On the occasion of the museum’s first anniversary, the 83-year-old American painter Alex Katz presented the Udo and Anette Brandhorst Foundation with »City Landscape« (1995), one of his major works. Thanks to this large-format work, the most extensive and impressive collection of Alex Katz’s work in Germany is now to be found in the Museum Brandhorst with a total of 16 works by the U.S. artist in the collection. As of now, the painting will be on display over an extended period in the Alex Katz Room on the ground floor.
With the death of Sigmar Polke (*1941) on 10 June, 2010, the art world has lost one of its internationally most respected contemporary German artists. To commemorate the work of the co-founder of »Kapitalistischer Realismus«, who lived in Cologne from 1978 onwards, a room showing his work can be seen at the Museum Brandhorst from now until 5 September, 2010.
In addition to the paintings »Die drei Lügen der Malerei« (1994) and »Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité« (1988) which have been popular among visitors since the museum was opened, almost all works by Polke from the Brandhorst Collection are to be seen. These include smaller works such as »Goethes Werke« (1963), two »Farbproben« (colour experiments; 1978 and 1982) as well as an untitled, large-format, enigmatic painting of 1983. A total of 22 works by the artist are included in the Brandhorst Collection.
