Manfred Kuttner: Was sollten Sie zuerst sehen
With 鈥濿as sollten Sie zuerst sehen?鈥� [What Are You Supposed to See First?] Johann K枚nig, Berlin presents for the first time an exhibition devoted exclusively to the artist鈥檚 works on paper, thus attempting to reveal the forerunners and origins of the neon-coloured painting characteristic of Kuttner.
The exhibition鈥檚 title 鈥淲as sollten Sie zuerst sehen?鈥� can be found, barely legible, in the early work 鈥淎-Z lala鈥�, the background of which is a page from a guidebook to the USA which Kuttner has covered with musical notations. Produced in 1962, the work underscores Kuttner鈥檚 interest in music, tonality, rhythm, harmonies and dissonances, an interest that can be found also in his later paintings.
Taken apart from the specific context of this work, the question 鈥榃hat should we see first?鈥� has reference to Kuttner鈥檚 overall oeuvre. It implies a hierarchy, the idea that certain things have to be seen before others 鈥� here, the drawings before the fluorescent canvas works produced from 1962 on, which were most recently on display in 2013 at the heart of the broad-based retrospective in the Villa Merkel, Esslingen and the Langen Foundation, Neuss.
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With 鈥濿as sollten Sie zuerst sehen?鈥� [What Are You Supposed to See First?] Johann K枚nig, Berlin presents for the first time an exhibition devoted exclusively to the artist鈥檚 works on paper, thus attempting to reveal the forerunners and origins of the neon-coloured painting characteristic of Kuttner.
The exhibition鈥檚 title 鈥淲as sollten Sie zuerst sehen?鈥� can be found, barely legible, in the early work 鈥淎-Z lala鈥�, the background of which is a page from a guidebook to the USA which Kuttner has covered with musical notations. Produced in 1962, the work underscores Kuttner鈥檚 interest in music, tonality, rhythm, harmonies and dissonances, an interest that can be found also in his later paintings.
Taken apart from the specific context of this work, the question 鈥榃hat should we see first?鈥� has reference to Kuttner鈥檚 overall oeuvre. It implies a hierarchy, the idea that certain things have to be seen before others 鈥� here, the drawings before the fluorescent canvas works produced from 1962 on, which were most recently on display in 2013 at the heart of the broad-based retrospective in the Villa Merkel, Esslingen and the Langen Foundation, Neuss.
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