40 Works for 40 Years: Celebrating the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum

October 16, 2023

This colorful painting shows various shapes—some are white with black and red squiggly lines, and a few are in varying shades of solid blue, yellow, or red—against a largely white background. At the top of the painting is a band of beige and a thin line of aqua blue. A band of bluish-gray is at the bottom. — Willi Baumeister, German, Growth of the Crystals II, 1947/52. Oil with resin and putty on hardboard. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Partial gift of Felicitas Baumeister and Jochen Gutbrod and purchase through the generosity of the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2016.211. © Willi Baumeister/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Germany.

The Harvard Art Museums are grateful for the ongoing dedicated support of the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, who since 1983 have made possible many of the Busch-Reisinger’s curatorial fellowships, publications, public programs, and major acquisitions. We are delighted to present a selection of 40 works from the Busch-Reisinger Museum’s collection that reflect 40 years of meaningful, generous support.

This grayscale painting shows a person wearing a welding mask on a beam welding a piece of metal; a construction site is in the background. — K. H. Hödicke, German, The Welder, 1978. Synthetic polymer on canvas. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of the Friends of the National Galerie, Berlin, and Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1984.858. © K. H. Hödicke/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.1984.858The Welder

This drawing shows a black rectangular object, with loose sketching on the right side that goes beyond the defined shape. — Arnulf Rainer, Austrian, Drawing from the series Fossils, 1984–87. Oil crayon and graphite over lithograph on off-white wove paper. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of European Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1989.70. © Arnulf Rainer.1989.70Drawing from the series Fossils

This drawing shows a circle divided into 12 wedge-shaped segments in a gray gradient. A ring around the center of the circle is divided into 12 segments in a red gradient. — Hansgeorg Knoblauch, German, Black and Red Color Exercise, 1932–33. Black ink and watercolor on cream wove paper (thin card stock) adhered to green wove card image. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1991.193.1991.193Black and Red Color Exercise

This black and white photograph shows the interior of a building, with exposed columns, beams, and an uneven cobblestone floor. — Anselm Kiefer, German, Page opening 4 from The Heavenly Palaces: Merkabah, 1990. Ash and acrylic on gelatin silver print mounted to bound cardboard. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase in honor of Arend Oetker through the generosity of a group of Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1993.205.4. © Anselm Kiefer.1993.205.4Page opening 4 from The Heavenly Palaces: Merkabah

This grayscale painting shows visible brushstrokes that form a square shape. — Gerhard Richter, German, Untitled, 1964. Oil on canvas. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase through the generosity of Renate Küchler, Friedrich-Karl and Marion Schieferdecker, Duke Franz of Bavaria, and other Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1999.199. © Gerhard Richter 2021.1999.199Untitled

This photograph shows a city at night illuminating the horizon. — Andreas Gursky, German, Los Angeles, 1998. Chromogenic photograph on paper, face-mounted to acrylic. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase through the generosity of Edythe and Eli Broad, The Broad Art Foundation, and the Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2000.6. © Andreas Gursky/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn.2000.6Los Angeles

This painting shows amaryllis, calla lily, and lilac flowers in a white, blue, and black vase; a stack of books is in the background. — Lovis Corinth, German, Amaryllis, Calla Lilies, and Lilacs, 1922. Oil on canvas. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Werner and Maren Otto on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of Werner Otto Hall, 2002.70.2002.70Amaryllis, Calla Lilies, and Lilacs

This painting depicts a nude woman on bended knee holding a round red shield with her hand pressed against a wound on her chest. In the background, another female soldier throws a spear at a centaur with a drawn bow. In the foreground, a pale female warrior lies on her back. — Franz von Stuck, German, Wounded Amazon, 1905. Oil on canvas. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase through the generosity of the Acquisitions Committee of the Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum (Rolf Becker, Günther Engler, Andreas Langenscheidt, Michael Hoffmann-Becking, Carol Johnssen, Renate Küchler, Karl Wamsler, and Wilhelm Winterstein) in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2002.96.2002.96Wounded Amazon

This painting shows a birch tree with brown and green leaves and another close by; a field and a tree line are in the background. — Paula Modersohn-Becker, German, Birch Tree in a Landscape, 1899. Oil on composite board. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Wilhelm Winterstein through the Acquisitions Committee of the Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum in honor of James Cuno on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Museum, 2003.4.2003.4Birch Tree in a Landscape

This painting features large circular shapes in shades of black and gray, yellow, orange, green, pink, and white. — Ernst Wilhelm Nay, German, Seraphim, 1964. Oil on canvas. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of the Acquisitions Committee of the Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Museum, 2003.64. © E. Nay-Scheibler. Koln/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.2003.64Seraphim

This drawing shows three male torsos with white highlights on brown paper. — Gustav Klimt, Austrian, Untitled (Three Male Figure Studies), 1886–88. Graphite and white chalk on tan laid paper. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Lucia Titgemeyer and the Acquisitions Committee of the Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2004.35.2004.35Untitled (Three Male Figure Studies)

This painted portrait features a central figure with a bald head; in the background are chimneys and trees. — Heinrich Hoerle, German, Worker (Self-Portrait in Front of Trees and Chimneys), 1931. Oil on paper, mounted to board. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase through the generosity of the Acquisitions Committee of the Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum; purchase in memory of Eda K. Loeb; Richard Norton Memorial Fund; Louise Haskell Daly Fund; Benjamin and Lilian Hertzberg Purchase Fund, 2005.17.2005.17Worker (Self-Portrait in Front of Trees and Chimneys)

This collage includes sepia-colored images of female figures, a zebra head, a giraffe, and an orange number eight. — Marianne Brandt, Germany, Untitled [with Anna May Wong], 1929. Collage of cut and printed papers and cellulose acetate, glass, metal rivets, and flocked paper on paper board. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase through the generosity of the Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum and their Acquisitions Committee, Richard and Priscilla Hunt, Elizabeth C. Lyman, Mildred Rendl-Marcus, and Sylvia de Cuevas, 2006.25. © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.2006.25Untitled [with Anna May Wong]

This bright red rectangular ceramic relief features horizontal and vertical impressions on the surface. — Rosemarie Trockel, Shutter (c), 2006. Stoneware with red glaze. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase through the generosity of Wilhelm Winterstein, 2006.236. © Rosemarie Trockel/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.2006.236Shutter (c)

This black ink drawing shows one large mesh circle at the top connected by fine lines to three sets of circles in ever decreasing size below and then three sets of smaller rectangles. A series of horizontal lines intersects the vertically oriented shapes. Some handwriting is at the bottom of the image. — Lena Bergner, German, Weaving Technique: A (Loom Detail), 1943. Black ink over traces of graphite on cream wove paper. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Markus Michalke in honor of Timotheus R. Pohl, 2007.191. © Estate of Lena Bergner.2007.191Weaving Technique: A (Loom Detail)

This painting shows a white building with hanging red laundry and a person leaning over, who is partially obscured by a wooden wall. — Max Liebermann, German, Dutch Village Scene with Hanging Laundry, 1890. Oil on panel. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase through the generosity of Wilhelm Winterstein, 2008.43.2008.43Dutch Village Scene with Hanging Laundry

This painted landscape shows stacked disembodied forms in shades of red; a cross is at the top, and a building and trees are in the background. — Georg Baselitz, German, Saxon Motif, 1964. Oil on canvas. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Friends Anniversary Collection, Gift of Dorette Hildebrand-Staab, 2008.207. © Georg Baselitz.2008.207Saxon Motif

This painting shows several shapes, most prominently a spoked wheel, in red against a black background. — A. R. Penck, German, Rock II, 1984. Oil on canvas. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Friends Anniversary Collection, Gift of Siegfried Gohr, 2008.210.2008.210Rock II

This grayscale drawing features several geometric shapes and patterns. — Markus Lüpertz, German, Untitled (Style), c. 1977. Graphite, watercolor, and ink on paper. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Friends Anniversary Collection, Gift of Siegfried Gohr, 2008.219. © Markus Lüpertz.2008.219Untitled (Style)

This photograph shows the interior of a library with three stories of illuminated bookshelves. On the first floor are two horizontal glass cases. — Candida Höfer, German, Pierpont Morgan Library New York IV, 2001. Chromogenic print. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Friends Anniversary Collection, Gift of the artist, 2008.226. © Candida Höfer/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.2008.226Pierpont Morgan Library New York IV

This painting shows figures in a dream-like setting performing various actions. At the center top, a person stands over a table, on top of which is someone lying down. One figure in the foreground holds another’s nose and the back of his head. In the background, a mustached man in black holds a white cloth near a long serpent. — Max Ernst, German, Heavenly and Earthly Love, c. 1923. Oil on millboard. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Dr. Arend Oetker, donated through the Arbeitskreis für Kulturelle Aufgaben im Ausland (AKA), Committee for the Promotion of Arts Abroad, 2010.463. © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris.2010.463Heavenly and Earthly Love

This painting shows three stacked rectangles in maroon, pink, and green. — Günther Förg, German, Lead Picture, 1990. Acrylic on lead on wood. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Friends Anniversary Collection, Gift of the artist, 2011.21. © Estate of Günther Förg/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.2011.21Lead Picture

This color photograph features a forest with trees extending in different directions. — Axel Hütte, German, Five Ponds–2, 2010. Ink jet digital print mounted on cardboard. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Friends Anniversary Collection, Gift of Hubertus and Christina von Baumbach, 2011.483.2011.483Five Ponds–2

This color photograph shows a nurse frowning; her arms are crossed and she stands against a gray background. — Timm Rautert, German, Dorothee Oppermann, 20, Nursing Student, 1974, printed 1998. Chromogenic print. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchased through the generosity of Günther Engler, Werner and Jutta Pottbrock, Lothar and Christiane Pues, and the Antonia Paepcke DuBrul Fund, 2012.7.2. © Timm Rautert.2012.7.2Dorothee Oppermann, 20, Nursing Student

A gallery wall is covered in long lines of black paint extending from left to right across the wall, going from dark to light. — Rebecca Horn, German, Flying Books Under Black Rain Painting, 2014. Glass funnel, black ink, three books, metal constructions, motors, and electronic devices. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchased through the generosity of the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum and the Francis H. Burr Memorial Fund, 2014.293. © Rebecca Horn, VG Bild-Kunst/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.2014.293Flying Books Under Black Rain Painting

A silver circular sticker reads “Made in Germany”; smaller circles are positioned at each of the four corners, with the same words. — Yngve Holen, German, Made in Germany, 2014. Domed sticker. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Dr. Arend Oetker, 2015.10.2. © Yngve Holen.2015.10.2Made in Germany

Photographs of varying sizes are displayed on a gallery wall. The two largest photographs show (at left) a person sitting on a cot and (at right) a completely beige image. — Wolfgang Tillmans, German, Folding, Refraction, Touch—Installation for the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2013. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase through the generosity of the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2015.12. © 2015 Wolfgang Tillmans.2015.12Folding, Refraction, Touch—Installation for the Busch-Reisinger Museum

This painting depicts a collection of trinkets and flowers painted with loose brushstrokes. — Gabriele Münter, German, Pink Still Life, 1908–9. Oil on board. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase through the generosity of Wilhelm Winterstein, 2015.20. © Gabrielle Münter/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.2015.20Pink Still Life

This porcelain lidded dish features floral motifs. On either side are what appear to be wolf heads for handles. — Manufactured by Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, German; Designed by Johann Friedrich Eberlein, German, Tureen, c. 1740–45. Hard-paste porcelain decorated with polychrome enamels and gold. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Timotheus R. Pohl, 2015.121.2015.121Tureen

This painting shows a close-up view of a man with his hand crossing his face. — Oskar Schlemmer, German, Small Picture VI: Blue Man, Diagonally, 1932. Oil over graphite on translucent paper, mounted to board. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Timotheus R. Pohl in honor of James Cuno on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2015.122.2015.122Small Picture VI: Blue Man, Diagonally

This colorful painting shows various shapes—some are white with black and red squiggly lines, and a few are in varying shades of solid blue, yellow, or red—against a largely white background. At the top of the painting is a band of beige and a thin line of aqua blue. A band of bluish-gray is at the bottom. — Willi Baumeister, German, Growth of the Crystals II, 1947/52. Oil with resin and putty on hardboard. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Partial gift of Felicitas Baumeister and Jochen Gutbrod and purchase through the generosity of the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2016.211. © Willi Baumeister/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Germany.2016.211Growth of the Crystals II

This black and white photograph shows a man holding a mostly white cat near his face. — T. Lux Feininger, American, Clemens Röseler and his cat, c. 1927. Gelatin silver print. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Baroness Jeane von Oppenheim, 2017.246. © T. Lux Feininger.2017.246Clemens Röseler and his cat

This black and white photogram features abstract patterns and silhouettes of faces and a hand. — Anneliese Hager, German, Untitled (Portrait A. H.), 1947. Gelatin silver print (photogram). Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2018.313. © Estate of Anneliese Hager.2018.313Untitled (Portrait A. H.)

This porcelain white plate features in the center a black and white image of people in line at a store. A thick red line covers the sign for the store and bleeds onto the rim of the plate. — Rosemarie Trockel, German, Sausage Plate, c. 1985. Silkscreen on porcelain plate. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Friends Anniversary Collection, Gift of Siegfried Gohr, 2019.215. © Rosemarie Trockel/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.2019.215Sausage Plate

This drawing features a colorful circular shape like a target, with wispy lines coming out of its center, along with other abstract shapes in gray, red, and yellow. — Sigmar Polke, German, Untitled, 1968. Graphite and transparent and opaque watercolor on white wove paper. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Dorette Hildebrand-Staab, 2020.128. © The Estate of Sigmar Polke/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, Germany.2020.128Untitled

This black and white photograph depicts a repeating image of a woman’s legs as she walks down the stairs. — VALIE EXPORT, Austrian, Syntagma, 1983. 16mm; 18 min.; color; mono sound. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2021.61. © Valie Export/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York /VBK, Austria.2021.61Syntagma

This portrait drawing in pencil depicts a man’s face with abstract shapes floating above him. — Heinrich Hoerle, German, Worker (Self-Portrait in Front of Trees and Chimneys), 1931. Graphite on laid paper. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2021.425.2021.425Worker (Self-Portrait in Front of Trees and Chimneys)

A concrete block with a long metal antenna extending from its top. — Isa Genzken, German, Zittau, 1990. Concrete, steel, and radio antenna. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Edmund Schmidt and Werner Krüger and the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2021.485. © Isa Genzken/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.2021.485Zittau

This black and white photograph shows two monumental sculptures in front of a body of water. They both depict a person wearing a suit, and the sculptures are cut off in the mid-chest area. The one on the left is seated; the one on the right is standing. — Sibylle Bergemann, German, Gummlin, Usedom, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, May 1984. Gelatin silver print. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2021.619.7. © Estate Sibylle Bergemann/OSTKREUZ.2021.619.7Gummlin, Usedom, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

This black and white photograph shows a woman’s face with knives stuck in the wooden wall behind her. Overlaying the image is text in white that reads: “Deutschland wird deutscher.” — Katharina Sieverding, German, Deutschland wird deutscher XLI/92, 1992. Pigment transfer on metal; steel frame in four parts. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum in honor of Markus Michalke, TL42545.1.Deutschland wird deutscher XLI/92