Anna Oppermann - A Retroperspective

Anna Oppermann (1940–1993) is the author of a large body of work that awaits rediscovery. The Bundeskunsthalle is organising the first comprehensive retrospective of the rich and complex oeuvre by the German conceptual artist. Interest in Oppermann’s work has grown in recent years, and the exhibition will incorporate the latest insights.

A key exponent of German conceptual art from the 1960s onwards, Oppermann maintained a fruitful exchange with artists of her time. As a result of her participation in numerous important exhibitions, among them documenta 6 and 8 in Kassel, she became internationally known at an early stage. The term ‘ensemble,’ which she coined in the early 1970s for her process-based arrangements, encompasses both the installed work and the underlying method of its construction. Composed of notes, drawings, photographs, printed matter and found objects, these ensembles demonstrate the artist’s radical conceptualisation of what constitutes a work: they are open and dialogical in equal measure, and the process is an integral part of the finished work. Alongside the sculptural elements, language is an essential component of the ensembles.

Expansive, complex ensembles, proliferating rhizome-like constellations as well as smaller assemblages invite visitors to immerse themselves in Anna Oppermann’s questing creative practice.

The exhibition is curated by Susanne Kleine and Anna Schäffler. It is organised in cooperation with the Estate Anna Oppermann. Barbara Thumm is responsible for estate administration.