The 1980s were a wild, unruly decade. The Städel Museum in Frankfurt looks at the untamed period through the eyes of artists.
Image: VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2015
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Punk and anarchy: The art of the 80s
The 1980s were a wild, unruly decade. The Städel Museum in Frankfurt looks at the untamed period through the eyes of artists.
Image: VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2015
Electric Night (1979)
The 1980s were a decade of rebellion and self-discovery. It was a time in Germany when young people started turning their backs on the post-war years. A flashy punk and party scene emerged in Berlin, creating a lively aesthetic that inspired the art scene. Helmut Middendorf foresaw this dynamic spirit in 1979, transferring it onto the canvas with bright Colors in "Electric Night."
Image: VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2015
By no stretch of the imagination can I discover a swastika (1984)
In the late 70s, Martin Kippenberger was in charge of the legendary club SO36 in Berlin's Kreuzberg district. Anarchists, however, criticize the club for being too consumerist. A violent attack occurred at the club and Kippenberger quit his job. His art is provocative; in the painting above with the long title, he grapples with German identity.
Image: Estate of Martin Kippenberger, Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne
Khomeini (1981)
Just around the corner of the SO36, Helmut Middendorf and Rainer Fetting developed another group of artists known as the Moritz Boys. Salomé also belonged to the group, provoking society with his paintings depicting nude and veiled women representing Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini. Together with artist Luciano Castelli, Salomé played in the punk band "Geile Tiere" (horny animals).
Image: VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2015
Berlin Nite (1979)
Luciano Castelli came to Berlin from Switzerland. He enjoyed the young, wild subculture in the German capital which was protesting against the art establishment. Castelli became a star in the gay scene. The painting above is a portrait of himself and his boyfriend and colleague Salomé.
Image: VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2015
First Wall Painting (1977)
On the one hand, there was the Cold War, divided Germany and the Berlin Wall, and the peace movement with thousands of demonstrators against nuclear armament on the other. Rainer Fetting createds several paintings of the Berlin Wall, which are not particularly political. The window in his studio gave him a daily view of the hated concrete divider.
Image: Rainer Fetting
Phone booths smashed on purpose (1982)
This painting depicts a common sight in Germany in the 80s: yellow public phone booths, often half-broken, dirty, disgusting and smelling of urine. As Werner Büttner depicts, they were phone booths were frequently objects of sabotage.
Image: Werner Büttner
The Birth of Freedom in Mülheim (1981)
In Cologne, a group of artists formed that aimed to distance itself from the traditional art scene. They were inspired by the zeitgeist and by experimental music. They wanted to be spontaneous about everything and were intentionally dilettantish. Sometimes multiple artists would paint a canvas as the same time. Walter Dahn captured the birth of the group in this painting.
Image: Walter Dahn
Singer (1981)
The Städel Museum in Frankfurt has brought together 100 works from this period for an exhibition highlighting the impressive artistic scope of the painters that were inspired by pop culture, but not defined by it. You can see the exhibition "The 80s. Figurative Art in Germany" in Frankfurt through October 18, 2015.
Image: VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2015
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Electronic music with nonsense lyrics resounds from the radios. On stages in dark cellars musicians hammer on oil canisters with iron bars. Young people shave their heads, wear clothes torn to shreds while protesting against the bourgeoisie. A layer of dust still seems to adhere to the Federal Republic of Germany, which is only 30 years old.
The music explodes - punk and wave have come over from Britain, inspiring German musicians and bands, prompting them to experiment. Anything goes - except old stuff.
The subculture emerges from the underground and surfaces, spreading across the society. At the same time, society is confronted with political hot button issues, notably the global fear of nuclear armament and the possibility of new world war, a massive peace movement, the end of the Cold War, and German reunification.
Art breaking free
The upheavals during the 1980s, both social and political, couldn't help but leave their mark on the world of art. Groups of artists trying to flee from the deadlocked avant-garde and the rigid art world of the time expanded in Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne.
They joined forces with the anarchist and the punks, turning away from the art scene by breaking with conventions. They were called "Die jungen Wilden" (the young wild ones), or "neo-expressionists," while exhibiting their works under the term "heftige Malerei" (fierce painting).
Time passed by so quickly that few new art styles had a chance to develop. The art world tried out new ideas, acting in a fast-paced and multi-faceted fashion. The paintings sold well, but the critics remained cautious. Painters such as Martin Kippenberger and Helmut Middendorf were renowned representatives of this era. Nowadays, their works are hanging in private collections and major museums worldwide
Exhibition in Frankfurt
The Städel Museum in Frankfurt has brought together 100 works from the 80s in an impressive show. For museum director Max Hollein, the exhibition is a "huge art treasure that had been seen for too long through the prism of traditional clichés."
The Städel Museum will highlight the impressive artistic scope of the painters that were inspired by pop culture, but not shaped by it. The exhibition "The 80s. Figurative Art in Germany" runs through October 15, 2015.
