Berlin
“Art of Two Germanys/Cold War Cultures”
German Historical Museum
Unter den Linden 2
October 3, 2009–January 10, 2010
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
5905 Wilshire Boulevard
January 25–April 19, 2009
Germanisches Nationalmuseum
Kartäusergasse 1
May 27–September 6, 2009
Curated by Stephanie Barron and Eckhart Gillen
During the cold war era (or even to this day, some would argue), no country embodied the fissure between East and West like Germany. And with the contemporary resurgence of Berlin, there’s no better time to reexamine this historical rift. “Art of Two Germanys” takes a comprehensive look, through a vast assortment of artworks produced on either side of the wall—some three hundred paintings, sculptures, multiples, photographs, videos, installations, and artist’s books. An accompanying catalogue, with essays by Diedrich Diederichsen and Andreas Huyssen, among others, furthers the effort, asking how the country’s torn identity unwittingly disguised an otherwise unified past.