Inside the Gund: Art in Post-War Germany

Inside the Gund is a new online series that invites audiences to experience the Gund Gallery Collection through the disciplinary perspectives of Kenyon professors. Each episode features a different professor who highlights one or a related group of pieces by offering insight into the artwork through a conversation with the curator of academic programs. Speaking through scholarly expertise and personal appreciation for the artwork, the professors on Inside the Gund open up new ways of engaging with the Collection, and show us how they use art as an integral part of their teaching.

Episode 4 is a discussion of three works by the artists Gerhard Richter, Bernd and Hilla Becher, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude with Paul Gebhardt and Leo Riegert, associate professors of German at Kenyon College.

Image Credits:

Gerhard Richter (German, b. 1932) Souvenir, 1995. Oil on canvas. 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches. Purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Graham Gund ’63, 2017.2.1.

Bernd and Hilla Becher (German photographers’ partnership, established 1959) (Blast Furnace Plant) Mingo Junction, Ohio USA 1979, 1979. Silver gelatin print. 29 1/2 x 35 7/8 inches. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Graham Gund ’63, 2015.2.3.

Christo (American, b. Bulgaria, 1935–2020) and Jeanne-Claude (French, 1935–2009), Wrapped Reichstag, Project for West Berlin, 1977. Pastel and charcoal on paper. 42 x 65”. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Graham Gund ’63, 2015.2.7.

Other Works Discussed:

Donnersmarck, Florian Henckel von, dir. “Never Look Away.” Initial German release, “Werk ohne Autor.” Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2018.

Fassbinder, Rainer Werner, dir. “Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.” Initial German release, “Angst essen Seele auf.” Munich: Tango Film. Distributed by Filmverlag der Autoren GmbH & Co. Vertriebs KG, 1974.

Riefenstahl, Leni, dir. “Triumph of the Will.” Initial German release, “Triumph des Willens.” Reichsparteitag- Film. Distributed by Universum Film AG, 1935.

Paul Klee stated, “Art does not reproduce the visible but makes visible,” in his 1920 essay “Creative Confession.”

Klee, Paul. “Paul Klee: Creative Confession.” London: Tate Publishing, 2013.

The Gund Gallery exhibitions and programs are made possible, in part, by the Gund Gallery Board of Directors and the Ohio Arts Council.