Martin Kippenberger’s exhibition Vit 89 consisted of various curious items—perhaps sculptures, objects, or simply materials in space, or perhaps not. In any case, the items cohered into an ensemble that was installed over two floors, and they produced an image of art that, by means of surprise effects and the titillation of an intellectual amusement park, offered humorous insights that flew directly into the face of “upright” opinions and taboos.

The arrangement of the pieces served as a narrative foundation. The visitor entered, passing through two emblematic welcoming saplings (Emfang der Lord

The works of Philip Pearlstein are difficult all around. Mannerism, kitsch, and Pop art combine with objects that are painted realistically, even hyperrealistically; abstractly composed still lifes coalesce with nudes and juicy symbolic overtones. Pearlstein flaunts his painterly expertise in these interior studio scenes. This is direct painting with no spark of inspiration springing across the canvas; these scenes implode silently. The naked figures are accompanied, for example, by wooden toys, wooden tables, mirrors, statues, and a red model airplane. The subjects’ poses are always attuned to