachel Whiteread, Marlon Wobst