Christian Boltanski

El Caso

1989

This large format 20 x 24 Polaroid photograph is a self portrait of the photographer David Chack. This is a one-of-a- kind, " instant" color photograph. The process uses a multi-laye...

Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin Clock, 1987-94 Aluminum sculpture, mixed media and c-print photograph construction, c-print, felt tip marker 13 h × 13 w × 4 d in (30 × 30 × 6 cm) Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin were founding members of the underground conceptual movement Samizdat in the Soviet Union, described in their book Russian Samizdat Art. Based on a play of paradoxes, their work is rich with philosophic and mythological implications, reflected in their writing as well. Their book Concepts was published in Russia in 2012. The work by Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin is emphatically contemporary. The artist couple were part of the Moscow Conceptualists, their performance Costumes, from 1977, deepened their ongoing work with linguistic semiotic systems and their own bodies. Considering the context in which Gerlovina and Gerlovin made their work—that of political restrictions on public life, of unfreedom, and censorship—their collaborative togetherness must also be read as a space of possibility for political community and resistance. Rimma Gerlovina’s hair is featured prominently in the art of the Gerlovins as a constructing element of the body. Used for the linear drawings her braids transmit transpersonal waves reminiscent of an aura of live filaments. Long loose hairs function as threads of life; streaming in abundance, they allude to Aphrodisiac vitality and Samsonian strength. On the other hand, they are the haircloth worn during mourning and penitence. In New York they continued to make sculptural objects, and their photographic projects grew into an extended series called Photoglyphs. In their photographs, they use their own faces to explore the nature of thought and what lies beyond it. Since coming to the United States in 1980, they had many exhibitions in galleries and museums including the Art Institute of Chicago. The New Orleans Museum of Art launched a retrospective of their photography, which traveled to fifteen cities. Group exhibitions include the Venice Biennale, the Guggenheim Museum, New York, Smithsonian National Museum of American Art, Washington D.C., Bonn Kunsthalle, Germany, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, and others. Samizdat or “self-published” began in the Soviet Union, and Samizdat art consists mainly of books and magazines published and distributed by the artists who made them. Samizdat art has sources in the innovative books and magazines turned out by the early 20th century Russian avant-garde—artists and writers like Olga Rozanova, Vladimir Mayakovsky, El Lissitzky, and Alexander Rodchenko. Artists as varied as Alexander Archipenko, Leon Bakst, Marc Chagall, Naum Gabo, Alexandra Exter...

This large-scale architectural photograph by German artist Reinhard Görner depicts the The Long Room, an awe-inspiring vista into the Old Library at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The vaulted ceiling arches above, while below a warm, golden light fills the room, illuminating bookshelves and cultural artifacts. The room is flanked by white marble busts of philosophers, writers, and great minds who have shaped the intellectual landscape of the Western world, adding a sense of gravitas and continuity to the space, and bringing public cultural heritage into private space in the rich, glowing tones of aged brown wood, leather and gilt. Reinhard Görner is known for invoking an atmosphere of awe, meditation and contemplation through crisp, richly detailed scenes of grand historical and cultural narratives. This effect is enhanced through aesthetically striking compositions, which might include stunning symmetry, portals through a series of doorways, and other careful choices of perspective and scale. Housing about 150,000 volumes, this library is not only the largest in Görlitz, but also the most significant regional library between Dresden and Wrocław. Rich in history, it stands at the crossroads of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, serving as a beacon for historical research and knowledge transfer in the region. Lit by a warm, timeless glow, the scene leads you through multiple carved archways of antique wood, along well-trodden wooden floors, a testament to the intersection of history, knowledge, and architectural elegance. Established in 1779 by twenty representatives from Görlitz's educated bourgeoisie and enlightened nobility, this library is a symbol of the Enlightenment movement, focusing on human reason and research across all fields of study. Today, it's open to the public and widely regarded as one of the most spectacular libraries globally. Görner's photography celebrates libraries as both shelters and places of escape. This particular photograph is part of his quest to explore the most beautiful and solemn reading rooms around the world. Görner aims to convey how architects play with shadows, light, proportions, and rhythms to create spaces that breathe beauty and silence. Starting from his work with architect Sir Norman Foster in 2005, Görner has meticulously documented libraries' cathedral-like atmospheres across the globe. His photographs seek to convey the impact of architecture on our awareness of life, showcasing spaces that tell stories and refer to a time when aesthetics and spatial awareness were intertwined. Embrace the tranquility and beauty encapsulated in Görner's art and allow it to transport you to the grand arches and timeless serenity of The Long Room, Trinity College Library. Perfect for art collectors, architecture enthusiasts, and advocates of intellectual history, this piece serves as a gateway to explore the spirit of great builders through Görner's distinctive lens. 60 x 75 inches ed. of 7 $9,000 70 x 87.5 inches ed. of 5 $11,000 signed and numbered on label, verso Reinhard Görner, with his large format photographs orchestrates the monumentality of rooms. An active architecture photographer since 1985, is a master of perspectives and precise spatial compositions, and he thus considers classical sculpture, in all of its possible facets, a special challenge. "Görner’s photographs sometimes open the doors to another world and take the viewer with them on a journey through time. Here the palace is no longer a museum but both royal residence and a site steeped in history. The viewer does not have to share the halls with the masses of visitors; instead the images offer him exclusive impressions of the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) and the Galerie des Batailles (Hall of Battles) as even the king of France was probably never granted. The halls are empty of people, yet they seem to be able to unfurl their individual characters of their own accord. These places practically breathe history, and this aspect is also part of the essence captured in the photographs. King Wilhelm of Prussia was named German Emperor Wilhelm I in the Hall of Mirrors after France was defeated in 1870–1871 in the Franco-German War. The Treaty of Versailles following World War I was also signed there in 1919. In this sense, the architectural photographs of Versailles...

Detail From: Four Regents of the Groot-Kramergild ​DETAIL FROM: FOUR REGENTS OF THE GROOT-KRAMERGILD, 2008 WERNER J. VAN DEN VALCKERT, 1622, PAINTING GALLERY BERLIN ​ Timeless autho...