He may have used it on only two occasions, but Wagner's mouthful-of-a-term 'Gesamtkunstwerk' - most famously expressed in his 1849 'Art and Revolution' essay to encourage an interrelation of the arts - has since become a popular moniker for a genre that synthesises art forms such as fashion, design, architecture and art. It is also aptly reflects the scope of the works on show at the Saatchi Gallery's first ever survey of German art.
'Gesamtkunstwerk: New Art from Germany' focuses on the oeuvres of 24 artists. In typical Saatchi style, the works and their creators, who hail from the likes of Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne and Stuttgart, are still relatively unknown in the UK.
The diversity of German art now is the exhibition's key talking point. To this end, the body of work on display - from sculpture and installation through to painting and drawing - presents a delightfully rounded picture, from the lyrical to the grotesque.
Composer Wagner's term ‘Gesamtkunswerk' has become a popular moniker for a genre that synthesises art forms such as fashion, design, architecture and art. It is particularly applicable to Germany's ever-growing status as a creative hub
'Untitled' by Thomas Kiesewetter, 2004
'Geschwister' by Isa Genzken, 2004
'Untitled' by Isa Genzken, 2006
'Ahnenbild 2411' by André Butzer, 2006
'Untitled' by Georg Herold, 2010
'To Drink A Glass Of Melted Snow' by Ida Ekblad, 2010
'Untitled' by Friedrich Kunath, 2007
'Soap Sample IX', Julian Rosefeldt, 2000-2004
'Eva' by Markus Selg, 2010
'Untitled' by Gert and Uwe Tobias, 2005
Installation view of 'Untitled' by Gert and Uwe Tobias, 2009
'Untitled' (detail) by Gert and Uwe Tobias, 2007
'Pretentious Crap' by Zhivago Duncan, 2010-2011
ADDRESS
Saatchi Gallery
Duke of York's HQ
King's Road
London SW3 4SQ
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