German Postwar Artists

The Sunday NY Times has a big article on Sigmar Polke, who is being featured at the upcoming Venice Biennale art show. His new work is intriguing and uses exotic materials.

However, I’ve always thought that Polke comes out second best when compared (as he often is) to Gerhard Richter, who is, to my mind, the greatest living painter.

Anselm Keifer and Joseph Beuys are the quintessential artists who reflect the aftereffects of the war on modern Germany. Keifer’s work is so elegiac and decayed and somber and sad, while Bueys (to me) is about the frailty and ridiculousness of the human body.

One thing I really miss about living in the DC area is getting to see works like this Kiefer (here’s another) and these Richters (#1, #2) for FREE.