Abstraction

In this work, Cy Twombly’s “doodles” with chalk, crayon, and pencil almost look like writing. We even believe we can read individual letters and words from the lines—for example the names Cy and Nini. But the curved lines do not reveal any message.

The untitled diptych by Laura Owens in the Brandhorst collection is based on layouts from the “Los Angeles Times” from 1942. Sometimes impasto brushstrokes overlay the texts and delicate drawings. The shadows of some brushstrokes are printed, newspaper articles and pictures have been edited and partly replaced by information of a more recent date.

The work “Fresh Aufhebung” consists of 170 canvases, which always have the same format of 50 by 40 centimeters. The paintings were created over the course of a year, with the artist Jutta Koether never painting more than one picture from the series per day. In the museum, the canvases, painted with black acrylic paint, are hung close together on the walls of a room. On display are pale streaks, compositions of dots and circular shapes, or somber swirls.

In layers, Cy Twombly has applied oil paint, wax crayon, and handwritten text to this three-piece wooden support. Four dark purple shapes, reminiscent of floating boats, come to the fore. But there is no horizon or clearly defined landscape. Rather, the image consists of overlapping strokes, drops, and lines.

The untitled diptych by Laura Owens in the Brandhorst collection is based on layouts from the “Los Angeles Times” from 1942. Sometimes impasto brushstrokes overlay the texts and delicate drawings. The shadows of some brushstrokes are printed, newspaper articles and pictures have been edited and partly replaced by information of a more recent date.

Artist Kerstin Brätsch sticks American coins in the shape of a large X onto the colored clouds, which comprise pigment, acrylic and oil on paper. They represent a real value. The fact that the paper is actually unsuitable to support the heavy coins and that coins keep falling off is of no concern to Brätsch, however. She likes the fact that her paintings thus become “wishing wells”—as if you could seal your happiness with a few cents.

Jacqueline Humphries’ Black Light Paintings shy away from brightness. They need the darkness and create the light themselves. Fluorescent paints are applied with a spray gun, which squirts the paint in large quantities onto the canvas. The more fluorescent paint Jacqueline Humphries and her assistant applied to the canvas, the brighter it became in the studio.

The work “Fresh Aufhebung” consists of 170 canvases, which always have the same format of 50 by 40 centimeters. The paintings were created over the course of a year, with the artist Jutta Koether never painting more than one picture from the series per day. In the museum, the canvases, painted with black acrylic paint, are hung close together on the walls of a room. On display are pale streaks, compositions of dots and circular shapes, or somber swirls.

Jacqueline Humphries’ Black Light Paintings shy away from brightness. They need the darkness and create the light themselves. Fluorescent paints are applied with a spray gun, which squirts the paint in large quantities onto the canvas. The more fluorescent paint Jacqueline Humphries and her assistant applied to the canvas, the brighter it became in the studio.

The untitled diptych by Laura Owens in the Brandhorst collection is based on layouts from the “Los Angeles Times” from 1942. Sometimes impasto brushstrokes overlay the texts and delicate drawings. The shadows of some brushstrokes are printed, newspaper articles and pictures have been edited and partly replaced by information of a more recent date.