Originated from a distant location
The Düsseldorf Kunstpalast is set to host a significant special exhibition titled "Art in the GDR," running from September 5th, 2021, until January 2026. This extensive exhibition aims to explore the art period between 1949 and 1989, during the division of Germany, and presents a diverse and contradictory view of art created in the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
Three artists, Cornelia Schleime, Willi Sitte, and A. R. Penck, are founders of the "Leipzig School" and are among the most prominent and internationally known representatives of the visual arts in former East Germany.
Cornelia Schleime, born in East Berlin in 1953, first trained as a hairdresser and worked as a horse groomer before pursuing a career in art. Her early work, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, was political, often addressing the situation of women in the GDR. However, most of her work up to her move from East to West Berlin in 1984 disappeared and has never resurfaced. Today, her work is multifaceted, including Super-8 films, travel diaries, objects, and installations. One of her works, titled "Until further good cooperation," is on display at the Kunstpalast.
Willi Sitte, a painter and graphic artist from Halle an der Saale who died in 2013, is equally significant in the exhibition. Sitte's art was controversial even among critics of the DDR regime, due to his membership in the SED Central Committee from 1986 to 1989. After his death, his body of work included numerous large-format works depicting worker motifs from the GDR. Sitte was a representative of socialist realism and represented the GDR, along with Bernhard Heisig, Wolfgang Mattheuer, and Werner Tübke, at documenta 6 in Kassel in 1977.
A rumor that Willi Sitte worked for the Stasi haunted him throughout his life. However, this is not the only artist in the exhibition with a complex political history. A. R. Penck (1939-2017) held a professorship at the Düsseldorf Art Academy until 2013 and was also a significant figure in the exhibition.
The exhibition features around 80 works from 13 artists, including Bernhard Heisig (1925-2011), Wolfgang Mattheuer (1927-2004), and Werner Tübke (1929-2004). These internationally significant representatives of visual arts in the GDR are not explicitly listed in the available search results, along with ten additional artists featured in the exhibition from September 5, 2025, to January 2026.
The "Art in the GDR" exhibition presents a fascinating glimpse into the art scene of a divided Germany, showcasing the diverse and often contradictory nature of art created during this period. Visitors will have the opportunity to witness the artistic positions between adaptation and rebellion, affirmation and subversion, particularly in painting, as monographic groups of works focus on these themes.
