The life of the objects

The materiality of transitory objects is the focus of this exhibition, and not merely in the context of art history. The presentation examines questions concerning authenticity and imitation, and what makes something an original, a copy or facsimile.

The exhibition sheds light on the innovative force of the Bauhäusler and how they dealt with paints, dyes and inks as a material. By highlighting the ephemerality of colour, the exhibition hopes to raise awareness about a central issue of modern museum work: the ambivalence of exhibiting and conserving.

Is it real?

Pay attention when buying on eBay! Original and counterfeit.

Science and technology have presented art historians with a broad array of new questions on how to study and present works on paper.

A central problem concerns the matter of authenticity with respect to art and ways to recognise counterfeits. This will be introduced and explained to visitors by means of example in detecting counterfeits.

The exhibition presents selected objects and highlights their material biography with respect to colour as a signifier and a medium of artistic expression. It emphasises how the original impact of a work can vary and even be negated due to environmental effects. We pose the question: how do these variations correspond to the artist’s original intent?

We draw attention to the ambiguity of conserving and exhibiting – two core tasks of museum work which have become the topic of vigorous debate in recent years. Based on practical examples, we shed light on the damage that paper-based artworks sustain over time and the tools and methods available to conservators to mitigate that damage.

Most of the objects featured in the exhibition originate from the Bauhaus collection of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar, from which we can draw conclusions about other Bauhaus works from the same period. What kind of materials were used by the Bauhaus instructors and students? Expensive paper and paints, or rather whatever was available at the time?