The Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin celebrates Isa Genzken on her 75th birthday

To mark Isa Genzken's 75th birthday, Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin presents an exhibition with a total of 75 sculptures, covering all phases of the artist's work – from the 1970s to the present day.

The works offer a fascinating insight into the work of Isa Genzken and guide visitors through her various styles: from the early hyperbolos of the seventies to concrete works from the turn of the century to her latest works such as actors or sculpture groups.

The exhibition opens with the gigantic rose sculpture (2016/23) , which is placed on the museum's terrace and presents a truly imposing sight. All the works, dating from 1977 to 2023, are arranged chronologically, allowing each piece to be viewed in its entirety – thanks in part to their placement along the entire upper hall.

Viewers can thus walk around and through every artwork; this access allows them to examine every aspect of every scene closely – entirely at their own discretion!

Important milestones in the life and work of the artist

Minimal Art – Ellipsoids and Hyperbolas

the works consisting of ellipsoids and hyperboloids between 1976 and 1982 under the influence of American Minimal Art . These wooden sculptures , which are between six and twelve meters long, rest on the ground at a single point. The basic form of the hyperboloids consists of a concave line, and they touch the ground at two points.

With the help of a physicist from the University of Cologne, Isa Genzken calculated the diameters and dimensions of these artworks on a computer. In contrast to Minimal Art, it was important to the artist that viewers could recognize something through their own associations – for example, a spear, a toothpick, or a boat.

Plaster as the new medium of choice

In the late eighties, Isa Genkzen turned to new materials: plaster became her new medium of choice. She created smaller sculptures using various materials such as wood, paper, or glass.

These improvised formats contrast with the elegance and technical precision of wooden works such as ellipsoids/hyperboloids; instead, she turns to more materialistic objects of everyday life.

Concrete sculptures and associations with architecture

In 1985, this outstanding artist created another series of works – this time consisting of concrete sculptures : world receivers with antennas clearly refer to function(s), namely the simultaneous sending and receiving.

Genzken was deeply engaged with architecture and urban planning , particularly fascinated New York and Berlin concrete sculptures . These evoke associations with urban planning of the 1950s and 1960s – for example, Le Corbusier's "Unité d'Habitation" in Berlin .

In 1990, Genzken broke out of this pattern: she designed the series "Windows" . This series particularly demonstrates how her art playfully communicates with the glass architecture of Mies van der Rohe – both indoors and outdoors.

The sculpture “X” (1992) references the facade of the John Hancock Building in Chicago (1965–69). For the first time, load-bearing elements are located outside the building's interior—an idea that Genzken explored in his work. Presented at Documenta IX , the sculpture adopts the concept of a skeleton made of steel crosses .

New York and epoxy resin columns

Between 1994 and 2003, Genzken also created a series of columns/steles made using epoxy resin. These works, too, testify to the allure of New York for the artist herself: assembled in a collage-like manner, they consist, among other things, of perforated metal sheets over a wooden base, as well as mirrored or holographic-looking maps and photographic reproductions .

Paradigm shift

Isa Genzken's 2003 series Empire/Vampire, Who Kills Death is considered a paradigm shift in her work. Like film scenes, configurations of figures stand on pedestals, becoming stages for absurd and violent narratives. The title is derived from the Empire State Building, while Vampire comes from the Chrysler Building.

Toy figures crawl or climb on oversized vases and glasses; wine glasses symbolize rituals, celebrations, and states of intoxication.

Her series Untitled (2006) follows this narrative approach: small children's dolls sit forlornly under torn parasols that offer no protection whatsoever. The human body has always played an important role in Isa Genzkens' work – analogies to architecture or relationships to the viewer's body are examples of this.

mannequins

Since 2007, she has increasingly used commercially available mannequins , which are industrially manufactured and have standardized proportions, a limited repertoire of poses, expressionless faces and uniform surfaces.

Equipped with helmets too large for their heads, they wear accessories that reflect protection from external threats rather than receiving signals.

Many of the clothing items shown come directly from Genzken's own wardrobe.

The exhibition includes one of the latest works called “Untitled” (2018) , which gently covers the floor with a collage of various materials such as magazines, newspapers, shopping bags and photographs.

Between 1989 and 1991, Genzken began collecting images from the magazine "Der Spiegel". The work thus not only captures a piece of German history but also documents important events such as the end of the Cold War and the era before the first Gulf War.

All important information about the exhibition “Isa Genzken. 75/75”

Isa Genzken. 75/75

Location: Kulturforum, Neue Nationalgalerie,
Potsdamer Straße 50, 10785 Berlin

Tue – Wed 10am – 6pm, Thu 10am – 8pm, Fri – Sun 10am – 6pm

July 13th – November 27th, 2023

An exhibition of the National Gallery – State Museums of
Berlin

Opening: Wednesday, July 12, 7 p.m

On Monday, November 27, 2023, the museum will be open for a special opening to celebrate the artist's birthday.

Curatorial Team

Curated by Klaus Biesenbach, Director of the Neue Nationalgalerie, and Lisa Botti, Assistant Curator, Neue Nationalgalerie.

Publication accompanying the exhibition

A catalogue will be published by Walther König in August 2023 to accompany the exhibition.

An exploration pass for children and families is offered for the exhibition in the form of a free accompanying booklet.

Offers and events

As part of the exhibition, numerous offers and programs place for adults, children, families, schools and daycare centers.

Video series about the exhibition

You can find the complete video series here .

All the artworks in this exhibition were transported by land. This is a lower-carbon way to transport artworks, as road transport is on average ten times lower in carbon emissions than transporting the same objects by air.

The exhibition is made possible by the Friends of the National Gallery.

Further information, press releases, and exhibition booklet can be found on the press page of the National Museums in Berlin for the exhibition .