In 2013 Martin Kippenberger, the enfant terrible of the German art scene, would have celebrated his 60th birthday. On this occasion, Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin is dedicating a special exhibition to the artist, who died in 1997 due to an excessive life. The show characterizes Martin Kippenberger as an artist, whose work and life cannot be separated from one another, and as an artist, who is considered one of the most significant of his generation. After the last major Martin Kippenberger retrospective entitled The Problem Perspective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2009, the exhibition Martin Kippenberger: Sehr Gut | Very Good at Hamburger Bahnhof is another attempt to approach the life and work of Martin Kippenberger. Kippenberger’s works are exhibited at several places in the building. On display are works such as the painting Paris Bar (1993), and the wall sculpture Zuerst die Füsse (1991) (the infamous crucified frog). In this video, curator Britta Schmitz talks about the artist and the exhibition. The exhibition runs until August 18, 2013. A video with impressions from the opening reception is available after the break.

Martin Kippenberger: Sehr Gut | Very Good / Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin. Press preview, February 21, 2013. Video by Frantisek Zachoval.

Watch also: Martin Kippenberger: The Problem Perspective / Museum of Modern Art MoMA, New York.

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Martin Kippenberger is considered as one of the most significant and influential artists of our time. In his rather short life, Kippenberger (1953-1997) was quite productive. Martin Kippenberger produced a complex and varied body of work from the mid-1970s until his death in 1997.

The current exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York MoMA presents key selections and bodies of work from his entire career. The first major retrospective of the work of Martin Kippenberger titled Martin Kippenberger: The Problem Perspective includes paintings, sculpture, works on paper, installations, multiples, photographs, posters, announcement cards, books, and music.

Among the works are Martin Kippenberger’s Spiderman Studio (1996), Capri by Night (1982), Street Lamp for Drunks (1988), Now I Am Going Into the Big Birch Wood, My Pills Will Soon Start Doing Me Good (1990), Martin, Into the Corner, You Should Be Ashamed of Yourself (Martin, ab in die Ecke und schäm dich) (1992), the Entry to Lord Jim Loge (1989), the crucified frog Feet First (1990) that sparked anger among catholics in Italy, and Kippenberger’s last and largest sculptural installation The Happy End of Franz Kafka’s “Amerika” (1994).

Martin Kippenberger: The Problem Perspective is organized by The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA). The exhibition is curated by Ann Goldstein, MOCA Senior Curator, and organized at MoMA by Ann Temkin, The Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture.

The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue—published by MOCA and co-published by the MIT Press, which will constitute a comprehensive and scholarly examination of the artist’s career.

Martin Kippenberger: The Problem Perspective at the Museum of Modern Art MoMA runs through May 11, 2009.

See also: Martin Kippenberger at Kunstraum Grässlin.

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On the occasion of the upcoming Martin Kippenberger retrospective “Martin Kippenberger: The Problem Perspective” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (03.01. – 05.11.2009) and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (09.21.08 – 01.05.09), this year’s exhibition at the Kunstraum Grässlin in St. Georgen, Germany, focuses on the work of German artist Martin Kippenberger. Martin Kippenberger lived in the town in the Black Forest from 1980 unti 1981 and from 1991 until 1994. Here, he created major works, who provide the basis for the Grässlin Collection. In this video we attend the opening of the exhibition at the Kunstraum Grässlin. Several other works are on display at the nearby Räume für Kunst. Kunstraum Grässlin, St. Georgen. Opening, June 6, 2008.

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In part 2 of the guided tour through the “Räume für Kunst” collector Thomas Grässlin shows us works by Mark Dion, Manuel Ocampo, Franz West, Martin Kippenberger, Michael Beutler and Markus Oehlen. The concept “Räume für Kunst” exists since 1995. Vacant shops in St. Georgen, Black Forest / Germany are temporarily used for exhibitions. For guided tours visit the collection’s website. St. Georgen, Germany, June 30, 2007. Part 2/3.

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