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.
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(Image at top: Martin Kippenberger, Ohne Titel (aus der Serie Lieber Maler, male mir), 1981, Acryl auf Leinwand, 200 x 300 cm; Private Collection © Estate Martin Kippenberger, Galerie Gisela Capitain, Köln.)