The Peak of the 20th Century, Walter Dahn
Walter Dahn
The Peak of the 20th Century
DE
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Walter Dahn

The Peak of the 20th Century, 1986


Dimensions
210.0 x 210.0 cm
Physical Description
Acrylic on linen
Inventory Number
DB025
Acquisition
Deutsche Bank Collection at the Städel Museum
Status
Not on display

Texts

About the Work

The world as a diagram and sketch. In 'The Peak of the 20th Century' the gaze wanders along a framed spiral into its innermost part. Shadowy figures move across a white-shaded background, following an inescapable vortex towards a centre which could equally be a high or low point. Akin to Alberto Giacometti in the reduced style of his art, Walter Dahn sets out in search of meaning in a world full of contradictions. As a master student of Joseph Beuys, Dahn always sees his works as a means of communication, dealing with a broad spectrum of social and aesthetic questions without ever insisting on a final valid statement. His artistic home during the early 1980s was the Mülheimer Freiheit, a Cologne-based artists' group. In their work the Junge Wilde (Wild Youth, or Neo-Expressionists) opposed the intellectual avant-garde and established art as regards both content and method.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
The Peak of the 20th Century
Painter
Period Produced
Object Type
Physical Description
Acrylic on linen
Material
Technique

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Sammlung Deutsche Bank im Städel Museum, Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
© Walter Dahn
Acquisition
Deutsche Bank Collection at the Städel Museum

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre
Main Motif

Iconclass

Primary
Secondary

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Last update

13.03.2024