Happy Holidays!
A Preview of Our Art Program in 2020

The year is coming to an end. And if you are in Berlin and don't want to get too stressed from Christmas shopping, you might want to make a stop at the PalaisPopulaire in between to find some peace and quiet. Here, Caline Aoun, Deutsche Bank’s “Artist of the Year,” shows in her exhibition seeing is believing how the cycle of data manifests itself materially, how inseparably the analog and virtual worlds are connected. With brightly colored digital wall works and fountains, through which colorful printing ink bubbles, the artist, who lives and works near Beirut, created a place of contemplation for the twenty-first century. And while you are there, you can do some non-stressful Christmas shopping if you want. On the occasion of the current exhibition we are presenting works of our “Artists of the Year” of past years in the Forum of the PalaisPopulaire. These include a photo edition by Japanese artist Koki Tanaka, experimental photographs by Basim Magdy, and a cyborg collage by Wangechi Mutu. If you’re looking for a truly individual Christmas present, you will find the exclusive editions of our “Artists of the Year” in the museum shop – and of course you can also buy them for yourself.

Before the Christmas vacation begins, let's take a look at our program for the coming year. In 2020, the PalaisPopulaire will continue to expand its digital offerings. Our museum will be the first institution in Europe to use artificial intelligence to mediate art. Visitors can chat about artworks with “MIA with IBM Watson.” Starting in March, MIA will be used in Time Present, the exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of the Deutsche Bank Collection. After the inaugural exhibition focusing on the medium of paper, the next exhibition of the Deutsche Bank Collection focuses on photography. The anniversary show combines icons of contemporary photography, rarely shown works, and new discoveries on the global art scene. From representatives of the D�sseldorf School, such as Andreas Gursky and Candida H�fer, to artists of the post-Internet generation, Time Present follows the development of photographic art in the corporate collection. Among others, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Sigmar Polke, and Gerhard Richter will be featured, as well as contemporary African photo artists such as Mohamed Camara and Samuel Fosso, and current artists such as Viviane Sassen and Amalia Ulman. Under the guideline of “Time,” works from over four decades will be presented that on the one hand touch on the fundamental questions of photography, and on the other show the development of the collection.

Christo & Jeanne-Claude – Paris! opens in March at the Centre Pompidou, and in September the Arc de Triomphe will be wrapped by Christo. Concurrent with the major museum show in Paris, the PalaisPopulaire is presenting Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Projects 1963-2020, an intimate exhibition that explores the couple’s creative DNA going back over six decades to the beginnings of their careers. The focus is on the wrapping of the Reichstag, which turned the Berlin parliament building into a unique work of art twenty-five years ago. The works on exhibit were compiled by Ingrid and Thomas Jochheim, who met Christo and Jeanne-Claude in 1994 and have been friends with them ever since. Today the collector couple from Recklinghausen is in possession of preliminary studies and unique pieces for all projects. "The fourteen or sixteen days in which the work is accessible to the public are not the period in which the work exists,” says Christo. "A great deal of energy is released during the realization of a project – you can feel the enormous dynamism when you are faced with something that took so many years to come into being.” This other part of the work is now being shown in Berlin – not only for die-hard fans, but for everyone who wants to become better acquainted with Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s art. And of course the designs for the Arc de Triomphe are included.

The new season for contemporary art begins in February with Frieze Los Angeles. For sixteen years now, Deutsche Bank as the Global Lead Partner has been sponsoring Frieze in London, New York and, since last year, Los Angeles. In partnership with the art fair and the award-winning non-profit Ghetto Film School, in 2020 we will initiate the Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award, which offers young international filmmakers a platform. We eagerly await the entries!

We’re looking forward to seeing you and wish all readers of ArtMag happy and relaxing holidays!