To mark the 80th birthday of the collector Egidio Marzona, a special project from the collection is being presented to the public for the first time: 80 very first books by 80 artists from the 1960s and 1970s. These artists’ books reflect the great artistic upheaval associated with this era. In addition, a thematic selection of artworks from the Marzona Collection will be on display from 27 October 2024 to 26 January 2025. On the initiative of the Neue Nationalgalerie, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation is honouring the collector and patron with this exhibition. It has been organised in collaboration with the Art Library and the Archive of the Avant-Garde – Egidio Marzona, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
Image above: Stephen Kaltenbach, Eye Disguise, 1967, Collage aus s/w-Fotografien, © Stephen Kaltenbach / Foto: © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart / Marcus Schneider
A passionate collector
Egidio Marzona began in the early 1960s as a collector and distributor of the conceptual art ideas of his time. His guiding principle was an encyclopaedic collection of all the artistic media of Conceptual Art, Minimal Art, Land Art and Arte Povera. His large collection of art from the 1960s and 1970s with over 600 works of art and a comprehensive archive with many thousands of letters, books, posters, invitations and photographs was purchased and loaned by the National Museums in 2002; the archive was donated to the Art Library. Following the donation of the loans in 2014, the collection is now housed in the Kupferstichkabinett, the Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart and the Kunstbibliothek.
Artists’ Books
The very first books by artists presented in the exhibition were sought out by the collector over many years. As modest as these books may seem at first glance, they symbolise the great paradigm shift in art: books opened up an alternative space for art, they even became an exhibition venue like the legendary book object by the American conceptual artist Mel Bochner, which is being shown for the first time since its first presentation in New York in 1966 as a loan from the ADA Archive of the Avant-Garde – Egidio Marzona SKD Dresden.
Places of the collection
After the collection of art from the 1960s and 1970s came to Berlin permanently, the collector embarked on an even more ambitious project: a collection of the many avant-gardes of the 20th century. This immense archive was donated to the Dresden State Art Collections in 2016 and opened this year with new rooms in the new building of the Dresden Blockhaus.
The exhibition
In correspondence with the Artists’ Books, further works from the Marzona Collection can be seen in the exhibition: Neon lettering, picture postcards, drawings and photographs that illustrate the avant-garde projects and concepts in the art of the 1960s. In this diversity of ideas, the book with its history of 5,000 years proves to be an object of art that is constantly being reinvented.
The matinee
The opening of the exhibition on Saturday, 26 October 2024, will be followed by a matinee on the Marzona Collection in Berlin on Sunday, 27 October 2024, from 11 am to 3 pm: The Kupferstichkabinett and the Kunstbibliothek will present a selection of works in their study rooms and talk about their diverse histories together with the collector.
Mediation and event programme
An extensive programme of guided tours and workshops invites visitors to discover the exhibition by discussing and exchanging ideas about the books. The exhibition will be accompanied by the 45-minute film ‘The Very First Edition. Egidio Marzona in conversation about artists‘ books’. WE ARE AVANT-GARDE! An oral history project of the Archive of the Avant-Garde – Egidio Marzona (ADA), Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden by Monika Branicka and Pirkko Rathgeber as well as an xplayner, a digital tool developed by Hei-ne/Lenz/Zizka Projekte, with which it is possible to experience the contents of some of the exhibited books.
Curatorial team
The exhibition is curated by Monika Branicka and Michael Lailach, Art Library, curatorial assistance Ricarda Bergmann, Neue Natio-nalgalerie.
WHEN?
Opening: Saturday, 26 October 2024, 7 pm
Exhibition dates: Sunday, 27 October 2024 – Sunday, 26 January 2025
Opening hours: Tuesday – Wednesday, 10 am – 6 pm, Thursday, 10 am – 8 pm, Friday – Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm
WHERE?
Kulturforum, Neue Nationalgalerie
Potsdamer Straße 50
10785 Berlin
