



WORLD FRAMED
Zeitgenössische Zeichenkunst der Sammlung Schering Stiftung im Kupferstichkabinett
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|---|---|
| Editor(s) | For the Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin: Jenny Graser |
| Author(s) | Andreas Schalhorn, Jenny Graser, Sophia Nava |
| Design | Matthias Hübner, possible books |
| Size | 22,5 x 30 cm |
| Cover | Softcover with flaps |
| Pages | 176 |
| Illustrations | 125 |
| Language(s) | German |
| ISBN | 978-3-96912-128-3 |
In 2008, the Schering Stiftung began acquiring outstanding contemporary works on paper for the Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings) in Berlin. The collection, which has since grown to 130 nonfigurative drawings and a small number of prints, emphasizes the close conjunction of art and science. The holdings also reflect central tendencies in the art of drawing: in addition to exploring the line and its multifaceted formulation, artists shed light on the bounds of their medium and its expansions and undertake forays into inter-media art within drawing. The lavishly designed publication WORLD FRAME—the title is borrowed from a work by the artist Matt Mullican—presents the works acquired thanks to this partnership. It inquires into how artists translate their perceptions of their world into pictures and which contexts and discourses inform those pictures. Which perspectives, which ideas frame the segment of reality an artist observes?
“World Framed,” exhibition, Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, July 7–October 8, 2023
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