7000 Eichen — documenta. (7000 Oaks — documenta.)

Conceptual artist, painter, sculptor, architect, self-promoter, dissident, thorn in the side of the Beijing regime – Ai Weiwei is almost...

Conceptual artist, painter, sculptor, architect, self-promoter, dissident, thorn in the side of the Beijing regime – Ai Weiwei is almost as well known for his political stances and social media presence as for his art. This monograph highlights all the stages of Ai Weiwei's career up to his release from custody in Chinese. The book includes texts by Roger M. Buergel, who curated documenta 12 in 2007 and made it possible for Ai to show his work, "Fairytale", there.

Ai Weiwei is one of the most famous artists of our time. In "1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows" he...

Ai Weiwei is one of the most famous artists of our time. In "1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows" he describes for the first time his extraordinary artistic career against the background of the history of his family in China. The very personal memoirs, richly illustrated by the artist himself, not only provide a captivating insight into Ai Weiwei's life and work, they are also a warning to keep on defending freedom of expression.

The late 1950s and 1960s saw a series of happenings by the artist duo Allan Kaprow and Claes Oldenburg. The...

The late 1950s and 1960s saw a series of happenings by the artist duo Allan Kaprow and Claes Oldenburg. The author describes the dialogue – at times controversial – between the two about the direction of the happenings and modern art in general. Staged during the tensions of the Cold War and a growing unease with the way society was developing, the happenings found innovative ways to challenge traditional definitions of art.

Arnold Bode — known as the man who initiated the documenta; less well known for his private life or his...

Arnold Bode — known as the man who initiated the documenta; less well known for his private life or his work as an artist and designer, as an interior architect and urban planning visionary — studied art in Kassel; 1930, seminar for handicraft teachers in Berlin; banned by the Nazis from practising his profession; 1947, co-founder of the Werkakademie. His life thereafter was shaped by the documenta. Sylvia Stöbe has compiled the memories of family members and contemporary witnesses for this biography.

Bauhaus and documenta are two globally successful cultural brands that stand for a cosmopolitan, innovative and modern Germany. Both were...

Bauhaus and documenta are two globally successful cultural brands that stand for a cosmopolitan, innovative and modern Germany. Both were created against the backdrop of schisms in civilisation, and both exemplify the idea of the emancipatory power of art and culture. This appraisal reveals their similarities and their differences, which sometimes complement each other: on the one hand mass-produced items and everyday life; on the other, encounters with unique works of art.

Candida Höfer was one of 13 German artists who presented work at the documenta in 2002: The 13- part photographic...

Candida Höfer was one of 13 German artists who presented work at the documenta in 2002: The 13- part photographic work "The Burghers of Calais" focuses on the twelve casts of Rodin's sculpture. Höfer's photographs wander around their subject, seeking the unusual view. Her iconic photographs of libraries, however, present the spaces as cathedrals of the spirit and temples of wisdom. This book gathers an essence of these photographs and juxtaposes them with Höfer's current work.

David Hockney was a participant in the 1968 documenta. The topic of homosexuality became visible there for the first time,...

David Hockney was a participant in the 1968 documenta. The topic of homosexuality became visible there for the first time, when one of his homoerotic etchings was given its own page in the exhibition catalogue. Pop artist, painter of modern life, landscape painter, virtuoso of colour, explorer of images and perception – for six decades Hockney has been finding new ways of exploring the world and new ways of representing it, using, among other things, multi-perspective Polaroid collages and iPad drawings.

Documenta 8 in 1987 marks the last time the Fridericianum was used as the central building. For the first time,...

Documenta 8 in 1987 marks the last time the Fridericianum was used as the central building. For the first time, art was presented within an exhibition of architecture that held equal status. The architect as artist in the midst of an exhibition of visual art. Documenta 11 in 2002 was decentralised. This art historical investigation of the scenography, based on the examples of the 1987 and 2002 documentas, reconstructs the space used for the exhibitions.

The purpose of the documenta Foundation – founded in 1964 – was to replicate works of art donated by participants...

The purpose of the documenta Foundation – founded in 1964 – was to replicate works of art donated by participants in the documenta, as a means of raising additional funds. Around 90 works by internationally renowned artists were sold at documenta 3 and documenta 4. Until the 1970s, the proceeds from these sales facilitated important areas of the documenta. This book explains the Foundation's impact, it illustrates the replicas and reconstructs a successful model of cultural financing.

This book provides an overview of the world's most important temporary exhibition of contemporary art. The documenta shows all important...

This book provides an overview of the world's most important temporary exhibition of contemporary art. The documenta shows all important art styles and aesthetic innovations. The documenta’s more than 60 years of history correspond to the story of spaces – social, political, cultural and communal spaces. That history also helps elucidate the history of curating and the development of art education.

The documenta of 1955 is still considered a milestone in exhibition history. For 65 days in the Museum Fridericianum, Arnold...

The documenta of 1955 is still considered a milestone in exhibition history. For 65 days in the Museum Fridericianum, Arnold Bode, Werner Haftmann and their team of curators presented paintings, graphic art, sculpture and architectural photography by 148 artists. More than 134,000 visitors viewed an exhibition that is still staged every five years, with a changing concept. This book brings together key contemporary texts and archival material on the subject.

This publication places the history of the documenta in the context of Federal Germany’s political, cultural and socio-historical development over...

This publication places the history of the documenta in the context of Federal Germany’s political, cultural and socio-historical development over the second half of the 20th century. From 1955, the documenta provided insights into contemporary artistic trends and Zeitgeist, in a process that repeatedly re-negotiated West Germany’s self-image. Progressive and regressive political tendencies stood side by side from the very beginning.

In 2002, documenta 11 took up the challenge of expanding its one-sided, Western and linear approach to art history, to...

In 2002, documenta 11 took up the challenge of expanding its one-sided, Western and linear approach to art history, to include long-neglected artistic positions from all around the world. This was presented as a multidisciplinary concept. Drawing on a number of the artistic strategies, this book shows the extent to which the artistic confrontations with real problems are related to

globalisation.

Fritz Winter, one of Germany’s most important abstract painters, founded the ZEN 49 group with Rupprecht Geiger, Willi Baumeister and...

Fritz Winter, one of Germany’s most important abstract painters, founded the ZEN 49 group with Rupprecht Geiger, Willi Baumeister and others. His contributions to the first three documenta exhibitions made him a figurehead in the postwar abstract art scene. This book’s numerous illustrations and texts highlight Winter's position in the post-war abstract art scene, as well as his central importance for the early documenta history.

Mahama uses tattered jute sacks to wrap buildings. For him, the history of world trade is manifested in these sacks....

Mahama uses tattered jute sacks to wrap buildings. For him, the history of world trade is manifested in these sacks. They also reveal relationships within the international working class. Those who weave and pack and transport also leave behind their sweat, their names. The sacks are sewn into huge sculptures. The sculpture embodies the spirit that prevails in this place. What emerges is a new cartography of these cities.

For his installation "Vanishing Points 2014–2020" in Leipzig, the Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama (*1987) arranged 100 old wheelbarrows that he...

For his installation "Vanishing Points 2014–2020" in Leipzig, the Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama (*1987) arranged 100 old wheelbarrows that he collected from workers in Ghana. The worn-out wheelbarrows bear the traces of hard work and stand as symbols of that work. The idea of social sculpture also informs his project “Parliament of Ghosts”, which was displayed in Tamale, Ghana, in 2020. Both projects are documented in this book.

The Kassel-based photographer Dieter Schwerdtle photographed documenta artists such as Richard Serra, Jonathan Borofsky and Ilya Kabakov. Schwerdtle's photos of...

The Kassel-based photographer Dieter Schwerdtle photographed documenta artists such as Richard Serra, Jonathan Borofsky and Ilya Kabakov. Schwerdtle's photos of the "7000 Oaks" project in 1982 have shaped the common image of Beuys to this day. Besides the portraits, there are views of the exhibitions from documentas 5 to 11, with their surprising, sometimes hidden perspectives of actually well-known works that subvert their customary reception.

Isa Genzken was represented at the documentas of 1982, 1992 and 2002. She became famous at documenta 7, with her...

Isa Genzken was represented at the documentas of 1982, 1992 and 2002. She became famous at documenta 7, with her ellipsoids and hyperbolos made of colourfully painted wood. This book features sculptures, computer prints, sets of drawings, photography and film. Genzken mixes conceptual approaches with personal themes; many works that initially appear abstract become recognisable at second glance as traces of her own existence, telling of personal relationships.

At 21 years old, Jean-Michel Basquiat was the youngest artist to participate in the documenta in 1982. He first appeared...

At 21 years old, Jean-Michel Basquiat was the youngest artist to participate in the documenta in 1982. He first appeared on the New York art scene in the late 1970s. As that underground milieu, with its street art, hip-hop, post-punk and DIYfilmmakers, forced itself into the mainstream, his painting attracted a great deal of attention. His collaboration with Andy Warhol began in 1983. When he died at the age of just 27, he was one of the most successful artists of his time.

This book traces the life of the legendary American iconoclast Jimmie Durham, from his experiences in the United States, Mexico...

This book traces the life of the legendary American iconoclast Jimmie Durham, from his experiences in the United States, Mexico and Europe – including his early involvement in the American Indian Movement – to his most recent work. It gives an assessment of his sculptures, performances, wall collages, and surrogate ethnographic exhibitions, which represent ironic attacks on the colonising processes of Western culture.