Art in the GDR
22 October 2004 – 13 February 2005
A Retrospective Exhibition of the Nationalgalerie Berlin
in cooperation with the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn

Fourteen years after the end of Communism in East Germany, the exhibition looks back on fourty years of art in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The exhibition shows works of art that demonstrate a preoccupation with - although often manifested as a refusal of - the social fabric of the GDR and its artistic program. Presenting a diversity of artistic positions, the exhibition challenges current perceptions of 'GDR Art': it serves neither the cliché image of 'Socialist Realism', nor the simplistic polarization into State and Dissident art. Rather, it follows a narrative that shows the complex relationships - including the similarities - between oppositional and conformist art. Curated by Eugen Blume, "Art in the GDR" brings together 270 works by 136 artists in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, photography, and film.