Relief (Series B) | Harvard Art Museums

Gallery Text

In the 1960s, a rich transatlantic dialogue informed the development of minimalist sculpture. Adapting the principles of seriality and repetition explored by American artists such as Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt, Posenenske responded to Germany’s postwar “economic miracle” and to the democratizing social movements of the 1960s. She made prototypes of sculptures to serve as the basis for authorized productions, to be industrially made at low cost at a later date. Posenenske envisioned her sculptures as modular objects that could be installed in multiple configurations. Series B consists of sheet aluminum folded and arched in convex and concave forms sprayed with standardized industrial colors. In 1968, with her reputation rising, Posenenske became disillusioned by the inevitability of commodification and stopped making art. “Art could not contribute to the solution of urgent social problems,” she declared. Instead, she pursued sociology and later became a union organizer.

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 2014.298
People: Charlotte Posenenske, German (Wiesbaden, Germany 1930 - 1985 Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
Title: Relief (Series B)
Classification: Sculpture
Work Type: sculpture
Date: 1967, fabricated 2014
Culture: German
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/351659

Location

Location: Level 1, Room 1100, Modern and Contemporary Art, The Sixties Experiment/Multiple Strategies

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Physical Descriptions

Medium: Yellow spray paint on sheet aluminum
Dimensions: 100 x 49.8 x 14 cm (39 3/8 x 19 5/8 x 5 1/2 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: [Peter Freeman, Inc., New York], sold; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2014.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase in memory of Eda K. Loeb
Copyright: © Courtesy of the Estate of Charlotte Posenenske, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and Peter Freeman, Inc., New York / Paris © Estate of Charlotte Posenenske/Burkhard Brunn, Frankfurt
Accession Year: 2014
Object Number: 2014.298
Division: Modern and Contemporary Art
Contact: am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
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Exhibition History

32Q: 1100 60’s Experiment, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 04/10/2018; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 04/07/2025; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/04/2021 - 01/01/2050
32Q: 4000 Study Center Reception, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 10/03/2019

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu

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2014.298: Relief (Series B)