Exhibition
The Cool and the Cold
Painting in the USA and the USSR 1960–1990. Ludwig Collection
Jury Korolyov, Cosmonauts, 1982 © Photo: Carl Brunn, courtesy: Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst Aachen, loan of the Peter and Irene Ludwig Foundation
30 years after the demise of the Soviet Union, the Gropius Bau presented The Cool and the Cold: Painting in the USA and the USSR 1960–1990, an extensive group show that brought together works held by the Ludwig Collection from six international museums.
Peter and Irene Ludwig were among the first collectors to acquire art by American and Soviet artists simultaneously. The exhibition established a critical juxtaposition of works from both camps in the East-West conflict, examining how artists responded during the Cold War to the political and aesthetic questions of their time and negotiated ideas of individual and social freedom.
The selection featured approximately 125 works by over 80 artists, including Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Ilya Kabakov, Erik Bulatov, Jo Baer, Lee Lozano, Jackson Pollock, Helen Frankenthaler, Viktor Pivovarov, Natalya Nesterova and Ivan Čujkov.
Curated by Benjamin Dodenhoff and Brigitte Franzen