SIGMAR POLKE DAS KANN DOCH KEIN MOTIV SEIN The complete edities from the collection Kunstraum am Limes through 5 September 2021

Infectiously playful and incredibly versatile: anyone who sees the editions produced by the German artist Sigmar Polke (Oels [Oleśnica], 1941- , 2010) will instantly understand why he was considered a brilliant magician. This summer De Pont will show, under the title Das kann doch kein Motiv sein, more than 200 editions in roughly 1400 square meters of the former wool-spinning mill. The exhibition provides a view of Polke's work over a period of forty years and comprises objects, photographs, photocopies, prints, collages and artist's books. Das kann doch kein Motiv sein, 2000

The editions make up an integral part of his artistic output and related directly to techniques that he used time and again in his painting. That allows us to have a rare glimpse of his free, unconventional work and way of thinking. Dr. Axel Ciesielski (1944-2019), collector and founder of Kunstraum am Limes in the German town Hillscheid, is the only person to have acquired all of Polke's editions over the years. His collection, now being shown in the Netherlands for the first time, offers a behind- the-scenes look at the workings of this artist's studio, which was like a laboratory that remained closed to outsiders.

Polke's most important distinguishing feature, according to a critic of , is his very lack of one. His work eludes any categorization. During the 1960s he started out with a German variation on American . From there he developed into a provocative and humorous artist for whom the transformation and reproduction of the image were significant points of departure. Filmverführung, 1998

The making of editions and his interest in graphic techniques were therefore important from the very start. This is clearly evident with the halftone dots, Polke's best-known stylistic means which has its origins in photo reproduction.

DEMYSTIFY For his editions Polke often did not use serigraphy, a technique common in art circles, but inexpensive, industrial offset printing that allowed him to produce large editions. In this way he wished to demystify art reproduction, circumvent the art market and make his work available to a wide audience.

He kept on pushing the limits of this, recognizing the extraordinary potential of misprints and sometimes driving his printers to despair with his unusual expectations of the material. In these labor-intensive collaborations he frequently wanted the impossible, for as he once said to a printer: Leicht kann jeder (Anyone can do easy). One series was printed on highly absorbent velvet paper, and he worked with fake snake leather, allowing the texture to compete with his halftone dots. Although transparent foils – Polke was once trained as a glass painter – were hardly suited to holding paint, this didn't prevent him from giving it a try nonetheless. It was a success.

Der Teufel von , 2001

The idea that an edition consists of identical examples was no rule in Polke's view. By alternating layers of color or making hand-painted additions, he gave rise to different versions of one and the same print, along with countless unique examples. Graphic art allowed him to work in an unconstrained way, as in a drawing. The editions therefore reveal an unbelievable delight, inventiveness and freedom in creating images. In 2000 he had a rubber stamp made: an unsightly blotch with the words Das kann doch kein Motiv sein (That surely can't be a motif). But with Polke it can indeed.

Accompanying the exhibition is a video interview with master printer Mike Karstens, who collaborated closely with Sigmar Polke from 2000 to 2009.

All images of Sigmar Polke: courtesy Kunstraum am Limes – Sammlung Zeitgenössischer Kunst, Hillscheid and Galerie

Christian Lethert, Cologne, photo Werner Baumann. © The Estate of Sigmar Polke, Köln, c/o Pictoright 2021

For further information, photos, interview requests or a preview:[email protected]

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De Pont Museum is open: from Tuesday through Sunday: 11 am to 5 pm Wilhelminapark 1, Tilburg reservations: www.depont.nl --- De Pont Museum, 6 May 2021