The Städel Paintings
Städel Museum, Frankfurt, Nov 5th to Jan 24th
The Städel Museum in Frankfurt is celebrating its 200th birthday. To mark the occasion, John Baldessari has made a new series of collages based on works from the permanent collection. “We wanted to give the museum something special,” says the curator Dr Martin Engler, “so we decided to dedicate an exhibition.”
Baldessari’s work is tricksy, partly because it is made up of so many different components – painting and photography, image and text, sarcasm and wit – and partly because that’s precisely its point. Baldessari doesn’t give away any answers. Best known for photo collages in which he reconstructs film stills, adding obscure words and colourful shapes, he uses reference and pastiche to play with notions of authenticity. “Baldessari is a living part of art history,” says Dr Engler. “He felt like the perfect choice.”
His latest series borrows details from 16 Old Master paintings, including Cranach the Elder, Bronzino and Juncker. Each fragment – most are unrecognisable – has been matched up with snatches of screenplay. In typical fashion, he has meddled with the scripts to create a narrative that reflects his curiosity about what goes on in the lives of others. “Movie Scripts/Art: One must act quickly” (2014) is about a suitcase that falls from a window. As it hits the ground a large wad of cash spills out of it: “Let’s take the money and go back to the gallery,” says Bill. The script is paired with a strange still life: an oddly shaped table, a wonky fruit bowl and some flowers that loom in the background. The pairing is difficult to pick apart; the relationship between the painting and script unclear, almost absurd.
“I just pose that there might be a connection,” Baldessari has said, “and then people can make of it what they want.” You can almost hear the mischief in his voice. The collages don’t explain. Instead, they show how language can influence an image so that each fragment takes on a new lease of life. And, with a hint of Baldessari irony, they quickly become more interesting than the originals.
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